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Competition Actions- New Stuff

StephenPerry

Competition Actions
Just what do you guys use on your competition guns. Lots of good actions out there. Actions are the heart of a benchrest gun but are they as such in other disciplines.
Here is a list of what is on the market today for benchrest.
Kelbly Stolle
Probably more of these than any other. Great action highly reliable. If you can't make your mind up this is the action.
BAT
Very popular. New models. Will be around for a long time. The new 3 lug is one the hot new actions this year. I have my eye on one for my Rail.
Farley
Smooth action. Popular with some big dogs.
Stiller
Nice action. Smooth. Great designer in Jerry and machinist in Curtis.
Neiska
One of the nice actions from the NW. Another engineer action. Well recieved amongst Western shooters.
Hall
My favorite. Smooth. I own one. I have 100000 rounds through mine and it keeps going.
Borden
Good name. Popular in the East.
RFD
Bob Dodd actions. Well made smooth operating. Well designed.

Actions Out Of the Past
Nothing wrong with these actions just dated. Here is a short list of the ones I know.
Wichita
Strong action. I have one on a rail/cruiser.
Benchmaster
Made in Texas the best of it's time the 60's.
Mauser
Most everybody built early 40's-50's built home brewed BR guns on these surplus actions. Lots of wood stocked self built BR guns out of the past. These guys would make today's technocrat crowd look small in stature. Amazing how well they shot.
Shilen
Nice action. Worth the money if you find one.
Weber
Popular California action. Highly desirable for a HV/Rail. Out of production a long time ago.
Hart
One of the best in benchrest. Still in limited production.
Remington
Great variety all were popular and some still are. Popular with the .222 & 6X47 guns. I had a XP100. I have a 40x and a pair of 600, blueprinted and detailed for BR use.

There are other actions used for BR, long range, tactical. I especially like the look of the Surgeon. Let's hear about them. Give a description of why you chose your actions.
Stephen Perry
 
Single shots: CG Millenium, RPA Quad Lite and Quad Lock, Barnard.

Repeaters: Model 70, Model 700, TUBB, and the king: AR-15.
 
:cool: As it happens, I purchased a Stiller Predator repeater for F class. If you are unfamiliar with it, think of buying an accurized Remmy 700 in stainless. Made with high tech CAD-CAm machining, I am expecting great score shooting with it. The Bolt is a tiny bit looser for 100% functioning on the ground--. Overbore
 
Weber actions:
I still have 2 of the 14" ones on rails, I believe I've the only cone bolt Weber ever produced. Its reliable and has set records for me in the past so it must work. Or I'm just lucky at times.
Stolles:
I've a few polars left, a couple of teddys, numerous pandas and one grizzly. Its impossible to go wrong with anything from Kelbly.
Bats: Got their bigger actions on Heavy varmits and a number of the smaller ones on sporters. I always use their round actions, no particuliar reason.Their actions are a little harder to make weight with but very smooth. I'm just trying their 3 lug now.
Neiska Bay:
Have several from the Glen Harrison, from the Washington State shop era. Great actions but have no experience with the new Dakota Arms stuff.
Halls:
I had quite a few in years past but haven't had one in the last 8 or 10 years. Hall B's or M's were a delight to shoot. Alan makes a quality product.
I haven't much experience with the other actions out there. I"m sure they're great, I just haven't used them.
I'll get some pictures posted as soon as I can talk my wife into being the camera woman.

Dave Blazzard
 
Dave
Thanks for jumping in. I forgot Neiska. I'll put it right next to the Stiller since they like each other so much. Check out some of my other Threads and add some stuff.
Stephen Perry
 
I've owned a,Sturgis) Nesika action, a Viper, and a Borden Rimrock. I've never fondled any other make of action. My favorite out of these three is the Rimrock.

The Nesika shot fairly well, but it was not very smooth. The machining and finish were first-rate though. The Viper and the Rimrock are about equal in smoothness and machining. I prefer the Rimrock though for a few reasons: the receiver is made of 15-5 Stainless-Steel,I prefer an all-steel action), the bolt handle and bolt body are completely one-piece, it has an extra tight-fitting bolt because of the Borden Bumps, I was able to get it in 1.470" diameter, and Jim fits/times a trigger to each individual action.

We are pretty spoiled today with the variety of choices in custom actions.

Jake Hayes
 
Dave
Have you ever had a Hart action and what did you think of them. Another was Benchmaster and of course Remington. I have or had XP100,600,2),40X. Geraci's killer Sporter that won 3 straight Super Shoots was based on a Rem 700 action. Brackney shoots his own Remington detailed/blueprinted conversions and Brackney actions. For those not aware Brackney made actions for McMillan.
Stephen Perry
 
311021.jpg


The good old Model 70 Winchester action is still popular for highpower shooting, cross-course or long-range prone.

Many however are turning to the Tubb 2000, particularly for across-the-course competition. Also seeing RPA, BAT, Nesika actions on the firing line at long-range prone matches.

Regards, Guy
 
Benchmaster Actions
Another relic benchrest from times gone by. I would guess a 1950's action maybe into the 60's. A forerunner of the Stolle with the action built around an aluminum sleeve with steel inserts for bearing and wear purposes. Later an all steel action. According to Page in the Accurate Rifle this was a well done action.
Stephen Perry
 
Friend got his rifle done on a Hart action and it is a great action. Very smooth, right bolt, left port, left eject. It is in a 30 BR and does this thing shoot. I have a Viper Drop port that I won't be trading in anytime soon and my Hunter rifle is a Rem 700 with all the bells and whistles.

Mike
 
Mike
I like all the actions. I said earlier I was trying to get a Hart 1 action from a friend of mine. He died before we could make the deal. I don't deal with wives about guns so I let it drop.
The Hart 1 was a real low number. It was the first action Hart made. Tony Boyer has won numerous National BR titles with his HV Hart 1A. He will probably shoot it at Raton in a couple weeks.
Stephen Perry
 
For my latest in 26wssm, I went with Bat's repeater action,RS). But ordered it as a solid single shot. I sought it's standing blade ejection for perfect control of my brass. Works great. I use Bat 20moa rings on it.

The best operation in an action that I've ever felt and used though, was from a Stainless Savage I had picked up. This was larger for the WSM cartridges, and with CRPF. I believe this is the only Savage model like this. I fitted a single shot slider in it, SS trigger, and it was the smoothest, most controllable ejecting action I've ever seen. I could drop in a round, tip the rifle downward a little, and the bolt would close, including full turn into a ball detent I had installed. Click-Click.
Current status: Stolen by a Canadian gunsmith!!
That action is worth the price of a rifle to get it. Put any bolthead in it. Screw on a barrel and go.
 
Shooters
Since I last wrote this Thread I have seen the new BAT chrome moly 3 lug action. One word describes this action 'Tits'. Stainless is the prefered action in BR and other custom guns.
But alot of us seaoned shooters remember when BR was almost exclusively shot with chrome moly Remington, Weber, Shilen, and Hart actions. I know I left some out, so what whose counting.
Point is this BAT was built for a reason Walt told me but I forgot. Just take my word if Walt Berger and Lowell Frei go to the BAT action that's good enough for me, I will try and buy one next year.

BAT CM action, Six stock, Jewell trigger, as many Shilen barrels that I can chamber, maybe Leu 45X scope. I want to win and I will find a way to do it.
Stephen Perry
 
so if Those guys had switched over to Savage actions does this mean that Savage is the cats Meow?
Bat makes a good action no doubt but there's more than just the action that makes a winning combination.

I always wondered if someone strapped a 2x4 under a action and won a match how many shooters would follow and do the same thing......
 
Lots of great actions out there...we are living in the Golden Age of BR when it comes to components.

My own preferences run toward the alum. types with a steel insert, but chrome moly actions offers many of the same attributes that make the steel insert/alum body actions appeal to me.

Most custom actions are good to go out of the box, but I've seen a few that had issues. Not all of the bolt faces are perpendicular to the lug abuttments/reciever threads and this can give some issues that can disquise themselves as pressure/case sizing/shoulder bump problems.

My idea of the 'perfect action' would be: the Stolle Kodiak with the locking lugs oriented so they were in a horizontal position when the bolt was closed, bolt on bases,no integral dovetail), an adjustable trigger hanger and the rear action screw not in a blind hole but through milled so you can get more thread purchase. Stan Ware at SGR currently modifies my Panda and Kodiak tangs in this manner.

Good thread. :thumb: -Al
 
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