Sleeved Action

[lp6]

Sleeved action used to be the big deal and there are several of them out there barreled in the cartidges that were popular at the time. Are people still using sleeved actions, is it worth rebarrelling old tech?

 

[357Mag]

Sleeved action used to be the big deal and there are several of them out there barreled in the cartidges that were popular at the time. Are people still using sleeved actions, is it worth rebarrelling old tech?

lp6 -

Howdy !

The action " sleeve " was/is intended to add stiffness to the action; as one major contribution.

When I embarked on on my first custom build, my riflesmith was Fred Sinclair.
I had intended to use a sleeved XP-100 action ( Davidson sleeve ).

Fred cautioned me that my stock choices would be constrained, due to the diameter of the sleeve.
His suggestion was for me to " cry once ", and buy a ( then new ) Wichita WBR1375 single shot benchrest action; as one major component for my new custom groundhog rifle. I bought s/n 15, and have since used it for 43 years..... along w/ various multiple barrels, stocks; and trigger.

Testing at the time, showed that the Wichita action was amongst the stiffest of the actions available.
I say this, because the core issue of action " stiffness " has pretty much been addressed sufficiently by the plethora of custom benchrest actions being offered today. For the most part, the end result has been the sunset of sleeved action use; within short range bench rest. Now " Rail guns ".... are a whole different deal.

Stock choice limitations would still be a consideration today, should one want to use a sleeved action.
Once in awhile one reads about a shooter using a sleeved action gun, but it seems to me that those are legacy guns; and not so much " new builds " ( IMHO ).

No reason why one wouldn't " shoot " well.


With regards,
357Mag

 

[Ggmac]

Ive got some old sleeved actions and they shoot as good as the barrel and shooter can . Of course Im talking mostly club matches . One sleeved action is a 40xb and another is a fn single shot mauser .

 

[ebb]

The sleeve can come off.

 

[riflewoman]

The issue with sleeves was that if the bond broke during a string it would start shooting wildly. And there was no way to ascertain the bond integrity unless you had some serious NDT resources and the skills to match. Also the epoxies used back then had difficulty bonding to reasonably polished metal. Dipole, while they might improve a flimsy receiver, it wasn’t trustworthy.

 

[lp6]

So I have some "estate" kind of guns with sleeves. They are cool in that they were state of the art at the time but...

I never even considered the problems with aging epoxy.

 

[ebb]

I didn't mean the sleeve could come off unexpectedly. I meant that the sleeve could be removed carefully with a heat gun or an iron and then you would have the original action. Most ive seen were on a Remington action.

 

[snert]

Worth it? That is up to you. I rebarreled a modified Arisaka (yes, the Japanese military rifle) with a brand new Hart 26 inch heavy in Swift. Jim told me he wouldn't turn away work, but his face said "are you nuts?". I just shot a one hole five shot group with it. To me, nostalgia was worth it. No one else would buy it for the cost of the barrel, let alone the smith fee. I'm just weird I guess.

I personally like to shoot old BR guns. I do not compete and never will have the cash to do so. But I go to the public range and shoot little bitty groups with my Sinclair Superiors, and it just makes me happy inside every time. I'd rebarrel one of those in a hot second.

 

[snert]

Here is a swift group shot during load development, 24x Leupold, 100 yards, varget and a 50 grain vmax from an Arisaka. That is an IDPA sticker to cover bullet holes, .98 of an inch square, that I use for targets.

 

[Uthink Uknow]

The original question was, “Are they still using sleeved actions?” And the short answer is yes. But I don’t see many now sleeving actions, some but not many. Cost, the availability of custom actions, the diameter of the finished sleeve are all contributing factors in my opinion.

 

[Ggmac]

if you remove a sleeve , be warned , it was common practice to aggressively rough up the receiver so the epoxy will have a better hold . Ive seen some that were aggressively needled or stippled on the receiver making its use without a sleeve almost a no can do .