jackieschmidt
Gold $$ Contributor
The “three rings of steel“ is not designed to stop gasses. It is designed to stop shrapnel.The questionable reliability of push feeds hasn't been driven by magazine articles. It is the result of PHs experiences in Africa hunting dangerous game. A CRF virtually eliminates short stroke and double feed jams that have been a known issue of push feeds since they were first developed in the late 1800s. Feeding jams aren't usually an issue in single shot BR rifle.
The three rings of steel isn't any real advantage. What make an action strong is how well it allows the case head to be surrounded by the barrel. What makes an action safe is how well it controls gas. Rem 700s do both adequately, as do M-70s, Mausers, CZs, Kimbers, Savages, Sakos, Weatherbys, and a plethora of other bolt actions.
if you want to go hunt dangerous game, then by all means secure a rifle with the most reliable feed and extraction capabilities available. A well designed control feed system such as the original military Mausers and their decedents certainly comes close. A nice Double is fool proof.
If you want a rifle that operates most efficiently in competitive arenas such as short and long range Benchrest, deer hunting, live varmint shooting, and just about every other shooting endeavor not involving animals that can kill and eat you, the push feed system has proven it’s worth.