Which barnard action ?

[katur83]

I am in the process of buying a barnard action. I am going to build a hunting rifle-varmint-target rifle with probably a Remington 17 contour in cal 260 rem, 6.5x47l or 284 win.
I was originally decided to go with the barnard S because it has a remmington footprint. That would mean more options for a good stock.
But I see people think the model p is stiffer and it also got 3 pillars for bedding and the model S only got 2.

Does anybody have experience with the barnard actions? Weight is of no concern to me I just want the best action

 

[FilippoMo]

I would go with model PL if available with the 308 bolt head.Maybe it must be special ordered.You have a bigger bolt and a bigger sized threaded tenon.The difference in cost is marginal.Model PL comes with Barnard trigger like model P.
Sincerely
Filippo

 

[katur83]

I had not really considered the PL action but with a bigger bolt and the same size receiver with bigger port, is the receiver strength and stiffness not reduced?.
With that action 6.5x47L is maybe not what I would be looking at. I have always wanted a good 7mm gun. What would you chose from 7mm wsm, 284 win and 7mm saum? 284 win has got lapua cases and a better barrel life but lacks in speed.

best regards from Iceland

 

[Jeffvn]

I can shoot the 7WSM very well from my single-shot "P." I do not try to unload a loaded round through the port, as mine are very nearly 3.2" long with the 180 Berger hanging out the front, but I can easily pull the bolt and get to the same spot with no difficulty. Takes a mere 2-3 seconds to insert the bolt and be ready for the next one.

I also have a single-shot "PL", for my 338 LM Improved. Big, strong action. Not sure I would want it for anything I was going to carry around for very long. But for my 338LM improved it is plenty strong.

If you want massive and seriously heavy, step up and get teh P-Chey with a .408 cheyTac boltface.

JeffVN

 

[Hamo]

I have a model P in .308 and it shoots amazingly well. I think the PL is the same action with a bigger diameter bolt to accommodate rounds like the .338 lapua. I think it has the same outer diameter/footprint as the model P.

If it were for a hunting rifle i would go for the S or SM. They are built to the same quality, but have a remington 700 footprint, and are a smaller overall action (so alot lighter to carry around). This allows lots of after market stocks to be used, and if the SM is used, you can have detachable bottom metal and have a repeater.

If its for a target rifle, i would go for the model P. It is very sturdy compared to a remington, winchester, etc. and has an awesome trigger. I think the PL is overkill, you might need to special order a .308 bolt head for it as well.

if its a mix of hunting/target i would go for the model S. they are still superior to a trued rem 700 and shoot extremely well. without the cutout for the magwell, the action is stiffer. and becides, with a setup like this, you should get anything first shot, and not need the repeater ;D

 

[Scott Harris]

I also was looking for a dual-purpose prone/hunting action and chose a Barnard S single shot. Regarding stiffness, even the S series will be way stiffer than a Remington or probably most custom actions. At 40 oz, the S action is an entire pound heavier than a Remington.....how stiff does it really need to be? The P series will probably force you into a larger stock because of the larger exterior dimensions. That's probably fine for varmint hunting, but I wouldn't choose the P series for a traditional hunting rifle: it'll be heavy with a 48oz action and larger stock.

Other issues I had to sort through:

No cut for a remington-style safety. You'll need a bottom safety if this is desired.

Recoil lug options: there is no cut on the bottom like the P action. So, you'll need to use either a Remington style lug or do something with the center bottom screw hole. There is no pin for a Remington lug, so a switch barrel option is more complicated if you go this route.

I've read and heard mixed reviews on the magazine fed version. Not sure I'd pick a Barnard for a repeater rifle.

After sorting through these issues, I think it will still make a great single shot hunting rifle and won't use a safety: only load when ready to fire. But, if you want a repeater or a traditional safety: might want to look elsewhere.