Custom actions and barrel nuts (bighorn, shilen, etc)

[Smokepoles]

I like barrel nuts but hate the lack of options with savage accessories. I wanted to try a remage but feel like the floating bolt heads make better partners for self installed barrels (although I'd probably prefer the one piece bolt). I think a properly built and smithed rifle is a thing of beauty and a fine art but I have the uncontrollable urge to change parts, cartridges, etc constantly and want a modular system I can use to try whatever may be my poison at the time. I want the best I can have to build myself without a lathe and easily find threaded barrels for. . As of now I'm thinking about the bighorn sr2. Am I on the right track? I would think without trueing up the 700 action my chances of an accurate remage are 50/50 and by having it trued the readily available prefit barrels would no longer fit. Thanks for your thoughts

 

[toddc]

I've built a couple hundred Savages in my garage and living room. I am very tired of looking at all of the LA stocks available for the R700 as well as triggers. My next build will most likely use a Stiller and a barrel nut. Best of both worlds.

 

[Smokepoles]

as far as I can tell the shilen dgr is a stiller with a floating barrel head, would you think that would be a better option for prefit barrels than the solid bolt or am I looking at this the wrong way? As wrong as this sounds I feel like the little bit of wiggle in the floating head would make for more consistent mating tolerances to the chamber in a modular platform that will inevitably see multiple barrels during its life.

 

[toddc]

as far as I can tell the shilen dgr is a stiller with a floating barrel head, would you think that would be a better option for prefit barrels than the solid bolt or am I looking at this the wrong way? As wrong as this sounds I feel like the little bit of wiggle in the floating head would make for more consistent mating tolerances to the chamber in a modular platform that will inevitably see multiple barrels during its life.

I don't think the floating bolt head will matter. As long as the bolt head and lugs are square and fully mated (They should be on a $1000 action and if not I would send it back), there should be no difference.

 

[Smokepoles]

I would assume the action tolerances should be flawless, I'm more curious about the bolt face to barrel tenon tolerance. I would think there will be slight differences from barrel to barrel. I would prefer a solid bolt in all honestly but want to make sure I do it right, I may be thinking too far into it

 

[kyron]

Mausingfield Bolt Action

Kind of expensive, but you might consider this custom action.

 

[ohiohunter]

Thats fancy, best of all worlds and the price reflects it. I like it.

 

[Hondo64d]

I don't think the floating bolt head will matter. As long as the bolt head and lugs are square and fully mated (They should be on a $1000 action and if not I would send it back), there should be no difference.

This^^^^

That being said, I LOVE my DGR and would not hesitate to use a Bighorn either. Remember if you are going to use a Remage barrel with a 700 action, the threads must not be opened up. The Remage barrels are cut to factory 700 specs.

Have a look at my DIY thread:


http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/diy-long-range-rig-176162/


John

 

[toddc]

I would assume the action tolerances should be flawless, I'm more curious about the bolt face to barrel tenon tolerance. I would think there will be slight differences from barrel to barrel. I would prefer a solid bolt in all honestly but want to make sure I do it right, I may be thinking too far into it

The bolt face to tenon tolerance doesn't matter. The nut handles that. Run the solid bolt and rock out.

 

[Smokepoles]

This^^^^

That being said, I LOVE my DGR and would not hesitate to use a Bighorn either. Remember if you are going to use a Remage barrel with a 700 action, the threads must not be opened up. The Remage barrels are cut to factory 700 specs.




John

That thread dilemma is what got me started on this. I have a 700 here I was going to use but squaring it without squaring the threads seems like kind of a waste, While these will be hunting rifles I would like BR accuracy. That and the availability of the savage threaded barrels is 100x the remage barrels.

 

[Hondo64d]

That thread dilemma is what got me started on this. I have a 700 here I was going to use but squaring it without squaring the threads seems like kind of a waste, While these will be hunting rifles I would like BR accuracy. That and the availability of the savage threaded barrels is 100x the remage barrels.

Be careful of your expectations in a lightweight hunting rifle. I've been down that road several times and have never not been disappointed. In the words of the late Mickey Coleman, "If you want benchrest accuracy, build a benchrest rifle." He was right. Ragged hole lightweight hunting rifles are out there, but they are rare jewels, not nearly as common as folks would have you believe. Oh, sure, I have got dime sized groups out of my hunting rigs, but it has never been consistently repeatable. On the average, my #2 and #3 barreled rigs are one MOA rifles, stacking three 3-shot groups at the same POA into about an inch. Mike Bryant, who is a fantastic 'smith and Bemchrest competitor is also a hunter. He has told me that #5 barrels are where he starts seeing good consistency with #4s being a decent compromise of portability and precision. My experiences bear this out.

I am beginning to think that about 95% of accuracy is the barrel. Been very tempted to try a 700 short action, get a lug lapping plug from Brownells, lap the lugs to full contact, screw a Remage barrel on it and see how it does. That being said, a good custom action removes the doubts you would have about whether or not the action is the problem if it doesn't shoot well.

John

 

[Smokepoles]

ya i know, in reality only the first cold bore shot matters 99% of the time and for most of my hunting purposes at home about any factory $300 rifle would work just fine. But I haven't found a rehab facility that treats accuraterifleitus yet so my money and time will continue to be spent chasing the unicorn.
The worst part is that most of my game is taken with archery tackle or the old smoke stack, but I like to play with rifles..

 

[toddc]

Be careful of your expectations in a lightweight hunting rifle. I've been down that road several times and have never not been disappointed. In the words of the late Mickey Coleman, "If you want benchrest accuracy, build a benchrest rifle." He was right. Ragged hole lightweight hunting rifles are out there, but they are rare jewels, not nearly as common as folks would have you believe. Oh, sure, I have got dime sized groups out of my hunting rigs, but it has never been consistently repeatable. On the average, my #2 and #3 barreled rigs are one MOA rifles, stacking three 3-shot groups at the same POA into about an inch. Mike Bryant, who is a fantastic 'smith and Bemchrest competitor is also a hunter. He has told me that #5 barrels are where he starts seeing good consistency with #4s being a decent compromise of portability and precision. My experiences bear this out.

I am beginning to think that about 95% of accuracy is the barrel. Been very tempted to try a 700 short action, get a lug lapping plug from Brownells, lap the lugs to full contact, screw a Remage barrel on it and see how it does. That being said, a good custom action removes the doubts you would have about whether or not the action is the problem if it doesn't shoot well.

John

100% agree. .75 MOA is a VERY accurate hunting weight rifle. All of my rigs run better than .75 MOA......because they weigh 15lbs. I don't even play with lightweight stuff because I can't personally shoot them accurately.

There are two factors at play here.

Barrel contour AND overall weight versus recoil impulse.

An 8lb 223 can shoot. An 8lb 338 Edge, not so much.

There are recoil calculators out there that will show you how much a certain rig should weigh to achieve a certain recoil velocity. Throw in a brake and you can get away with a lighter rig, BUT weight still helps.

In my experience I PERSONALLY need a 12lb rig to shoot into the bughole world with any case I would shoot at a deer. Your mileage may vary.

I don't own a gun that anyone can realistically shoot offhand. IMHO extreme accuracy and lightweight, while POSSIBLE, isn't a unicorn I wanna go looking for.

 

[Smokepoles]

Between my business and kids I get a lot more time working on my rifles at home in the evenings than I get using them in the field. I need the unicorn to chase or I'll have nothing to aim for. Anyhow, I was just curious about pros or cons to each of the actions in play before I waste any time using a 700 instead. I like the idea of the savage threads in a 700 footprint, seems like after the initial cost of the action it will simplify my parts searching and delays for custom stocks and barrels.

Any other actions I should be looking at in a 700 footprint with the savage tenon threads? I am new to custom actions, have generally used savage or rems in the past