Thread: cheap actions vs 'expensive'

Originally Posted by ChrisF

Only bother with a custom action , IF it brings something special to the table , my customs are all , very meaty , and have special features not found in std factory actions , ie Surgeons SA/XL & Badger 2008s , just do your homework as to want you want in action , or what you want it to do .

Simple way to get around action stiffness ( ie lite sporter actions ) , just use a heavy barrel and use a barrel block , ie float the action , easy .

Later Chris

+1,

I think far too many people don't really know what they want/need when they make a custom, so may end up putting together a bag full of ill-conceived and very expensive parts that don't necessarily add up to a great rifle at the end of it. I personally think you have to figure out the use and then work backwards, i.e. no point having a Surgeon Action with a 30'' straight profile barrel, a heavy chassis stock and a NF scope if you want a hunting rifle?

kj

I also believe there is too much emphasis on gear, with some believing they can compensate for time behind the butt via a Visa card. I can personally attest to that. Don't get me wrong, nice gear certainly helps but nothing is as good as putting lead down range.

While I agree that you do not need an expensive rifle to be able to shoot well , I DO believe their is no cheap way to have optics that preform well at LR , you can get good 2nd hand quality glass , but thats as low as it go's for ME .

I did not start OFF shooting with Benders , wish I did , I like most have had to learn the hard way , ie buying less than ideal scopes ( with in what i could afford at the time ), HOPING they worked , virtually all did not , I had , turret housing come loose , detached reticles , knobs that did not adjust corretcly . parallex fail , and scopes that did not zero long .

So to me , yeap you can get a Rem700 for a 1k , drop a new barrel on her for another k , and a glass stock for another K , thats 3k bare rifle , BUT using a 1k scope , thats going to be the BIG compromise , the best I could do for 1k , would be a 2nd hand MK4 and to thats about the minimum , unless you like wasting time and money .

I like the heavy barreled bolt actions , and put Off buying the rifle , I really wanted for 10yrs ( AI AW ) , Opps , going thru a variety of lesser rifles ( some of them rather expensive lesser rifle s ) , just like I did with the scopes , to me that was 10 wasted yrs , should have bitten the bullet and brought one 10 yrs ago , I have used a lot of different rifles over the yrs , But I am sorry to say nothing really compares to the AI rifles , not even close .

And when I talk about an AI , its the whole thing , and not one single thing like accuracy .

The AIs are basically , a very rugged target rifle , that is also accurate and a mag feed repeater , and thats the hard thing to do .

I however , drive a car that most would not be seen dead in , no 50k cars for me , not even a 1/10 of that ( more like a 1/20 , opps ) , and thats the only way I have been able to afford an AI , that and noodles .


ANd not all shooters with high end gear are bad shooters , Nik who shoot that great small group at 1000yds recently , has some pretty high end rifles and scopes , Opps , he also has a AI AWSM 338LM as well as his tgt rifles etc .

What should be the emphasis is on solid reliable gear .

Later Chris

@the kid Who can true a howa action in NZ?