Author Topic: What do you think is the best rifle action?? (Read 4703 times)

kyelkhunter3006 · « **on:** September 05, 2008, 10:00:08 AM »

After several threads about specific guns or calibers ending up in the "best bolt action brand" debate, I thought, let's just start a thread for it. Let's forget about calibers....just the brand/make/style/model of what you think is the best bolt action. Factory or custom.

I can find features I like and dislike in all of the brands.

After looking at the different ones, IMHO I think that the Model 1999 Montana action is probably the best available today, feature for feature. Although, the T/C Icon is very innovative and appeals to me too, I still think that it's the Montana.

SWAMPMAN----We all know that it's the Remington 700 for you!! LOL

john keyes · « **Reply #1 on:** September 05, 2008, 10:04:05 AM »

I'd like to add but really can't, haven't even begun to own or try that many different actions. I own a Ruger 77, two Rem 700's, and a Jap Weatherby.
I am looking pretty hard at getting a Sako with the AV action but know absolutely nothing about it.

There is so much out there, heck I was wondering if the Smith and Wesson bolt action was any good, they are going pretty cheap.

kyelkhunter3006 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 05, 2008, 10:10:30 AM »

I've looked at a couple of the Smiths, read a couple of reviews, now I'm having a hard time holding myself back from laying out the cash for one. $:-\$ They discounted them so fast that I'm wondering if they are just going to faze them out in favor of the Icon, since Smith owns T/C now?

Tunaman · « **Reply #3 on:** September 05, 2008, 10:49:26 AM »

1+ for the montana action. I have shot a few, but i do not own one. That will change in the future. Lazzeronni makes an impressive action as well. I have a long action that is very strong and smooth but she kicks enough that she doesnt get shot much. Last but not least, a CRF Mod 70 is a thing of beauty as well.

kyelkhunter3006 · « **Reply #4 on:** September 05, 2008, 10:58:51 AM »

Yes, I love the Model 70 actions. I think that the Montana upgrades to the basic M70/Mauser action make it the best choice. Lazzeroni actions are really cool and the machining is superb on them. But for classic looks, well, we already figured that out.

Mike Britton · « **Reply #5 on:** September 05, 2008, 11:13:32 AM »

Me, I'm kind of partial to the Wichester Hi-Wall.

kyelkhunter3006 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 05, 2008, 11:25:59 AM »

Well, yes, they are sweet too. Very graceful and strong. I meant bolt actions though, as this is the forum for them.

Mike Britton · « **Reply #7 on:** September 05, 2008, 11:45:57 AM »

Copy that...My favorite is still the SantaBarbera M98 Mauser.
Although I have a M77 Ruger I'm really fond of.

Graybeard · « **Reply #8 on:** September 05, 2008, 11:50:07 AM »

For me hands down the Remington Model 700 and it's junior size clone the Model Seven. My centerfire bolt rifles are about evenly split between the two. I own no other brand of centerfire bolt action rifle.

Mike Britton · « **Reply #9 on:** September 05, 2008, 12:32:23 PM »

I built up a Palma rifle on a left handed M700 BDL action with a .308 40 XB barrel that would consistently shoot 150 points better than I could hold it. In other hands it shot high master scores on more than one occasion.
We did nothing to that action other than screw a barrel in it.
That rifle was sold at Tulsa to finance my race car trailer.

Swampman · « **Reply #10 on:** September 05, 2008, 12:41:55 PM »

The Remington Model 700 Stainless Special 5R Milspec is thought to be the most accurate .308 caliber rifle ever.

I think I'd start there.

Mike Britton · « **Reply #11 on:** September 05, 2008, 12:59:55 PM »

Swampman, You and I have been involved in a thread with a certain person that would be all over us about this, but I find it interesting that A LOT of police departments all over the country use out of the box Rem.
sniper rifles to protect us from the bad guys. Rem. must be doing something right.

burntmuch · « **Reply #12 on:** September 05, 2008, 01:29:13 PM »

I love my Remington 700s. but to be honest, the only other bolt action ive owned was a enfield british 303. & that was 20 years ago. Now ive got 2 long actions 700s & one short action 700. Ive handled a few other brands, They just never felt right in my hands. Jay

R Jones · « **Reply #13 on:** September 05, 2008, 02:11:34 PM »

Hmmmm! I am kinda' partial to Mauser Mark X, Ruger, and Savage. But, there are a lot of good actions out there ! R Jones

Cabin4 · « **Reply #14 on:** September 05, 2008, 02:16:59 PM »

When it comes to an out of the box bolt, its hard to beat the 700. Unless your willing to spend allot more money. But then again, you can send your 700 to a good smith and for a few hundred bucks, you can get it close enough to many much higher priced guns. If general hunting is the purpose, then there's not much need to spend allot of cash anyway and the 700 out of the box is likely the best choice.

charles p · « **Reply #15 on:** September 05, 2008, 03:17:19 PM »

Hard to beat a 700 Rem or a Mod 7. The reasons have already been stated. They can easily be tweaked if needed.

I have an old Browning BBR that is bulky and awkward, but it shoots great. Also have Winchesters and Weatherby. Never owned a Ruger except in a OU shotgun. Have one custom rifle made off a Mod 700 receiver.

Never seen a Kenny Jarret action. Would try one if I could afford it.

For now I'm a 700 believer.

kyelkhunter3006 · « **Reply #16 on:** September 05, 2008, 03:32:00 PM »

I'll give the 700 it's due.....they are definitely the easiest to modify if you need to. And yes, the military and police use them without an issue. I'll never be able to say that they are bad, just not the absolute best.

The Jarret action is awesome, from what I've seen and read about it. I'll never shell out the $6000 (they are right about there now??) to have one though.

kyelkhunter3006 · « **Reply #17 on:** September 05, 2008, 03:32:54 PM »

Quote from: Mike Britton on September 05, 2008, 12:59:55 PM

Swampman, You and I have been involved in a thread with a certain person that would be all over us about this, but I find it interesting that A LOT of police departments all over the country use out of the box Rem.
sniper rifles to protect us from the bad guys. Rem. must be doing something right.

Wonder who? Hmmm.....

LOL

Dave in WV · « **Reply #18 on:** September 05, 2008, 04:40:19 PM »

The best in my IMHO? The Mauser 98. My favorite I own is a M77 MKII. I also have a M70 classic.

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #19 on:** September 05, 2008, 05:05:10 PM »

Have to say I own more Ruger than anything, followed by Marlin levers, then Remington.

Would love to have a Montana in stainless but doubt I'll ever spend the coin.

Frankly I don't worry about what is "best" as most are pretty good. Modern CNC machining has helped improve quality a lot, although inattention can still cause bad parts.

Favorite rifle:
Ruger M77 slide safety .257 Roberts with LEupold Vari-X III 4.5-14AO

Most fun rifles:
Lever guns! 3 Marlins (.30-30, .375 Win, .45-70) and a Browning B92 (.44 Mag).

AtlLaw · « **Reply #20 on:** September 05, 2008, 06:38:33 PM »

There was a time when I would buy a caliber I wanted only in an action/rifle I didn't have. But, as the years went by I found there were more cart-a-ges I wanted then there were rifles chambered for them!

So now I have a bunch of Remington 700's and a couple of Model Sevens. Now I like my M-70's and Ruger M-77's and others, but I got to say... my Remington bolts have been the most consistantly accurate rifles.

243dave · « **Reply #21 on:** September 05, 2008, 08:48:17 PM »

I love the savage 110/10 actions because they are the most attractive action ever put into a walnut stock !!!

Just kidd'n, but most of em shoot. I've always favored the 700 but I've liked every bolt gun I've ever owned. Lately I've been itch'n for a CZ 550 with the full length stock in 308. Best action? I guess I'll jump on the band-wagon and say the 700. Maybe someone should start a topic titled THE WORST GUN MADE ? so I can talk about a certain break open single shot that would open up after fired and eject the brass hitting me in the forehead.

Mr. Joe · « **Reply #22 on:** September 06, 2008, 05:16:08 AM »

Honestly...Ill say the Ruger M77 MKII...hands down. Hear me out. The Ruger is controlled round feed, it has a standing ejector, three pos. saftey, the best scope mounting system on the market, an intragal recoil lug, and it looks great and is made in the U.S.A. The trigger is pure crap though, but thats the only knock on it. But replace it with a timiney and your good to go!

Cabin4 · « **Reply #23 on:** September 06, 2008, 05:27:27 AM »

Quote from: Mr. Joe on September 06, 2008, 05:16:08 AM

Honestly...Ill say the Ruger M77 MKII...hands down. Hear me out. The Ruger is controlled round feed, it has a standing ejector, three pos. saftey, the best scope mounting system on the market, an intragal recoil lug, and it looks great and is made in the U.S.A. The trigger is pure crap though, but thats the only knock on it. But replace it with a timiney and your good to go!

Ruger makes a very good one for all the points you mention. Thats why I own them as well. I do wish they would resolve the trigger issue once and for all like Savage has. Its a pain in the you know what, that you have to buy a new gun, knowing you have to fix the trigger. I know Ruger has a new trigger system they put on some of their new bolts, not sure how those are.

Mr. Joe · « **Reply #24 on:** September 06, 2008, 05:33:33 AM »

Honestly i find their new trigger unacceptable as well. It appears to be the same old thing with some better finish work done. I actually just get the factory trigger worked on. Williams gunsight has taken two factory 77 triggers down to 2lbs and very crisp for me, but i realize that allot of people don't have access to a custom shop like William's which is why i recomend the drop in units

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #25 on:** September 06, 2008, 05:50:46 AM »

Quote from: Mr. Joe on September 06, 2008, 05:16:08 AM

Honestly...Ill say the Ruger M77 MKII...hands down. Hear me out. The Ruger is controlled round feed, it has a standing ejector, three pos. saftey, the best scope mounting system on the market, an intragal recoil lug, and it looks great and is made in the U.S.A. The trigger is pure crap though, but thats the only knock on it. But replace it with a timiney and your good to go!

Let’s face it, the old Ruger triggers were functional but pretty inconsistent – some were OK out of the box, some were not very good at all and once in a while you would get a nice surprise. The good news is they were VERY easy to work on. All of mine have been polished up and all are now smooth, crisp and as light as I like them.

The new LC6 triggers are better but still not what they could be. In most if not all cases the ones I’ve tried were better than “good enough” for a hunting rifle. Again the good news is that they are easy to work on as well.

Another Ruger positive, which you forgot to mention, is the one-piece bolt. Unlike Remington, I‘ve never heard of a Ruger bolt handle breaking off. Good way to ruin a trip if you don’t have a backup!

For that matter I’ve never hear of a Ruger extractor breaking, either, an infrequent problem with Remington but one that usually occurs at inconvenient times.

Mr. Joe · « **Reply #26 on:** September 06, 2008, 06:01:50 AM »

i can certainly see the benefit of a one piece bolt, but honestly I've never had nor seen a Remington shed its bolt handle.

Swampman · « **Reply #27 on:** September 06, 2008, 06:34:10 AM »

I just can't deal with Ruger's pot metal receiver, bolt, and misc. parts.

Freezer · « **Reply #28 on:** September 06, 2008, 07:47:16 AM »

Swamp man not toting the 06

I don't like Ruger's trigger, Savage stocks are 2 am bar queens, fat and ugly but very functional, heard a lot of good things about the Marlin and T/C.
For affordability I'll take the Savage they're accurate out of the box, have a good trigger, and a price anyone can afford. For style I like the Remington 700 and Model 7. Custom rifles are for folks that have far more money than me and more time to enjoy them.
If it doesn't have to factory, I'll take my Mauser action with a stock I fitted myself and a Timney trigger. I like the controled feed.
Where's the Win. Model 70 fans? The pre 64's and the new ones that went back to the old design are great!

Mr. Joe · « **Reply #29 on:** September 06, 2008, 08:13:35 AM »

Quote from: Swampman on September 06, 2008, 06:34:10 AM

I just can't deal with Ruger's pot metal receiver, bolt, and misc. parts.

Pot Metal!?!?!?!?!? The ruger is an investment cast carbon steel recever. Ive also not found any potmetal on the interior of the action or trigger group for that matter. I think you may have been seriously misled. As for the bolt, its stainless steel. Not trying to defend the ruger as it can stand on its own merit, but that's mis information.