Bighorn or Ultimatum action?

Grey_Wolf said:
I looked on their web site and they have a customize your action app that I used. To me it appears to be $1250 for a short action and $1350 for a long. That may change with different options I didn't check. What I didn't see was if it is a Remington clone for stock selections.
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That's USD. I was looking at a TL3 last fall, was quoted $1800CAD IIRC.
 
furtaker said:
TL3 all the way. Ultimatum has not addressed their poor bolt timing and still has issues. Gary is great to deal with as well. Cant go wrong
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That is not true actually, as the Deadline is one of the smoothest (if not the smoothest) 3 lug action I have ever cycled. I love the Bighorn Actions, don't get me wrong, and Gary Eakins is a great guy to deal with, but for the money the Ultimatum is the better choice. Their machining is top notch, the action design is greatly improved over the U300 and the guys there are awesome to deal with. Support the little Canadian guys, save the money to throw at a good barrel/optics/trigger/reloading components and you wont go wrong, trust me.
 
Ultimatum wouldn't be my choice either. Nice looking action as far as the machining goes but that's where it stops too. linear and rotational timing is wrong. Still along ways to go.
Guys that know what they are looking at know its not quite right yet. Better then the first series but should really do more testing and stop letting the customer pay for all the R&D testing by having to buy a half tested action that was put to market before it was done correctly. Go with a TL3. Proven and correct
 
Kudu said:
That is not true actually, as the Deadline is one of the smoothest (if not the smoothest) 3 lug action I have ever cycled. I love the Bighorn Actions, don't get me wrong, and Gary Eakins is a great guy to deal with, but for the money the Ultimatum is the better choice. Their machining is top notch, the action design is greatly improved over the U300 and the guys there are awesome to deal with. Support the little Canadian guys, save the money to throw at a good barrel/optics/trigger/reloading components and you wont go wrong, trust me.
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He's a top notch gunsmith. I'm sure he understands bolt timing and actions.
 
I own a UP Deadline, have shot a BH SR3. I found build quality to be comparable. The bolt lift issue described by some for the older gen UP action appears to be corrected (at least in my action). That being said I have had good experiences buying stuff with Gary and I wouldn't rule out trying a TL3 in the future.

YMMV.
 
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I was excited about the U300, but the bolt lift turned me off, so I went with a Bighorn. I'm still getting it set-up, but the quality of the machining is very, very good and I have no regrets with it. If the Deadline fixed the bolt lift issue, I'd consider it for future builts.
 
It's hard to go wrong with a Bighorn action. They have been around for a while, so they have been refined and people are using it with great success. They certainly have some good features and are proven.

Between a proven, reliable, feature rich action vs. a new version of a troubled action, I know which one I'm going to pick. Picked up a TL3 action to build the gf a short barreled 6mm project rifle, excited to try it out.
 
Once again there is false information being spread against the Deadline. I mean I'm not here to step on anyone's toes or start any fights, but I'd just like to point out that the guys at Ultimatum Precision know what they're doing.

The heavy bolt lift issues of the U300 were solved between the first and second production run, with new bolts being sent to everyone who was having issues. Regardless of that, the Deadline has lowered the cocking force required when lifting the bolt handle with a newer, more refined design and the geometry that dictates the bolt timing has also been completely redesigned, to provide a smoother cycling action with good reliability.

As for testing and R&D, I find it odd for you guys to comment on how the process without adequate knowledge, but I guess this is the internet. The U300 obviously was not a refined product and was released too soon, but the substantial list of changes to the Deadline make it a completely new action in my mind that is very comparable to most aftermarket R700 clones.
 
Kudu said:
The U300 obviously was not a refined product and was released too soon
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I would very much prefer to keep my $$ in Canada, but that right there is why I'm very hesitant to jump into something without a proven track record. Or at least a manufacturer with a proven track record to go on.
 
Totally fair! I am a little hesitant to trust the opinions of somebody slamming a product without having spent any time with the new unit however - just a few vague comments about the bolt timing and lift of the old action. If you want some less biased reviews I'd contact Jerry from mystic. I know he's got one and had planning on doing a bunch of testing in the new year (6.5 CM I think). Once again, nothing against big horn or Gary.
 
jadam said:
I would very much prefer to keep my $$ in Canada, but that right there is why I'm very hesitant to jump into something without a proven track record. Or at least a manufacturer with a proven track record to go on.
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KS Arms in Edmonton. 2- and 3-lug designs.
 
The KS actions should really be considered. The 3-Lugs are fantastic. Super slick and tight. Bolt lift is about 7lbs and they are $1,620 with pinned rail and integral recoil lug. I got to visit the shop on the weekend and play with the new 2-lug and it is butter slick. $1,400 retail with integral recoil lug, pinned rail, fluted bolt, M16 extractor.

When Gary quoted me on the TL3 about a month ago is was about $2,000 and that was with a discount since I spend about $80k a year with him. (business that Im not allowed to post, NOT KS)

Also have seen reports that even the new Deadline is having the same issues with the sear being too low and requiring chassis milling to get it to fit in some of the MDT, Cadex and AI chassis. Not sure if is true for all of them or not, but MDT has announced a Deadline inlet coming in the next quarter. If you are going to market a Remington footprint, then it should be.

The KS 3-lug does require the side bolt release to be milled out in a Cadex, but they drop right into the MDT's. McMillans and such need the side bolt release to be opened up in the stock as do AI plastic skins.

Granted the TL3 is a pretty nice action, but holy crap is that a lot of money.
 
stevesummit said:
Granted the TL3 is a pretty nice action, but holy crap is that a lot of money.
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The price will fluctuate with the U.S. dollar. Our dollar is doing a little better right now.

Not knocking the Canadian choices, if I could have gotten all the features I have on the Bighorn on a Canadian product I would have gladly gone that way (Deadline was still in development when I ordered my Bighorn) but is an extra $500.00 a showstopper when you are probably going to spend 4-6K on a top shelf custom (glass, rings, trigger, action, barrel, chassis)? The Bighorn also gave me CRF and stainless for less than $500 difference (I guess the dollar wasn't so bad when I ordered).
 
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