Been looking at the surgeon 591 short action, defiance short action and a couple others. Stiller predator or tac looks good too but some say the other two are much much nicer than stiller actions. I like the idea of the pic rail being machined into the receiver. If you know of anything else that would be ideal let me know. Not sure who I'm wanting to build the rifle yet for me. I'll probably just have the action and barrel mated together and get a stock and trigger later on to install myself. Do you guys recommend single shot over mag fed for gopher shooting and occasional target shooting? The single shot actions probably stiffer eh?
Custom single shot action vs magazine fed for varmint rifle build
- Thread starter Mike112288
- Start date
Ya I'm leaning toward mag fed and biggest reason is because so far it looks like stocks are a lot more abudent for mag fed 700 style rifles than single shot. I don't want to have a tougher time finding rifle stocks if I ever wanna change out stocks. I do like the single shot idea though single loading each round. I like simplicity a lot. I wonder if anybody in southern Manitoba has surgeon or defiance actions in stock that I can check out before making a choice?
Go mag fed over single if you are shooting gophers. I have a Defiance and my shooting buddy has a Surgeon I would say they are both equal and of the highest quality.
I doubt anyone has them in stock, I had to custom order mine but this lets you choose any options on it that you want.
Such as my left port, right bolt action.
I doubt anyone has them in stock, I had to custom order mine but this lets you choose any options on it that you want.
Such as my left port, right bolt action.
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I can only do an expensive build like this once. I sold my dear 1727 22lr to be able to do something like this or Lrb m14 and I'm leaning toward a custom bolt gun for varmints instead. Better accuracy from what i hear. So I'm trying to get it right the first and last time I do it. Manitoba doesn't seem to have much when it comes to custom builds. I'd sure like to see these actions before buying... The surgeon 591 looks super good to me but so does the defiance rebel or tactical one. I don't want to cerekote the gun. I want the factory finish or coating on the receiver to remain the same. Not bare metal if it's not stainless steel.
I think you are absolutely correct....do it right --- and do it once. I wish I had that attitude and resolve... and all the money I have spent trying to chase something that only practice and focus brings. (mind you if everyone had your attitude...selling on the 'EE' would be a lot tougher!
)Lol well thanks. I wish I had the funds to just go get this and that built paying thousands of loonies for it all but this is coming from the one firearm I didn't think I'd actually let go of, that 1727 is one smokin nice gun but my thinking was to replace it with a 1710 or 1712 and be happy. Plus being able to get a custom rifle put together that I'll be happy with for many years. I want the nice action so they down the road all I need is a rebarrel not a whole new gun. I've owned like all those factory bolt gun offerings already, including the nice coopers, and I'm always desiring more quality so custom is wheres its at I guess!
I don't think there is anyone on this forum that can shoot well enough to notice any perceived gains in accuracy from running a single shot vs. repeater action in a vacuum, let alone when environmental factors (i.e. wind) are included.
I would recommend a Defiance over a Stiller. Stillers feel pretty rough and unrefined compared to other actions. Between a Surgeon and a Defiance, you can't really go wrong with either. At that level of custom action, it comes down to personal preference on the minor details that distinguish the actions from each other, but either would suit your needs fine.
I would highly recommend Insite Arms for your build. Their new action is also worth a look. They do a lot of varmint shooting, as well as PRS matches, so they are great builders to talk to and walk you through a build.
I would recommend a Defiance over a Stiller. Stillers feel pretty rough and unrefined compared to other actions. Between a Surgeon and a Defiance, you can't really go wrong with either. At that level of custom action, it comes down to personal preference on the minor details that distinguish the actions from each other, but either would suit your needs fine.
I would highly recommend Insite Arms for your build. Their new action is also worth a look. They do a lot of varmint shooting, as well as PRS matches, so they are great builders to talk to and walk you through a build.
Stiller is out of the picture then. Is insite more expensive than other guys? I'm trying to make it as affordable as possible but quality work. I don't want cerekote just factory finish on receiver and barrel I guess polished. I spoke to Chou brothers a little bit. They recommended a single shot action for my uses. Because of stock availability and if I ever wanna run it in a chassis I think mag fed is safest to go with since this is a one time thing.
I haven't shopped around in Canada for prices among the builders, so I really can't say. What I will say is that Insite Arms pricing is similar to the other top quality smiths that I'm familiar with state side, and that Insite Arms is the only gunsmith in Canada that I would trust touching my rifle.
You get what you pay for, which is very true in this game. Cheap work is exactly that, cheap work. I would shop around for deals on quality equipment, but I wouldn't skimp on the labor part.
Insite is a little more pricey on their chambering process, but for a reason.
Chambering the barrel is where a good shooting rifle or a godamn laser rifle happens.
They use the same chambering technique used by Robert Gradous, who assisted with setting up their equipment and teaching them his craft. If you don't know who that is, he is one of the top smiths in the USA. He's the guy that the other smiths call for guidance. His barrels have a reputation for extreme accuracy.
I've watched this chambering process, I won't give away any secrets, but it is different than how most gunsmiths cut chambers, and certainly more time consuming. It works though, their rifles are consistently under 1/2 moa, and for the people that have experience behind a long gun and good reloading practices, benchrest quality accuracy in the .1 to .3 range. I don't think you could do better in Canada, I've had a few other customs from the big names, and they were not comparable.
And hell no to the single feed action, no resale value, no practical accuracy increase, difficult to shoot groups with due to breaking position. Sounds like they have one on the shelf they'd like to get rid of...
Chambering the barrel is where a good shooting rifle or a godamn laser rifle happens.
They use the same chambering technique used by Robert Gradous, who assisted with setting up their equipment and teaching them his craft. If you don't know who that is, he is one of the top smiths in the USA. He's the guy that the other smiths call for guidance. His barrels have a reputation for extreme accuracy.
I've watched this chambering process, I won't give away any secrets, but it is different than how most gunsmiths cut chambers, and certainly more time consuming. It works though, their rifles are consistently under 1/2 moa, and for the people that have experience behind a long gun and good reloading practices, benchrest quality accuracy in the .1 to .3 range. I don't think you could do better in Canada, I've had a few other customs from the big names, and they were not comparable.
And hell no to the single feed action, no resale value, no practical accuracy increase, difficult to shoot groups with due to breaking position. Sounds like they have one on the shelf they'd like to get rid of...
Very helpful info! I saw some other people were happy with their rifles built by Chou brothers but their probably almost as expensive as insite arms is. I'm leaning towards insite arms and hearing about their chambering process helps too.
I was leaning towards the surgeon 591SA but their website says all actions ship uncoated. I assume raw bare steel? I don't want cerekote on my rifle. I want the look of the cooper actions with a stainless barrel or a stainless defiance action and barrel to match. Is nitridimg or meloniting ideal? Anybody in Canada do this treatment?
Why no cerakote ?
