Smoothness of action...Does it really do anything ?

You cannot get a Blaser dirty...the flawless function depends on them being clean.

This one saw six or seven hundred rounds of 308 between 4 guys in about two hours. It ran like a top. Their rental blasers R8s looked like they had seen a ton of rounds.

If you're talking trenches of WWI muddy, then most rifles can't handle that. In that case a gas gun would be better.
 
I like smooth actions that cycle fast .
My Ruger single shots have always been very smooth yet they can be loaded quickly.
probably the smoothest action I have ever seen is a friend's Mannlicher Shoenaur .
That carbine will feed a 375MS dummy round from the magazine and close on it with a quick jerk of the rifle , no hands on the bolt/ we tried it!!
Cat
 
As long as the rifle cycles flawlessly and locks up tight I don't think smoothness is that important. That said, a silky smooth action sure feels good and I know what I prefer. My Schultze & Larsen has the smoothest action out of all my rifle's.
 
I can't help but wonder if the OP was referring to the smoothness of trigger action, as there can be little to complain about in a rifle action that cycles quickly and effortlessly. The last thing I want in the field is a rifle that, with the striker released, twists in my grip when I attempt to lift the bolt handle. Bolt travel that feels gritty is nearly as bad, as is a magazine that gives up it's charges reluctantly, or positions the cartridge out of line with the chamber. So we see that smoothness, as it relates to cycling the rifle, involves a number of elements, the resistance of cocking the action and extracting the fired cartridge, the smoothness of the bolt's travel in it's raceway, and the suitability and geometry of the magazine.

As for the trigger, neither can it be too smooth, but problems can occur if it breaks with too little pressure exerted on it. Should your hands be cold, or should you be in a condition of excitement, the trigger might well break before you can feel it, if its adjustment is too light for practical use. Though not a safety concern per say, since its prudent to always, and without exception, observe good muzzle control, but it can lead to a missed, or wounded game animal, or simply to the embarrassment of an unintentional discharge.
 
He is talking about the working of the action, not the trigger.

I am a Ruger fan... Bill Ruger was a believer in "some play" in the actions of bolt rifles... in field conditions, this means less likelyhood of an action seizing in cold weather due to the stiffening of lubricants or frost binding... and in dusty/dirty environments there is less chance of binding caused by debris... all I know is, no Ruger M77 has ever let me down in the woods for the past 40 years.

Having said that.. a tight action that is properly cleaned and lubricated sure feels good cycling at the shoulder in the shop or at the range... in the field... I will stick with my M77's.

I wouldn't say it better myself.
For hunting in the bush with lots of dirt, snow, ice, leaves and wooden branches to contend with Ruger M77 has just small enough bolt play to be reliable.
All my hunting guns are Rugers, nothing ever goes wrong with them in my 30 years of hunting experience, period.
 
I find that older Winchesters actions are pretty slick, Browning (BBR) also. Savage feel at times awkward other times ok. Not sure why. Rugers just seem sloppy but function fine. Remington are not bad. Enfields are fast and ok haven't really shot many others PHs seem ok as well.
 
Sort of a corollary...I guess...is just being smooth isnt indicative of other necessary qualities. My 1950 Mannlicher Schoenauer 1950 is extremely slick...and almost impossible (and at best very slow) to reload after firing while maintaining the rifle at the shoulder and in the aim while standing unless you are built like a Orangutan and have callouses on your knuckles. As I and numerous friends have discovered. Most will instinctively drop the butt while working the action. Not so with the next series of Steyr (ie my model m
Pro) and also one of the great advantages of the No.4 LE.

And to add....a well broken in Remington 7600 in 35 Whelen is both slick AND very fast. Certainly not a liability for anything in North America. Pretty darn accurate too.
 
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