suitable Actions for a build?

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boomer2

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I am considering building an accurate long range rifle for myself sometime in the future. I would not be using this for competition, but just for my own pleasure. With that goal in mind, what would be suitable action/rifle to buy now that could be used towards that goal? I have or can buy used a Tikka T3 light, Winchester featherweight, Rem 700 or SPS, or a Savage. I would imagine that all can be made to work, but perhaps some are easier, cheaper etc to incorporate into a build? Open to suggestions. Thanks guys.
 
Personally. I would buy a stiller action from Juan Valdez for around a grand before I used an r700. Savage would be your cheapest route, but imo, not the greatest. Many in the us are having great success with the butter smooth t3 action, with a recoil lug from Underground skunkworks.
 
Figure out what your rifle will look like then see what parts are available. I can now offer a wider range of stuff for most actions.

rem (or clone) and Savage are the easiest to get stuff.

Tikka and win can get more limited depending on what you want to build

Savage is likely the least expensive overall build AND can be every bit as good for feel and function as anything else BUT that may not be an action you like the looks of.

Also decide on how much you want to do yourself...

Dream it up first and have a budget and timeline. The rest is easy.

Jerry
 
I don't think there is a cheaper way to build an extremely accurate rifle than to base it on a Remington 700.

True the action before installing a quality barrel and stock... a huge selection of stocks and accessories...
 
As I am going through this exact process right now, I can say that what I found is the Rem 700 is the cheapest route. Think the SPS models. Other than the Sav/Stevens, the Savages are all considerably more expensive.

The 700 is like the small block Chevy of the in world so there are endless parts and tools
Avail for them. The savage is prob a bit easier to work on due to the barrel nut system. Either will make a fine rifle.
 
Suputin said:
Savages are all considerably more expensive.
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Weird seeing a Stevens 200 can be found pretty easily for $300. Tell me where you can get a Remmy 700 that cheap.

If you are getting a smith to build it Remmy is they way to go though IMO. More options then Savage, although that is changing rapidly. I've done both, and liked both equally. My current build is a Pierce. Time to step it up.
 
Suputin said:
As I am going through this exact process right now, I can say that what I found is the Rem 700 is the cheapest route. Think the SPS models. Other than the Sav/Stevens, the Savages are all considerably more expensive.

The 700 is like the small block Chevy of the in world so there are endless parts and tools
Avail for them. The savage is prob a bit easier to work on due to the barrel nut system. Either will make a fine rifle.
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Curious how a Savage can be more expensive to a Rem?

Please explain...
Jerry
 
Mystic Precision said:
Curious how a Savage can be more expensive to a Rem?

Please explain...
Jerry
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He's talking about a Savage not a Stevens. Subtle differences, to be sure. However, if we're attempting to compare apples to apples by taking the Accutrigger into consideration, then he is correct. You can buy a SPS with the X-Mark Pro for as little as $499 less a current rebate of $40 from Remington.
 
Not sure what bolt face you want but if you were thinking something like .223 for F class there is a nice lawton single shot for sale in the EE (or there was at least) for A grand that you could have a really nice LR rig built on without waiting for an action.
I'm not selling it nor do I know the seller BTW, just been eyeing it ;)
 
2bad4u2 said:
He's talking about a Savage not a Stevens. Subtle differences, to be sure. However, if we're attempting to compare apples to apples by taking the Accutrigger into consideration, then he is correct. You can buy a SPS with the X-Mark Pro for as little as $499 less a current rebate of $40 from Remington.
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Understood that Rem is trying very hard to move product and discount their factory rifles but the OP wanted to build up an accurate LR rifle using a factory action as a base.

Now do the math on a ground up build using a Rem vs a Savage. I think we have been down this road several times before :D

If ok with the 2lb trigger pull of the accutrigger, the Savage is now even less money as you dont need to change the trigger as many are doing with the SPS/X mark combo (Timney is $140 and that is the lowest quality aftermarket trigger for the Rem).

I bet you can find a Savage 11FCNS for around $500 now that hunting season is over. A Savage package rifle or Stevens would be even less money and make a trigger upgrade (well under 1lb) less of a cost.

If all the OP wanted was a sub MOA shooter, just grab a Savage Axis in an appropriate chambering and have at it.

But I think he is looking for a little more performance than that.

Jerry
 
there have been more target rifles built on Rem 700 actions than other model's combined ,Benchrest rifles ,Full bore rifles ,and varmint rifles , silhouette rifles. they are with out a doubt the top of the pile . As for cheap which always seems to be the criteria on these build forms savage is king . Personally would not own one but what ever floats your boat. Wichita, HS Precision Dakota. Quality wright out of the box.
 
I have rem 700, stiller, pierce and savage actions. I can supply a Shilen trigger for 99$ but the x-mark can be made to work fine. Think barrel quality first an formost. All of the actions I mentioned can be made to shoot very accurately. Savages are a little cheaper to build but parts are not as widespread. I buy blanks in savage profiles and chamber as needed, saves on waiting 6-8 months for the prechambers. I think a custom action has the best resale if that matters.

Cheers
 
One action that I rarely ever hear reference to on this forum are Howa actions. I just bought one for another .300 Blackout project. I bought it mainly to try something new. After having owned over a dozen Rem 700's over the years, I wanted a change of pace.

I can say that the new Howas may have the best factory trigger of any that I've tried. It's a 2-stage trigger and it's very crisp. Admittedly, this was dry fire only. Having said that, I could immediately tell the difference.

Howa has a lot of nice design features that the other manufacturers do not have. It all depends on what you prefer or what you place the most value in. Some Howa advantages include a one piece bolt, M16 style extractor, large internal recoil lug, flat bottomed action, and the decent factory trigger already mentioned.

The Howa I bought was a 1500 Varmint in .223 Rem with 20" barrel in a Hogue stock. The price was $599, about the same price that you would pay for a Rem 700 SPS Tactical.

The only drawback to a Howa would be a preceived lack of aftermarket support like stocks for example. Lots of manufacturers are making their wares for Howas but you're not likely to find them sitting on dealer shelves. It'll more than likely be a dealer order situation. McMillan, Manners, B&C, and Boyds all inlet for Howa actions.

Here's a couple of good links on action comparissons with Howa being taken into consideration.

http://w ww.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2929585&page=1

http://w ww.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2793984&page=1

http://w ww.ar15.com/forums/t_6_5/229541_.html
 
Go on the Wholesale Sports website and compare prices Savage vs Rem and you will find the Sav to be as expensive if not more in some cases once you choose a model that has the accutrigger. The exceptions being the Stevens and the package rifles.

Don't get me wrong, I own a Sav and am very happy with it but it is hard to beat the price of an SPS for a donor action.
 
Suputin said:
Go on the Wholesale Sports website and compare prices Savage vs Rem and you will find the Sav to be as expensive if not more in some cases once you choose a model that has the accutrigger. The exceptions being the Stevens and the package rifles.

Don't get me wrong, I own a Sav and am very happy with it but it is hard to beat the price of an SPS for a donor action.
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Again, whatever makes a shooter happy but for pure costing, the Rem will be50 to 100% MORE expensive for a full on build.

As has been said so many times, the Rem action may need some TLC for best performance. Some even replace a range of parts for max performance.

At which point the bare action alone is tickling the price of a custom action.

Why we have so many custom Rem clone actions. many shooters just can't be bothered spending all that money to only end up with a polished and tuned Rem when they can have a true custom (Stiller, Nesika, Bat, Surgeon, etc) for not much more money.

Prices in the $1000 to 1500 range come to mind. And that is for a bare action. you still need to add a trigger for many of these actions.

So to get a basic Rem action to the top levels of precision shooting is going to cost how much?

What will a quality barrel install cost? Forget about the cost of the parts, just the labour.

Yes, you can find a basic Savage w/ Accutrigger that is a bit more (under $100) then the most basic SPS (w/ discounts) BUT you have a useable trigger (promark, not so much) so you save that cost.

What's a Timney with safety cost? I sell alot of them.

I sell some Shilens but with the new Rem triggers, you will not have factory parts to scavenge. Something to consider if you are buying or selling them.

You can spin on a quality match grade prefit barrel onto the Savage without further work to the action. For most barrel specs, that is $350 to 440. That is a completed barrel with ALL work done and even blued for CM barrels

I compete with these barrels and they have help me win some pretty tough matches.

Bolt timing is a good idea for $65 for smooth operation. I can help here.

That's it. You haven't even covered the costs of tuning up the Rem action and you have a ready to go Savage that can keep up with the mega dollar customs.

I service a number of non Savage action shooters each day. I can get a ton of stuff for them. They know what they want and the costs of that build. Awesome.

But that cost will always be higher then a Savage or Stevens for top tier performance.... PERIOD

Soon, I will be able to announce full on gunsmithing services. Yes, I will be happy to build Rems, Howas, Tikka, whatever. From bolt actions to levers to semi's. Even help you restore that classic Win Levers, Lee Enfields, Mosin Nagants, etc.

Anything that a shooter wants to improve the looks and performance on.

Will be able to offer a huge range of parts to ease the process and offer as close to 1 stop shop as I can.

Just because I shoot alot of Savages doesn't mean I haven't spent time with a wide range of everything else.... I have.

Jerry
 
Funny, you don't see anyone with an aftermarket Savage style action available. I wonder why that may be the case? Just food for thought.
 
Funny, you don't see anyone with an aftermarket Savage style action available. I wonder why that may be the case? Just food for thought.
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The new shilen actions are a savage style floating bolt head.

It's also been reported on snipershide that the new Remington MSR and XM2010 sniper rifle systems both use a floating bolt head.
 
So to get a basic Rem action to the top levels of precision shooting is going to cost how much?

What will a quality barrel install cost? Forget about the cost of the parts, just the labour.
Click to expand...

This may be true for the average gun owner but I have my own machine shop and all the tooling to do the work so that costs me nothing. I am only interested in the cost of the action. For the build I am working on, the stock Rem trigger will be fine as this isn't meant to be a long range tack driver.

What I do need is an OEM stock with a barrel channel big enough to fit a heavy barrel. Everything Savage that I looked at which fit my needs was $900 and up. I got an SPS Varmint for $500 and then there is a $40 rebate. That makes the Rem half the cost of the Savage and at that point there was no further debate.

I'm not knocking the Savage. I have one myself and I love it. I particularily like the Accutrigger but for my current build, the pricing didn't make any sense for what I needed. The 700 is super easy to work with and parts are easy to get so it makes a lot of sense for a custom build.
 
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