some actions seem slick as butter,smooth,lock up nicely with little play and feel just right-others are clunky,or seem to have a fair amount of play in them[I tried a ruger lever-didn't like it,seemed lose and wobbly]some people say the old Remington 14 or 141 pump was very slick-haven't tried one.The Marlin 356 is said to be smoother then the Winchestor 94.I love my swedes-they cycle beautifully,no feeding issues.Whats your preferance/experiance/opinion on ''slick'' actions and the best/worst representitive of each[being aware some seem to cycle better with use]I am told some military actions were deliberately made more loosely to accomodate field conditions,while others had tighter tolerances and were more suited to sporting use
tight slick actions?
- Thread starter ratherbefishin
- Start date
The tighter the action the more likely your bolt will jam if crap gets in there. Your right about the military thing. The same applies to sporting use. Most people prefer the feel of smooth tight actions, but rifles like the Winchester Model 70 are anything but tight. I love hearing guys talk about how smooth they are and the pre-64 is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but complain about other rifles being too wobbly and sloppy. It doesn't really matter as long as your happy with whatever you like best. 
For commercially available receivers the Winchester Pre-64 or Classic Model 70 are VERY hard to top. If working properly their feeding and cycling is tough to beat for "smoothness". But when they lock up they are as tight as any. Oh, and I'll take a dual lug bolt gun over a lever any day of the week if what you describe is desired.
I get a bit of a chuckle out of people rateing the smoothness of bolt actions by working the bolts on new, unloaded rifles. Load the mag and they all trade places. Work it from the shoulder and they trade places again. Shoot it 1000 times and its a different beast than when you started. Hit on the first shot and they're all tied.
agreed, merely cycling the action on a new unloaded rifle doesn't tell you too much.But-as I said-I was interested in the ruger lever action 44-but it seemed loose and wobbly,didn't like it at all-not even sure if they still offer it.Some actions seem smoother than others-I tried a new 22 pump-same thing, it seemed to have a lot of play in it.I think that was one of the things that got the remington 870 off the ground-cycles smoothly with little play
I find the older Sakos to be the best in feel, tightness and slicktivity..(is that even a word?)...I have some Sako AV's here that are at least a few miles ahead of my 700's....the Sako L61R's I've owned were even better....
I had a couple Ruger lever 44's....I thought they were clunky and having to lower the lever slightly to drop the mag was a pain...I went back to a Marlin 44 Mag....
)...I have some Sako AV's here that are at least a few miles ahead of my 700's....the Sako L61R's I've owned were even better....I had a couple Ruger lever 44's....I thought they were clunky and having to lower the lever slightly to drop the mag was a pain...I went back to a Marlin 44 Mag....
I like my hunting rifles like my women... loose for the exact reason Pharaoh already mentioned. My Ruger and Kimbers both have plenty of play in the bolt and aren't the smoothest cycling, but I do like the peace of mind that comes with the more generous tolerances when I'm slogging in the grit and garbage.
My target rifles are a whole different animal, and I love the smoothness of a well used push-feed (Rem 700) off the bench.
Although admittedly not a fan of new Tikkas', the ones I've shot have a buttery smooth cycle and lock-up that's tough to beat if that's your thing.
for the exact reason Pharaoh already mentioned. My Ruger and Kimbers both have plenty of play in the bolt and aren't the smoothest cycling, but I do like the peace of mind that comes with the more generous tolerances when I'm slogging in the grit and garbage.My target rifles are a whole different animal, and I love the smoothness of a well used push-feed (Rem 700) off the bench.
Although admittedly not a fan of new Tikkas', the ones I've shot have a buttery smooth cycle and lock-up that's tough to beat if that's your thing.
I get a bit of a chuckle out of people rateing the smoothness of bolt actions by working the bolts on new, unloaded rifles. Load the mag and they all trade places. Work it from the shoulder and they trade places again. Shoot it 1000 times and its a different beast than when you started. Hit on the first shot and they're all tied.
Very well said Dogleg.
I get a bit of a chuckle out of people rateing the smoothness of bolt actions by working the bolts on new, unloaded rifles. Load the mag and they all trade places. Work it from the shoulder and they trade places again. Shoot it 1000 times and its a different beast than when you started. Hit on the first shot and they're all tied.
now thats a great post.
it can also be surpising how feeding and feel can change when actually firing a magazine full of ammo, after the cartridges and follower bounce around in the mag under recoil
Moose Masher
CGN Regular
- Location
- Oak Hammok Manitoba
Mount Sweetness
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Ontario
Best - Older Sako's
Worst - New .204 Ruger Hawkeye
my opinion...
Worst - New .204 Ruger Hawkeye
my opinion...
For the price I also like the Tikkas. For more price I like the Steyr, Sako Bavarian, the Schulz and Larsen, Krico, Huskys, some Brownings,even the Weatherby. Thats the thrill of being a gunnut, handling and using rifles that show craftsmanship. Somehow we are buying into the idea that a blackened SS barrel attached to an ugly piece of plastic is the only way to go. So exactly who are we saving the rifles with slick actions and beautifully grained stocks for? We drive a $70k 4X4 chromed up truck to our hunting areas and then are scared to scratch up our rifles.
yeah...and our trucks have more aluminium on them than the space shuttle...wheels, running boards, grill guards, tool box's etc...etc...but if a rifle has an aluminium floorplate it's second rate.....plastic is another story....we have plastic quad fenders and plastic coffee mugs and half plastic chainsaws...but plastic on a rifle is bad....us gun nuts are strange people indeed...
Maybe you are all too young to remember the Mannlicher Schoenauer, I collected them and the later Steyr lettered series for many years. The M/S has always been considered the smoothest bolt action ever made, as they were precisely machined and assembled and hand fitted long before C&C machining was ever conceived. The pre war models were the best and after the war the model of 1950 still had the fit and feel of the older ones, model of 52 had less, the model of 56 even less and finally ending with the MCA series in the late 60's. If you ever have a chance to handle one, you will feel the difference, preferably an older series, although even the last series was still smoother than most others on the market. I carried a custom full stocked 1950 in 7x64 with a claw mounted Kahles for many years, and never saw a need for anything bigger.
Till you cary and shoot a 1903 M-S 6.5x54MS you have no idea what slickness is, Steyrman does for sure, but till I bought my gun that was made pre WWI I did not think a gun could be this slick! Another gun that I found very slick after years of use is the old Lee Speeds ,they run a close 2nd to the 1903MS. I guess we all have preferences, but till you run a Mannlicher or MS threw your hands you have been a deprived man in my humble opinion, Dale in T-Bay
Pathfinder
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northeast Ontario
A friend in my hunt camp was commenting on how smooth the Action on my Sako A7 was.......I grabbed his rifle (Remington 770 or which ever has the trigger guard built into the stock) and couldnt' believe how gritty the action was.......to be fair it was an unfair comparison....almost felt like I snuck into the special olympics and left with a box full of gold medals My older Sako AV is as good or better.
My LSA 65 is nice and the bolt lockup feels tighter for some reason (less tolerance in the machining than Sako ?)
My older Sako AV is as good or better. My LSA 65 is nice and the bolt lockup feels tighter for some reason (less tolerance in the machining than Sako ?)
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