Ultimatium Deadline Action - Reviews, thoughts etc?

Yes. AW works better in a fat bolt three lug than it does in a conventional bolt gun.

The deadline magazine opening is already cut for AW and so is the feed ramps

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So, would you say it would be worth trying changing the chassis to one with AW and giving it a try rather than raping center feed magazines?
 
Just a small information post here, I won't make this a long read.

Here we see 2 mags. 1x 10 rounder without binder plate, 1x 5 rounder with binder plate.
I load to 2.800'' and got a 20 thou jump, so really even with binder it has more than enough space to chase lands.
But... binder plate is lower than bullet nose, and does not affect how bullet feeds.
And just as some extra info, my 5 round MDT metal mag, feeds really smooth my 5 dummy round I made, like really smooth.

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Here is my feedramp, copper is obviously rubbing hard on it. Should I shine where the rub marks are with 1000 grit sandpaper and bring this to a mirror?

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I see what this is doing, the ammo is tapered, the more you load the more the top round nose dives.
Try feeding a 10 round 40SW mag in a single stack 1911, and give me news how it goes.
I had to A. polish feedramp, B. load my ammo longer and use 10mm mags.

In this case loading longer without a rechamber would induce a nasty land jam, and that's a no no
 
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A picture is worth a 1000 words.. and these pics illustrate the problem AND the solution.

You have a 5rds mag that works.... measure the gap between the front of the feed lips ..... measure the gap in a couple of spots on the top. Load some dummy rds and look at how high the bullet tip sits VS the front of the mag..... side view

Repeat with the 10rds... the dimensions will be different..... the position of the bullet tip is likely lower/flatter. I expect that the gap between these two mags is not all that much different but they will be different.

now the magic sauce, open the front of the mag lips on the 10rds mags in SMALL increments until you get to what the 5rds mag is. Wrap a pair of pliers with a bunch of electrical tape so you don't scuff up the surface... the width of the pliers is pretty much all that you want to tweak (maybe 2 widths... don't over do it). Expand the front of the mag lips equally so the gap is still centered.

Load up the dummy rds and keep adjusting until both mags have the same orientation of bullet tip vs top of mag. Run the 10rd mag and likely, problem all gone.

In a bolt rifle, the bullet tip should not hit the feed ramp.... if it does, the mag is likely the issue. It is the case shoulder that runs up the feed ramp. That is why they vary in angle... so they feed in the parent action the cartridge was designed for.

Jerry

PS, look at the picture with the feed ramp... see the brass rubbing on the mag lip? There in lies your problem.... There should not be any rubbing so you need to polish and widen that spot
 
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I would go and try the AW mags as one previous poster said. Or another option would be Magpul mags.

I have found that magpul mags feed great as long as the spring doesn't collapse into the bottom (my bad trying to shoot 6br out of it without enough testing).

AW mags feed way better than any other mag out there and the deadline is set up for them. I use AW mags in my Deviant and man is it nice and that is a 2 lug.
 
I will try tuning actual mags.
By bringing both 10 rounders to the same specs as my 5 rounder,
Now 1-7 feed well, 8-9 are stiff, 10 is tough

Getting there, any good articles on aics mag tuning?
 
I find the best thing for tuning the lips is pair of sheet metal vice grips. Bend them open a little at a time (I did this a lot when I had a 6.5X55 feeding out of 300WM magazines). I have always concentrated on the front edge of the mag so there is a bit of flare to it.

I would also recommend hitting the corners/edges of the mags with some sand paper to smooth out some of the rougher edges.
 
Perfect
I got a set of these pliers.
I’m a plumber so i have got all sorts of non marring wrenches and pliers for specialized finishing.

Doesn’t sound too bad, i will give it some effort and make sure everything is uniform.
We’ll see where that brings me.
 
How is the bolt close so far? From all reports (and you can see it in videos of people cycling that action) the bolt close is super stiff. Some users are reporting that it takes enough pressure that if you don't have your offhand supporting the rifle somehow, the rifle will attempt to rollover with the bolt close, especially if the rifle is on a softer surface such as a bag. It's said that the action also has a tendency to "stall" on the bolt close if you don't run it with enough authority.

It supposedly runs better if you run the action fast, but running an action fast presents it's own challenges, especially for field type shooting comps. That doesn't sound too promising.
 
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Bolt definitely very stiff on close on day one.
Tonight, had a few brewskis with my ghettoblaster and my ultimatum action, just repeatedly cycling it.
Must of cycled it dry 200 times now, on top of the 150 live rounds.

It may be imaginary, but feel as if it’s smoothed out a bit.
I could compare it side by side with a 20’’ new savage 10 i got here.
Bolt lift on both are pretty much equal i’d say, bolt close, still stiffer on deadline, but feels much better than at first.

Still holding back on saying if it was a good investment for me (work hard for my money and quality toys are limited to my 1 rifle and accessories),
But i won’t abandon the platform until i have given it a fair chance to work out it’s quirks.
Seems like it revolves mostly around mag tuning.

Once a few hundred rounds and a few months pass by, i’ll have a definate opinion about it.
Even if i paid through the nose for an action, i will still give my real assessment none the less.

So far the cool points are really cool : can use a trigger tech diamond which savage actions don’t allow for, while still keeping the savage barrel nut system. Bolt is quickly field stripped for firing pin maintenance. Very nice quality finish.
We’ll have to see if we can feed it properly and if bolt close smooths out.
Potential is definitely there.
 
Thanks for the honest feedback. Savage actions are pretty rough and stiff themselves - I really hope for your sake that the action smooths and lightens up some more. Quite frankly, a $1200 action shouldn't be comparable to a Savage.

The 60° bolt throw doesn't help much either, you are doing the same work as an action with a 90° bolt throw, but over a shorter cycling distance. Can't bend the laws of physics. From what I'm hearing the Deadline is even stiffer than that of all of it's 60° action counterparts.
 
kthomas said:
Can't bend the laws of physics. From what I'm hearing the Deadline is even stiffer than that of all of it's 60° action counterparts.
Click to expand...

Well, its a very deceptive statement. First of all it all depends on a spring you are loading by cocking. Springs are not always the same strength even for the same energy required. If you have heavier firing pin you need less spring force for the same strike momentum.

Second, deadline is half cocking on open and full #### on close (as I understand it from what people said). Such that you can't really compare it one to one with an action which cocks only on one movement. The force would also depend greatly internal geometry and and resistances of the components.

Third, there are plenty of 3 lug 60 degrees bolt actions which are smooth and light. To make this point as friendly as I can, look at the "definitely not a competitor":

https://youtu.be/3JwwqdxmMOw
 
MartyK2500 said:
Bolt definitely very stiff on close on day one.
Tonight, had a few brewskis with my ghettoblaster and my ultimatum action, just repeatedly cycling it.
Must of cycled it dry 200 times now, on top of the 150 live rounds.

It may be imaginary, but feel as if it’s smoothed out a bit.
I could compare it side by side with a 20’’ new savage 10 i got here.
Bolt lift on both are pretty much equal i’d say, bolt close, still stiffer on deadline, but feels much better than at first.

Still holding back on saying if it was a good investment for me (work hard for my money and quality toys are limited to my 1 rifle and accessories),
But i won’t abandon the platform until i have given it a fair chance to work out it’s quirks.
Seems like it revolves mostly around mag tuning.

Once a few hundred rounds and a few months pass by, i’ll have a definate opinion about it.
Even if i paid through the nose for an action, i will still give my real assessment none the less.

So far the cool points are really cool : can use a trigger tech diamond which savage actions don’t allow for, while still keeping the savage barrel nut system. Bolt is quickly field stripped for firing pin maintenance. Very nice quality finish.
We’ll have to see if we can feed it properly and if bolt close smooths out.
Potential is definitely there.
Click to expand...

The bolt will most certainly break in.... my action now closes with similar effort to a Factory Rem 700. I continue to be impressed with the materials used and how well the action is machined. The action surface finish is tough and takes more effort to burnish then other actions. I figure I am close to 1000 cycles and the action runs slick and smooth AND given how tough the surfaces are, I expect this fit will stay for a very very long time.

I would rather take more effort on the front side vs having a "looser" action that breaks in fast but continues to wear with use and get real sloppy. Or a surface finish that breaks down easier.

I am very impressed with the nitrided surface finish and expect it to hold up very well in dusty conditions... and to normal wear and tear.

Jerry
 
Mystic Precision said:
The bolt will most certainly break in.... my action now closes with similar effort to a Factory Rem 700. I continue to be impressed with the materials used and how well the action is machined. The action surface finish is tough and takes more effort to burnish then other actions. I figure I am close to 1000 cycles and the action runs slick and smooth AND given how tough the surfaces are, I expect this fit will stay for a very very long time.

I would rather take more effort on the front side vs having a "looser" action that breaks in but continues to wear with use and get real sloppy. Or a surface finish that breaks down easier.


I am very impressed with the nitrided surface finish and expect it to hold up very well in dusty conditions... and to normal wear and tear.

Jerry
Click to expand...

There are actions that already do this, without compromising function. Surgeon, Impact, Lone Peak Fuzion, Mausingfield. All these actions are extremely durable, with the slickest, smoothest and some of the lightest bolt funtioning you will feel.

When an action is so tight that it rolls the rifle over without support, thats a function compromise. For those that just shoot on their bellies or off a bench, that really won't matter at all. If it checks all the right boxes for you, then go for it. But for positional work, that extra tightness is a compromise.

A stock Remington action is pretty rough and stiff. If you feel one of the actions listed above next to a Savage or stock Remington, your mind will be blown. World's apart in feel and functionality.

Not bashing Ultimatum, it's great for consumers to have more options. Competition only makes things better for us. And for some this action may check all the boxes. I just don't think it's quite there yet. There are a lot of excellent options out there, and the bar is set very high now in the custom action market. Perhaps with a few more revisions, the Deadline will be a top tier action.
 
Just spent many hours slowly opening and closing feedlips as felt required, cycled the dummies 100+ times, to no avail.
Don’t know if i got the patience for this, i’m used to adjust feedlips on race gun 1911s on top of it.
Since i’m stubborn about not using a gun smith, feel like i’ll just slap that barrel back on the 10TR this weekend.
 
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