Ultimatum action
- Thread starter pig boots
- Start date
Mine was a neutral experience.
Purchased thinking it was a drop in project, and ended up being a gunsmith project.
Ultimatum fully refunded me, so that’s the good part, and why i am neutral in this.
Piece of advice,
1. I guess you’ll want to look into AW mags.
AICS mags, even tuned, will have the ammo hit the feedramp.
This is normal as it has a 3 lug bolt and 3rd lug is pointing downwards, making your mag sit much lower.
Even if it feeds, feed one, remove it without shooting, check runout. Even if it feeds hitting that feedramp isn’t good for runout.
2. Bed the action even if in an MDT chassis. If you don’t do this the rear seems to float.
When you torque it down, even incrementally, you’ll have some bolt binding.
3. Bolt manipulation was still very stiff (open and close) even 500 cycles later.
Maybe it gets better with time?
All this to say, if you’re a parts assembler i don’t say do not buy this,
But do hire a gunsmith and have the details worked out and mags tuned by him.
Then again for similar price i just got a bighorn origin and in my experience is literally plug and play, no gunsmith intervention required.
Purchased thinking it was a drop in project, and ended up being a gunsmith project.
Ultimatum fully refunded me, so that’s the good part, and why i am neutral in this.
Piece of advice,
1. I guess you’ll want to look into AW mags.
AICS mags, even tuned, will have the ammo hit the feedramp.
This is normal as it has a 3 lug bolt and 3rd lug is pointing downwards, making your mag sit much lower.
Even if it feeds, feed one, remove it without shooting, check runout. Even if it feeds hitting that feedramp isn’t good for runout.
2. Bed the action even if in an MDT chassis. If you don’t do this the rear seems to float.
When you torque it down, even incrementally, you’ll have some bolt binding.
3. Bolt manipulation was still very stiff (open and close) even 500 cycles later.
Maybe it gets better with time?
All this to say, if you’re a parts assembler i don’t say do not buy this,
But do hire a gunsmith and have the details worked out and mags tuned by him.
Then again for similar price i just got a bighorn origin and in my experience is literally plug and play, no gunsmith intervention required.
Yes i bedded mine
Aprilia Man
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Canadian "WET" Coast (Raincouver)
Would the type of steel used by Ultimatum make a difference?
I know some of the other custom action makers down south uses 4140 CM steel. From what I read on Ultimatum site, they use 4340 steel with Nitride treatment.
Hmmmmm
Much better actions out there.
1. Bolt lift is extremely heavy. Original version required 23# of force to open (for comparison, an Impact action can be opened with a pinkie finger, most top tier custom actions are around the ~5-8# range). They lightened it up a little bit, but it's still really heavy. A heavy bolt open (or close) is undesirable as it disturbs the rifles position when manipulating the bolt. Not insurmountable when prone, but it's certainly a handicap when running off of a compromised position such as a barricade.
2. Not a true rem700 footprint. Will require work to get it to fit in a lot of rem700 stocks/chassis. Some chassis companies (MDT is the only one I know of) have chassis that will fit it. Otherwise you will need to send it to a gunsmith or do the work yourself.
3. The oversized bolt doesn't solve any problems that currently exist and can create fitment/feeding issues with magazines. Not an issue however if you are doing single shot.
These are just a few of the problems that exist of this action. For every 1 positive review, I read 2-3 negative ones. There's much better actions out there that are much better designed and function better.
What's your intended use and price range? Defiance, Bighorn, ARC, Impact, Lone Peak, etc. are much better action manufacturers for starters. When you are spending that much money, it should operate 100% without any hassles. Lots of great top tier actions out there. There's some good reasons why you don't see or hear about a lot of Deadlines "in the wild".
1. Bolt lift is extremely heavy. Original version required 23# of force to open (for comparison, an Impact action can be opened with a pinkie finger, most top tier custom actions are around the ~5-8# range). They lightened it up a little bit, but it's still really heavy. A heavy bolt open (or close) is undesirable as it disturbs the rifles position when manipulating the bolt. Not insurmountable when prone, but it's certainly a handicap when running off of a compromised position such as a barricade.
2. Not a true rem700 footprint. Will require work to get it to fit in a lot of rem700 stocks/chassis. Some chassis companies (MDT is the only one I know of) have chassis that will fit it. Otherwise you will need to send it to a gunsmith or do the work yourself.
3. The oversized bolt doesn't solve any problems that currently exist and can create fitment/feeding issues with magazines. Not an issue however if you are doing single shot.
These are just a few of the problems that exist of this action. For every 1 positive review, I read 2-3 negative ones. There's much better actions out there that are much better designed and function better.
What's your intended use and price range? Defiance, Bighorn, ARC, Impact, Lone Peak, etc. are much better action manufacturers for starters. When you are spending that much money, it should operate 100% without any hassles. Lots of great top tier actions out there. There's some good reasons why you don't see or hear about a lot of Deadlines "in the wild".
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Only have about 80 rounds through mine so far and i will say I'm extremely impressed. Find it very smooth and like the short throw of the action, it's my first 3 lug action. Haven't measured bolt lift as I haven't found it to unsettle the rifle very much.
Specs are
Ultimatum Deadline Short Action
MDT LSS-XL Gen 2
Timney 510
Krieger 1in 8 finished at 26" shouldered headspaced, no brake, in 6.5 Creedmoor
Tikka A1 buttstock.
I did bed the action as i do all my rifles. Aside from the barrel install I did all the work myself. Haven't had any feeding issues from my mags and no tuning has been done, they are AICS. Wanted to try the SH barrel for a bit of a change but still deciding what the next barrel will be.
Specs are
Ultimatum Deadline Short Action
MDT LSS-XL Gen 2
Timney 510
Krieger 1in 8 finished at 26" shouldered headspaced, no brake, in 6.5 Creedmoor
Tikka A1 buttstock.
I did bed the action as i do all my rifles. Aside from the barrel install I did all the work myself. Haven't had any feeding issues from my mags and no tuning has been done, they are AICS. Wanted to try the SH barrel for a bit of a change but still deciding what the next barrel will be.
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I saw them at TACCOM this past weekend. They had a complete rifle on a tripod and I cycled the action multiple times. To be honest I was very impressed with how light the bolt lift was, it was equal to or less than my beloved Tikka rifles which for a three lug really surprised me. Some of the other innovations are also very nice, I thought it was very well thought out and I am considering it for a build very soon.
A good friend won one from early production. It's a beast and he's been very happy with it. Neither of us finds the bolt lift objectionable, and I see they've added further options to customize/reduce it further.
Not drop-in M700 at all tho.
Not drop-in M700 at all tho.
OP, It would be really interesting as a single shot, seen it on their website and like that they offer it. If you are gonna build your own stock then it doesn't matter what the footprint is.
The one concern I'd have as an f class rig is the dual ejectors, they are super energetic. Mine will toss brass around 5 feet if I don't catch them.
The one concern I'd have as an f class rig is the dual ejectors, they are super energetic. Mine will toss brass around 5 feet if I don't catch them.
The undersized ejection port is not really ideal for single feeding, but certainly doable.
Making your own stock and single feeding it will however negate some of the other cons about this action.
What draws you to the Deadline? Canadian made? 60° bolt throw? Price? What features do you value in an action?
Would the type of steel used by Ultimatum make a difference?
I know some of the other custom action makers down south uses 4140 CM steel. From what I read on Ultimatum site, they use 4340 steel with Nitride treatment.
Hmmmmm
I think in MartyK2500's case, the oversized bolt caused it to bind on the rear action screw, based on what he is describing. He solved it by bedding, but shortening the action screw(s) could have most likely fixed the issue as well.
The designers of the Ultimatum seemed to place a priority on strength and stiffness over other features, with the oversized bolt, reduced ejection port size, etc. Not sure why they placed such a value on this, as this is not a shortcoming of modern actions, and they introduced new issues by overbuilding their actions.
I can't speak intelligently on 4140 vs 4340, I'll let the machinists talk about that. Nitride is a nice surface treatment, much better than cerakote so they made a good choice there.
Thomas, I have a Savage I have shortened the action screw, I know what to look for when it comes to bolt binding from too long action screws (I think),
If I screwed the rear action screw in, without having the rear shimmed or bedded, the action screw itself would not protrude at all, thus shortening the screw wouldn't help.
It's as if the action itself, or at least the rear tang porting of it, had some spring in it, and torqueing it down would make for a stiffer bolt manipulation if torqued, regardless of screw length.
Edit : This top part is by memory only, been over a year since that action has came and went in my home.
Spent over 20 hours trying to tune this action,
I am no gunsmith by all means,
My only advice when someone speaks to me of a deadline, is hire a smith and do not DIY, frustration may result of it if you don't hire.
I was hesitant to touch custom actions again as I don't want to deal with gunsmiths, so far my Origin seems like a good redemption for me in regards to customs,
Much friendlier to set up than a deadline, it has a true R700 footprint, bolt lift and bolt close are much easier to handle too.
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wapitiwhacker
CGN Regular
- Location
- East Kootenay B.C.
Ultimatum can't seem to shake the initial reaction/impressions to the bolt lift of their U300. I have a Deadline single shot short action sitting on a Trigger Tech Diamond trigger waiting to build. The bolt lift is hard to measure exactly, but it is in the high 5 to low 6lb range. I don't find it objectionable at all. I believe they offer a mod to change the percentage of force felt on open vs close. I do not have that mod.
I believe Ultimatum has stated that the Deadline has an 8# bolt lift, went and did some research to find that number. Heavier than most actions out there, including other 3 lugs, but not as detrimental as the U300 was.
Just saw it at the show on the weekend got to play with one and talk to the reps it’s not often you can do that.Also I have a few savage barrels kicking around as well as some rem triggers even a rem stock or too that could get it up and running if necessary. I’m not a fan of 60 degree actions but mabee its time to give one a try
The Ultimatum Deadline is an awesome action I've been using quite a few lately all with excellent results they are light compared to some actions so for an ftr setup this is good I'd rather have a heavier barrel than action.
The rail has 3 screws in front and rear plus pins it doesn't come loose even with the heaviest scopes, the bolt lift is light for a 3 lug design and the short bolt throw is a plus .
Never had a misfire which is more than I can say about some other actions the bolthead is easy to replace if one decides to go for a different boltface and fits in any Rem 700 stock with little inletting in front of the incorporated recoil lug which is another plus.
These are fantastic actions Canadian made and great value I am definitely getting a few more, oh and they will also accept savage barrels for those that like that kind of stuff
The rail has 3 screws in front and rear plus pins it doesn't come loose even with the heaviest scopes, the bolt lift is light for a 3 lug design and the short bolt throw is a plus .
Never had a misfire which is more than I can say about some other actions the bolthead is easy to replace if one decides to go for a different boltface and fits in any Rem 700 stock with little inletting in front of the incorporated recoil lug which is another plus.
These are fantastic actions Canadian made and great value I am definitely getting a few more, oh and they will also accept savage barrels for those that like that kind of stuff
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