how do you pick an "action" for a bolt gun?

GreenLantern

If a person was looking to build a bolt-action, let's say in 7mm-08, what pointers do you have when it comes to picking an action to start with?

This is the important part! Accuracy is the goal but to be balanced against cost.

Do you buy new?

What's your favorite action to buy new?

If you buy a used gun to use for the action, how can you tell a good one from a slightly better one? Close your eyes and grab?

JustC

Ease of machining (read lower cost) and aftermarket part accesability would be 2 of the first things to consider. You will quickly find that the rem700 and win 70 are the top used actions for custom rifles. The savage actions have been being used here for the past few years and are making some good numbers.

By far, the rem 700 action is easier to "true up" and blueprint,..and have the most aftermarket parts (triggers, recoil lugs, firing pins, firing pin springs, extractors, stocks, bases, bottom metal). The model 70 win is a close second.

You want only several LARGE locking lugs which can easily be squared with one another as well as with the bore (2 or 3). I suggest you look for a model700 rem or model70 win used,..and discard the barrel and stock and possibly the trigger for aftermarket parts. Then buy your barrel blank and stock. Look to give $250-$350 for the donor action,...but some $$ may be recovered by selling the takeoff parts.

why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
Got Balistics?

BigGameHunter42

well if it is a 7mm-08 . i would suggest a short action . lol bad joke [8D][B)]

Kdub

Mausers, Winchesters, Remingtons - they're all good for conversion. Probably find a solid used Mauser or Remington more easily. If a Winchester, I'd opt for the 'pre-64 or the newer classic with the mauser extractor.

Having said all that - you'll find the cost of building a custom rifle in a common chambering (such as the 7-08) will exceed that of a new commercial rifle. Might keep that in mind.

Keep off the Ridgeline

1KYDSTR

To complete the "lower cost" options, I think you would be well served to think about the '14 and '17 "enfields" as well. There is a lot of machining to be done to remove the sight ears but they are amongst the strongest actions made and have been used on countless custom cnversions over the last 50 or so years. The '14 action has been a particular favorite of many to convert into the larger magnum chamberings because of the original use of a rimmed round that gave lots of room in the mag well and between the rails, but since you mentioned the 7mm-08, I suppose that might not be of interest to you.

If I were to throw out the cost factor...Ed Brown, Dakota and Sako all provide excellent actions to complete such a custom gun, but we are talking some serious cabbage on those numbers!

"When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
"Power corrupts...Absolute power corrupts absolutely"(Descartes?)
"History is written by winners"(Patton)
"You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
"There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)

dotcom_guy30

go with the mauser 98 action

the thing that scares me is that we could be living in someone else's own reality

1KYDSTR

As a follow-up thought...you could likely get a really nice Mauser action as a complete rifle that someone else has "sporterized" by cutting down the stock (read that to mean butchered!). All you really need is the excellent condition reciever and bolt; you can buy the parts you need and go from there. These kind of guns can ussually be had for the $150 range. Never ceases to amaze me what the Bubba's of the world will do to an otherwise fine military rifle in an endeavor to "improve" the looks and function!

"When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
"Power corrupts...Absolute power corrupts absolutely"(Descartes?)
"History is written by winners"(Patton)
"You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
"There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)

GreenLantern

Thanks for the many replies. I see it's not a matter of just what condition the receiver is in, but what you can do to it too.

GL

ern98

As you are talking 7mm-08, you will want a "shorter action". The excess of things that will handle 30-06, magnums and such is just dead weight and flex. Between the Rem 700 and the Win M70 the M70 has more room in it's mag then the 700, while still being a true short action. If heavier slugs are to be used for larger game or longer shots then this is a big plus. As far as the M98, my favorite, I would go with one of the "intermediate length" actions. The 1924 FN and the 1924 Yugo are good examples of this. Lesser ones would be the 1948 Yugo and 1903 Turk. Any of these should be available for $100 to $150, which is a lot less money then the two commercial actions. All of them I would want to have gone over for accuracy. If just pure accuracy is the want then go with the Rem700.

FrancF

quote:Originally posted by JustC
Ease of machining (read lower cost) and aftermarket part accesability would be 2 of the first things to consider. You will quickly find that the rem700 and win 70 are the top used actions for custom rifles. The savage actions have been being used here for the past few years and are making some good numbers.

By far, the rem 700 action is easier to "true up" and blueprint,..and have the most aftermarket parts (triggers, recoil lugs, firing pins, firing pin springs, extractors, stocks, bases, bottom metal). The model 70 win is a close second.

You want only several LARGE locking lugs which can easily be squared with one another as well as with the bore (2 or 3). I suggest you look for a model700 rem or model70 win used,..and discard the barrel and stock and possibly the trigger for aftermarket parts. Then buy your barrel blank and stock. Look to give $250-$350 for the donor action,...but some $$ may be recovered by selling the takeoff parts.

why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
Got Balistics?


Great advice along with the others! another option if you wish to build a dream gun. Find a smith that will build you a 7mm-08 off of a custom action, Panda, Bat, <sp> Stolle, viper etc. Too rich for my blood but I am still looking [:D]


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