Best action to use for custom 6.5x47

[6.5x284 beer belly]

Hi guys thinking of having a rifle built very soon for stalking and 600y paper plinking in 6.5x47. Looking for some advice on what you consider to be the best quality action around to use many thanks

[1967spud]

a no budget action do you mean?

[6.5x284 beer belly]

Prob got about £2000 to spend. Sorry forgot to put that on.

[Charlts]

Prob got about £2000 to spend. Sorry forgot to put that on.

On the action only?

[Luckyou34]

Why not à RPA Quadcore ? OK for F-class

[6.5x284 beer belly]

On the action only?

yes mate on the action

[terryh]

Bit of an open ended question, two extremes 'stalking' actually infers a bit of moving round, paper punching not so much (if any in some cases) so weigh would not be so much of a problem.

 

Personally I'd go at it from a different angle - find the Smith who you want to build the rifle.

 

He might be biased to one action or another, but this will be for a reason - he will have confidence in delivering a rifle that works to his customers.

 

How you choose a Smith?? For paper punching look at the top 10 shooters in F-Class and F-TR and who do they use possibly? For your 'hybrid, Baldie or Neil build rifles that work, Talk to folks who've had riflesbuilt that match you needs etc.

 

Worth doing a bit of ground work as your total budget (if £2k is for you action) is going to be £6k ish for the whole package + quality reloading gear. That's a lot of beer tokens!

 

T

[gbal]

+1 on Terry's advice.

If you are spending considerable £ then you should be looking to minimise/remove the compromises that the 'one for all-or just two-jobs" have to make.

 

Calibre choice is fine,though. For a range/target rifle,the barrel is by far the most important factor in precision accuracy. You are better,by a little,with a single shot-but a stalking rifle really needs a magazine for follow up shot(s).

 

OK,I'd be inclined to look at your overall budget and consider two rifles:

 

The stalking rifle need not be a low tolerance action,premium barrel,super trigger,stock number-in fact some custom actions are more prone to jamming etc (though not all)....nor do you need,nor will be able to shoot,1/4 moa groups under field conditions. You really should need only one shot,and distance should be unde 300y.

I'd go for a fairly light weight factory rifle ,perhaps in the Sako class-and I'd be prespared to get a tested used model.Scope might be a modest but excellent S&B 8x,likewise need not be new. Nothing fancy,just solid quality ...£1500 maybe.Accurate,reliable and fit for purpose...especially if you are going to carry it,once a rifle gets above 81/2 lb,you are punishing yourself needlessly.....

 

The target rifle needs some weight,and a heavy profile barrel.You can get used top class actions with excellent specs for around £2.5-£3K....this includes Bat,and that class actions,a quality barrel -Bartlein,Brux,Broughton...class;superb trigger,proper stock etc etc...you might want to budget for a new quality barrel soon (£800)-that's the crucial factor for target work.

Other actions are just fine-the Sturgeon,Defiance etc class-developed for precision shooting,ie repeaters usually for gongs out to 800+ yards,excellent for purpose-not out and out Fclass/target...but most could not shoot well enough to tell. Spec has to be good-Night Force make sense,again a used one if need be,and a few other options-at a price.Don't compromose on scope quality-I mean the turrets and repeatability,not some imagined 'clarity' criteria-you won't be target shooting at dusk-unlike stalking!

 

You might consider different cartridges-obviously any is possible in custom,but 6.5x47Lap is rare in factory stalkers (the 260 rem is virtually idetical for purpose,as is the excellent 6.5x55 Swede,widely available in good Euro rifles) and target rifles may well be in other chamberings-7mm being popular,and advantageous as range increase towards 1000y.But options vary.You will be using differnt loadings anyhow,even in the same cartridge,for you two uses.If you plan a rechambering/new barrel,this matter less (a switch barrel screw off /on has advantages-eg two calibres/barrels....

 

OK,just another take on your options....but having a two tools,one suited to each job ,is generally more satisfying long term than the "one size doesn't quite fit anything really well" compromise.On almost all issues-rifles weight,barrel,action,trigger,scope best options differ considerably here-in fact pretty well everything would be better tuned to useage and that's two rifles. :-)

 

Worth thinking it through,there are options. Range queen and hill king ! Details are discussable,but the 2 rifle solution merits careful consideration.

Of course ,if you can tote a near 20 lb rig up the hill,and shoot a light sporter like an Fclass rig,then the one rifle world is your crustacean.....but most can't.

 

Enjoy the decision making-and the outcome,however you go.

 

gbal

[RPA 6mm BR]

The OP is already sure he is going for 6.5x47. He is also no stranger to custom rifles as he has a custom 6.5-284 built by Mik at Dolphin rifles at the moment.

Hopefully I am not speaking out of turn but I think what he is trying to find out is are the Defiance actions a cut above the likes of the Nesika's/RPA etc

[terryh]

The OP is already sure he is going for 6.5x47. He is also no stranger to custom rifles as he has a custom 6.5-284 built by Mik at Dolphin rifles at the moment.

Hopefully I am not speaking out of turn but I think what he is trying to find out is are the Defiance actions a cut above the likes of the Nesika's/RPA etc

Then this would have been helpful in the OP?

 

Re. Defiance actions, not used or handled one but a friend of mine who builds rifles for LEO and Federal use in the US has dropped Surgeon (since that were bought out and no so good) for Defiance actions I.e. when people's lives are at stake he's chosen Defiance - does this help?

 

T

[MJR]

With that budget I would be having a look at the Mausingfield and bighorn TL3 actions. Although I have no specific need of a control feed action the idea appeals and both actions use the myriad of accessories available for the rem 700 action.

Otherwise I'd save a load of money and use a good T3 action as I've seen some accurate 47s built on those for your intended purpose.

[Tuck]

Bat or Borden all the way.

[Swarovski1]

There can't be lot wrong with the action on big A'ls 6.5x47 OCW test thread.action or barrel not stated

[gunner]

2k i was thinking bat or stolle , but definitely integral pikky rail and recoil lug which i think they both have depending on models . And obviously tight tolerance for a solid lock up. dave on here has some great offerings . For me itd have to be bat machine but think there a wait on them . Good luck with your quest and please tell when you have decided . Atb

 

Ps accurate shooter have a good section on " Actions "

[Catch-22]

I think the advice above about speaking to your chosen 'smith' is wise.

 

If you're also prepared to drop around £2k on the action alone, ensure you do your homework on all the parts, not just the action, as there's no point in skimping anywhere on this one.

 

For me, I lean more towards an action with an inbuilt recoil lug - I just think the design is more sound/true. Though I'm not a gunsmith.

 

That aside, my choices for a top of the line bit of kit would be the following - bearing in mind what you'll likely shell out for the full package (not in any specific order);

 

Factory offerings;

AI (anything)

TRG-22

Tubbs/McMillan 2k

Unique Alpine TPG-3 A3

 

Custom;

Defiance (rebel, deviant, mutant - if you like tube guns)

Bat tactical action http://battacticalactions.com

Stiller Tac 30 or Spectre

Surgeon 591SA

Badger M2013

 

Naturally, other people's opinions/experiences may vary.

 

What ever you decide, hope you get as much fun from researching everything about it as you do shooting it.

[Vermincinerator]

Dont rule out the Borden Alpine, a superb action, i have one all be it the long action version (Timberline)

 

Ian.

[baldie]

You won't go wrong with any of the top end American actions.

 

I build regularly on Defiance Deviants and Stryker ridges. I also use the Stiller Spectre and predator, and also really love the Borden Alpines and Timberlines. All in stock, and easy to get when not.

 

BAT,s are nice, if you are prepared to wait a year. Are they any better than the others ? Not in my opinion. True is true.

 

You won't find anything in how they all shoot, its just down to personal preference of features.

 

If you are anywhere near me, you are welcome to call in and have a look at them all.

[Chris-NZ]

You won't go wrong with any of the top end American actions.

 

...

Welllll, I might temper that advice Dave when it comes to Pierce.

 

Our local builder is just having a nightmare having to modify the bolt handles on three titanium actions. They have to be redone to clear lowish scopes. Pretty poor design in my opinion for such an expensive action.

[ds1]

If it is going to be a mag feeder you might want to think about which mag system you prefer eg, AICS, AW, other and let that narrow the selection down a bit.

[rhhudson]

Im having one built at the min same calibre

 

action is made by john carr and iv spec'd it up to what i want,

 

small firing pin, and tight tollerance pin to help reduce primer cratering,

 

dont know how well it compares to the high end American ones but im going English.

 

also having the action personalised with engraving on the side,

 

with that budget you can pretty much have what you want!!

[Ronin]

For the 47, id look towards any of the US actions

 

I have a leaning towards Borden, though Bat, Stiller, Defiance, Mausingfield and Nesika would also be on the list,

 

All depends on what you want the rifle to look like, how you want to feed it...double stack mag, single stack, flush fitting, integral,,,,,?

 

A great deal to consider

 

 

Then there are stocks, triggers and mounting systems to conjugate

 

 

[Swarovski1]

An accuracy international action

[ds1]

AFAIK AI won't sell just an action. So it's get a banger as a donor or fork out for an AXMC in which case screwing on a 6.5x47 tube is simples. Either way probably not the intended direction of the Op......still excellent actions though, just herd of one taking about 120k psi and not letting go.

[Morse]

I have just had a 6.5x47 made for the purposes stated at the start of this thread. Baldie put the choice of components together for me and helped me not to have a 'moment of madness' and building something that wouldn't work. The end result was a rifle built on a DEFIANCE DEVIANT action, BARTLEIN BARREL and a JEWELL TRIGGER. The end result shoots like a dream, there is a thread on the rifle smiths showcase if you want to have a look. The one thing I would suggest is don't compromise on what you want.... Its not cheap but you def get what you pay for. If I were doing it again and DEFIANCE wasn't an option I would go with the AI route and get a donor AI and get Baldie to service it and throw a new tube onto it or get an AX MC and enjoy the easy changes as and when. Very happy with what I did and the results, go and see the different actions at a supplier. I went the custom action route because I wanted something different and I have an AI. Both AI and DEFIANCE actions are massively over spec and will withstand some serious use. Good luck with your choice.