Custom actions available in UK?

[brown dog]

Confused by these new US restrictions.

 

If I can't get a Badger, what's now available in UK for an all round reliable repeating stalking/ plinking action that meets the following criteria:

 

Not a Rem700-clone

Not an RPA

Not a Barnard

 

Reliable

Safe (particularly struck by how miniscule the bolt shroud is on some of the custom actions) .

 

...and who's it available from?

 

 

Got a feeling the answer maybe starting to shape up as 'just rebarrel a 2ndhand Sako / Tikka'

[baldie]

Just buy another AW, you tart. you know you bloody well want to.

How about a mauser k98 ?..................

[ejg223]

SWS 2000 ?

edi

[Ronin]

Er

 

 

buy a secondhand Tikka or Sako and re-barrel,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

you tart

 

 

 

 

 

Hey,

 

 

 

 

had another idea to replace the agricultural AW.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy a secondhand Parker Hale or BSA and re-barrel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ChrisF]

Brown Dog ,

 

YOU should be able to get a Badger M2008 , ITs just going to be dearer than you want/thought .

 

Figure ,

 

$250 for State Dept approval & 10% fee , and courier shipping , then the VAT your end , thats the cheapest US FFL Exporter I have been able to find so far .

 

Badger has some 308 & 300WM actions available right now .

 

Also If you are going to import one , make sure you get anything else you want/need from the US at the same time on the same permit , ie triggers/bottom metals etc .

 

Later Chris

 

P.S. I was told by Badger a few days ago , that my Badger M2008 ( 308 ) ahort action is the ONLY one of the 1st run of 100 to be Exported outside the US .

[ChrisF]

Heres a pic of the ONLY Badger M2008 that currently lives outside the USA .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[brown dog]

Baldie, Andy,

 

 

Grateful if you'd keep your eyes peeled for a stainless tikka or Sako (pref l/h) with a bent barrel and broken stock

 

Chris,

 

Damn; that Badger really looks to be the answer; are you saying that they will still export, or has yours slipped through the net? I have to say, I'm a bit switched-off to personal import through various unknown middlemen -the vast majority of firearms trade people in UK are muppets [Note: There are clear exceptions -although none on this site ] -I can't imagine the situation is any different in the US. I couldn't face the angst.

[baldie]

BD. Drop Badger an enquiry, as to whether they would be willing to send the action [ if available ] to an ffl in the states.

I can supply you with our shippers details, who can also arrange the necessary export permits etc. This is purely a one-off, as we dont give his details out usually [he,s very good, and we dont want him swamped and pissed off !]

Thats your only way round it, bar getting on a plane.

 

Chris,

Thats a very nice bit of gear buddy. Shortish bolt lift ? I wonder how stiff the lift is, compared to, say, a quadlite/quadlock ?

[brown dog]

Baldie,

 

That's very kind. I'll do that when I get back from hols. Thanks.

[ds1]

BD, give a bit of thought to which stock for a Badger action. The rear tang is broad so something like a Mc Hale stock would look good. Not sure how it would look in an A5.

 

From another thread Baldie mentioned PGW (Timberwolf) are being imported. I know you are partial to those so also worth a thought.

 

If you do get a Badger.........I will take the piss about you using an AI copy.

 

Some general thoughts on this.....AI really has the feature set you like in an action and it is still light years ahead with the chassis bonding and plastic stock pannels.....others are now doing a alloy chassis but with fancy picatinny rails every where but have missed the or ignored the panels which make it usable and comfortable (well sort of).....probably ignored with the mold investment cost. The bonding of the action to the chassis is also overlooked by all but Winchesters. Bottom line is what I think you (and I ) like about the AI is someone else - a professional firearms designer got the design right and field tested and refined it over 20 years so not surprisingly it works well.

 

Now having that said I am also in lust with a Surgeon A, nicer trigger, lighter etc.

 

David.

[ChrisF]

Baldie , you have a PM .

 

Brown Dog , It did not slip thru any net , IT was Exported using my FFL Exporter ( LeRoys ) , with all the normal paper work .

 

RE : Badger , they donot have a in house Exporter , so they will ship to a Exporter you tell them to inside the US , then its UP to the Exporter to get the paper work done and ship to you .

 

Its just more expensive than it use to be .

 

 

Later Chris

[foxing2night]

Very interesting!!!!!!

 

You all know my thoughts on AI,s

 

Darrel

[ChrisF]

RE : stocks for the M2008 ,

 

You can drop it into a modified AICS ,

 

Or into a McMillan , A5 or McHale stock , I have seen the A5 and it looks good , BUT I feel for ME I would want to drop it into a McHale stock , ie just like the great PH M85 .

 

Or a T4 Manners stock .

 

Later Chris

[ds1]

Hi Chris, I think it would look very good in a McHale also. Sorry not sold on an AICS - not much point in replicating an AI plus the bolt handle cut out does not sit right - the pics on SH look a bit naff in that set up. Guess it would even be more expensive to import and build than to buy an AI.

 

What stock will you put your action into?

 

David.

[ChrisF]

I intend to do both AICS and a McHale type stock , I have a PH M85 so am familar with the McHale stock .

 

Actually , the point of using a AICS stock is to duplicate a AW/AWM/AWSM BUT at HALF the cost of a AI rifle , thats makes sense TOO me any way .

 

And yes I have AWs as well .

 

Later Chris

 

This should make a good varmint gun , in 6 or 6.5mm , and as it breeches the same as a AI , ( ie long tunion/thread in ) it will be easy to make a switch barrel out of IT , and of course it supports the heavier barrels very well .

[ds1]

Hi Chris, Oh well.....put my foot in it with the AICS then. I had a PH M85 and M87 as well....I kept with the agricultural theme and bought a couple of AI's.

 

Sold my nice rifle cz700 to John at USO - here is where I was adding import / export cost and hassel up. An AI used in the UK can be had for about 2500 GBP used or new about 4 - 5K GBP. A build on a normal action, A5 stock etc would cost up to 4K GBP depending on options and gun plumber.

 

As a quick comparison.... figure at least 1700 GBP to get the Surgeon action into the UK (tax, FFL cost, shipping, BAFT papaerwork etc.....if everything goes well. I sent my cz700 through Leroy's......it was fortunate that I kept phoning them as they went on holiday for 5 weeks and told no one, nor left a message on the answer phone......then they took an extra week hols just because.......this created much stress and more paperwork for me. Shipping is the next headache....FedEx, DHL etc will not ship firearms or components internationaly, had they had done so the cost for a rifle shippment would have been around 500 - 600 GBP.......I was lucky I got CZ Post to do it at much less cost. I guess no way UK Post will touch a Firearm or component...Sec 5 transporter / storage needed.

 

By the time you add 1700 GBP for the action, 750 GBP foran AICS 2.0 and 500 GBP for a barrel, 200 GBP for a trigger and 700 GBP for the gun plumber , your upto about 4k GBP and probably more. Anyway not half the cost of an AI here (Europe).

 

Guess it depends on how much you are ripped off for an AI and how much cheaaper you can import stuff as well.

 

Anyway look forward to pics of the M2008 in a Mc.Hale I think that will be an exceellent combination.

 

David.

[ChrisF]

I agree , the cost of getting stuff from the US , has gone thru the roof , but my costs are quite a bit different from yours , as I am based in New Zealand .

 

And quite simply my cost on a brand new AI AW rifle is around 3300 GBP , and a fully built up M2008 in a AICS 2.0 with bartlien barrel and good trigger fitted etc is about 1800 GBP , the second hand AWs in the UK I have seen are about 2500 and UP most approaching 3K , and as I can have a New one for 10% more , and speced to what I LIKE , thats a better deal , as I get the Tax OFF the NEW one , and donot OFF the second hand one , new is a better deal for ME any way .

 

And as good as the M2008 is , the AWs are better IF price is close , and NO mucking around to get them built UP ,

in the US the cost is about 60% of a AW , so at this price , and with the mags being much cheaper than say a Sako TRG rifle , they offer good value in that market .

 

Also as they breech UP like the AW series , I would think that you could order a barrel MADE to screw straight IN , with out needing a Gunsmith to set UP , so then the only part that needs a Gunsmith is the modifing of the AICS 2.0 , and thats about $120-150 USD , and IF you use a Manners Or McMillan , then no Gunsmith is needed at all really .

 

The one feature I like over the AW series is the canted Pit rail , I think it makes mounting a bit more univerisal across other weapons .

 

WHAT I would like to see is a action like this and mil Spec 2-stage Rem700 triggers MADE in UK or Europe , that would reduce the cost to any one out side the US in putting some thing together , and reduce the cost of shipping and redtape etc .

 

Later Chris

[ds1]

The price difference is an eye opener.....especially on the AI rifles.

 

David.