I've started dreaming about a custom rifle so I've been looking into different actions and now I'm wondering: How much difference does the action the rifle is built on matter?
I ask this because I started with the idea of finding a sporterized Mauser action, then making it more into a long range precision gun than a hunting rifle. When I started out, it seemed perfect, I'll have a little bit of history in a combat proven receiver that can handle any gasses that would escape a ruptured case. Then the more I started looking into it, the more I started seeing that it might be hard because of availability of parts for the kind of rifle I would want. Then I think I could just buy a Remington 700 or even a Savage action and do it myself. But then comes the Internet telling me I am wasting my time, because I would have to get the action blue printed and trued so you might as well just buy a custom action and save some time and energy.
Now I start looking at Defiant actions, and Big Horn actions and finally Mausingfield actions before I am here to write this post. While they look great, and I understand a lot of the cost is the maker getting paid for the time it took to design and all the expensive tooling, just the Mausingfield action, which needs some kind of finish to be put on, is $1600. Will building a rifle on a $1600 dollar custom action be vastly better than a factory one? Or is it that far past the point of diminishing returns? Is it worth the difference you are paying for that smoother bolt, a stiffer action, and the super tight tolerances the custom action makers claim? Or am I completely missing the target in why these custom actions are out there?
Demos
I ask this because I started with the idea of finding a sporterized Mauser action, then making it more into a long range precision gun than a hunting rifle. When I started out, it seemed perfect, I'll have a little bit of history in a combat proven receiver that can handle any gasses that would escape a ruptured case. Then the more I started looking into it, the more I started seeing that it might be hard because of availability of parts for the kind of rifle I would want. Then I think I could just buy a Remington 700 or even a Savage action and do it myself. But then comes the Internet telling me I am wasting my time, because I would have to get the action blue printed and trued so you might as well just buy a custom action and save some time and energy.
Now I start looking at Defiant actions, and Big Horn actions and finally Mausingfield actions before I am here to write this post. While they look great, and I understand a lot of the cost is the maker getting paid for the time it took to design and all the expensive tooling, just the Mausingfield action, which needs some kind of finish to be put on, is $1600. Will building a rifle on a $1600 dollar custom action be vastly better than a factory one? Or is it that far past the point of diminishing returns? Is it worth the difference you are paying for that smoother bolt, a stiffer action, and the super tight tolerances the custom action makers claim? Or am I completely missing the target in why these custom actions are out there?
Demos