What are your thoughts concerning the differences in a custom action versus a "trued" Remington action? - Multiple
Johnnie Webb
I think that some Rem. trued actions will shoot as good or better than some of the custome made guns. The big difference in customs is that you can repeat shots faster in a custom made gun [right bolt left port].
Bart Sauter
Personally I think a good "trued" Remington will shoot just as well as a custom action. However, custom actions provide advantages in speed... such as ease of bolt operation and loading. The result is the capability to get your shots off quickly and do it without disturbing the rifle's nest on the bags. Custom actions also provide increased bedding surfaces.
Tom Lanning
Haven't we all been beat by a trued Remington at one time or another? It's not the equipment, it's the shooting experience especially your ability to read the wind and mirage. That being said, most of us shoot custom actions. They look nicer. They operate better. They give us confidence that we have eliminated a variable. I would advise new shooters to go with an inexpensive used rifle which probably means a 40X or sleeved 700/XP100, etc. When you start to get serious,
chase the variables with diminishing returns.
Tom Rollins
First let's define "TRUE". Trueing is not the whole boat when trying to get a factory action to the custom action level, if that's what you are trying to say you wish to do here. Let me continue with my answer assuming the question would be "What are your thoughts concerning the differences in a custom action versus a Remington action brought up to custom action quality".
Looking at a price list here for doing such a thing to a 700 action, I see that this well known BR Smith is charging around $650 (give or take depending on just how far you want to get into it) to polish the rails, lap and polish the lugs, lap and polish the lug ramps, remove the extractor plunger, "cone" the bolt, fill and re-face and square the bolt face with the addition of a Sako Extractor, redrill the bolt face firing pen hole to dead center, square the face of the barrel end or the action, and not even get into sleeving if that's your fancy. Now add lets say $250 for an old 700 gun just to get your hands on the raw action and you end up with somewhere
around $900 invested. That's within a few hundred of a ready to go custom action (if, again, that's the level of quality you were trying to get at in the first place).
So, my thought would be to go for the custom to start with. What's another couple of hundred when you are already into it for around $900? Now that gets me off onto one of my biggest soap boxes... the 40-X. I know too many people that have opted for the 40-X because it comes from a "CUSTOM" shop. Then they had to turn around and still lap lugs because only one lug was touching, re-face the bolt because it was way off true perpendicular to the centerline of the action, and still have to live with off center firing pins and who know about the squareness of the action's face. Just because it says it comes from a factory "Custom" shop does not mean its "TRUE". I think that means that its better than anything else that factory sells off its line. Want a BR quality action, buy a custom made BR action.
Gregg Cobler
It seems to me that a "trued" Remington Action has a lot of the same similarities of a custom action, but at cost factor that is a lot less. It is my understanding that a "trued" Remington Action can no longer use standard factory barrel replacements because of the "trueing" process has to recut the threads to assure they are squared up along with squaring up all the other stuff inside too. Thus making them a one of a kind action.
My only thoughts about custom actions would be that they may slightly tighter tolerances, because they are starting from scratch in the manufacturing process. The custom actions could have better metals than the factory actions.
Mike Bryant
I started shooting benchrest with a sleeved Remington 700. I can't tell that the custom actions that I am using now shoot any better than that first sleeved Remington. However, they are easier to use and rebarrel. With a custom action you can get different bolt / port configurations (ie. Right bolt / left port, left bolt / right port, as well as same side configurations) depending upon what your preferences are. With a Remington 700 you are pretty well limited to a right bolt / right port or left bolt / left port. Most custom actions have somewhere around 1-1/4" of barrel threads while a Remington 700 has 3/4" of barrel thread if you don't use a recoil lug (as in a sleeve). Functionally, the length of barrel thread doesn't make that much difference unless maybe psychologically making you feel more secure with a longer barrel shank. Most custom actions use coned bolts that allow a little better feeding than the Remington with a recessed bolt. The custom actions exept for some earlier actions all use trigger blocks that allow the trigger to be removed from underneath without taking the action apart from the stock. A Remington used in a glue in can do this too, but has to use holes drilled in the side of the stock to allow the trigger pins to be driven out. This can cause more than a little difficulty when it comes to putting the trigger back into the action. For the money spent on a Remington action plus truing it up, I think you would be better off using a custom action. A new Stolle action is running around $800 now with some of the stainless actions such as the Hall, RFD and Nesika Bay actions higher. A used benchrest rifle with a custom action will definitely be easier to sell than a bench rifle with a Remington action. There are usually plenty of used benchrest rifles for sale that use custom actions if buying new is a little beyond budget. It seems that there are a lot of people that get into benchrest and a lot that get out. I think that it just depends upon your attitude when you start shooting it whether you stay or not. I am always ready for benchrest season to start back up.
Glenn Newick
I like trued and bushed Remington actions. Especially sleeved ones. Back in 1981 my first real BR rifle was a long 700. It was still one of the best shooters I've ever had. Many groups in the .0's. Since I havn't had one of them in 10 years that's wishfull thinking. My only complaint with Remington based actions is resale value. That's a big knock on them. All other things being equal, there seems to be a $500 resale value difference. That's a lot for something that costs you the same price going in.
Allen Arnette
I live about 5 miles from Clay Spencer's shop so I spend alot of time there.I see many trued REM.700's shot. Probably 50 or more a year.The 700's shoot just as small a group as any custom action that comes thru his shop. The only difference is most custom actions look better and can be shot faster.
Buddy Graham
I've used both, and a custom action and paint job helps me with headspace. That which lies halfway between the left and right ear.
Ron Dill
I've had three different Remington 40X or XB rifles -- 1 HV and two LV. I now shoot two Halls (a small and a Medium) and a Stolle. Now, since I bought the Remingtons second hand I can't attest to whether they were properly trued or not - however,they shot very well!!! I believe that I've used the same basic light to moderate load in all the rifles -- I try to load for a muzzle velocity of 3250 FPS with a 6mmPPC. As to the differences, the only thing I've noticed is that lifting and closing the bolt is always easier with the custom actions. I know that I have to Full length size the cases every so often -- usually after three or four matches but with the Remingtons I would have to do this after each match -- otherwise lifting the bolt would upset the rifle.
It is interesting to note that the Hall Small action is particularly good -- the cases feel like they have just been full lengthed for a very long time -- I could go nearly an entire season without having to size. Something about this particular action is RIGHT!
Ron Galbraith
I have never owned a trued Remington action so temper my comments accordingly. At any rate, I have heard and believe, that a properly trued Remington action would be competitive with a custom action. The key word here is "properly". Lots of guys still win with them. The drawback to truing a Remington action is that when all the dust and chips settle, you will still have a Remington action, albeit an accurate and expensive one. It is doubtful that this investment could be recouped upon resale. A custom action, on the other hand, holds its value much better and in my eyes looks better. In my mind, a quality custom machined action is the way to go for competitive accuracy, aesthetics, and long term value.
Rich Griffin
Over the years I have always thought that the Remington action was a good action to use for benchrest shooting. The only problem was that the action needed to trued up, starting with the front of the action, which needed to be squared up, also the threads needed to chased which will insure that the bolt and the action are inline. As to the bolt, it needed to be squared up, there are a few gunsmiths who are changing Remington bolt to a cone which helps with the feeding problems. In the end you have an action which is almost as good as a custom action, and about the same cost. As to the custom action, you are getting more types of actions which have flat bottoms - larger diameter, different types of metals, and they are square {that is most of them}, they feed better. And in the end they are better.
Ray Wight
Even though most serious competitors will, eventually, shoot a custom action, I suspect that the only real difference (that would show up on the target) is minimal. However, at a point in the evolution of a shooter, having confidence in your equipment becomes very important. That is probably the reason we shell out the extra bucks for a custom action. In addition, when you compare the cost of a Rem 700 AFTER it has been trued, blueprinted, extractor changed, etc. with a Panda, for instance, the actual out-of-pocket difference is only $150 - 250. Considering what we invest in equipment in total, that is not a large amount, so likely worth the extrapiece of mind.
Billy Stevens
I believe a "trued" Remington action will perform as well for benchrest as a custom action. Currently, I own a 721 Rem and an XP-100 action both used on benchrest rifles and they shoot as well as my custom actions. Both actions are sleeved and have received the normal work, i.e., truing receiver face, lugs, and threads. The bolts have Sako extractors installed and been faced and lugs squared then lapped to match the receivers.
The only real problem with all this is what your Remington action is worth after the work is complete. If you can not do this work yourself, by the time you get the Remington to the point that it will compete with the custom action, you will have as much invested in it as you would have in a custom action. However, it is not worth as much as a custom action. Besides, it is not stainless steel, pretty, or something you can brag about much around the campfire.
John Whitley
I think a good shooting Remington is hard to beat. I just don't think they are as consistent as the custom actions which all seem to work well. Where as not all trued Remingtons perform to the standards we are talking about. But we are splitting hairs, and that is what our game is about.
