Question about custom actions

What do you gain going from a factory action (savage, remington, tikka) to a custom action? I understand a custom action will generally cycle smoother, and a lot of them weigh less than factory actions, but do you actually see a performance increase?

In, I've been wondering the same thing.

A huge margin of them have a Rem 700 footprint. The action builders have improved upon the 700 design. In places they are built heavier with thicker metal. Lots of them have tighter tolerances everywhere, including lugs to action. Lots of them cycle smoother. Having said all that, I don't own a single "custom" action.

22-250; Savage action
6.5 Creedmoor; Tikka action
7mm-08; Tikka action
7 mm Rem Mag; Rem 700 action

The Tikkas are my clear favorite. And I've seen plenty of $1k + actions break down.

Less work in most cases for gunsmith and higher resale value if that is important for you.

A custom action should require no additional machine work prior to building the rifle and will be stronger than a factory action. For a custom action it is usually nothing more than installing a quality barrel and trigger then bedding it into a quality stock.

Factory receivers require much more work before they are ready for a custom build. This usually includes truing the receiver face, threads and bolt lugs so the are perfectly square with one another. The bolt also needs to have the face and bolt lugs squared and many people have a firing pin bushing installed along with a sako style extractor. When done correctly the tolerances of a blue printed factory receiver will be as good as any custom action available.

The majority of custom actions also have features and options available to further customize a rifle such as an action with no magazine cut out, a right hand action with a left feed port, an integrated picatinny rail and more.

From a cost perspective, there is little difference between the two. By the time you factor in the cost of a donor factory receiver and the machine work it needs you will often be north of a thousand dollars. Many of the custom actions begin at the $1K mark and go up from there. That being said if you have a decent rifle that isn't being used any longer it could be well worth it to invest in the work and build a rifle using its action. Also the cost of truing a factory action is a one time investment. You can always re-barrel it in the future and turn it into a completely different rifle.

As for performance between the two, that is more subjective. I have rifles built on Stiller actions and rifles built on blue printed Remington actions. Each of them are extremely accurate and very good at what they were built for.

a good scope will add more than a custom action but if a custom action can shoot hotter and get more speed. if u gain 1/16 of a inch at a 1000 yards with a custom action the it is worth it if you are shooting for score

Are you saying the custom has higher resale value? I'm no expert, but I find that hard to believe? Anytime you get something custom, you're taking a depreciation hit as soon as you buy it.

There's been a handful of custom rifles come through my dads shop that we set up for different customers (scope, handloads, pretty much getting the gun hunting ready) and I honestly didn't see a noticeable margin of accuracy over some of the rifles I have but on the flip side you know your getting a gun that is capable of .5 to .25 MOA vs a factory produced rifle your lucky to get .5 MOA.

That's to do with the barrel and the smith the chambered and threaded it, not the action.

Yes you will get a higher price for a rifle with a custom action versus a factory tuned action. Doesn't really matter to me but some people might care.

I didn't realize you were comparing a custom action to a factory-tuned action. Probably correct there. In my mind, I was comparing a custom action to a factory non-tuned action. You'll take a much smaller depreciation hit on the factory action in that case. But those aren't really the same gun either.

True Fireman, I was assuming if someone was getting a custom action more than likely their getting a gun built including the barrel. Your also right on the smith, how precise and how much experience he has.

I had one of the least expensive actions available, Savage. But it wore an Obermeyer barrel that my smith centered in the lathe to .0005" It was the beginning of how spoiled I have become being able to shoot flies at 100 yards.

To add a few notes. Custom actions offer the capability of a longer barrel tenon and in some cases a larger shank diameter than say a stock Rem 700. In the case of a Stolle Panda, because the dimensions of the actions are exactly the same every time you can switch barrels between them. Also you can have a barrel threaded and chambered without having to ever send the action to a gunsmith. That's a big deal for folks who shoot competition.