Originally Posted by dennisinaz
Originally Posted by Robert_White
So it is all about the "fine grain" ?

How much stress does the actual action endure in a bolt action rifle? The end of the barrel forms most of the actual chamber. The bolt lugs lock into the action so the force is mostly to shear off backwards?

Am I thinking rightly?

By contrast the Remington 700 is machined from billet? But the billet was hammer forged? To straighten the grain???


Model 700 actions are NOT machined from billets, but are made from heavy wall CM tubing.That is why there is sometimes anomalies in their dimensions. It is a major cost saving in labor as compared using billets.

Ruger is machining a lot more stuff now than they used too. 5 axis CNC machines have become more common place and it makes sense to machine rather than to cast.

As far as casting being strong or not, consider the turbine vanes for a jet engine. They are cast from single grain super alloys. Nothing else will hold up.


I seriously doubt that Ruger would phase out their quality line of rifles, the incredibly durable M77 without replacing it with something of equal or better performance (which the American is certainly not). I really don't think they would want to turn over such a signifcant market share to some other company(s). So it wouldn't be a huge surprise if they come out with a basic, rugged, CNC machined "M77" at some point with certain critical part perhaps still investment cast. (I don't think anyone else is making their own bolts which have the same reliability or at this price point.)

But I really have no issue with their "crudeness". They are excellent hunting rifles. LOts of stuff that sees the benches of the local range will never taste much if any blood.

Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.