All; Good afternoon, I hope the day finds you and those who matter to you well, wherever it is you're found.
With the understanding that this is a BC made action, but otherwise I have no affiliation with them whatsoever, I'm just glad to see Canadians working and making what appears to be a well thought out product.
This fellow is from the somewhere down in the Lower Mainland and puts out some interesting content. Here's his review of the new Pristine actions.
We'll see what happens when a few more get out in the field and see some use.
HalH; Good afternoon to you sir, I hope your part of Montana is getting seasonally appropriate weather and you're well.
When I first heard of them was a few videos from last year's SHOT show if memory serves.
As Mike/USOG mentioned in the video, they're a wee bit on the heavy side for a carry rifle, but could likely be thinned a tad and not lose any strength.
I'm hoping someone with a bit fatter discretionary rifle building budget than my own at present gets one and makes a report!
Pappy348; Good afternoon sir, I trust all is well in your world out east.
If I'm not wrong the OD is Remington 700 so all the 700 triggers and bottom metal will work. Then the action is threaded to take the Savage barrel setup with or without the nut and that combined with the floating bolt head allows it to be switched out to different cartridges fairly easily.
The full diameter bolt is pretty small by the look of it though, making for a thick receiver tube and again which makes it a tad heavy.
I'm just going off of videos on the things and looking at their website.
All the best.
Dwayne
Last edited by BC30cal; 02/17/24. Reason: better wording?
They are 700 footprint. I have handled a couple of the bare actions and they seem pretty solid. I have a friend that put one together in .223 and ran it in several PRS matches last summer. It did well but is not quite as refined as some of the other custom actions. But at there price point they are pretty solid choice.
I've always been different with one foot over the line.....
A local shop has a complete rifle on display built from one of their actions. Seems like a decent option. I think they are just down the road from MDT. Not sure if their website pricing is CAD or USD.
I had not seen one of the Pristines. In all honesty, there are so many custom actions available today, and the evolution of what is being offered is so rapid, the more mature individual, like myself, can't keep up. All in all, it looks OK. I am not a fan of the butt ugly, bolt handles used on actions today, but I'm probably in the minority. The "floating bolt head" is an easier way to make a bolt, and it works out well. When I made the bolt for a 40X I have, I used a floating bolt head. This allowed me to use a high strength alloy for the head (EN30B) and a medium carbon steel (C1045) for the body. I made the handle integral. He mentioned the Canjar triggers. I have several of those and they were the best triggers available in the late seventies and early eighties. The maker has been gone for quite some time. I always liked the Canjar better than the Jewel. He showed the Wichita Mini action. I was, without a doubt, the first Canadian to build a rifle on and compete with one of these actions. I won a lot of matches with that rifle. I built another rifle on one of those actions which shot even better than mine. When I took it out to test it, I shot three consecutive five0shot groups under .1". I sold my rifle and wish I had it back! GD
greydog; Good morning my friend, I hope the day out east is treating you all well.
Thanks for your take on the video, I was hoping you and a couple others who've dealt with different actions might drop by.
This fellow Mike who does the videos knew Martin Hagn and was somewhat involved with the design of a double rifle built on the Hagn action by Martin. What that timeframe might be I can't say.
Whomever and wherever Mike is, he's got some interesting stuff.
A local shop has a complete rifle on display built from one of their actions. Seems like a decent option. I think they are just down the road from MDT. Not sure if their website pricing is CAD or USD.
pathfinder76; Good morning to you sir, I hope your side of the big hills is getting decent weather today and you're all well.
Thanks for the reply and info, that's interesting to know they've got some actions out in public display already.
As far as just being down the road from MDT, that's what I've heard too but somehow if I knew at one time exactly where they're at, that's slipped my gears.
There used to be a member here who I got to know personally that moved out to the coast to work for MDT. He ran CNC machines here and if memory serves was going to do that there.
I'll see if I have any contact info for him anymore and drop him a line if I'm able.
Thanks again for the hands on report, much appreciated.
DISRUPTER HERE! I believe we're firmly in the era of "latest new & improved whizbangs!" Sort of like the newest cars with so much tech, they can't be kept on the road! Ask Eldon. I look at those spiral grooves in the bolt and conjure dirt & mud. Tolerances which may well make it a creamy smooth creature, but of "tolerance" rather intolerant g of a bit of plant matter or grit. The said "tech" features as the headache a decade down the road as the very manufacturer is belly up or moved on to bigger & better with the last such part that you need deemed "Obsolete" & long gone.
Ruggedness, durability and only as clandestine whisper of course, maybe just a bit less "planet sustainability" as excuse for the product itself, costing double or more what 'about' the same thing a generation past without the swirlygig bolt architecture and Orchha safe materials might have provided!
A guy who likes the feel of real 4140 Steel & Walnut in his hands, chambering a round that's no longer the latest-greatest, costs about one forth per round and may be commercially available for yet another twenty years! Just a grumpy old man take.
Below a few pix of a Newton bolt rifle of about 1915 vintage!
DISRUPTER HERE! I believe we're firmly in the era of "latest new & improved whizbangs!" Sort of like the newest cars with so much tech, they can't be kept on the road! Ask Eldon. I look at those spiral grooves in the bolt and conjure dirt & mud. Tolerances which may well make it a creamy smooth creature, but of "tolerance" rather intolerant g of a bit of plant matter or grit. The said "tech" features as the headache a decade down the road as the very manufacturer is belly up or moved on to bigger & better with the last such part that you need deemed "Obsolete" & long gone.
Ruggedness, durability and only as clandestine whisper of course, maybe just a bit less "planet sustainability" as excuse for the product itself, costing double or more what 'about' the same thing a generation past without the swirlygig bolt architecture and Orchha safe materials might have provided!
A guy who likes the feel of real 4140 Steel & Walnut in his hands, chambering a round that's no longer the latest-greatest, costs about one forth per round and may be commercially available for yet another twenty years! Just a grumpy old man take.
Below a few pix of a Newton bolt rifle of about 1915 vintage!
Best! John
I believe you're off base on this one. I watched a long form interview with Jim Borden and this was addressed.
Dwayne, That double rifle (a 7x57) was made sometime around 1998, as I recall. Martin brought it down to the shop (I was working as a machinist at the time) and showed it to me. He had plans for another and wanted to use a rack and pinion set up to raise and lower the breechblock. He wanted to know what the proper shape for the teeth on the two would be. We sorted that out and about three days later, Martin came in with a wooden model (made of a pretty nice piece of walnut). I believe the walnut barrels even had a full rib and sights! I told him, if he kept practicing, he could make a pretty decent toy gun. I don't know who Mike is, but I would like to spend some time with him, looking at his rifles. GD