Worth building on over a 700 action for $400 more?
Local gunsmith builds (advertises anyways) those two actions. Is the Stiller Predator action worth paying $400 over a worked over Remington 700? I have several 700's and have never been let down in the least....
Having done it both ways, and having both done by one of the best 'smiths in the industry, the Predator is absolutely worth it. On my latest build, when I ran the numbers on truing a 700 to get it to predator specs (included oversized PT&G bolt and having 700 reamed to fit it to close tolerances), the bill came within $50 of a Predator. Was a no brainer for me to pay the extra $50 for far better retained value. Even had I gone with the 700 route again, the scope mounting holes may or may not have been to my satisfaction. I had one 700 action that I had to use Burris signature rings and .030" worth of offset inserts to get the scope close to aligned. On the Stiller, that was not necessary, as the scope base holes were properly aligned. Stiller also puts alignment pin holes on their action to be used in conjunction with their piccatiny rails, and it works VERY well. I like the looks on the Stiller and love the way it feels when cycled. You can FEEL that it has got tighter tolerances than a 700. That said, to get the same tolerances on a 700, you have to either have the bolt sleeved and firing pin hole bushed or go with an aftermarket bolt. Neither of those procedures is included in a typical $200 blueprinting of a 700 action and having it done drives the total cost of the 700 MUCH closer to a predator.
All of the above would apply to most custom actions, not just the Stiller.
John