After a couple years and countless hours of work I am very excited to release the new Phantom action from Diablo Custom Rifles. This action is the best of both world, technology advanced head over heels of any other action on the market.

The Phantom has the stiffness of a solid steel action yet weighs less then a titanium action. How do we do this??? well, I use the combination of stainless steel and the worlds strongest most advanced lightweight materials. yes we will have a titanium model that will be even lighter. but for now I am liking the stainless. Stianless has a few quailities that you cant get with titanium. The main complaint of titanium is how it tends to fill " gritty" when you work the bolt. stainless will not do this, giving you a silky smooth bolt.

I have designed these actions to be a drop in fit to any Rem 700 stock and accept Rem 700 triggers and bottom metal. so no custom parts that are hard to find.

the very first prototype action was used for pressure testing, ill say this, it will handle over 3 times a standard load. I put 2 rounds of 160k psi with out a problem. obvisully it locked the action up and had to be torn apart to get it freed up. the last load I put through it was 210k psi, it didn't like that one much. 160k psi is more then enough. the 2nd proto was used for accuracy testing. I installed one of our diablo custom barrels(more on this later) in 7/08 rem. with shooting it almost on a daily baisis I am proud to say that it will hold sub half moa all day long, which is not easy to do a 4LB rifle.

Some other tests I did on the rifle is stiffness. the actions used in all testing is a rem 700 with no mods, a pierce titanium with all the lightweight upgrades and the Diablo Phantom.
basically on the stiffness test I clamped the front of the receiver in my barrel vise put a dial caliper on the rear bridge and hung 60lbs just behind the indicator
the rem 700 flexed .003 of in inch
the diablo phantom flexed .004 of an inch
and the pierce titanium flexed .008 of an inch
Pretty impressive for an ultra light.

now for the nitty gritty, the weight comparesions
for this I put everything need to make a complete ready to fire action. from the trigger to the mag box.
as you can see the rem 700 came in at 2lbs 1 oz
the pierce titanium with lightweight upgrade came in at 1lbs 10oz
and the diablo phantom came in the lightest by almost 4oz at 1lbs 6oz and that's with a steel recoil lug

Any pics?

When I started this project I wanted to make the lightest most accurate rifle in the world. In order to make the most accurate part I would have to develop a stiff lightweight barrel. After many trial and error barrels I think I have done just that. In reality I don't think it can be beat with today's technology.
It's no secret that carbon fiber barrels are stiff and light weight, knowing this, I took that idea and improved upon it making it even more stiffer with one very simple process.
Another so called complaint about carbon barrels is that the carbon actually acts as an insulator instead of pulling heat away from the barrel so to cure this I have infused aluminum into the carbon to aid in heat dispersition while not adding weight. My test barrel that I have been shooting in 7/08 is 22" and weighs in at a mere 2lbs which is a full pound lighter then other carbon barrels in similar sizes that are on the market.
Aluminum infused carbon and muzzle break. This is not the final finish of the barrel just a glimpse at the make up of it.



So looking back. We have a 1lb 6oz action ready to role. A 2lb barrel with a muzzle break. Throw on a 16 oz stock and you have a 4 1/4 lb hunting rifle. You could throw on a 20 oz scope and still have a 5.5lb rifle ready for anything

" THE DIABLO PHANTOM, JUST A FIGMENT OF YOUR IMAGINATION "

Well I am intrigued! Can't wait to find out more, assuming a left hand option is available

How much?

I will be selling just the complete rifle for now. This will included the phantom ultra light action
22" Phantom ultra light barrel with muzzle break and thread cap
A light weight stock ( McMillan edge, manners eh, mpi, Pendleton, high tec)
Timmney trigger
Adl bottom metal

Price will start at $3750
6 month lead time.

I will take pre orders for just actions at $1200 each
Delivery within 8 months or less

Very nice.......light with incredible strength!!

Some better pics...

Do you have any finished rifles to show weight and targets?

Unfinished aluminum infused barrel...

I will get some more detailed pics or you guys in the morning

I went to your website but there was nothing about the action you are promoting and only a mention of your barrel.

What gives?

Are you really offering these or are your posts "trial balloons"?

Tough crowd

You are correct, it's not on the website yet. One man can only do so much.
If it has to be on my website to make it legit, I will get it updated asap. This action is far from a trial, I wouldn't invest as much time and effort as I have in something classified as a trial.

You don't owe him an explanation not sure why he came across as such a tool meds? Sounds like a cool new rifle you're working on.

Sounds like a great deal, especially for a guy that does the DIY backpacking.
Can't wait to see more results.

I hope you make a success.It's completely understandable to be excited about your work. It's a tough crowd here and I expect them to get as excited as you when some rifles under 5 lbs are out for test and evaluation.

How much are those actions going to cost?

Good luck in your venture. Competition will be stiff in the 700 clone business. Three or four that have been available for several years are top notch companies.

A little more info on these ultra light actions. These first prototypes I took an edm action blank that would accept a Rem 700 factory bolt. With a lot of thought, brain farts and hours put in the shop, the dream became a reality.
After I completed the prototype actions and was happy with the result I figured if I'm going to put that much time and effort into something why not make it a superior product. With that thought in mind I set off on the task of designing a complete different action. As mentioned earlier these new phantom actions will drop into a Rem 700 stock, use Rem 700 triggers and bottom metal, a big plus for people wanting to personalize their own rifle. The new phantom action will feature a full body ultra light .810 diameter bolt. They will come in short and long actions for both standard and magnum bolt faces.

If you can deliver on your claims, I will gladly send you a check.
However, I have been thru developing an action and then trying to manufacture it. There are always unforeseen challenges and delays even if you duplicate M700 dimensions and materials.
You are using different materials and dimensions. You appear to be using a composite sleeve over a steel inner for your receiver. That is a great idea if you can manufacture it. In addition, you have altered the bolt body diameter from around .700 to .810". That may complicate using M700 triggers and other parts.
I wish you well and genuinely hope you can keep your delivery dates.
I suggest it is better to under promise and over deliver. My inquiry about not finding information on your website will be nothing compared the abuse you will experience if you take money and then don't deliver. Check out the complaints regarding Stuart S, who makes actions, or about Ruger, who makes a product announcement before that new product is readily available.
Best of luck to you.

I was wondering what kind of progress has been made on delivery of the actions.

Check out his website.

http://www.diablocustomrifles.com/

Funny guy ... 😉

Imagine that.....

Phantom? Aptly titled.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ who in their right mind would buy this ?

Am I missing something here. Didn't we just talk about Diablo Custom Rifles being out of business and screwing customers around???