I have always believed that the action is the foundation/heart of a fine rifle. I have had 98’s and M70’s lovingly laboured over by Tom Burgess and Ted Blackburn and Al Biesen and Jerry Fisher who were the preeminent custom metal workers of the day. I have also owned and hunted with an Echols Legend which was built around an extensively refined Classic M 70. Have owned and used every M700 type including Bat, Bighorn, Lone Peak, Defiance, Surgeon, Rem CM & Ti. Also have owned GMA actioned rifles.
I understand the quest for the best. I've gone down that rabbit hole with several kinds of tools and toys. That said, custom rifles often turn out a lot like custom homes, which is to say not quite like the original blueprint and not nearly as good as the original dream.
When I read your original post, the question that came to my mind was which of those actions weren't reliable enough? With a trued or custom action and a custom barrel I assume they were all accurate enough for big game....
