Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Montana 1999 action

I just had a .375 H/H built on a MRC 1999, no problems to date and it shoots well. It did have to replace the follower spring as I did not like the way it was feeding, but since then, it has been great.

I've had 2 done by MRC, both with MRC barrels. The actions are unfinished (basically very rough) under the line of the stock, but that didn't really bother me. They were so-so smooth...one feed rail had a rough spot on it that was easy to smooth. They both feed great. They are on the heavy side.

First is a 30-06 that comes in at 8lb 2oz scoped. I've only shot it a little with light reloads for another rifle. It grouped them at .75. It's been sent off to lighten a little, flute, and cerakote. I'm going with a blind mag on it to help lighten it a little as well. I'd like to see it around 7 1/2 lbs.....hopefully it can lose the 10 oz's.
1. MRC Action
2. 22" MRC #2
3. Talley LW lows (2oz's)
4. 2.5-8x36 scope
5. McMillian Supergrade using Edge tech (24 oz)

Second is a .375 Ruger that comes in at 8lb 13 oz scoped. I've only shot one group with the factory 270 grain factory ammo out of it after the scope was set. The first 2 where stacked on top of each other. The last one barely missed touching the first 2. The weight is just right on this one. I may have it cerakoted one day. The only down side is it only holds 2 down with the fat .375's.....
1. MRC Action
2. 22" MRC #4
3. Talley LW lows
4. 1.75-6x32 scope
5. McMillian Supergrade Swirl (70% dark tan, 30% black)

We made the first 100 bottom metal, bolt shrouds, triggers, sears, cocking pieces, and followers, but that was in 2002 and a lot changed since then.

Phoenixdawg- Great wood, stock and checkering. Care to name your sources?

Calif Hunter,

The MRC #3 barrel went on the MRC short action and became a 300WSM. I have posted pics before on the custom guns tab. Mine is a chrome moly barrel so maybe the stainless barrels are better finished. Is yours CM or stainless?

The disappointment was that they were supposed to be hand lapped but one look through a bore scope would prove that it wasn't the case. My friend also has an MRC Chome Moly also .308 cal in #4 fluted. It fouls like crazy too. When I looked with a bore scope I compared it with a Lilja CM barrel, a Walther, a Ruger recent prod'n, a Sprinter & MAB (both local barrel makers). Lilja & Walther were best finished, next Ruger, then all the rest about the same.

My MRC 30MC and 300 WSM were both put together by the same gunsmith. The 30 MC uses a local barrel known as a "Black Mountain Barrel". It is hammer forged and has a bit of choke at the muzzle 1:14 twist and I left it at 28" long. It is my varmint gun. It'll shoot 1/2" 5 shot groups all day long with economical Speer 125gr TNT's at 3500 fps.

The 300 WSM has had issues I think with bedding. It's in a McMillan Sako Classic stock (getting that was a drama as well and posted on this forum) - looks great but I don't know what barrel contour they inletted it for but it sure wasn't the #3 MRC that I told them. Anyway, this one shoots groups of 1 1/2 - 3 inches but once I hacked into the barrel channel & removed all contact I did fire a 3 shot group that was about 1/2" at 100m. But I ran out of ammo after that so further testing required but I am encouraged.

Oh, why do I think MRC barrels are so bad? Well even if I didn't have a bore scope when you clean it with a patch you hit this really rough patch about 6-7 inches in where the rod vibrates. That really sucks and yes it's already had about 200 strokes or more with a tight patch & JB's. So for a custom gun why bother, a CM Walther costs about the same here. (I wanted chrome moly so it could be easily blued, Cerakote etc are really not that available here)

No I did not bother to contact MRC. I live in Sydney, Australia and the trouble you had to go through to get a barrel or any gunny part sent here is ridiculous - on both sides! Just put it down to experience. But as I say it may still shoot OK

But I can't see why people put down the MRC actions. They were always a gunsmithing part and as a base for a custom gun I think they are great. Wish they were around when I wanted to make a custom 375 H&H. Had to buy a brand new M70 safari express & strip it for the action!!!

Regards,
JohnT

Hello guys, please remember that there are two different companies you are talking about here. MRC manufactures actions and Montana Rifleman makes barrels. I own MRC along with my good friend Devin. My father owns Montana Rifleman. I can assure you that the barrels are all 100% hand lapped, I see them doing that everyday. Could one have slipped through the cracks..sure. But we have always "made it right" for the customer. Are some customers harder to please or in this case harder to supply? Sure, but we will try. As for the actions, how many of you guys who have posted the rough issues have recieved or seen an action that has been sent out lately? I have posted before letting you know that the new ownership has made the quality a priority. We now square and lap every reciever before they leave. Does that mean they are perfect from the box....well how could you define perfect when everyone has a different perception of that? We try to make them the best product that we can before they leave..that's it. But also, we are not the kind of people who will ignore customers questions, suggestions, or complaints. If you have an issue send me an email, pick up the phone and call us? As far as them being heavy actions...Well they are a little heavier than the Mod 70 because of the one piece bottom metal but other than that they are identical to the mod 70 in weight. They have the identical footprint to the model 70 with some internal modifications. If you want a M1999 lightweight ask us how, we have done that for 100's of customers and have taken out almost a full pound of weight for some actions. Has it hurt the integrity of the action? Absolutely Not! Anyway, I am not trying to sway the gentleman who did the original post here but this was more to the people who have had a bad experience in the past, call me if you have an issue, we'll work something out. I can't change your opinion of our company if you don't give me a chance. I try to stay off a lot of the forums because so many things can be construed wrong, but I have a lot of respect for Rick Bin and the people from this site, you have been good to us, and I felt this needed to be addressed.
Jeff

Jeff, just a suggestion why don't you send one of your current production actions to one of the gunsmiths that regularly post here for them to do a review?

Does Hayden still import them to Australia for you?

Regards,
JohnT

Got one, love it. Got another on order. Probably not the last. Find one company that doesnt have some one saying bad things about it. Good luck. I have only owned one M-70, it was a POS. Will never own another. Does that mean they are all junk? No. I got a lemon and they wouldnt make it right. But, that doesnt make them all junk.

Are they heavy? I stocked mine in an Accurate Innovations laminated stock, so yes, it is heavy. It is also a 358 Norma, so a little weight works for me.

I didnt have a bad thing to say after I dealt with them on my last rifle. The thing shoots great, and the barrel cleans up real nice. And, I ordered the thing while I was in Iraq, they were very helpful during the whole deal.

Jeff,

Thanks for the post. Posting on these forums can be a bit of a challenge, but as long as you don't rise to the bait that some will throw, many (most)of us really appreciate someone who is willing to communicate here, in public. I'm pleased with the two SS short actions that I picked up during the initial offering.

Bruce

JohnT - yes, my barrel is stainless. I also had it stocked and bedded by Serengeti originally, and went to an Edge stock to lighten it up a bit. The Serengeti stock is sweet, though.

I worked on a leftie MRC in 6.5x284 awhile back. The fit and finish looked great to me, shot well too, even with the bolt on the wrong side .

Only problem was, the guy brought me a stock that was maybe 35-45% inletted then cried when it took me 2 weeks to get it finished out and bedded.

I ordered one of the stainless short actions during their Charter Program. The action was a little rougher than I'd hoped for, but this was an inexpensive action that I planned to have trued and slicked up, anyway. The problem was the safety. I sent the action back to MRC twice, and they still couldn't get it right, so I asked them to swap it out for a long action. It, too, was fairly rough, but functioned just fine. The problem was the left receiver wall was slightly bowed. It really need to be draw filed, but there wasn't enough metal to true up the side wall without jeopardizing the action strength. I finally got an action that was suitable for a custom rifle project, but it took some patience to get there. That action is now sporting a Shilen barrel chambered in .338WinMag. I'm happy with the action now that it has been through the hands of an accomplished ACGG member to mold it into something worthy of a custom rifle. The newer actions surely have better initial quality than the Charter Program actions. If that is the case, they are worth having as the basis for a fine custom rifle. They are no different than any other action in that you will still need to have them trued and polished up. In any case, they require less work to build a fine custom rifle on than a military Mauser. My 300WinMag is built on a Mauser, and it is a beautiful firearm, but it took a lot of work and money to get there.

Thanks, Jeff. Guess I'll rethink my next build.

I have about eight barrels in calibers ranging from 6.5 to .35 from them and every one of them has been very accurate.

Wow! that is nice.

One of the gun shops I haunt still has two of the Montana actioned CZ branded rifles in stock.

I don't know how many times I've handled them, but just can't get past the casting pits that are in the bolt raceway in the action.

Really like the way they look and feel other than that, it looks like the pitting you'd find under the stockline on a mistreated old Mauser.

I've had several bad dealings with Brian and the MRC. I'll never buy a barrel from him again. One day I was in his shop and he said "I taught Dan Lilja everything he knows..." He was serious too, he wasn't joking. Ever since, he's been on the "putz" list.

I met one of his 'smiths up at the rifle range yesterday, he was telling me that Brians son took over the MRC side of it, and the Montana Rifleman just builds barrels now. I was of the opinion that the early actions were quite rough for what the price tag was. A riflesmith buddy of mine shared the same opinion, so I sold the action and built that rifle project on a Ruger77. Mike, the smith at MRC I talked too said that they've made a lot of improvements on them since I had one. I'd probably try one again...