Any thoughts good or bad about Titanium as a bolt action rifle material.
Galling?
Set back?
Crappie feel working the bolt?
High round count?
Im thinking about a Pierce Action and just wonder if any here have used one or the M700 version.Or others.
dave

Very expensive metal/ I'm guessing 20 plus dollars per pound, and it's a flammable metal. There's a local company that machines it and their equipment is underground. And it takes special welding equipment, has poisonous fumes.

Remington of course had their famous run of Ti actions, Browning too IIRC.

Never heard of anyone running into any issues with it when they wanted to do things to it. I know Stick had more than one rebarrelled with no hassle.

John Pierce make custom Ti receivers. He will have Ti bolts also with toolsteel bolt heads. If you have the bolt and action properly coated it will be very slick.
I plan on building one next year in 280 with a balsa carbon fiber stock.

I have a chrome-moly Pierce and it is a wonderful action. To get the full story regarding the Ti, I suggest you call the shop and talk with John or Jim.

$1,335.00



http://www.pierceengineeringltd.com/category/actions/product/new-titanium-action

Yes, call them. You might get an interesting education on the difficulties of making then which helps understand the extra consumer cost.

Don't have the Ti but I love my CM SA. They'll make it as tight (BR) or loose (tactical/hunting) as you like too.

Alan

My Pierce in 6.5X47Lapua.





By James Anderson

I have two Remington Ti actions. I had one rebarreled and the other has the original barrel but rechambered to a .284 Win. Galling is not an issue given the design using a hard steel bolt running against the titanium action. Generally galling becomes an issue when driving two materials of the same type and hardness together, stainless steel is known for this issue - note stainless steel actions generally have a hardened steel bolt.

I'll agree the actions aren't the smoothest but they sure are the lightest. No high round counts on either of these rifles nor any sign of set back.

Good luck with your project.

X-Treme Shooting Products out of Ohio also makes a Ti action - here's their website:

www.x-tremeshooting.com

Beautiful rifle Butch! State of the art and classic at the same time.


ddj

This.
I briefly owned a Christensen built on a Browning Ti action. For the dollars spent, it felt like a Stevens action. Sticky.
For a custom light hunting rifle in that cash zip code I'd just get a NULA.

Thanks ddj
Oerlikon Balzers has been recommended to me for a tough, slick, and hard coating for titanium. It is I believe called PVD WCC.

I have an Alaskan Ti in 25-06 that I bought new about 5 or 6 years ago. I've maybe shot 80 rounds through it but I've not had any issues with galling or rough feeling bolt. Its maybe not as smooth as an older Remmy thats seen some use but I sure like mine.
I'd love to have one of the new Pierce Ti's though they look nice!

The one I had felt gritty.

Hi Butch,

Wow! Could you post some more pictures, particularly one taken from the side?

James Anderson rifles usually are pretty nice through the pistol grip with great flow...

You know, just for me to drool over!

John

Yup! John is one of the good guys in the shooting sports. He's a competition shooter (try to beat him every chance I get ) and invest time and money back into our sport.

Thanks for all the replys.
Im playing with the idea of building a 1000 yard 12lb gun for Ridgway.For next season im going to run an old Stolle Teddie rebarreled from PPC to 6.5x47.I have the barrel on order from Rock right now.Going from a 6mm PPC HV to a Sendaro fluted.Even with it im going to be close for weight.
Eventually ill return the PPC to its rightful place.
SO im looking for options.
A 12lb 1000 yard gun is not an easy build.
The Titanium just got me to thinking about different ways to loose some ozs.
A Panda weighs liek 30 oz.
The Pierce Titanium is going to be around 20-22 and thats with an all steel 4140 bolt.
Im not convinced its a good fit for what im trying to do.


dave

Butch,
That's a beautiful rifle!

I believe Stu Satterlee makes a Mauser 98 clone in Ti. Incredibly beautiful actions but amazingly pricey - $6500 for an action alone.

John, I can post more tomorrow or if you will PM an email I will send several photos.

I had a Remington TI mountain rifle. It was too light, and I couldn't hold it still. I sold it to a guy that loved it. I know the bolt couldn't have been titanium, but I also found it was sticky. I had a bolt release made for a bench gun out of titanium, and it also stuck on me. Oiling it did no good. I hear it is a common thing with titanium. Now, there's a bunch of actions made out of Aluminum. Kelby's Panda is probably the one I hear of the most. Aluminum can't be that much heavier.

Rob, you are correct. Stiller also makes an aluminum receiver.

Butch,
Once again, I blame you for an injury I sustained to my shoulder when, after looking at that picture, I took a couple of my own rifles out into the yard and threw rocks at them! Good looker.
I could find no real fault with Remington's Ti actions. In fact, they seemed very well made. I've not seen galling to be any more of an issue with the Ti receivers than with the steel ones.
Browning's Ti actually used a steel insert for the locking lug seats and barrel attachment. The titanium receiver was just a carrier. Stolle (and others)did the same thing with aluminum and Voere used a similar system with a mild steel receiver and an insert for the locking lug seats. GD

greydog, thanks for the compliment, but I know better.

I've often thought about that action. I'm curious as a cat about it...but not enough to go $6500

Unfortunately Stu has a real problem delivering them. He does wonderful work and I did have one of his receivers. It was very top notch.

Titanium is neat stuff, but a very funny metal. The reason why it is impervious to normal corrosion is that it instantly reacts with other metals, and with the atmosphere, to form a passive layer. When it's in the course of being shaped, or cut, though,the fresh bare metal tries to react with whatever's touching it. Grind it, and it will make brilliant white hot sparks. Try to form bare metal, and it may well stick to the tool, and rip up harder metals. We normally buy titanium wire coated with moly lube, to make it form consistently, then have it etched to clean it.

One engineering prof told me, when machining titanium, always try to make a chip. If you let the cutter pause, the Ti will try to bind to it and usually damage the tool.

Titanium is non-toxic and hypoallergenic after it is cleaned, and is frequently used for body implants. CP and 6-4 are the most common grades, and 6-4 can get up to about 150,000 tensile, which is not unlike many 4140 gun steels. There are also stronger grades like Beta C that we use for springs, but they are typically well over $100/lb.

Caspian Arms has made titanium 1911 frames for a while, but not the slides, as the slide is just too hard to machine from that metal.