Action question

171farm

Lil-Rokslider
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Nov 3, 2020
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Im in the process of building a bolt gun off of a Remington clone and wonder what everyones thought is of integral recoil lugs and rail vs pinned or screwed in rail. I get the point of an action that has an integral rail to ensure everything is squared...but id hope with how tight of tolerances the reputable companies follow, everything should be pretty straight. It seems like a lot of the actions have a pinned recoil lug so is it worth the extra money to move up to a model/brand that is integral? What is the disadvantage of a pinned recoil lug?
 
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For me the main advantage of an integral rail is that it can never come loose, ever.

A potential advantage of a pinned/integral lug is that it'll always index the same after assembly. Many guys are swapping barrels DIY and it helps the barreled action fit into the stock in a repeatable fashion.
 

Shortschaf

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I run a bighorn origin (pinned rail and lug). Bought it because it was most affordable.

I have shot next to every other action manufacturer in some capacity. The barrel you have is far more important from an accuracy standpoint.

I will say the lug needs to be at least pinned, but thats just to make barrel swaps easier without special tools. I feel there is no other measurable benefit to get integral over pinned.

Rails are a different story imo. I for sure would pay extra for something at least pinned. And if the pins are a nice tight fit, I dont think there is a measurable difference between that and integral OTHER THAN screws backing out on a pinned rail. That seems to be the weak point no matter what. So if you buy an action with integral rail, you at least don't have to worry about that.


If you have to ask, integral-everything is probably not worth it to you. Its for benchresters and people with more extreme amounts of disposable income.
 
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I have had zero issues with pinned recoil lugs and zero difference in accuracy when built right.

Buy the best you can afford and want. The premium actions out there won’t be far from one another in terms of what you’re asking.
 

Lawnboi

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If and when I ever buy another 700 based action it will have

Integral rail
Integral lug
Good history with prefits/bolts

Nothing to come loose. Easy on off of a barrel if it goes to crap. Ability to buy an extra bolt if ever wanted/needed.
 
Last edited:

Shortschaf

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With so many REM 700 options available with these features, I don’t see why not to get an integrated rail & recoil lug.
cost

Ounce-counters might opt for non integral aluminum rail or direct-mount rings to save a couple ounces. But aside from that, if cost wasn't a factor, I think everyone agrees that integral-everything is inherently better.
 
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the old remington actions had tiny little #6 screws.. Wanna say like 6-42. The integral rail was meant to eliminate that weakness. the other work around was going to #8 screws.

Pinned recoil lug fixed alignment. Integral recoil lug made it easier for gun smiths to cut and headspace without having to account for varience in recoil lugs(hence all the barrels now available to buy, screw in and shoot).
 
OP
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171farm

Lil-Rokslider
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Nov 3, 2020
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Thanks for all the replies.

Yes the main reason Im asking is cost and if the cost difference is worth it.
 

hereinaz

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Truth is, pinning and integral rails are convenience factors as long as the rail screws aren’t small and junky. You won’t notice the difference in precision and won’t notice the “weaker” recoil and rail connections.

My Nucleus are OG and have a separate rail and recoil lug. No one could ever say anything to persuade me to choose a different action because of it. I like other features of the action more.

They are not “must haves” for durability and precision. But, if you want the benefits then it is a must have for you. Lots of shooters gave you the reasons why they want them. I don’t disagree at all with their choice.

It’s always tradeoffs.
 
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It's a slippery slope man. First you start researching custom 700 footprint actions, asking RS questions about value, next thing you know you only own tikkas, you're shopping for your third one, and telling everyone how great swfa scopes are.

I suppose if you are a follower…..

My first foray into SWFA scope was a disappointment.

I do have a Tikka 223 on the way partially to see what all they hype is about but partially because it will be my grandson’s first gun.

All of my current rifles both factory and custom are REM 700 or the same pattern clones. I don’t recall seeing too many Tikka rifles or actions in the high end competitive shooting circles. I don’t follow PRS; maybe they are more prevalent there.


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