Rod,

The mag box of one of my CZ 550 Safari actions measured at around 3.80". The .805" bolt diameter of the PH sounds good. It might fit the 50 BMG case head with all the rim of the bolt face turned off, assuming one of the lugs would have enough meat to hold the cartridge in place.

Anyhow, another outfit that will likely to be another main source of supply for a walnut stock would be Richard's Microfit Stocks so you may also send them a sample as well. Here is there link. Thanks!

http://www.rifle-stocks.com/

[ 12-02-2002, 08:02: Message edited by: Mingo ]

[ 12-04-2002, 11:11: Message edited by: Rod@MRC ]

Thought some might want to see what "lost wax" molds look like. And why they cost, uh, a lot.

This image is of the bolt mold. Electrically timed, pneumatically operated, water cooled. 800psi clamping pressure.

The receiver mold:

[ 12-04-2002, 10:58: Message edited by: Rod@MRC ]

Rod,

You probably don't have to send McMillan any metal right off the bat. I'd be willing to bet that they'd rather work off your drawings, than have to generate one of their own. They inlet using CNC. Of course, having metal will make for a good reality check down the road.

Also, put me down for one vote in the "full sized bolt diameter" column for the mini action.

Regards,
Scott

Don't try this at home.

In H.P.White's testing laboratory, the striker fell on the second of two extreme overloaded cartridges. As in the first instance, pressures soared to over 100,000 psi. The 30-06 case head vaporized and a jet of combustion by-products and gaseous brass arrowed into the left raceway.

The hardened stainless extractor ring lasted micro-seconds - the gas block only an instant longer. Pummeled by unrelieved pressure (the early M1999 prototype had no left vent hole in the receiver ring), the gas block fractered into several rice-grains sized chunks of metal.

By this time gases had also found their way through the bolt, venting into the magazine box. The sheet metal box bulged. The follower (solid stainless machined part) bent like a banana and the floorplate followed suit, clearing the retaining button and dumping the spring and follower clear of the action.

Back in the left raceway, steel fragments and molten brass continued to accelerate. These high-energy projectiles tore into the bolt release, which projects into the raceway. The tough hardened 4140 did not break, but eroded, absorbing energy as the passing fragments fractured into smaller pieces.

At the back end of the raceway, the hurtling mass hit the "wall". The gas-flanged bolt sleeve absorbed all of the fragments and took quite a beating in the process. The boss around the shroud lock screw was hammered and broken. Gaseous and molt brass brazed the screw into place. The robust gas flange forced all tiny fragements and remaining gases into a ninety degree turn and vented them to the left and out of the action.

The bolt and receiver showed no evidence of any change in headspace.

The bolt sleeve's performance prompted Chief Engineer Les Roan of H.P.White to declare the M1999 as the safest M70-style action they had ever tested.

Rod,

Nice looking action. When will the stainless short action magnums be ready for delivery? What does one need to do to get on an order list? Is someone were to order one with one of your sister company's stainless steel barrels, what would be the completed cost?

Congrats on the good work. Always nice to see new options.

Rod---

That's looking good! Where did the extractor go? They usually need a metal detector to find.

Badboyz: At this moment, we putting every effort into filling back orders on the RH Long Action, and to finding customers for the LH Long Action "Charter Issue". Additional work on the Short Action and PH will now wait until after the Shot Show 2003 in Orlando (Feb13-16). We will have SA prototypes in LH and RH at the Shot. We'll also have RH & LH Long Action complete rifles (in USRAC stocks to prove a point). Some will be in bruiser calibers. Come by if you're in the show area.

It takes at least 20 weeks to get the molds into production after we start work on them, so the Shorts are likely to come in the fall of 2003. Short Actions will most likely be priced the same as Long Actions. A Stainless magnum goes for $495 retail. A barrel action for about $770. Call Dan at 406-755-4867 to get on his list for SA. No monetary commitment needed yet. Just get on the list.

Jack: The extractor simply snapped just behind the claw. A clean break, nothing radical. This convinced us that the USRAC part was plenty tough, so we sent one to a quantitative lab for analysis. And then copying the mix (they're MIM'd) was easy. Figuring out how to age the alloy for the hardness/toughness spec was more difficult.

[ 12-28-2002, 12:24: Message edited by: Rod@MRC ]

Rod this is some awsome stuff you have shared with the board here, I'm just sorry I have been away form the website here for a while. I had you send me a brochure on these actions a good while back and have not forgotten about them, and a big MUCHO GRACIAS for not forgetting about us lefthanded people. I believe sometime in early spring I will order a LH Longaction from you for a 30-06. One question I have for you though is which action would you recommend for 375 Dakota ? Would I be right in assuming the stand longaction would be the one? Thanks again

Indiana Tone: If I'm not mistaken, that Dakota is based on the .404 Jeffrey. Should take an Ultra box and follower.

There was a new thread started asking about delivery, so it made sense to copy it here in order that new-comers can easily find this thread. Most of the other questions are already discussed here.

Delivery is an evolving issue. As most know, we seriously underestimated the complexities of tuning a mold for accurate reproduction of the intended design features. The lost wax process is extremely consistant, but it takes a bit of magic to get where you want to go. We recently signed off on 4140 Long Action RH. Done. Full scale production. We're still holding conditional approval on the Stainless version. Shrink on the receivers was slightly different but not different on the bolts. We want to see a second run before we release the stainless.

Some specifics: Almost all of Wave-1 is shipped. These actions required a lot of handwork to make them right. To be expected. It was a very small lot designed to mature the production process. Of necessity, the next lot was held until we understood the issues learned in the first.

Four times larger, Wave-2 saw several additional machining steps to tighten tolerances to eliminate the handwork. A learning process for us and our vendors. This lot is sold out. The bolts and receivers are at the polisher and will go through S&W's heat treat line starting next week. That's the final step before we see them for assembly. There are a limited number of stainless actions in wave-2

Wave-3 is almost five times as large as wave-2. A few minor process changes. We'll now heat treat before polishing. This lot is all 4140, about half sold, and it shipped to the machining center today. Figure about 30days before the first week's machining flows through the process and arrives at MRC.

We ordered wave-4 from Ruger on Monday. It's twice the size of wave-3 and 50% stainless. In all liklihood, it will run into the back of wave-3 and become part of the earlier lot. We are pulling all the stops out to get inventory on the shelf. I have to believe wave-4 will get us there. The first part of this lot will hit the machining center in early February.

So...the short answer is 8-10 weeks today for a new order. In 8-10 weeks it should be about 2 weeks for a new order. After that? Maybe same day shipments. One can always hope.

[ 01-07-2003, 09:17: Message edited by: Rod@Mountain_of_Dreams ]

Is there any light at the end of the tunnel for Canadian customers interested in your actions?

Ian

Ian: Sho-nuff. We are deep in discussion with candidate exporters. We need one with global capabilities and established distributor relationships. We will handle the US direct, but the reams of international laws and policies are quite beyond our limited staff. We hope to have this problem solved by mid to late February.

[ 01-08-2003, 04:43: Message edited by: Rod@MRC ]

This story is not unlike the "The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner". It's hard to believe that I watched the set-up in the machining center of the first receiver in Wave-2 - all the way back on November 22nd. That unit was the only one that was scrapped. The set-up unit. The rest went through fine. Took two weeks. And then...........

Deburring and QA checks seemed to take forever (a week). Then they shipped. To the polisher? Noooooo. To us. Another 8 days lost (a really bad time to ship via UPS) when we had to send them back east (Minnesota) again. By then the polisher had closed for Christmas. 12/20 through 1/6.

On 1/7, they got right on them and shipped them east again (Massachusetts) that Thursday, to S&W for heat treat. Austempering has proved to be the best method for final heat-treat. The entire lot made it to S&W as of 9:33 this morning, 14 Jan.

We have a chance they may be be processed and on their way across the country AGAIN, by Friday. We may see them by the end of next week.

TWO WHOLE MONTHS! It must be a vast left-wing conspiracy.

And now.... We've streamlined this whole mess. The polisher will do hardened parts. We avoid the second buffing. Cast - six miles - machine - seventy-five miles - heat treat - 1000 miles (in the right direction) polish - 1000 miles - Home. Assemble and ship. The first week's production of Wave-3 ships this Friday to S&W. And will ship to the polisher next Friday. Weekly shipments through Wave-3 and (hopefully with no interruptions)into Wave-4.

Wow! I'd heard mention of these actions, but now catching up on this thread, I'm amazed at whats being offered. Even for a cheap guy like me who likes to do his own work on sporterizing mausers, you've made that route cost prohibitive.

What impresses me most is that not only have you come directly to the prospective customers and gunsmiths, but you've been totally honest on shortcomings of the prototypes, and hangups in development of the project. It is extremely refreshing to see a company that has such integrity, as it is in such short supply these days!

I can't wait til the short actions come out, I've been wanting to build a custom rifle for each one of my children, and I know exactly what action I'll be using!

One of the ShotShow rifles was finished today. A Polished and Blued Long Action, with a #5 contour 24" tube in 458 Lott. I couldn't leave it at the shop. Just wouldn't be right.

A few minutes in the yellow pages told me there were NO ammo or brass supplies in NW Montana, so on the way home, I picked up a 45-70 die set and some 500gr Barnes XFB. There were NO other choices in this caliber.

Spent some judicious time with a few .416Rem cases. Neck expanded, chamfered, sized and resized a half-dozen times. Trimmed to 2.780. Carefully seat the bullets to the top of the cannalure, roll crimp and measure. 3.615 COAL. Perfect. Made up four dummy rounds. Now for the moment of truth.

The rifle, our action dropped into a Win M70 Supergrade Express stock, was equipped with a .375 H&H mag box and follower. Poked three into the box. Dropped one down the spout. Depress the top round lightly and close the bolt.

Snick. No effort. So far - so good.

Shoulder and imagine an angry...no, make that two angry, toothy and BIG whatevers in full charge.

GO! Drop the hammer, slam the bolt back and forward. Drop the hammer, bolt back. And again. And again.

Damn that was slick. Load them up and do it again. And again. And so forth. About the sixth or seven time, the rifle failed to pick up the third round. On the eighth magazine full, the second round (coming from the left side) caught the extractor cut in the C-ring and stopped the bolt. I couldn't get it to repeat this error.

It's close, but needs some fine tuning. I would have capped two off but, but it was 9pm. I'm not going to trust my shop sand trap to this monster and even though I'm out in the National Forest, I still have neighbors.

Come morning, we'll give it a go.

Rod,

Just wanted to say thanks for all the information you are posting. As others have indicated, it is clear that you have a passion for what you are doing and it is not just a way to make a living. You and your company deserve support and I ordered a left hand action in December. After much contemplation,I decided I would use it to build a 458 Lott and I will have your sister company barrel it. Consequently, your post is on point for me.

Thanks,

Todd

ToddJ: thanks for the kind words. You're right on the passion part. Good thing, too. Can't make a living until we ship in real volume.

Speaking of which, HunterJim -- start watching your mail box.

Rod.