I know most smiths hate working on Rugers but I was wondering how much trueing these actions typically need, since they are an investment cast action

The investment casting should not be an issue for trueness. Two of the best custom BR actions are the, no longer made, Shilen DGA and, the Farley. Both were and are investment cast.

quote:

Originally posted by cummins cowboy:
I know most smiths hate working on Rugers but I was wondering how much trueing these actions typically need, since they are an investment cast action

Ruger bolt actions are notoriously strong, but rough in appearance and too me personally, cheap feeling. Gunsmiths don't necessarily "hate" working on them, but one I know shudders at the thought of a customer wanting to use the action for a show piece or precision target rifle. They are fine for what they were intended for, making lung shots at reasonable distances.

generally? pretty darn good..,
dual square bridge, intregal dovetail quick detach scope mounts, 3 position safety, CRF, left and right handed, stainless or CM, push button release, 3 point tie down, with a 45deg angle front screw... tons of triggers to choose from

i've built several, and with a restock they look great .. oh, the receiver might blue a slightly different color, unless you have a new bath or some additives, but so do springfields and mausers, from time to time

how true? on the better side of good, and HARD. and can be trued up with a mandrel..

I think custom guys dont like them for 3 reasons
1 they probably don't have a pattern stock
2 most of the customization metal work is done
3 "no one" else builds them.

great action, affordable, various lengths, and all the bells and whistles

You could spend hundreds truing and beautifing a Ruger action, but if you don't bed it properly and overtighten the middle screw it all goes to the crapper

regards
S&F

Probably their greatest advantage is the cheap prices they sell for on the secondary market.

My feelings and exeriences tend to mirror those of westpac. Unless they have changed a lot in the last five years or so their trueness ran all over the place. Probably the only consistently worse rifle I encountered were Spanish made Mausers.

That said, I have one in .25-06 stillin factory trim that will shoot 1/2" all day. But that is the exception rather than the norm. Still, most are more than capable hunting rifles at normal ranges.

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They are fine for what they were intended for, making lung shots at reasonable distances.

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Probably their greatest advantage is the cheap prices they sell for on the secondary market.

AMEN to both of these statements!

so are they normally truer and straighter than a remington 700??

quote:

Originally posted by cummins cowboy:
so are they normally truer and straighter than a remington 700??

No.

I haven't trued a lot of actions but have done a couple/few of most of the commercial stuff except for Sako and I have not seen any of them that are more true than the others. Now this opinion may be different if I had done 50 of each, so far they are all about the same to me as far as being true and square. The newer Rugers are, for me at least, a little more difficult to set up in the fixture but not a big deal.

had to polish a 22-250 ss action that had the most burrs i have ever seen.the action was real hard to open and close,but after the work it was slick and very accurate.

quote:

Originally posted by cummins cowboy:
so are they normally truer and straighter than a remington 700??

When discussing an investment cast receiver it is interesting to understand the process of investment casting.

1. Warm wax is injected into a mold. The mold is opened and pulled apart to remove the wax receiver. The wax warps and shrinks as it cools.
If not handled carefully the wax can bend and warp under it's own weight just due to gravity.
Imagine the wax parts in a warm room in the summer.

2. The warped/crooked wax is then covered by multiple slurries to make a ceramic shell mold around it. This means the crooked wax is encased in a rigid shell.

3. The (crooked) ceramic shell is heated melting/burning out the wax. While still red hot the ceramic shell is poured full of molten metal.

4. The molten metal cools causing it to ....you guessed it... shrink and warp some more.

5. Good casting manufacturing practice attempts to minimize this shrinkage and warpage. In the end some casting houses just attempt to hammer the crooked castings straight. Cruder casting houses may not bother to straighten.

All this variation results in the potential for a cast receiver to be crooked if not processed with care to avoid the out of straight conditions.

A design and process that machines the casting all over will remove most if not all of the warpage.
A process that attempts to minimize the finish machining and use much of the casting as is will not remove the casting variations.