Preffered donor actions?

What / Which?


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Don’t be too surprised! Few people know what good is these days,,and Holts are specialists at selling things too cheap to guarantee them commission rather than having to re list items for them next 5 catalogues.

There are great bargains to be had at Holts if you ‘know’, but they are also VERY good at selling utter crap for far too much with glorified pictures and descriptions leaving the downsides out...they are what I call, a ‘sneaky’ business

I think you're being unfair to them, I've bought and sold through them for years and haven't found them "sneaky". If you're interested in something then you can look at it and handle it, take a look down the bore, test the action. This should be enough to weed out the "utter crap", surely. If you don't go along to the viewings in London or Norfolk then they will usually answer any questions, but it's your decision to buy unseen.

As for "selling things too cheap to guarantee them commission", how do they do this when it's an auction open to all bidders? They can set a low reserve with the seller's agreement, but this usually just brings in more bidders and often results in a higher sale price.

It is true that they're expensive, the buyer pays 30% on the hammer price and the seller loses 15% or so of the hammer price, so they take a good slice. However, they do usually get a sale. I've had 2 rifles with a local dealer for sale, on Guntrader, for years and they haven't moved.
 
I refer mainly to sealed bid for non-viewers..and that’s the majority of buyers.

Pictures over glorify and always hides faults and damage, descriptions are short and omit problems.
bore condition on reports from the gun room usually say ‘clean or mirror’, and there’s almost always pitting. They don’t mention scope base holes sitting off, being massive, welded, or there’s 9!!

it goes on..it’s over glorified and sneaky.

oh, on my last purchase I jokingly asked what the lowest bid was on the last day, and I made it clear I was joking,,they pretty much told me so I knew where to put my bid...I guess they like me ;)

sneaky

I think you're being unfair to them, I've bought and sold through them for years and haven't found them "sneaky". If you're interested in something then you can look at it and handle it, take a look down the bore, test the action. This should be enough to weed out the "utter crap", surely. If you don't go along to the viewings in London or Norfolk then they will usually answer any questions, but it's your decision to buy unseen.

As for "selling things too cheap to guarantee them commission", how do they do this when it's an auction open to all bidders? They can set a low reserve with the seller's agreement, but this usually just brings in more bidders and often results in a higher sale price.

It is true that they're expensive, the buyer pays 30% on the hammer price and the seller loses 15% or so of the hammer price, so they take a good slice. However, they do usually get a sale. I've had 2 rifles with a local dealer for sale, on Guntrader, for years and they haven't moved.
 
A certain Mr Bowers once told me that you buy a rifle action for life and stocks and barrels were just consumable add-ons. I like Sako 75's but getting a really well made stock with it in line with the bore axis is almost impossible to find. I am taking possession of such an item next Thursday, thank you Vassili (and Edi), a one of a kind no less.

But if you were to use any action to semi-customise surely the Remington's would be the way to go, there are so many after market goodies for them freely available.

Fully custom, for normal deer work, a Remington clone of some sort, I suppose, would be the way forward. But it's not for me. I would much rather have a Tikka in one of Edi's stocks and re-barrel when needed. But I fully admit to being perverse and contrary ;)

Simon
 
A certain Mr Bowers once told me that you buy a rifle action for life and stocks and barrels were just consumable add-ons. I like Sako 75's but getting a really well made stock with it in line with the bore axis is almost impossible to find. I am taking possession of such an item next Thursday, thank you Vassili (and Edi), a one of a kind no less.

But if you were to use any action to semi-customise surely the Remington's would be the way to go, there are so many after market goodies for them freely available.

Fully custom, for normal deer work, a Remington clone of some sort, I suppose, would be the way forward. But it's not for me. I would much rather have a Tikka in one of Edi's stocks and re-barrel when needed. But I fully admit to being perverse and contrary ;)

Simon

Simon, nice to hear the rifle is going into good hands.
edi
 
I have bought two donor rifles, a Sako M591 & a Rem 700. The Sako became a 6BR and the Rem stayed a 308w as it shot so well in original state. It was destined to become a 358w.
 
sadly this one is from first hand experience

my 6mmBR on a 595 action wouldnt eject at all
case is held on the plunger under pressure which is fine if a 308/243 length case as the neck doesnt fall into the lug area before the head is past the ejection port

on a BR the case is short enough to turn and disengage inside the receiver

only answer is crank the bolt like some madman and even then half will drop off

People using Remington 223 actions to convert to 20 Vartargs sometimes encountered this problem were the shorter case fell off the extractor before the case cleared the chamber.
Bolt faces for Fireball length cases were indexed (Extractor moved in relation to ejector) differently than bolts for 223 length cases.
Ken.
 
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People using Remington 223 actions to convert to 20 Vartargs sometimes encountered this problem were the shorter case fell off the extractor before the case cleared the chamber.
Bolt faces for Fireball length cases were indexed (Extractor moved in relation to ejector) differently than bolts for 223 length cases.
Ken.

Disagree ken, my Rem 700 17 Fireball SPS does the same, thought it was the extractor so tried my mates 700 VLS 223 bolt which did the same and was identical in its relationship of extractor and ejector position as my Fireball bolt.

Ian.
 
Fb&223 bf.

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Not sure if you’re right, or not, Ian.
Regards,Ken.
 

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Not sure if you’re right, or not, Ian.
Regards,Ken.

Apologies Ken you are right mate, i compared my 17 Fireball bolt against my 22BR bolt and it is as your thumbnail explains, it is a very subtle difference and only really highlighted when you hold both bolts side by side in the closed position, i suspect that my mates 223 bolt is the same, however my Fireball cases fall off the extractor and dump in the action before ejecting.

Ian
 
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