Ed Brown 704, LAW 704 Action, Bansner & Co

[charlieb]

Hey I'm creating this post to see how much noise would be made if these style rifles and or actions were brought back on the market. Mark Bansner is who I call a friend and mentor as I build custom rifles also, with that said he holds the rights on the 704 CRF action, it's an awesome design. The Bolts one piece and could be had with a 3 pos safety if desired. He could have a run of these made if there were enough orders! I'm willing to commit to a dozen myself knowing the attention to detail Marks engineered into it even after LAW. Give him a call and or leave feedback here please. I'm not marketing this as it's not available yet but we would be better served with more CRF actions on the market! Thanks guys/gals

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Hey I'm creating this post to see how much noise would be made if these style rifles and or actions were brought back on the market. Mark Bansner is who I call a friend and mentor as I build custom rifles also, with that said he holds the rights on the 704 CRF action, it's an awesome design. The Bolts one piece and could be had with a 3 pos safety if desired. He could have a run of these made if there were enough orders! I'm willing to commit to a dozen myself knowing the attention to detail Marks engineered into it even after LAW. Give him a call and or leave feedback here please. I'm not marketing this as it's not available yet but we would be better served with more CRF actions on the market! Thanks guys/gals

Did he ok sharing his personal number? May have been more appropriate to share their contact info from their website..

 

[C.W. Richter]

Mark has yet to respond to my earlier inquiry re: re-barreling the 6.5 WSM Ultimate Ovis he made for me in '07. LOL That said, 'have a 704 and my only complaint (NOT the action) is that the LAW trigger is a bit heavy (which I'll discuss with Mark once we finally connect.) Otherwise, Jim Borden is getting the call...The 704 looks like a scaled-down Win or Montana style action using an M14-inspired extractor. CRF is def a plus for African or extreme hunting! Up to .458 Lott if I recall correctly.

 

[charlieb]

Did he ok sharing his personal number? May have been more appropriate to share their contact info from their website..
View attachment 588248

Yes he approved of it, thanks for your concern

 

[C.W. Richter]

M14 v. LAW 704 boltfaces (I believe Ed Brown originally designed 'em)

 

[charlieb]

Man I love the design! So Rubust!

 

[C.W. Richter]

Man I love the design! So Rubust!

I personally think the W70 or M98 technically has greater extraction power, BUT, this is a modern, slick action akin to a Custom Rem 700 w/ much better extraction capabilities. All that said, I have had M98 extractors/springs go (but never M70 or Montana 1999s, but that may simply be due to age.) The LAW guns were akin to semi-custom (<$2K), much better than a lot of factory rigs. Bansner's fully custom guns are in a league of their own ($7.5K-$12.5K+) but I can attest to their accuracy and long-range capabilities!

 

[C.W. Richter]

Man I love the design! So Rubust!

I think they'd be an attractively-priced action for modern, med bore custom AH rifles, or in the LAW reintroduced. I think the first LAW introductions were more attractive than the 2nd, if memory serves me correctly. closer, pro, etc. etc. the options became more ltd. as production demand drastically increased.

 

[uplander01]

I own Ed Browns pre-production prototype 704, in 458 lott safari model that he used to prove his design in Africa on his safari many years ago,(have the letter of authenticity from Ed). In the future, It is the rifle I will use on my last safari, after I have sold all the fancy wood custom rifles to fund it. It is a fantastic design, slick, feeds and extracts perfectly, I own 2 704's the other is in 300WM. They both have jewel triggers that are parr excellent. IMO, in their day, the best value in a "semi custom format" that has ever been produced.

 

[C.W. Richter]

Bansner's Ultimate Ovis (top) and LAW M704 (bottom). Love them both, but the LAW is considerably heavier (fine in this instance as it's a med-contour 22-250 and makes for steadier shots.) I believe the Bansner's is 5.5ish lb sans any accessories and the LAW is 8.5ish lbs. (8.5 lbs fully outfitted vs. 11.5 for the LAW.) With a larger, med. caliber bore, the LAW would lighten up somewhat, and when I had a 1" tube on the Bansner, it weighed 7.5 lbs fully outfitted. (A pleasure for stalking or long walks!) I may sell the brand new Leupold VX-III 8.5-25 Long Range scope (and Warne Q/D & Picatinny mounts for M700) as it simply came with the gun (not my personal favorite setup. Just discontinued, was $1,100. Installed and sighted-in '23. I was too busy for woodchucks last year, so in the safe it sat!) I've forgotten, but the LAW also features a Win 70 style safety, which most of us like very much.

 

[RR 314]

I have posted a couple of my 704 rifles. . . Including a couple Bansner’s. I love Mark and his work. Here is an Ed Brown in .340 Weatherby. The best shooting medium bore I have. I don’t plan on building any more rifles, but if I did, I would have the 704 (and
Mark) at the top of the list.

 

[hohlspitz<523>]

This target is extremely impressive for a .340 Weatherby! Normally we expect targets like from Match rifles and benchrest shooters.

Well done!