Montana Rifle Company Actions

[Captain Munro]

I have an MRC .505 Gibbs action I would be willing to part with. I bought it years ago, before I had my .505 built on a Granite Mountain action I got a really good deal on. I'll sell it for what I paid for the GMA action: $800.

Tempting haha. How bad us the ammo cost for the 505 Gibbs monster?

 

[Captain Munro]

i think they show the orig wood stock w/ crossbolts, etc. down below in the ad, no? if that's the one i commented on (w/ the HS precision stock).

They do and I have seen promo pictures. Sometimes the real in person pictures show them in a different light. I am a cautious shopper/buyer.

 

[C.W. Richter]

I have an MRC .505 Gibbs action I would be willing to part with. I bought it years ago, before I had my .505 built on a Granite Mountain action I got a really good deal on. I'll sell it for what I paid for the GMA action: $800.

Can you pls post a pic when you get a chance? I'm guessing it's the same as the 416 action Cap'n mentioned above. L. Mag (heavy) action. That'd be a great case to create smaller bore wildcats!!! .640" at the base. Would the action have been used once by F. Macomber's wife? That adds value!

 

[fourfive8]

I used one of their actions to build a DG rifle in 450 Watts. I used their standard long action, a 14" twist 8 groove Lilja barrel along with a walnut New Haven NOS Winchester M70 stock- pillar bedded. If not mistaken, I think their actions were made at the Ruger foundry. The actions are robust and are described as a Winchester 70-Mauser 98 hybrid. The trigger is of the superior, IMO, old style Win M 70 design. The breech has the "C" inner ring as in the original 98 Mauser. The gas vent/mitigation system is of excellent design. I had no issues ordering the action direct from MRC when they were in business and have had no issues with the rifle. It is one of my most accurate. I'd think a quality coated or SS MRC barreled action in an HS Precision stock would be hard to beat for severe use hunting.

Here's a link to an article about their PH action
https://safariclub.org/montana-rifle-co-model-1999-professional-hunter/

For comparison- top rifle is MRC 450 Watts, bottom rifle is Win 70 416 Rem Mag

 

[Captain Munro]

Does anyone know the magazine capacity of the MRC 416 Rigby?

 

[C.W. Richter]

Does anyone know the magazine capacity of the MRC 416 Rigby?

'Just looking at the stocks in the ad above, the expanded area beyond the forearm where the bottom metal is, is pronounced lower (esp. in the wood stock.) I'd guess 4. Could be 5, but 'going with 4. Many are only 3, so 'probably ahead of the game. But your guide and tracker will offer 4-8 more rounds! If you put that 400 or 450 gr slug in the right place, you'll only need 1! 'Took my son on an elephant/hippo/buffalo hunt (he as backup and PG for him w/ his 375.) I took 3 shots w/ my 416. He must've used all of 5 (including a great follow-up shot on the elephant when it spun and ran!) Compare the stocks you're contemplating to the 458 shown above. The 416 appears to have an extra round. You can get a bigger mag well or convert to a box-style mag, if really desired. Typically you will not get more than 2 shots in..one way or the other! My 416 holds 3 and Son's 375 4. Never an issue beyond 1-2. Montana was a semi-custom mass-produced gun, so they tended to improve things, as needed. 'Sons stock is trimmer than above and holds 3 in the mag. In some Mauser-style actions, you can pull the bolt and insert a 4th (or 5th) rd onto the boltface and under the extractor, if you feel more comfy with more!

 

[Captain Munro]

'Just looking at the stocks in the ad above, the expanded area beyond the forearm where the bottom metal is, is pronounced lower (esp. in the wood stock.) I'd guess 4. Could be 5, but 'going with 4. Many are only 3, so 'probably ahead of the game. But your guide and tracker will offer 4-8 more rounds! If you put that 400 or 450 gr slug in the right place, you'll only need 1! 'Took my son on an elephant/hippo/buffalo hunt (he as backup and PG for him w/ his 375.) I took 3 shots w/ my 416. He must've used all of 5 (including a great follow-up shot on the elephant when it spun and ran!) Compare the stocks you're contemplating to the 458 shown above. The 416 appears to have an extra round. You can get a bigger mag well or convert to a box-style mag, if really desired. Typically you will not get more than 2 shots in..one way or the other! My 416 holds 3 and Son's 375 4. Never an issue beyond 1-2. Montana was a semi-custom mass-produced gun, so they tended to improve things, as needed. 'Sons stock is trimmer than above and holds 3 in the mag. In some Mauser-style actions, you can pull the bolt and insert a 4th (or 5th) rd onto the boltface and under the extractor, if you feel more comfy with more!

I was thinking 4 as well. I just like the idea of the bigger magazine capacity, if I do my part I won't need it.
Your son is a lucky chap to have had that experience! Sounds like a hell of a trip.

 

[C.W. Richter]

'Just looking at the stocks in the ad above, the expanded area beyond the forearm where the bottom metal is, is pronounced lower (esp. in the wood stock.) I'd guess 4. Could be 5, but 'going with 4. Many are only 3, so 'probably ahead of the game. But your guide and tracker will offer 4-8 more rounds! If you put that 400 or 450 gr slug in the right place, you'll only need 1! 'Took my son on an elephant/hippo/buffalo hunt (he as backup and PG for him w/ his 375.) I took 3 shots w/ my 416. He must've used all of 5 (including a great follow-up shot on the elephant when it spun and ran!) Compare the stocks you're contemplating to the 458 shown above. The 416 appears to have an extra round. You can get a bigger mag well or convert to a box-style mag, if really desired. Typically you will not get more than 2 shots in..one way or the other! My 416 holds 3 and Son's 375 4. Never an issue beyond 1-2. Montana was a semi-custom mass-produced gun, so they tended to improve things, as needed. 'Sons stock is trimmer than above and holds 3 in the mag. In some Mauser-style actions, you can pull the bolt and insert a 4th (or 5th) rd onto the boltface and under the extractor, if you feel more comfy with more!

Ok, upon recalling the buff hunt, against the PH's words of wisdom (no 2nd shot required), after plugging it in the heart, it ran across a river (to a lion reserve property) so I hit it again with a solid when it stopped and...4 legs up! (I had a daymare about gutting it with a pride of lions closing in!) And, those lions crossed the river and ran through camp all night long w/ the buff butchered and hanging in trees!!! You will love your 416 even more once it shows its stuff...

 

[C.W. Richter]

I was thinking 4 as well. I just like the idea of the bigger magazine capacity, if I do my part I won't need it.
Your son is a lucky chap to have had that experience! Sounds like a hell of a trip.

I have created "Monsters" with both he and his elder Sister (both Dr.'s, hunters, fiercely Independent.) Truth be told, He scares me less. LOL 'Taking a great 1st real job in AK so we can all hunt without guides and the associated fees. He may change that tune once he grasps that he'll make more $ in the 1st year of gainful employment than most people make in their last!!! "Tough as Nails." The "price" of always telling them how it really is in the world....The billboards need not say "don't do drugs" or "your fam isn't your retirement plan" or "don't mind your teeth and they'll go away" etc. lol, they need to say BE THE BEST PARENTS YOU CAN BE! It may seem obvious to most on here, but apparently...Whatever Joe Biden does, pls do the exact opposite! Let's face it-Entire Industries feed on problem people (legal, justice, health, DMV, insurance, loansharking, et. al.) They heard this and more growing up! I have taken him on 3 safaris already (and he even went by himself back to Namibia as he befriended a PH's daughter as a teen.) His sis was too busy finishing school, starting her career and getting married...But, she lives and hunts out West and is always invited on travel hunts and will join in at some point. At his dental school graduation just this past Sat, she surprisingly (1/2 his weight) lifted him off the ground and said "Remember, I'm still your Big Sis!" LOL

 

[neilw]

I have a 338 Sabi built on a left handed Montana Action. I have been using it for over 10 years without issue.

I am currently having a 404 Jeffery built on a left handed Montana Action.

They are however sadly no longer in business .

 

[Captain Munro]

Ok, upon recalling the buff hunt, against the PH's words of wisdom (no 2nd shot required), after plugging it in the heart, it ran across a river (to a lion reserve property) so I hit it again with a solid when it stopped and...4 legs up! (I had a daymare about gutting it with a pride of lions closing in!) And, those lions crossed the river and ran through camp all night long w/ the buff butchered and hanging in trees!!! You will love your 416 even more once it shows its stuff...

That kind of experience is right up my alley. Awesome story! I'd love to have that kind of hunt.

 

[Rell]

It would be relatively easy to get an M70 in 416 Rem up to that configuration. You can get a Sunny Hill drop bottom for about $500 and a McMillan safari express stock for around $700 (that stock is made for the Sunny Hill bottom metal). If you can find a good donor at the right price can probably be all in with labor at less than $3500. A decent amount more than the MRC but would be a very solid rifle for sure.

McMillan stopped in letting the Safari stock, you buy it and then need to get it inletted and that adds major cash to the cost. It was another $1,000 to get my 375HH inletted and bedded.

 

[Hunt anything]

CaptMonroe , here is the pics of my MRC 416, the picatinny rail made by York gunsmith in Washington state and had to add the comb riser to bring my eye level up. With just a scope the comb fits me perfectly without the picatinny rail.

 

[Captain Munro]

CaptMonroe , here is the pics of my MRC 416, the picatinny rail made by York gunsmith in Washington state and had to add the comb riser to bring my eye level up. With just a scope the comb fits me perfectly without the picatinny rail.

Very nice! Those stocks are chunky! How heavy would you say the rifle is with the wood stock? I think I would eventually replace mine with a custom at some point...that is if I acquire the rifle...

 

[Hunt anything]

In the neighborhood of 10 or 11 pounds, helps tame some of the recoil but I can weigh it tonight.

 

[Captain Munro]

Sadly, the rifle and the action both were sold/delisted just now. The seller never got back to me, so maybe they had already been pending a sale. Either way, I guess it was not meant to. I suppose I will keep pinching pennies for a custom rifle, Heym, or Parkwest.

 

[C.W. Richter]

CaptMonroe , here is the pics of my MRC 416, the picatinny rail made by York gunsmith in Washington state and had to add the comb riser to bring my eye level up. With just a scope the comb fits me perfectly without the picatinny rail.

how many rounds does the magazine hold? You may be able to get ultra low bases/rings from Talley (and ditch the comb pad and rail-and get better access to the magazine for load/extract on DG close calls!) My 416 uses the 0.3" to base-of-scope talley low rings and has a classic stock profile-and lines up perfectly. Still ok with high 0.5 rings after I had iron sights installed. (HS precision & 30 mm 1-6x tube).

 

[Captain Munro]

how many rounds does the magazine hold? You may be able to get ultra low bases/rings from Talley (and ditch the comb pad and rail-and get better access to the magazine for load/extract on DG close calls!) My 416 uses the 0.3" to base-of-scope talley low rings and has a classic stock profile-and lines up perfectly. Still ok with high 0.5 rings after I had iron sights installed. (HS precision & 30 mm 1-6x tube).

I am looking to scope my Model 70 37 H&H with a Leupold VX3 1.5-5, but I am not sure on the best scope ring heights.

 

[browningbbr]

I have a Montana on a custom-built .375 H&H. It works perfectly.

 

[ay2626]

I am looking to scope my Model 70 37 H&H with a Leupold VX3 1.5-5, but I am not sure on the best scope ring heights.

Here is a pre-64 win 375 with that same scope and Talley qd low mounts. Works perfectly