Review of SSS truing and timing / trigger job

[doctnj]

This will be first impression right now. I dont have a lot of time and will pick it back up at work. Also I wont have any time to go to range for a couple weeks as we are finally going on vacation woop.

I finally got my two actions back 1 is 6.5 CM, the other is .338 LM. I had paid for competition triggers and they were so late sending them to me that they went a head and installed them for me.

First impression seemed like it was a much easier bolt lift. But I must say it took 4 months to get them done so I could forget how they use to feel. But as they are they just seem like there is no binding what so ever and a touch on the slop side. But they do from my recollection seem much smother in that department.

I cycled a few rounds both with a bullet and without. The CM, from the day I got it could only work well with a particular aics mag. It had a severe rub mark on it and was the ONLY one that woud work 100 percent. I didnt play with it much but the few times I did try to cylcle ammo through it, it wouldnt work AT ALL in that rifle so something has changed. It did cycle from another aics mag. This will require more looking into.

Last point until after range day with will be at least 2 weeks. The ejection!!!! or almost lack there of. Empty cases will clear the port about 50 % of the time. Cases with heavy bullets clear the port on ejection but just barely. The ejection seems very weak and lethargic. If either of these were going to be a competition gun this would be un acceptable.

OK have to get going. I will finish at work.

[doctnj]

Yes so I will know more about the ejection after really putting it through its paces. If I wind up with a lot of brass not clearing the ejection port something will have to be done. I certainly will use a different smith. Not because of quality necessarily but maybe a better or shorter amount of down time possibly. I dont even know if adjusting the ejector was included in what Fred did because the hocus pocus is not really known by the common man. I paid for something just dont know what.
Also about the competition trigger.
I asked Fred if they were set pretty light. He said no they are not but that I should like where he has them set at. So far, I do not. First impression dry firing they seem pretty heavy to break the shot. They are just a bit better than the final stage of the accutrigger but no huge advancement. They kind of feel like the accutrigger if you took the entire first stage (blade take up) out of the picture
I only had the actions in my hand for just a few hours before I gave them to my local smith to have them all put together. I wish I would have lightened the trigger pull right then. Now that the rifles are back together, I dont see any way possible to adjust the trigger without pulling the stock off all the way. Its been loctited and torqued by my local smith so man oh man I may learn to live with it or I will have to break out the torch to help break the action screws free. So not being able to make adjustments to the competition trigger while rifle is together is a big CON.
Now the feel. This is going to be hard to explain but it feels FAT. The actual break is way not crisp as a jewell and I knew it would not be. But what I didnt expect is the feel that, "if you could imagine", a broad area of metal slipping of a broad area of metal. This could be the wrong terms but what it feels like is as if the trigger release that slips off the sear are as wide as the trigger it self and not a thin semi delicate crisp release which is what I was expecting for a "COMPETITION" trigger.

I will say this, a lot of this is subject to change for better or worse with some use on it. I will report back at aboutk 50 to 100 rounds fired and see if there was any improvement.

[doctnj]

On The competition trigger, I have not looked but I might be able to access the one screw for sear ingagement. Sits behind trigger in somewhat of a vertical manner. I have read a few places that said this screw has a dramatic effect on pull weight. However my question is this. Without tearing the gun down to access all the screws, can I adjust that one slightly with out having to readjust everything else?

[rjtfroggy]

Short answer, I don't believe so.

[doctnj]

That's what I was afraid of. Many of the new triggers simply have a single adjustment point to adjust pull weight. I guess they could be tuned better by adjusting other things but like the accu trigger and rpr trigger both just have one main adjustment point

[foxx]

The SSS Competition trigger is adjustable for pull weight, creep and over travel. Like all rifles, the stock must be removed to do all of this. As for weight, it has an adjustable range of 2 pounds to mere ounces. My guess is it is set at it's highest setting. The thickness you feel is more often described as creep. It's the feeling the trigger has to move quite a bit before it clears the sear. That, too, can be set very short with the SSS Comp trigger and doing so will also lighten the trigger pull. These can al be adjusted fairly easily and really should be done, in my opinion, by the shooter. Ask Fred to send you his instructions for all of the above and I think you will be happier with it.

Also, I am SHOCKED if your "smith" loc tited your action screws. That is absolutely ridiculous and totally unnecessary.

[doctnj]

I will text him and ask that specific question. He did mention the word loctite. He said all loctited and torqued and ready to go.

[doctnj]

Im hoping he just meant the rails

[doctnj]

Nope! Action screws loctite d and torqued to 50 inchlbs.
Guess I'll learn to love the heavy trigger pull.

[rbp75503]

Nope! Action screws loctite d and torqued to 50 inchlbs.
Guess I'll learn to love the heavy trigger pull.

Oh my word.:o I would be :mad: and looking for another gunsmith. If it is blue locktite you can remove the action screws to adjust your trigger.

[doctnj]

I spoke with another local smith that I didnt know existed until after I got mixed up with this dude. He told me that yes you NEVER loctite action screws. That just solidified it to me that first dude has no experience with precision rifles what so ever. What a mess. Im going to shoot them in their current condition and when I want to adjust the triggers will take them over to this new smiths house and get his help.

Un believable .

[doctnj]

At least in my spare time waiting for all of this to take place. I did manage to put a paint job on my 260

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w435/doctnj/Mobile%20Uploads/20160711_191012.jpg

[243LPR]

Nice camo job.Be careful where you set that thing down,you may never find it!

[doctnj]

Lol. That's why I left the black parts so I could see it!

[Thumper76]

That is an awesome camo job!!

[doctnj]

Thanks. I kind of feel like I have perfected it. Ive painted a handful of my rifles. I started with an old pump shot gun that I didnt care if I messed up, then up to a couple 223's, then an ar10, then my 338 LM, Now my custom 260. My wifes 6.5 CM has some pretty cool flair so I had to do something different. Besides when we all go shooting it gets confusing between my 260 and my daughters black RPR.

I watched a video on you tube on sniper 101. The paint is Brownells alumahyde. Its a little bit of a learning curve to knowing how to deal with it because its a thick epoxy paint. Down side is drying time. You are encouraged to wait 2 weeks for complete hardness. I will say this, that after it hardens you almost cant even scratch it. So in that way its a lot like cerakote. I have used a number of normal cleaning products in my barrel and action and it doesnt seem to effect it.

That is a base coat of coyote, then take sea sponge and randomly use dark earth, then your favorite drab green, then (very important here!!!) go light on the flat black. Too much black will kill it. Finally step back about 2 feet and dust over with dark earth to blend it and soften the black. NOW wait !!!!

Metal prep takes the longest time, break fast everything, you can and should at this time use a scratch pad (used to wash dishes), then acetone everything. At this point you should be wearing gloves to keep the oil from you fingers getting back on the metal. Using painters tape, tape off everything you dont want painted. To paint I hang my rifles after I tarp off the room. When I start to paint to the end it takes about an hour and a half allowing a little drying time between colors.

So there you go. Go paint your rifle.

[6.5savageguy]

I just got an action back from SSS and it definitely feels smoother and better overall. I'm more than happy with it and can't wait to shoot it friday morning.

Not trying to start any drama but anyone who sends work to SSS and complains they were slow obviously didn't read any reviews on them or suffers from "it will be different for me syndrome"

It looks to me like they offer services in high demand out of a 2 person operation and might be trying to have a life also. My order took longer than anticipated. I anticipated it would and decided it would get here when it was done. I checked on it twice and was notified via email with a tracking number when it shipped back to me.

I'll do business with them again in the future.

[Robinhood]

Texas Hold 'Em anyone?

[hafejd30]

Doc, sorry to hear bout your actions. Many of what Fred puts out is good quality, at least in the past. I've had there competition triggers and still have a 9 round mag of theirs. I will say both were told they would ship immediately. One took a week or two, other was months later I received it. That was the trigger. I learned to tune accutriggers and found them to be more to my liking and sold the sss trigger. The trigger was good. I just wanted the same on all rifles I own as was able to do that with the accutrigger.

On another note ask your "smith" what loctite he used.

Purple- low strength: more of a mess than anything, but not needed
Blue- removable but again not needed
Red- your smith is a f***ing idiot and I wouldn't send him a capgun

[doctnj]

Hey 6.5, Thats great. Im not being just negative here. Im "reviewing" my experience. Maybe I should, for individuals like your self have to put down at the bottom "other experiences may differ". That is what makes these boards important is the sharing of experiences and understanding that they are not all the same. If they were we wouldnt need places like this or the hide or any of it now would we?

I have had enough custom gun work and had enough high dollar stuff built to know the game. But for some strange reason in THIS buisiness it is slanted toward the smith. We allow them to say what ever they want on lead times and promise after promise on completion dates. Even "and this has happened to me" charge for services never performed and only refund after being caught. Im sure that last one goes on more than you would like to think because you and I are not smiths. At the end of the day if it shoots really nice small groups at 100 yrds it was worth every penny. NO?
I never said I wouldnt send anything back to Fred in my original rant did I? Just sharing my experience. And I know for a FACT that there were others on here that were aggravated as I was about how freaken long it took. Im just dumb enough to come on here and say so and become a target. So shoot away. lol