AllTerra arms based in Boise, Idaho, has quickly been gaining a reputation for producing not only top quality hunting rifles ready for precision shooting right out of the box, but also proprietary actions and stocks, that together with those rifles, offer guaranteed sub 1/4-moa groups right away.
We had a chance to talk with Mike Schwiebert, Chief Marketing Officer of AllTerra Arms about their rifles, actions and proprietary technology.
When did your company start and when did it start manufacturing custom rifle actions?
Our founder, Drew Foster started the company in 2015 with a drawing of what came to be our revolutionary action on a cocktail napkin. The first action was completed in 2017.
Which of your rifle actions is best suited to PRS style precision rifle shooting?
We build two actions – the Convergence and the C2. Both are based on the Remington 700 footprint, and both feature our patented No-Fail Cycling, and enhanced firing pin system. The Convergence features our patented Dual-Lock Seat system and Bolt-To-Bore Alignment which significantly reduces the effects of harmonics, provides perfect axial alignment throughout the platform, and allows us to guarantee Sub-.5” groups with premium factory ammunition and Sub-.25” with our custom loads. The Convergence is only available in our full rifle builds. The C2 is our component action and the only option for those who want to build their own rifle.
What features of that action make it better suited or superior for precision rifle competitions compared to traditional or competitor rifle actions?
If you want the most accurate and reliable rifle on the planet, the choice is clear – a Convergence Series Rifle. The patents mentioned above guarantee performance that can’t be found in any other rifle on the market.
What functions of the rifle action would you say are most important to rifle accuracy and why?
It’s the entirety of the action and it’s patents.
At AllTerra Arms, we only drill a small pilot hole through the center of the receiver. Then we use an EDM machine with an electrified wire that cuts the metal to the concentric center of the receiver and bolt lug with .0005” accuracy. The result: A receiver built dead-straight for supreme accuracy.
After the EDM process, AllTerra Arms machining technology sculpts the receiver interior to consistent .0005” tolerances, ensuring true Bolt-to-Bore Alignment™ and No-Fail Cycling™.
You can read more on those patents and our action as a whole here.
Would you recommend the same action as above for benchrest / F-Class type shooting, and why?
Yes – due to the performance of the patented technology.
What material is your actions made from and do you prefer them coated or plain / polished?
Pre-hardened 416 stainless steel. Our Convergence rifles are Cerakoted. Our C2 is in the white.
What would you say are the main causes for actions binding, and what features on your actions prevent binding?
The most accurate actions are those with tight tolerances. If the slightest debris gets in the action it could cause it to fail to cycle. Our patented No-Fail Cycling literally “self-cleans” and clears away any potential blockage which ensures the action will not fail to cycle under field conditions.
Would you say a one-piece bolt design is better or not, and why?
A one-piece bolt is preferred because the handle and the bolt body are all one piece and there is almost no way to break the handle off. Whereas Remington and other rifles have a soldered on/welded on bolt handle that can break off easily. Some actions use a floating bolt face, making them a two-piece bolt. The reason we do not use this design is because we machine our bolt and receiver so accurately that we have close to 100% bolt to receiver contact. The floating bolt head is designed to get more contact, but it also adds another joint that can induce harmonics into the rifle system. The more rigid and solid the rifle, the less harmonics, therefore more accurate and consistent.
Not regarding your action, but just a question to get from your experience, which caliber / cartridge would you recommend for NRL / PRS type precision rifle competitions and why?
There are a lot of calibers popping up that are popular for PRS/NRL. The popular calibers we offer that would work well for PRS are the 6mm Creedmoor, 6×47 Lapua, and maybe the 6.5 Creedmoor.
Which is your preferred stock or chassis to place your action in for a precision competition rifle?
We do not build rifles specifically for precision competition. We build our own Carbon Hunter stocks for our field rifles and use Manners EH1A Elite Hunting Series stock on our Arid 1760 model. We do build barreled actions that we can mount in a chassis as well.
What is your preferred precision competition rifle trigger?
We use Timney and TriggerTech triggers and find the TriggerTech Diamond hard to beat.
Most people only focus on cleaning their barrels with rods, what cleaning steps and products would you also recommend on one of your actions and the chamber in front of it?
We mostly use cleaning rods with solvents for different contaminates. For the most part, rifles with really good quality barrels that are well lapped with minor imperfections should not require much cleaning outside of initial break in. a few barrels might get some copper build up, and we usually have to strip those with a more aggressive ammonia copper cleaner. Most of our competition shooters clean their rifles after break in and never clean the rifle until the throat is shot out and needs to be replaced.
Anything advice you want to give shooter who want to start precision rifle competition shooting?
Shoot a lot! This seems to be the common denominator with all the really good shooters. With ammo shortages these days, a lot of our guys do dry fire drills, practicing dry fire drills over obstacles, or they are practicing with air rifles with similar weight.
