Omark 44 vs newer rifles

[marksman]

A Good Scope as you now depends on your budget. For 500yrd shots a 32 times what is really needed if your serious about target shooting at all. I reckon you could get away with a 25 times magnification but not get the best scores. The Nightforce Bench Rest scopes are much more reasonably priced than the NXS series and I would say have better clarity and reticle. I have one of each and use them regularly so feel qualified to make that statement. The Sightron used to be a real good value for money scope however they have increased prices as people and brand have caught on.

very good advise here
and just so you know the Burris eliminator is a good scope for hunting but the reason it isn't very good for targets is that the dot is as big as a rabbits head at 500
I know because until recently I had one, the dot is way to big for small groups, I must say I really did like the scope but sold it off for a second hand 8-32x56 nightforce br scope way more suited for what you want

[Bloodzkull]

I have 2 omarks one in 308 and another that i have just fitted a 223 barrel to,
The 223 barrel cost me an arm and a leg i didn't want the adaptor so it's the last new Nab barrel made for a omark action , I have only shot it at 50 m at St mary's without a scope just sighting along the barrel and I was impressed the other omark is a boring rifle keeps shooting through the same hole even with factory loads must take it out to Malabar see how they go over a real distance that will probably be next year now.
As for parts I am starting my collection I have a 308 barrel and bolt head now haha Question has anyone ever seen an Omark set up in 243 im sure I saw one the other week just cant rember where

I have one in .243
Barrel was shot and mab had well priced 243 barrel for it so my father (when it was his)
Shoots bloody well and more than happy with it.

[lmlalong]

Afternoon All,

Was doing some spring cleaning today and stumbled across an old document, (scanned copy of the original)
it is "What you Should Know About the Sportco 44" gives you an overview about the rifle, Cleaning Instructions, How to dismantle the bolt, trigger adjustment, Specs and parts breakdown.

Would be happy to share it around, I scanned it onto the computer so could email it out.
If anyone wants a copy for send me a message.

Hi there,

I just got my first Omark 44 today. just wonder if i could grab a email copy of the document u have?

lmlalong@ hotmail.com

Much appreciated.

[Mulder030]

Hi there,

I just got my first Omark 44 today. just wonder if i could grab a email copy of the document u have?

lmlalong@ hotmail.com

Much appreciated.

Hey Mate,

Yeah no worries, I have re-configured my computer since I last scanned it in. So I will do some digging around in my back-up files to see if I still have it.
If not I will scan it back in when I go back to work.

Regards
Mulder

[zendainc]

Hi there,

I just got my first Omark 44 today. just wonder if i could grab a email copy of the document u have?

lmlalong@ hotmail.com

Much appreciated.

Hey Mate,

Yeah no worries, I have re-configured my computer since I last scanned it in. So I will do some digging around in my back-up files to see if I still have it.
If not I will scan it back in when I go back to work.

Regards
Mulder

Hi Mulder,

I'd love a copy of that document as well, if you still have it floating around.

Just picked up an Omark myself.

[Mulder030]

Hi Mulder,

I'd love a copy of that document as well, if you still have it floating around.

Just picked up an Omark myself.

G'day Zendainc
Yeah no worries, shoot me a direct message with your email address and I can forward it through.

Regards
Mulder

[D Oakie]

Canada here looking for Neilson adapter for my Sportco, any leads would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Dave Oakie

[D Oakie]

I have 2 omarks one in 308 and another that i have just fitted a 223 barrel to,
The 223 barrel cost me an arm and a leg i didn't want the adaptor so it's the last new Nab barrel made for a omark action , I have only shot it at 50 m at St mary's without a scope just sighting along the barrel and I was impressed the other omark is a boring rifle keeps shooting through the same hole even with factory loads must take it out to Malabar see how they go over a real distance that will probably be next year now.
As for parts I am starting my collection I have a 308 barrel and bolt head now haha Question has anyone ever seen an Omark set up in 243 im sure I saw one the other week just cant rember where

I have one in .243
Barrel was shot and mab had well priced 243 barrel for it so my father (when it was his)
Shoots bloody well and more than happy with it.

Wondering if you have any leads on an Neilson adaptor for my rifle. Barrels are hard to come by and would like to re-barrel my second rifle. In Canada. Any help greatly appreciated!

[bladeracer]

Canada here looking for Neilson adapter for my Sportco, any leads would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Dave Oakie

I don't know what this is, but is it something any machinist can turn up for you?

[Maxjon]

I shot my way into A grade with a $300 Omark 44. Made a lot of shooters angry, who had thrown $5k at there RPAs and Barnard's etc.... I love them, I'm in the market for another because I hate the new plastic fantastic s**t!

[SCJ429]

Good for you 033, what are you going to use your second rifle for? Is it going to be chambered in something other than 308?

[Maxjon]

Just another 308. The last Omark I had was 223, i regret selling it, i still think it was the most accurate rifle I've ever had!

[RoginaJack]

You could try -
Made by Total Solutions Engineering www.tsengineering.com.au
Phone 0733553115 Fax 0733556776
Prop.name is Tony Argent -- this is the same company that makes --
MAB Barrels in Australia

[SCJ429]

You could try -
Made by Total Solutions Engineering http://www.tsengineering.com.au
Phone 0733553115 Fax 0733556776
Prop.name is Tony Argent -- this is the same company that makes --
MAB Barrels in Australia

For an old Omark or for a new barrel?

Have you used any TSE barrels? Have they shot well?

[grumpy308]

Had an MAB chrome moly 223 barrel on an Omark a few years back and won a truckload of prize shoots with it over several years. It shot extremely well and just kept on performing. I retired it at just over 9000 rounds (yes 9000) when X counts started to drop off at long ranges. It was an unbelievable barrel so I sectioned it after removal to take a good look. Rifling was very shallow for three or four inches but the lands weren't badly rounded off. The rest of the barrel was still quite ok and providing it was kept clean it shot really well. I've had plenty of barrels since from other manufacturers but nothing has come close to that one. I've had other MAB's but have sold them on to new club members and quite a few are still shooting very well, but not sure of their current round counts. They are a good honest barrel. Regards Malcolm.

[Maxjon]

Gotta agree with grumpy 308! MAB now TSE barrels are hard to beat!

[Vince24]

I had a chance to shoot an OMARK 44 in 308W which is in the family.

Beautiful and Interesting rifle .

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IMG_4791 reduced.jpg (55.08 KiB) Viewed 5553 times

For a target rifle, I found the bolt is not that smooth, which does not help when you're trying not to change position between shots!
Otherwise, all good.
I shot 37 rounds in total, for sighting in and finding the right insert.
ADI factory 308w ammo 147 gr FMJ.

This is the 3rd and final group of 10, at 100 metres with the dioptre sight:

IMG_4787.jpg (532.09 KiB) Viewed 5553 times

I am sure it can do even better with a bit of further efforts and handloading. Will get to it one day!

[Wyliecoyote]

Omarks are probably the most underated action in this country. Remington 700 trigger compatible with a very slight grind of the cocking sear. The existing triggers make one of the best base units for three lever conversion where the sears are made of some very high quality tool steel and the housing is a machined one piece assembly.
As a single shot varmint rifle, there is not a better or more accurate rifle to be had. The actions can easily be milled for either AI or Legacy Rem 700 floorplate conversions.

There are a couple of things to consider though. Because of their age they are often prone to missfires due to aging firing pin springs. Originals are still about but any Rem 700 spring will fit and will alleviate the missfire or soft strike issues common these days..
The next thing to consider is the adapter. Steer clear of Lloyd Neilsons version with the recoil lug milled into it. Not going into detail why, just take my word for it. The early MAB ones Graham Bugden made were afforable and very well made and utilised the original recoil plate. They run 7/8" × 14 TPI tenons which are OK but i have made versions in 1" x 16 TPI and others in 1 1/6" x 16 TPI to use Tikka and Rem 700 take off barrels utilising the plate style recoil lug.

Milling the actions for AI magazines is relatively simple. Other actions have been milled into single shot dual port, left feed right eject versions.
Overall Omark actions are made of very good quality steels where they are probably the most rigid actions out there. If i had a bad thing to say about them it would be the primary extraction is a little so so. I have machined in a roller bearing into the reciever to some actions to recover lost camming from poor fitting adapters. This will recover the camming extraction and slicken them up considerably. Poorly fitted adapters that had to be rotated further around to get the bolt lug timing right contribute to this and soft strikes as the firing pin travel is reduced. If you get one of these actions to build a good rifle on, find someone who makes their own adapters or someone that has had experience with putting fullbore rifles together. Specifically Omarks.

Below is a couple of a few of my Omark conversions i did back when i could be bothered. One is a 6 PPC HV that shoots amazingly small groups and has done well at the Madden and other BR events, and the other is a scrubber in 308 sitting in a Remington PSS stock that has done very well at ridding farmers of deer and hogs.

[in2anity]

Vince you have yourself a fine piece of australian history there, that as Wylie has alluded to, will shoot extremely well provided the mug behind the trigger is doing his bit, and the gun is setup as designed.

I shot my way into A grade with a $300 Omark 44. Made a lot of shooters angry, who had thrown $5k at there RPAs and Barnard's etc.... I love them, I'm in the market for another because I hate the new plastic fantastic s**t!

^ This is a truly remarkable achievement, and is indicative of just what they are capable of. This would have taken a phenominal amount of work. His Omark would have been genuinely grouping sub moa to do that, bearing in mind the 300m and 600m bulleye5 ring is 1.7moa. That means with an old Omark44, he was consistently shooting sub-moa 10-shot strings over irons from the sling, leaving a meagre 0.7moa for ammo and wind! Now that's what i call impressive.

I have a Neilson MN600 myself as my primary TR; and it regularly brings home possibles, if i read the wind right. The Neilson is an upgraded omark44 with the adjsutable stock and heavier bolt head retaining pin. You should keep an eye on that if it's still the original (if you intend on keeping said eye).

[Vince24]

yep it's a lovely rifle.

I note however that Wyliecoyote has made a modification on his that I find 200% useful and that I would love to make on "mine" (my in-law's)

An extended bolt lever. The original bolt is not very smooth, and requires a bit of effort in the lifting phase after the shot, which goes against the necessary focus and serenity for this type of shooting...

[in2anity]

Yes they are notoriously difficult to unlock; even the derivatives like the Neilsons. Chalk and cheese compared with a Barnard, which is a major criticism. At least the updgraded versions (like the Neilson) have the oversized bolt handle like mine:

Oversized bolt handle on a Neilson MN600

neilsonMN600.jpg (78.09 KiB) Viewed 5382 times

The cheap advice around this is to simply keep your lugs well greased.

I can assure you, with enough experience and dryfire, you get used to the stiffnes though. I unlock mine by placing my thumb just behind the receiver, and then crab pinching together with you index finger around the bolt. So automatic now, I catch my brass with the same hand which goes straight back into the box. Left hand stays strapped up and butt stays in the pocket, for the duration of the stage.

[Wyliecoyote]

Omark bolt heads weren't all that hard and coupled with a 4140 barrel that had the locking lugs cut into it, the two surfaces were not that slick and prone to wear hence the notoriously heavy bolt lift. The fix i did was clean up the lugs and the face of the bolt head and heat treat to around 40 RC. Remove bolt handle and heat treat the cocking helix to 35 RC. They are dead soft bolt bodies of chromemoly at around 29 RC. The adapter was treated to around 35 RC, the cocking piece is already in the high 50s RC. The whole lot combined means you can cycle the action with one finger.

[in2anity]

Omark bolt heads weren't all that hard and coupled with a 4140 barrel that had the locking lugs cut into it, the two surfaces were not that slick and prone to wear hence the notoriously heavy bolt lift. The fix i did was clean up the lugs and the face of the bolt head and heat treat to around 40 RC. Remove bolt handle and heat treat the cocking helix to 35 RC. They are dead soft bolt bodies of chromemoly at around 29 RC. The adapter was treated to around 35 RC, the cocking piece is already in the high 50s RC. The whole lot combined means you can cycle the action with one finger.

I would love to fix mine like this - but I'm not prepared to miss some shoots while i wait lol

[Wyliecoyote]

Omark bolt heads weren't all that hard and coupled with a 4140 barrel that had the locking lugs cut into it, the two surfaces were not that slick and prone to wear hence the notoriously heavy bolt lift. The fix i did was clean up the lugs and the face of the bolt head and heat treat to around 40 RC. Remove bolt handle and heat treat the cocking helix to 35 RC. They are dead soft bolt bodies of chromemoly at around 29 RC. The adapter was treated to around 35 RC, the cocking piece is already in the high 50s RC. The whole lot combined means you can cycle the action with one finger.

I would love to fix mine like this - but I'm not prepared to miss some shoots while i wait lol

If I were to ever go down the Omark road again, I would prepare everything and nitride the lot. I have done a couple of actions that way prior, one being a Rem 700 and can say it transforms them. It kills 2 birds with one stone, three actually. It's very cheap to get stuff nitrided. It hardens the outer skin to the high 50s low 60s RC and the core to the high 30s low 40s RC (4140) so it makes everything very tough and wear resist. Finally it leaves a matt gun metal grey finish that is a very durable and corrosion resistant.
The one drawback is that once done, it's done and there is no going back. The finished product is very difficult to do anything with like drilling and tapping or machining without using carbide tools. As with the Rem 700 action, the bolt handle is removed, the residual silver solder cleaned off then the handle replaced and TIG welded in position. Anything foreign to the base material, like say copper in a barrel or silver solder on a bolt body, gets dissolved and reacts unfavourably during the nitriding process leaving pits in the surface.