Legendary Arms Works

Testing a New .25-06 Remington.

- John Haviland

Legendary Arms Works has had its starts and stops, and now it’s making rifles again. Legendary Arms started as a combination of Mark Bansner’s Ultimate Rifles and his High Tech Specialties gunstocks. He partnered with David Dunn, who owned the rights to the Ed Brown-designed Model 704 action. Financial difficulties put a stop to the original Legendary Arms. The company has now been restructured and is back in business as Legendary Arms in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Mike Hudgins is the operations manager. “We’re starting small to get production going,” Hudgins said, “with a few gunsmiths, a logistics guy and me.”

Current bolt-action rifles include the Professional II and 704 Magpul. I’ve been shooting a Professional II .25-06 Remington. Its 704 action sets the rifle apart from other bolt actions.

The 704 action was designed by Ed Brown of Ed Brown Products, a company known for its excellent 1911 pistols. The controlled-round feed comes from the bottom third of the bolt face’s rim being milled flush with the bolt face so a cartridge rim slips under the extractor as the cartridge is stripped from the magazine. The extractor holds the cartridge as it enters and seats in the chamber, and when it is extracted and ejected after being fired. Cartridges dropped on top of the follower also smoothly feed right into the chamber.

The extractor is a spring-loaded pivoting hook positioned in front of the right locking lug. It grips about a quarter of the rim of a cartridge. The bolt face is slotted at the lower left for the ejector at the left rear of the bolt raceway to extend through and kick out a case or cartridge when the bolt is pulled all the way to the rear. A slow rearward pull on the bolt leaves a case loose on top of the follower. A hard tug on the bolt throws a case clear over the neighbor’s fence.