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Steel Action HM

The History of Steel Action

Steel Action is a German company located in Cologne that specializes in the production of high-quality repeating rifles. Their actions are made exclusively out of steel and use a straight pull technology with a rotating bolt head, similar to the one that can be found on Blaser R8 or R93. They currently manufacture rifles in two action sizes, namely the HS (Hunting Short) and the HM (Hunting Medium) but also have different stock configurations available. In their production process, they use a combination of high-quality materials, and the latest manufacturing methods, including modern CNC production. Currently, the company has numerous dealers around Europe.

While there is limited information available on the history of Steel Action company, their 2023 product lineup includes a range of accessories alongside their rifles. The accessories are available on their website or through dealers and include various precision muzzle brakes, 10-shot steel magazines, proprietary Steel Action scope mounts, and adjustable flex-stocks and thumbhole stocks. Additionally, they offer easy-to-mount butt plates, barrels in customizable lengths in different diameters and the Steel Action silencer that they developed in cooperation with the company Roedale, Germany's leading manufacturer of firearm sound moderators. Their rifles are available in multiple variants that can be customized to the user's preferences.

Steel Action HM Rifle Review

Steel Action HM which stands for Hunting Medium is a German-built straight-pull rifle and the longer version of the two main models the company manufactures. All the components for their rifles are, according to the manufacturer, manufactured in Germany. In addition to the HM version, Steel Action also manufactures the HS or Hunting Short rifle, which is chambered for smaller calibers and takes the place of the 'short action' model in the series. The action of the HM model is made entirely of the highest quality steel and except for models with synthetic stock, none of the structural parts are made of plastic which makes for exceptional build quality. The steel action houses a rotating bolt with three locking lugs that lock up safely with the locking sleeve.

Like the HS, the HM is often compared to the Blaser R8, mostly due to their similar straight pull mechanisms, where the bolt handle controls the bolt as it advances or retracts during the repetitive cycling process. The little knob located behind the bolt shroud at the back end of the receiver must be turned to cock the weapon. The rifles do not come equipped with iron sights, but there is a built-in two-piece Picatinny rail on top of the receiver that accepts scope mounts. The cheekpiece on some of the most recent HS production versions can be elevated or lowered to accommodate the user's preferred shooting position thanks to an adjustable wooden stock. In addition, the cheekpiece may be side adjusted by using a special tool to release the rods. To maximize the length of pull, the recoil pad with a plate can be pulled out. The detachable double-stack magazine can hold up to five cartridges and is made of metal.

By using an Allen wrench to change the screw located on the inside of the trigger guard, a high-precision trigger allows for pull weight modification from roughly 500-2500 g (1.1-5.5 lbs). Because of their superior build quality and non-plastic design, Steel Action rifles have been increasingly popular among users in recent years, especially in the European market.

Steel Action HM, chambered for 8x57 JS

Figure 1: Steel Action HM, chambered for 8x57 JS (Source: https://www.facebook.com/524279837738920/photos/pcb.1042102522623313/1042095002624065/?type=3&theater&locale=zh_CN)

Steel Action HM Calibers

The rifle can be chambered for the following calibers:

  • 270 Win.

  • 7x64

  • 7mm Rem. Mag.

  • .30-06 Spr.

  • .300 Win. Mag.

  • 8x57 JS

  • 8.5x63 REB

  • .338 Win. Mag.

  • 9.3x62

Steel Action HM Variants

The rifle is available in the following variants:

  • Steel Action HM Left-Handed

  • Steel Action HM Synthetic Stock

  • Steel Action HM Wood grade I

  • Steel Action HM Wood Grade II

  • Steel Action HM Wood Grade III

  • Steel Action HM Wood Grade IV

  • Steel Action HM MX-Stock

  • Steel Action HM 2D Adjustable Stock

  • Steel Action HM Thumbhole Stock

Steel Action HM rifles come with a built-in two-piece Picatinny rail on top of the receiver that accepts scope mounts.

The receiver of Steel Action HM, chambered for .30-06 Spr.

Figure 2: The receiver of Steel Action HM, chambered for .30-06 Spr. (Source: https://www.progun.de/marketplace/willi_horka/vq1b7f86_steel_action_hm_-_30-06_spring.html)

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Steel Action HM

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Steel Action HM

For one-piece mounts to fit on a rifle, mounting surfaces on these rifles must match in every dimension. Rifles that share one-piece scope mounts with Steel Action HM are:

  • All rifles featuring a Picatinny rail

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Steel Action HM  

To meet interchangeability conditions, two-piece mounts must match in all dimensions except the B distance. B distance can vary because two-piece mounts can be installed and adjusted closer or further apart. Rifles that share two-piece scope mounts with Steel Action HM are:

  • All rifles featuring a Picatinny rail

Best Scope Mounts for Steel Action HM

Fixed Scope Mounts for Steel Action HM

Quality and reliability are just two of many positive nouns we could use to describe Contessa scope mounts, and we can confidently recommend these Contessa Picatinny rings as one of the best fixed scope mounts for a Picatinny rail:

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Steel Action HM

Detachable repeatable scope mounts are the best option if you want to be able to attach or remove your optics from the rifle and maintain zero without the need for any tools.

This one-piece aluminum INNOMOUNT with 30 mm rings is our top choice for a repeatable, detachable scope mount for Steel Action HM models with an integrated Picatinny rail. It has a ten-year warranty and is built in Germany.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the scope mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: [email protected]

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VIDEO

Introduction

In recent years we can observe that a trend of Picatinny rail has become widespread and global. It is driven by the NATO standardized rails, more commonly known as the Picatinny rail standard. Picatinny rail being the New Jersey Arsenal that developed it in 1995.

These mounting options are revolutionary. The biggest and best advantage being that the Picatinny rail can be used its entire length and not bordered to a few pre-designed slots like for example the Weaver rail standard was before.

The other main advantage is the ease of use and interchangeability. If a product is meant for a Picatinny rail design it will fit all Picatinny-rails, no matter the manufacturer or date of production.

Picatinny/Weaver Rail

Picatinny Rail and Weaver rail profile

Design

The Picatinny rail is almost exclusively crafted from a single piece of metal (in some cases aluminum). In this manner, the axis of the Picatinny rail is perfectly straight and aligned with the axis of the firearm. Therefore the rifle scope which is mounted onto this kind of configuration is certainly aligned with the rifle / gun and the trajectory of the ammunition.

Weaver rail design on the other hand is usually manufactured in two separate pieces, greatly increasing the possibilities for the axis to be crooked, overlapping, and out of line.

It is always harder to align two separate pieces to a third line than it is to align one piece to another. In this way, the lapping of two mounting rings on a single-piece Picatinny rail is no longer required.

The single-piece rail will assure that both rings are perfectly aligned to each other and that no unwished stress is transferred to the riflescope.  

Picatinny compare to Weaver Rail

The Picatinny rail itself is an evolutionary step forward from the older Weaver rail. The main difference between Picatinny rail and Weaver rail is the spacing of the slots. Picatinny rail design has them evenly placed exactly 5.23 mm from one slot to the other, 3 mm deep. For this reason, the mounting options are repeatable and the same as other firearms using the Picatinny rail standard.

Interchangeability was a major driving force in the development of the new standard as different NATO armies need to be compatible with each other.

Weaver rail has 3.8mm wide slots and these slots can be placed anywhere on the Weaver rail and in any number that the producer wished.

Advantages of Picatinny design

A big advantage for using the Picatinny rail design is the ever-present recoil stop. Furthermore, the manufacturing of the rail is not very technically demanding and can be done without the use of state-of-the-art machines which greatly reduces the cost of the finished product, making it very affordable.

The Picatinny rail is easy to mount and usually, this type of configuration does not transfer negative stresses and forces from the fired weapon to the rifle scope.

In addition, the Picatinny rail with its very long useable surface works well for mounting longer rifle scopes or to achieve optimum eye relief.

The durability and toughness are other big pluses for this solution.

Manufacturers of Popular Models

A majority of the Picatinny rings are fixed, but a number of best rated European manufacturers (EAW, MAK,..) have, in recent years, put a lot of effort into the development of detachable ring with100% repeatability, with which it becomes easy to remove the scope from the weapon without the use of tools.

No re-zeroing is needed with such mount options, but these models tend to be expensive. 

Weaver and Picatinny Rings

Picatinny rail and weaver rail share one more thing. It is possible to use the Weaver ring and the Picatinny ring on the Picatinny-rails, but it is usually impossible to use the Picatinny ring on the Weaver base. The reason being the above-mentioned positioning and spacing of the slots.

  • Picatinny mounts have a 5mm recoil stop that goes into the rail slot and since
  • Weaver rail only has 3.8mm wide slots such rings do not fit on Weaver rails.

Due to this reason, the Picatinny-rails are popular and prevailing on the market in recent years and eventually, these options will completely oust the Weaver rail from the market.