Kelbly’s Inc. Introduces
Their New Atlas Action Roland Paolucci
The results of the fi rst two fi ve-shot groups at 100 yards. The load used was not developed for this rifl e/barrel combination, but a successful one from another rifl e, and intended just as a starting point. Pretty impressive start!
The folks at Kelbly’s are at it again, having begun
production of their Atlas Action, which is patterned after the famous and popular Remington 700 action, but built to benchrest standards. Anyone active in brenchrest activities is familiar with the Kelbly name and the varied products they make or sell. To those VHA members not that familiar with Kelbly products, perhaps a brief history might be appropriate. In 1981, with the encouragement of its designer, Ralph
Stolle, George Kelbly Sr. began serious production of what has become the preeminent aluminum-body benchrest action. This action is fl at-bottomed, providing a large bedding area, and contains hardened steel inserts where needed, such as for the bolt lugs, barrel tenon, etc. These actions are available in several conformations – single-shot or with magazines, right or left bolt, right or left port, even with a Picatinny rail with built-in elevation. In other words, just about any way you might want it. Tolerances are kept tight enough that one can order a new barrel from Kelbly’s and it will headspace properly without them needing your action. Shortly thereafter, Kelbly’s began producing aluminum
scope rings. As their business grew, they added the fi rst of three Mazak CNC machines in 1987. Son George Jr. programs and oversees all aspects of their use. When PPC brass became almost impossible to acquire, George Kelbly Sr. was responsible for having Lapua design and manufacture quality 220 Russian brass. Then, in the late 1990s, Kelbly’s began producing their own synthetic stocks, with son, Michael Kelbly, in charge of that aspect of the business. Prior to this, as well as today, bedding and stock painting have been available at Kelbly’s. In 2001 they introduced two new actions. The fi rst is the
Grizzly II, a round stainless action, answering the requests of those shooters who preferred an all-steel action. The other,
The fi nished rifl e exhibits the beautiful paint work of Gary Rex. The scope is a 10 to 60 power March and Kelbly is its only distributor outside of Japan. The Atlas is sitting on a Caldwell Fire Control joystick front rest, ready for test fi ring.
a rimfi re, was designed by Vic Swindlehurst, a Canadian. Then, in 2006, Kelbly’s put into production a new 2-ounce benchrest trigger, designed by George Kelbly Sr. It has a one- piece body and is simple in design, allowing adjustments for weight without turning screws or changing springs. Most recently, Kelbly's has marketed the March line of
premier rifl escopes. They created quite a stir at recent SHOT Shows. Several of the March variables feature an incredible 10 to 1 zoom range. They include an 8x to 80x and 1x to 10x models. I just purchased a 2.5x to 25x version which is less than 12 inches long. Frankly, I could not think of any shooting that I do where this scope wouldn’t work. At 2.5x it is great for walk-around hunting and 25x is fi ne for target work. Kelby’s is the only distributor in the U.S. for March scopes. I spoke with son Jim Kelbly, who runs the offi ce, taking
orders and managing production (as you can see, Kelbly’s truly is a family business). When asked about why they had decided to manufacture the Atlas action, Jim cited numerous requests from dealers as well as the fact that other manufac- turers have had success in doing so. Also, Kelbly’s had more time during a lull in 2008 to design and build the prototypes. But, most important, Jim added that they had an abundance of steel on hand. They decided to put a hold on production of the rimfi re Swindlehurst action, which opened up the necessary machine time. The external dimensions of the Atlas duplicates the 700s,
which means that an Atlas action (of the proper bolt/port confi guration) should drop into a 700 stock. There may be a little adjustment necessary to provide for the external upper bolt stop or the trigger bracket. The action body is made from 416RS stainless steel and bolt bodies are manufactured from 4140 alloy steel, with stainless handles. A standard action
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