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: info@optics-trade.eu

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Hawke 9-11mm Match Mounts, 25.4mm (1 inch), medium

$31.00

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Hawke 9-11mm Match Mounts, 25.4mm (1 inch), high

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Hawke 9-11mm Match Mounts, 25.4mm (1 inch), low

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Airguns or pellet guns (the name comes from projectiles they shoot – pellets) are popular among all generations of people with a variety of different interests.

They are used for

plinking,
hunting,
sport competitions etc.

All these activities demand variety of different airguns. A lot of these applications do not require a rifle scope for using an air gun, but some of them do – especially hunting or long range shooting.

Hawke 9-11mm Match Mounts, 30mm, high

General Features of Airgun Scope Mounts

It is common to almost all airguns that they have 11 mm dovetail on the receiver. This dovetail is full length and it is used for mounting a rifle scope or diopter. Such dovetails are basically the same as on the rimfire rifles (.22 calibre). It is important to know that they share the same mounting platform and this is why we can found airgun scope mounts also on rimfire rifles and normally, similar scopes are used on both types of rifles.

When thinking of mounting a rifle scope on the airgun, we have to consider that spring powered airguns have strong recoil in both directions. This is why the robustness and rigidness of the mounts is extremely important (especially with spring powered airguns). This problem is not the case with rimfire rifles, where recoil is very mild.

Mostly, these mounts are made from aluminium and can also have a screw that serves as recoil stopper. The screw can be placed vertically, but with the two part design scope mounts, screw can be placed horizontally. Although, majority of airgun scope mounts comes without recoil notches. There are two options available for mounting the scope on the airgun monoblock scope mount: 25.4 mm (1’’) or 30 mm rings. Other dimensions can also be found, however - they are extremely rare.

Normally, airgun mounts are affordable and in most cases fixed. Detachable airgun scope mounts are usually very rare. However, the most affordable airgun mounts are also the ones from the lowest quality (although, sufficient) and high quality mounts can be expensive, too.

Adjustable inclination on the rifle scope mounts is advisable, usable and a lot of times needed (because of the imperfections of different parts – rifle, mount, rings and dovetail). Some of the mounts also have recoil buffer available. There are also available shock absorbing recoil buffers that can be bought separately and installed behind the scope mount and help to absorb recoil.

BKL 0.6" Long Dovetail Rings, 30 mm

BKL 0.6" Long Dovetail Rings, 30 mm

Monoblock Scope Mounts for Airguns

Monoblock scope mounts for airguns are definitely more reliable than two piece scope mounts. This is normally because they can handle recoil much better. They are robust, rigid, hard and they offer great clamping surface for the dovetail. However, with monoblock scope mounts, setting the proper eye relief might be an issue in some cases. Also, monoblock mounts are almost always more expensive than similar two piece mounts. Clamping surface on the rail which is connected to the rings in one piece is usually higher than it can be with comparable two piece mounts. This might also be an disadvantage, worth mentioning.

One Part and Two Part Design of Airgun Scope Mounts

When we are talking about two piece solutions of airgun mounts, we should not forget to mention some of the differences between one part and two part design of these mounts. One part design is easier to produce, therefore these mounts are cheaper as a rule. Versatility with one part design of scope mounts is normally poor. More options of mounting a scope are normally available with two part design scope mounts. It is good to know that airgun scope mounts for rifle scopes with rail systems are not usual (actually, they are rare). If they are available, they are normally available with two part design of scope mounts. Example for such mount could be Recknagel’s tip off mount for 11 mm dovetail on the bottom and with Zeiss rail option (ZM/VM) on the top. They also offer a LM rail version of these mounts.

Steel Action HM

The History of Steel Action