Incision-MC Rifle Action – Why we don’t follow the M700 action convention and how this benefits your shooting experience
- Gareth Crook
- Mar 30
- 5 min read
Why the Incision-MC Rifle Action Breaks Away From the M700 Convention
The world of custom rifles often revolves around the Remington M700 action design. Why? Well, it's popular for good reasons: it's versatile, simple, and reliable. It provides endless stock and accessory compatibility, making it a favorite for both manufacturers and customers alike. But here’s the burning question: is sticking with a 63-year-old design really the best we can offer customers today?
The History Behind the M700 Design
Let’s take a trip back to 1962. The M700 action was designed for one purpose: to create a reliable, versatile rifle for sporting shooters that could be mass-produced economically. The cylindrical dimensions of the receiver were such that it could be turned from relatively cheap 1.25” diameter bar stock with minimal waste. The bolt dimensions and brazed on bolt-head and bolt handle was such that the bolt body could be machined from ¾” diameter bar stock; the separate recoil lug could be punched out of steel plate removing the time, material waste and possible distortion from asymmetrical release of stress associated with machining an integral lug; and the brazed on bolt head could be made from a short piece of a larger diameter bar stock which wouldn’t require the whole bolt body to be turned down to 0.700”. The M700 excelled at fulfilling its original brief, but it wasn’t crafted to be the ultimate sniper rifle or an engineering masterpiece. It was practical, and it worked.
Why GCPD Arms Stepped Away From M700 Architecture
Fast-forward six decades, and the rifle world has evolved dramatically. While we have, and still do manufacture chassis for a range of rifles including M700 variants, 95% of these chassis are used for our own rifle systems such as the Elite Series II and MSP precision rifles. Interfacing with existing action designs has been a critical part for us and we have created some truly amazing rifle systems which perform and sell extremely well.
However, when it came to the Incision-MC, we decided it was time to move beyond the M700 design and create something extraordinary. We wanted to break the mould, not because we couldn’t craft yet another beautiful M700-inspired action, but because we wanted to offer our customers more: cutting-edge performance, unmatched durability, and precision engineering.
Since we manufacture both the action and chassis, we had the freedom to reimagine rifle design without being locked into existing M700 architecture. We have no interest in selling Incision-MC actions, nor its chassis, so this removed the restriction of making an action to suit other chassis, and a chassis to suit other actions. With the Incision-MC, our priority was delivering excellence, not hitting a price point. Every design decision was driven by one goal: to provide the best possible rifle, without compromise.
The Engineering Behind the Incision-MC Action
Departing from M700 architecture opened the door for modern innovations. Using finite element stress analysis (FEA) and harmonic response analysis (HRA), we designed the Incision-MC action with a 12mm thick recoil lug, a massive central alignment tenon, and a 3-bolt bedding interface—features that dramatically enhance its stability and stiffness. Just switching to a 3-bolt bedding system reduced action deflection under load by a staggering 70%! Add to that a wide, flat-bottom mounting face, and you've got a rifle with unparalleled precision and durability. It’s the stiffness and rigidity of the action which is key for the control of barrel and overall rifle harmonics which shapes the ultimate accuracy potential of the rifle. It is an important aspect to provide forgiveness as a platform in terms of its appetite to digest a variety of ammunition with exceptional accuracy. In reality, we would much rather see our clients out there using their Incision-MC rifles, not spending endless hours doing load development in order to get an acceptable result.
Material Matters: Steel Over Aluminium
Many manufacturers opt to make receivers for multicaliber rifles from aluminium-based alloys to save costs and simplify production, but we refused to compromise. We live in a world where we are a blessed with a huge variety of amazing materials as well as manufacturing technology that constantly blows our minds!
Aluminium-based alloys are adequate in their mechanical properties and don’t require stress relieving or complex heat treatment like alloy steel. They are also cheap (up to a third of the cost of the alloy steel we use), allow four times faster cutting velocity for machining operations, and hard anodising them is significantly simpler and cheaper than the heat treatment and nitriding process of alloy steel.
So why did we select EN26 high tensile steel for the receiver, bolt body and bolt shroud for the Incision-MC? Despite the engineering challenges and costs, we chose to use EN26 high tensile steel because it is the very best – EN26 heat treated steel offers 2-3x greater tensile strength compared to aluminium-based alloy. In our structure EN26 reduced deflection of the receiver under load by 65%, increased wear resistance and significantly greater torque could be applied to the action screw with almost zero chance of stripping the threads. It’s harder to work with, but the payoff is worth it—a rifle that’s tougher, stiffer, and built to last a lifetime.
Production:
The Incision-MC action starts its life as a 4kg lump of stress relieved 60mm peeled round bar. It is precision gun-drilled, reamed to within 0.005mm of straightness and diameter tolerance, then line honed to provide its silky-smooth bolt travel (dry or lubricated) and that is before it gets anywhere near a CNC machining centre! From there it undergoes various stages of high precision CNC turning, milling, heat treatment, cylindrical grinding, dimensional/geometric tolerance checks, hand deburring and finishing to perfection. Finally, it’s gas nitrided in-house and undergoes post manufacture quality inspection and sign off. What we end up with is the beating heart of the rifle, a 650g receiver, which looks like jewellery – beautifully made with ultimate precision and absolutely no compromise.
What It Means for You
Investing in the Incision-MC rifle means you’re not settling for a variation of a design that’s over 60 years old. You’re getting a rifle that’s been crafted with cutting-edge technology, premium materials, and meticulous attention to detail. From its unmatched Quick Take-Down (QTD) system to its precision alignment and robust construction, the Incision-MC rifle offers exceptional performance, resilience, and versatility. And despite being made of steel, its optimised design ensures it’s equivalent or lighter than an equivalent M700 short action with a full length rail.
Choosing an Incision-MC rifle isn’t just buying a firearm—it’s investing in quality that will last a lifetime.
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