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We can handle just about any
service request ...
With some of the top
machinists in the country, we're very proud of the
precision metal work performed in our custom shop.
We can handle just about any service request a customer
might have on custom rifles as well as customer's own
factory guns; just ask!
Barrels
Let’s face it,
the single most important part on a rifle is the barrel. Sure
the factories do a pretty good job cranking out a barrel,
especially when you consider they are doing it by the cheapest
means possible. When putting together a long range super
accurate rifle, the barrel is the last place to try to save a
buck. We feel there are a small handful of top notch barrel
makers in the United States. These are the only barrels we will
even consider putting on your rifle.
Every barrel maker has what we consider
their “niche”, the type of barrel they do best. Whether it
be benchrest, varmint, medium caliber sporters, or big bores.
Rather then locking ourselves into any one barrel maker, we
would rather use the best barrel for the job. As a result, we
might recommend one barrel maker for your Pro-Varminter, another
for your Custom High Country, and yet another for you Pro-Hunter
Elite.
What
Type of Barrel?
Obviously we want to
use the best barrel we can get, but what type of barrel?
Stainless Steel! When replacing a barrel on just about any
rifle, the advantages of stainless definitely outweigh those of
chromoly. First, stainless will not pit inside the bore from
moisture. This is a common problem with factory (chromoly)
barrels because the bore is totally unprotected. When pitting
occurs the roughness can cause severe accuracy problems. Second,
stainless will tend to be more accurate then chromoly. Lastly,
the accuracy life of a stainless barrel will be about 30% longer
then chromoly.
What
We Do To The Barrel
Because we only use top
notch barrels, all of them will be hand lapped, air gaged, and
stress relieved before we get them. However, we don’t just
take it for granted that the barrel we get will meet our
demanding standards. First, we visually inspect the bore. Using
a 10X borescope, we inspect every inch of the bore, checking for
any imperfections that may have slipped through the barrel
makers inspectors. Next, we check the barrel for diameter
consistency, after all, consistence means accuracy.
Installing
the Barrel
This is where it
all happens. What makes or breaks an accurate rifle is how the
barrel is installed. This is also a place where we see a lot of
corners cut. But if you cut a corner here, it will come back to
bite you.
First, we work
with the action. Squaring and trueing the action is not rocket
science, but it is certainly an art, and our artisans can do it
better then anyone. Because of techniques we have developed
through the years, we are way ahead of the competition. Because
of this, we will not let all of our secrets out of the bag, but
suffice it to say when we get done everything about that action
will be square. From the recoil lug and action face, threads,
bolt face, locking lugs, even the bolt body, everything is lined
up precisely. When trueing the action we work to “benchrest”
standards, and remember, we wrote those standards years ago!
Second, we head
back to the barrel. Again, using top machining practices and the
finest tooling money can buy, we cut, thread and chamber the
barrel to ensure everything is running off the true center of
the barrel. Our chambers are what is commonly referred to as a
“close tolerance” chamber. What this means is that your
rifle will still chamber and shoot factory ammo, with no special
case preparation required. However, when handloading, benchrest
techniques for case preparation can still be used.
 Custom
Crown
Once the barrel is
installed and all dimensions meet our extremely high
standards, we cut the crown. Again, this is an easy place to
save a little time and cut a few corners. Just remember one
thing, the crown is the last thing a bullet touches before it
leaves the barrel. It is very important that the bullet makes
a clean break when leaving the barrel, this is why we
developed the 90 degree crown. After extensive testing we
found this is the only design that gives us a 100% clean break
every time. Our crown is recessed to protect it from damage
should the rifle ever get dropped on the muzzle end. The real
secret to a good crown is to lightly lap the sharp end of the
muzzle to eliminate any possible burrs which could cause the
bullet to deflect at the last moment before leaving the bore.
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Important Notice: Specifications,
prices and availability are accurate to the best of our knowledge, but subject to
change without notice. Prices shown are in US dollars and do not include shipping, applicable
sales tax or customer requested options.