Meet Gordy Gritters: Record-Setting Master Gunsmith, In-Depth Discussion

There are certain people that are geared towards “pushing the limits”. These people thrive when they are innovating and evolving technology, refining products, and setting records in competition. Gordy Gritters is one of these people. Gordy has been instrumental in the world of precision rifle both as a shooter and as a master gunsmith. I got to know about Gordy Gritters when I set out to learn how to build my own custom rifle, and since then we’ve become friends and have even started to collaborate with him.

In this article/video, I want to introduce you to Gordy, and to invite you into a discussion I had with Gordy at the Extreme Accuracy Institute while taking his Precision Rifle Building class.

Gordy Gritters’ Resume

Above: Gordy shooting at the 2011 International Benchrest Shooters national championship where he placed 2nd overall

When you meet Gordy, you may not realize who you’re talking too. A soft spoken and humble guy, Gordy comes across as a nice guy. But behind this approachable exterior is a determined and unrelenting competitor and innovator with a list of accomplishments a mile long. The following is a sampling of some of these accomplishments:

From gordysgunsmithshop.com (see resume page HERE):

  • Own and operate a precision gunsmithing shop for over 32 years – since 1987.  Highly experienced in bolt action accurizing, custom rifle building, and general gunsmithing
  • Background and trade school education in gunsmithing, mechanics and machining
  • Founder, co-owner, operator of Iowa 1000 Yard Benchrest Association, a club where we held registered IBS 1000 yard benchrest rifle matches from 2003-2010
  • Rangemaster for registered BR-50 rimfire benchrest matches for three years and local 200 yard Varmint Rifle benchrest matches for five years
  • Rangemaster for Varmint Hunter Magazine’s annual Jamboree rifle matches (a prestigious five day event attended by people from all over the world)
  • Member of Varmint Hunter Magazine’s “Gunsmith Advisory Panel”
  • Speaker at the Varmint Hunter Jamboree’s technical seminars for a number of years
  • Author of numerous technical articles published by Varmint Hunter Magazine over the years
  • Instructor of a custom riflesmithing class for three years at the summer NRA Gunsmithing School in Oklahoma
  • Organize and conduct a number of ongoing classes/schools in Precision Rifle Building and in Long Range/1000 yard shooting (see website “Classes / Schools” page for details)
  • Conducted a number of precision rifle building classes for a Defense contractor’s gunsmithing department to help them consistently build more accurate sniper/tactical rifles
  • Conduct training classes for five large bullet manufacturers and other manufacturing companies in high-accuracy gunsmithing and 1000 yard/long range shooting
  • Helped Grizzly Industrial design a “Gunsmiths Lathe” specifically for building high-accuracy rifles
  • Made a professional gunsmithing DVD with Grizzly Industrial: “Chambering a Championship Match Barrel”
  • In the process of producing the “Extreme Accuracy Series” of precision gunsmithing DVD’s for do-it-yourselfers and professional gunsmiths  
  • Builder of a number of custom rifles featured in Varmint Hunter Magazine
  • Builder of rifles winning numerous National Championships, as well as numerous state, regional, and club championships over the years
  • Builder of rifles that have set several new IBS 1000 Yard world records and numerous club records around the USA
  • Builder of rifles winning multiple American F-Class regional and National championships, and Canadian F-Class Provincial championships, and rifles that have set F-Class world records
  • Builder of many high accuracy rifles used by customers across North America to set records and win various rifle competitions including the Varmint Hunter Jamboree, Coyote Hunting National Championship, 1000 yard matches, 600 yard matches, F-Class matches, BR-50, IR 50-50, 100 and 200 yard benchrest matches, sniper matches, NRA service rifle matches, as well as for varmint and big game hunting
  • Students who have been trained in my classes have built rifles that have won a lot of championships and set many records

What I’ve Learned from Gordy

I’ve learned a lot from Gordy- from his books, his DVDs, and from discussing gunsmithing with him over the phone and over email. Through this experience I’ve learned and put into practice precision gunsmithing essentials: the skills needed to build a precision rifle. But perhaps more so, I’ve learned the importance of focus, attention to detail, and thoroughness. Like many rifle shooters/builders, I’m motivated to attain utmost accuracy in my shooting. To realize this goal, everything must be optimized: the rifle, the ammunition, and the shooter. To make that happen, you can literally “leave no stone un-turned”. If you skip over certain variables and details you may or may not make your goal. And that’s really what it’s about- being as confident as possible that every variable has been isolated, examined, and optimized.

Above: A recent chambering job I did for a 300 PRC custom rifle

I feel like I have a long ways to go on my journey in building rifles and shooting rifles, and that’s what makes this sport so fulfilling. There’s always a new challenge to take on, a new skill to learn, and new boundaries to explore. It’s a life-long adventure!

Above: Watching Gordy perform action truing during the Precision Rifle Building class at the Extreme Accuracy Institute

Taking Gordy’s week-long training for precision rifle building has really fast-tracked my journey towards excellence in rifle-building. I learned so much during the week of watching Gordy walk through the essential processes, and will spend the next months putting these skills into practice. It was also AWESOME to meet some new friends and to expand my professional network. It was simply amazing!

Here’s a link to some resources from the Extreme Accuracy Institute that will be super-helpful for those that want to learn these skills:

Extreme Accuracy Institute Classes, One-On-One Instruction

Gordy’s Gunsmithing DVDs and Books

Iv’e got more content coming up from my visit to Gordy’s shop and school: don’t miss out on these updates, make sure you’re subscribed!

Do you have a “Gordy story” to share? Please leave a comment!

Thanks,
Gavin

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