My dream lathe has finally arrived, and I wanted to take the opportunity to give you a quick preview! It’s the Precision Matthews TL-1660 Ultra-Precision metal lathe. Gordy Gritters and I show the “uncrating”, and also perform some quick demos. Stay tuned for the full review! Lathe Arrival Precision Matthews is on the spot with […]
I’ve been curious about 6.5x47mm Lapua (the cartridge) for quite a while! This handloaders-oriented cartridge is similar to other cartridges like 6.5 Creedmoor, but offers some advantages that I’ll explore in this article, and future articles. I’ve also wanted to try Triebel Reamers (from Germany), and to build a barrel for Uintah Precision’s UPR-10 platform. […]
If you’re working as a gunsmith on rifle barrels, actions, or related parts, chances are that you spend a lot of time with critical alignment. Every time you go to machine these parts you’ll need precise alignment with your lathe spindle. And these alignment tasks can eat up a LOT of time. Nathan Dagley over […]
Originally posted on our partner website Making with Metal. There are two pieces of machine shop equipment that are considered “essentials” for manual machine work: the metal lathe, and the milling machine. With these two machines, you can perform almost any common machining task. Here on Making with Metal, I’ve already posted a deep-dive on […]
Hello everyone- lots to talk about related to rifle builds and related projects! I wanted to provide a roll-up summary and update related to all of the builds/projects I’m working on, and some very cool training that I’ll be taking with Gordy Gritters in December 2019! Gordy Gritters’ One Week Precision Rifle Building Class If […]
Originally published on our sister site Making with Metal. One of the first things I do when I get a new piece of machine shop equipment is to decide how I’ll “customize” the machine and organize all of the tooling. Machining is a very personal thing, and it’s therefore “just a part of the process” […]
Anyone that knows me knows that I’m drawn to extremes. So when I heard about 300 Remington Ultra Magnum (300 RUM) I was curious- what would it be like to shoot such an extreme cartridge? Fast forward a number of years and here I am with my own 300 RUM rifle! This exploration of 300 […]
Breaking in the barrel for a rifle you’ve built is a truly unique and exciting experience. Will the gun blow up? Will the rifle shoot well? Will my new trigger meet my expectations? It’s like sea trials for a new ship, but with a precision instrument. As I was finishing my Remington 700 224 Valkyrie […]
When you go “off the script” (like building a 224 Valkyrie bolt-action rifle) you can expect some challenges. One such challenge with this kind of build is getting a reliable magazine configuration setup. A lot of guys have spent a lot of hours tinkering with magazines, springs, followers, lip geometry and more with a common […]
All of the hard work I’ve put into this 224 Valkyrie Remington 700 build is about to come together, literally! With a complete barreled action assembly, it’s time to install our trigger, and then mate the stock and barreled action together. I can hardly wait to take this rifle to the range! And by the […]
A threaded muzzle is great, but if you aren’t using a muzzle brake or suppressor, you’ll need something to protect the (fragile) threads! That’s where a thread protector comes in handy. One of the best ways to make a thread protector is with a cut-down section of barrel blank. Good thing I had this “extra” […]
Here’s my philosophy: why not have a threaded muzzle? If you want to use a muzzle brake or a suppressor, you’re all set! If you don’t use a muzzle device, you put a thread protector on, and you’re good to go. So now that we’ve completed the breech-end barrel work, let’s move on to the […]
Sometimes you have to do a lot of “prep work” to get to the “fun work”. Well, after building out our build-sheet, and preparing and aligning the barrel, we’re now to the fun part of this build! That’s right, it’s time to start machining the tenon, and cutting the chamber! Series navigation: 224 Valkyrie Remington […]
How you secure your barrel in your lathe, and the attention to detail aligning the barrel’s bore to the lathe spindle axis will both have a big effect on the outcome of your barreling work. In this post, we’ll continue our 224 Valkyrie Remington 700 bolt-action rifle build with a focus on a few things: […]
I’ve always wanted to build a Remington 700 custom bolt-action rifle, and now is the time! As a part of the lager 224 Valkyrie project (two rifle builds, reloading, ballistics, …) this smaller collection of videos and articles will outline a complete Remington 700 build- from start to finish! Later, we’ll compare ballistics and accuracy […]
