My life has been a dedication to the sport of long range shooting  whether hunting or matches.  Sharing with everyone who would like to be part of the shooting world all I can whether through a podcast, in person schools, online schools and now even through YouTube.  My journey into building rifles was simply trying to work on my own rifle and do a better job than I could afford to pay someone.  Then, to look for all the little things that most gunsmiths will not take the time to do and either improve the process or at least take the time to do it as close to perfect as humanly possible.  Now, here we set all these years later with a 10,000 square foot facility and world class machines making these rifles for customers.  Wow, what a journey!

I have never lost my love or my drive for what we do. We deliver happiness in the form of an accurate rifle that makes shooters feel good about themselves and their abilities.  And although I cannot deliver them for free, I try to offer the best at a price that most can afford.  Sure you can go out and buy a "Brand" rifle for many thousands more, but my promise to our customers is you will never find better,  but you can just offer to pay more if that makes you feel better : )

Lastly, what you are paying for here at Wolf Precision is help before, during and after the sale.  Not by email or order online, but a real person with lots of experience that is willing to take the time to talk with you about your rifle, wants and needs.  And what about after the sale?  My wife laughs and calls me the "gun whisperer" or "gun doctor" for all the time I spend helping customers along the way after the sale.  Reloading, targets, wind, fundamentals and even some counseling and consoling are all part of the experience.  Being funny of course, But that is who we are and this is what we do.  It's truly what sets us apart from all others and what we are the best at.   Not just offering the very best rifle, but joining our family here at Wolf Precision to walk with you along your journey into long range shooting. We truly believe everyone deserves a great shooting rifle and we do our very best to ensure that!

There was a phone call and a YouTube video that was shared with me.  This hidden danger is rarely spoken about and in my mind is so important.  I want to share with you things to keep you safe and those around you even though they may be miles away.

​Safety is something that gets a lot of attention in the shooting world and rightly so.  Safety briefs, range safety officers and coaches are all there to make the experience safe and enjoyable for the shooters.  But what about the other end of the range?

Ricochets are something I rarely hear talked about at local ranges.  Most shooters just assume the range is safe and that the bullets get absorbed into the dirt.  But what if they don’t?  Where does that bullet actually travel and what does it actually impact?

Knowing your target and what lies beyond it is a great rule, but what about what lies beside it?  Or above it?  Does anyone consider how far that round could potentially go?  Military ranges have a 1:1,000,000 rule which means that if all safety rules are followed the probability of a round escaping the range has to be greater than one in a million.

This sounds pretty unattainable for the local hunting and fishing club range, but you also have to consider the types of ammunition being fired.  Military ammunition is designed for penetration and will potentially present a higher ricochet threat than a self defense round or an open tip hollow point match round which will expand on impact.  These details matter. So, think about everything when you shoot, not just things you can see.  Your bullet selection plays a key role.  OTM, FMJ, Solids and Bonded Bullets all increase the odds of a ricochet.  What is more important that if your round leaves the range and hits something or worse yet, somebody.  You are responsible and liable.

Safety is everyone’s responsibility and considering the types of ammo and the location you are shooting is just as important as the rest.

An Amish girl hit in the head  and killed with a musket ball fired into the air at over 2 kilometers.  Keep in mind this was shot into the air, but was a musket ball.  Think about the high velocity rounds that we fire and how far they could travel.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amish-man-accidentally-killed-girl-in-horse-drawn-buggy-with-stray-gunshot-will-serve-30-days-in-jail/

I don't mean to criticize or put people for or against those in this video.  I am simply sharing it to show you want can happen, to display ricochets.  Both of these videos are eye popping and really give you an idea of what a bounced round looks like.  The tracer rounds show you the true danger to those down range and this can happen to many of the bullets listed above.  The sad part is most do not know it happens because they cannot see it or are even unaware of it.  The really sad part is, it could cost somebody their life.  And if it happens to be your round, you are 100% responsible.  

So, take all precautions when shooting. Be safe. Be cognizant of your ammo, surroundings and what may lie beyond your surroundings.

We spend a lot of time building custom rifles.  Using only the very best of every component, you would think it's as easy as bolt it all together and let's go shoot.   It's not.  The marketing department of every stock maker will tell you, use our quality after market stock or chassis and your rifle is guaranteed to shoot better.   When the aftermarket stock and chassis builders are asked "do I need to bed it?"   They will always say "no."   Like a get out of jail free card to you the customer.   Whew - wipe that brow because you just dogged a bullet.   Or did you?

I'm not going to spoil this yet.  Let's keep going down the rabbit hole.  Like "what is bedding and what does it do in the first place?"  Where should I start?  Well, let's start with the fact that bedding older rifles was not about accuracy or alignment as we would think of today, but to act as pillars in those old wooden stocks to keep you from crushing the wood or composite material inside.  And in worst case scenarios, protect the changes that can happen from either the elements or from over or under tightening your action screws.

Years ago, when bedding a factory rifle, wooden or stocks with soft-fill material was common and, most often, without aluminum pillars to support the receiver and to keep the guy with the wrench from over-tightening the action screws and compressing the material it sets on.  The whole point of bedding was to have repeatable accuracy by putting a very strong and stable material between your steel receiver and the softer material underneath it.    Think of it like this,  bedding early rifles was like putting a full length pillar type support under your receiver.  That way, it protects from the compression that naturally happens when you tighten your action screws along with giving you consistent stress free lock up so you will have no POI shifts taking the barreled action in and out.  You can repeatably and reliably count on that rifle to perform at its best in all climates and conditions with that new hard material fully supporting the receiver.


​

Now wait, we are not talking about 1970s built rifles here.   We are talking about modern CNC made chassis.   OK, so first I would like you to watch the above video.   Then, I want to talk with you about what is really going to make the difference here when you are seriously looking  to get the very best out of your rifle.

Modern chassis have the support, but lack the surface contact.  In the age of modern manufacturing, we are now able to machine and use better and more stable materials for your rifle stock giving it the rigid support underneath,   But, I always say there is a Ying and Yang effect to anything you do when trying to improve something on the rifle.  The ying is easy...a firm material under the action that does not require pillars for support.   The yang is sometimes harder to find and can cause issues more series than the one you are trying to solve.   In the case of the "drop fit chassis," it is the lack of contact surface.   Most R700 clone actions are 1.350" round and some, if not most, can warp in heat treat.  Some, can have a slight taper machined in by accident from front to back, some can be 1.349999" or more off while others could could be oversized at 1.351".  Might not sound like much, but the chassis can all have the same problem.   Might not sound like a big deal until you realize that two circles cannot mate perfectly unless they are the same exact size.  If one is slightly off of the other, than you can only have one contact point on the bottom (action smaller than chassis inlet) or two contact points on the side (action is bigger than chassis inlet).   This is why it was common place to lap scope rings to exact dimensions in line with each other.

So how did they fix this yang?  Mostly by having a high spots or ridges along both sides of the inlet of the chassis for your action to ride on the high spots.  Basically, riding on what looks like two rails running along the chassis.   Watch the video above.  The other yang that is not talked about it the fact that most do this at the expense of having no support under the very bottom of the receiver where your action screws are.  This is usually a relief cut or hollowed out void.   Makes sense if you want to make the action ride on the rails you have placed above.  But, what if I told you by doing so and then tightening you action screws to 65 inch pounds or more (and sometimes less) you can pull your action out of round on the bottom and start pulling the metal egg shaped in the direction of the action screws, permanently deforming your action so it is guaranteed out of round.  Who would have thought that was a good idea?  One problem solved with you now unknowingly exposed to damaging your rifle.

The secret is in the tang.   Now the good news.   Bedding done properly solves all of the issues and protects your investment in the rifle and guarantees you will get every last bit of accuracy out of the rifle that is it capable of.  Bruce at Bat Machine said it best..."if you want a .25 MOA rife it has to be bedded. "  That is coming from the man whose actions hold more world records than all others combined.   

The anchor point at the tang is the secret to getting the most from your rifle.  Besides supporting the receiver under the front action screw and a flat contact surface for the recoil lug to set, the most important part of a bed job, in my opinion, is the rear tang.   This "U" shaped anchor point is like locking the steering wheel of your car.  Once bedded and supported properly, it keeps your rifle from shifting laterally under all the flex and vibration of the shot.  That unsung tiny little area is the last stand for this protection.  It is the furtherest point away from the muzzle and if given any ability to shift or flex under recoil can and will change your impact point and hurt your accuracy.  More importantly, it protects your ability to take the barreled action in and out as many times as you like, lock it back in at 45-65 inch pounds and hit the same spot reliable over and over again.  Bottom line - bed the rifle whenever possible using a professional that knows how to do it right!  A bad bed job looks great, but does nothing to increase accuracy and, in most cases, takes more of it away and you would have been better off to not do it all.  A perfect stress free bed job is your best bet to achieve the very best accuracy with your rifle!
​

With the holidays approaching and this year's shooting and hunting season in the record books, I want to share with you some insight and encouragement on learning the art of reloading.   There are many reasons why some people stay away from it.  For some, it is safety, for others, it is time and for even more, it is the investment with all the high end equipment you must buy to reload efficiently and safely.

Let's start with safety.  This one cannot be down played and if you believe that your attention to detail or your ability to safely reload may be lacking, that is a self evaluation that no one should argue with.   You have to make that decision yourself.  I believe, you have to commit to take the time to reload appropriately and to be a student of safety first throughout your learning process.  Approaching it from that angle, is always the best start to any recipe that is going to lead to success.  This is a personal decision, so self evaluate and know yourself and be honest with yourself. 

The next part is a little more complex, but also so easy to address.  Money and the investment in equipment.  When we teach the class here to new reloaders., we approach it from the one stage at a time process with simple tools that are easy to learn, easy to control and in all cases inexpensive.   Sure, we have some really high end stuff for making quality ammo at scale.  That said, we still use the concept of one stage a time. and with that, simple one-stage type equipment.  

The equipment on our shelves are not a bragging right and not a list of the things you need to buy when you get home.   Sure they are nice to have, but I have made match winning ammo for years with a manual powder thrower, single stage press and balance beam scale.   To this day, we still struggle to match the quality made so simply and easily, even though we are using equipment that is two or ten times the price.   What we get with more expensive equipment is often more speed and at 10-20K rounds a year, we give up a little accuracy to achieve it.  But, I would never say that anything we do here with the super expensive equipment would match or beat what I made by hand all those years ago with what some might deem primitive tools to use today.

​

What we teach over two days here at our shop breaks down the process step by step (and by the book) so each can be done safely, repeatably and by a new reloader.   This allows you to master one process at  a time and step by step ending with finished high quality ammo.   Where some shooters get in trouble is getting too many parts in motion at once.  You get too much in process at one time, your attention to each detail may decrease. Keep it simple and you will safely and methodically grow and master the process each on there own and each step by step.   Reloading from moving turret presses where two, thee or even four things are happening each time you pull the level is a disaster waiting to happen to a new reloader.  You just are not skilled enough to keep all those things in check simultaneously.

So, staying simple at first is the key if you want to start reloading.   It will build your confidence up and keep you in absolute control of each process, allowing you time to measure and evaluate through each step.  I think most that take our classes are often amazed at how simple and easy reloading  is when you remove a lot of the unnecessary technology or super high end equipment.   Ammunition has been made this way for centuries with many animals taken and many matches won.   

For me, it's keeping to the core basic principles with simple to use equipment that teaches you each process.  I can remember the first handloads I made in the 80's with my dad on equipment that was my grandfathers.   I remember the thrill of shooting the tacks that where holding my dad and uncles target up, making it fall to the ground.  It was "tack driving" ammunition by definition.  And, although I got some grief and an unscheduled walks to rehanging targets, it was worth the smile you could not wipe off a grinning teenagers face during the  stroll to the 100 yard target board to rehang targets. It was thrilling to make my own ammo and shoot it successfully!

Time, that is another concern when reloading. Reloading does take a considerable amount of time, especially if you work methodically, paying close attention to the details. Some really don't think they can spare the time to learn it or make ammo.  I think you make the time for things you love or are passionate about.  If you really are into shooting "seriously," and if you love it with a passion, than I say you are missing out on your opportunity to fall in love with it even more.  There is price in making one's own ammo.  But, there is a whole new level of joy when you win a match with ammo you made. Knowing that you had a part in making that shot happen on that animal you've been stalking in the woods is just something  magical as well!  Having a hand in making your rifle shoot better, so you can shoot better, is a win- win that also comes along with some bragging rights and pride...just sayin'.

So for me, investing that time will just cement you more in your passion for shooting for several reasons.  For one... you will shoot better, two... you will shoot more often, especially with all the testing and experimenting you will do.  And third, you won't feel as guilty doing all this shooting because you are doing it now for pennies on the dollars and hitting targets more now than ever.

My feelings on reloading are this..you cannot afford not to!   If you want to stay in the sport and grow as a shooter, reloading will not only broaden your horizons with making the ammo, but will also broaden your circle of friends (now including reloaders) and believe me when I say it is one of the most relaxing times for me setting at the bench quietly making ammo for myself.   I have pride in it, I know I am making a difference and I know for sure that I will not feel guilty going out and shooting it all.  Why?  Because I can make more just like it any time I like with just a little time.   Take that next step in immersing yourself in the shooting world.  Learn to reload your own ammunition.  Your future shooting maniac self with thank you.

First, I want to start this conversation by saying that the CNC machine tools used today across a broad spectrum of applications and necessities., each have their place and each have an important role to play.   I also want to be clear that a great machinist can do amazing things with machines that are not supposed to be able to hold exceptional tolerances.   A great car driver could probably give most people the scare of the their lives on a racetrack, even if handed the keys to a mini-van.  That said, it would not be the vehicle of choice at that high level of professionalism. If he tried to hoodwink people at shows and events on his vehicle's quality and capabilities (even though he is a great driver) the truth would come out on race day as the fans fill the bleachers and he pulls his mini van onto the track.

I come from exceptional humble beginnings and praise anyone trying to better themselves and using what they have to grow.  There are a lot of great builders out there using world class manual lathes that produce better rifles than almost any major celebrity brand, TV Show or Influencer out there.  But, on the same token, the local smith isn't being deceitful about his shop, tools, professionalism, abilities or what he is going to provide you as a customer.  This is how I started building rifles and my hat goes out to all of those who can take a raw piece of steel and with nothing but a manual lathe turn it into a shooting work of art.  My wish it nothing but the best for you all as you are my brothers.  ​

I just finished the third part of our podcast series, "The Story of the Ace," and it was about making the ACE at volume and at exceptionally high accuracy.  This was no small feat, to say the least, and was as much about the technology as it was about separating ourselves from the accepted machines and machining practices and looking to the aerospace industry.  We believe that if you want to make world class components, you cannot do it on the same equipment that most big and small manufacturers in the gun industry today are using.  Many in the industry hang a sign on the front door that reads "we build the best," but the sign above the entrance to the shop floor reads "we use equipment of bare minimum quality, just good enough to get by with” and to us we find that contradictory.  To customers, we feel that, is in some ways, deceitful.  These tactics are selling nothing but a brand and are marketing strategies to lure the people in while hiding the fact that you actually plan on using the mini van on race day when it comes to building their custom rifle.

These tactics can be compared to Oprah. Oprah has been boasting for years that she loses weight the hard way..."climb that mountain" she said in an interview.   "Do the work and don't take the easy way out," was her war cry.  Then, the truth came out that she really wasn't putting in the hard work necessary to lose weight.  Instead, she was taking Ozempic, a medication designed for diabetic patients that has weight lose effects.  I am not shaming, but the same holds true for our industry in a strange but parallel world of custom "long range" rifles.  Some say one thing in the public eye, then produce a completely different product behind the scenes taking the easiest and cheapest way out.

I am not throwing stones, but we are committed to not just talking the talk.  We believe that if you truly believe what you are saying or in this case selling, shouldn't your actions be mirroring your words?  Commitment means buying equipment that is 3 to 5 times more expensive than the accepted production brand machine in our industry.  You get what you pay for and if you want 3 to 5 times the accuracy and quality out the rife you are building than a machine that can hold 3 to 5 times tighter tolerances is going to cost you.  You cannot make Ferrari's using equipment from the Kia plant, nor should you be selling your customers a Kia when promising Ferrari quality.  If you are going to commit and make that promise of delivering the highest quality to the customer, you cannot renege on your promise of quality when it comes time to writing the checks and putting the machines on the floor that are needed to deliver on your promise.   

Like the race car driver secretly planning on using his mini van to run the race on your behalf or the great and powerful Oz saying don't look behind that curtain.  Wether intentional or not, most customers wouldn't know the differences in the machines if they just merely looked at them.  They all sort of look the same.  And. I would bet pulling back the curtain on the great and powerful Oz to some still looks amazing.  Again, this is not to knock local, talented gunsmiths that have  magic in their abilities to form metal by hand and skill.   This is about the big boys, the magic show on TV and elsewhere selling the hype while you stand outside of the curtain trembling in fear and in awe at the performance being put on in front of you.  Not knowing it's nothing more than a scripted broadway show.  

I don't mean to sound harsh, but the $3000 custom cowboy hat selling you on their commitment to deliver the very best quality to you is deceitful if they then choose to use throw away machines to make the product after you hand over a lot and in some cases even excessive amounts of hard earned cash.  "The most ***urate hunting rifles in the world" or "1*** yards out of the box" are only disingenuous taglines if you choose to use some of the cheapest brand machines on the market or worn our recycled machines from the 90's or even older to build that customers rifle.   

Let me explain in a little more detail...

When it comes to accuracy and machines, the tolerances are like the bullseye of a target.  Except, that as the tolerances get looser, the target moves around on the operator, making it harder to hit dead center once, let alone in a repeatable fashion.   So, a machine that can hold lets say .001 tolerance sounds great on paper, but that is plus or minus .001.   meaning it's doubling the problem because now you can miss on either side of the target.   As machines and their castings heat up or cool, the target moves!  As the spindles warm up or cool down, the target moves.  As even something so miniscule as the coolant in the machine warms up or cools down, you guessed it, the target moves again.  All this in mind, it is the center of the target you are aiming for.  That is not to say that even with all of this working against you that a world class machinist cannot get that machine to hit that mark.  A great one could.  Now, he may need a couple cracks at it, but I believe a great machinist can do spectacular things. But if pressed and asked, even they would agree that this type of effort is exhausting on lesser quality machines and in no way suitable for extremely high accuracy and in a production environment requiring it.

So, now when you start talking about machines that have tolerances of .0001 or .0002 you can just imagine the level of quality it would have to be.   Can you imagine the level of sophistication it would take to build a machine tool that is 5 to 10 times more accurate than the ones I mentioned above?   How expensive they would be to make and the excessive prices you would have to pay for the advancements in machining technology. These machines can not only hold the bullseye perfectly still, but also allows less skilled shooters (machinist) to hit the mark with ease over and over again.  So, are these companies promising the best while using lesser quality machines using the very best machinists in the world to drive them?   Do you think Richard Petty would waste his talent trying to drive a mini van on the race track regardless of how much he was offered to be paid?  I don't think so, as he would be setting himself up for a task where winning over and over again would be impossible.

We knew building the ACE was going to be hard.   We knew holding the tolerances needed to build a rifle as close to perfect as humanly possible was going to be harder.  We also knew that trying to do all of this at scale meant the machines where going to have to be of aerospace quality.  We also knew that this meant it was going to be expensive.  What gave me some of the greatest pleasure while going through this process of selecting the right machine was not once did any of us waiver on our commitment to the quality of machine we needed and we did not talk ourselves out of it or try to find ways to justify anything less.  "That's the machine everyone else is using" was not going to be a good enough sales pitch to change our minds. Names like Okuma, Mazak and DMG Mori, that are common in the Aerospace and Medical Fields, are rarely if ever seen in our industry.  In some ways, I think it is sad that some in our industry promise "the best" and "cutting edge" and often charge for that promise in great excess.  But, then feel that the customer is not worth the investment or will notice the difference in quality when it comes time in choosing the machine in order to keep and deliver on the promise they made.    

When I first started shooting, I thought the harder I try and the more I concentrated I could will the bullet to go where I wanted it to go.  The concept of "ready, aim and fire" plays this out in words in our head every time.  To new shooters and to more experienced shooters alike, this is a problem.  The concept, although there, is misguided, misunderstood, misused and misapplied.

To start with, this is stuck in peoples head so well that they play it out each and every time they shoot, I think whether they mean to or not.  The bigger problem is that for accurate shooting, the concept is all wrong.  

Talking to one's self (hopefully not out loud) it may sound something like this...

Ready - "ok I am on the rifle"

Aim - "come on you idiot hold still"

Aim - "Come on try harder"

Aim - "What the ****"

Aim - "Hold still damn it"

Aim - "almost there"

"On it -  Fire, fire , fire, quick pull the trigger"

Bang!

W.T.F.  It is not what you think it stands for.  It stands for Weather, Trajectory (DOPE and Weather) and Fundamentals.   The fundamentals part is the key.   Once you are settled in on your rifle, (with everything set up correctly like your bi-pod and rear bag), you will get on target with your reticle looking for a natural point of aim.  This means the crosshairs are floating on the center or close to center of the target without pushing or pulling the rifle to get there. 

This is aiming at its finest.

Now, it's going through a mental checklist to make sure you are not putting pressure or more pressure than needed in any area of the rifle while the firing process gets closer.  Think firm handshake grip, loading the bipod, cheek weld, cheek pressure.  

Still looking good - this is ready.

Now, a natural respiratory pause, you fire by a straight clean pull of the trigger, pulling the trigger in a straight line with the barrel to the shoulder, without any side torque or jerky quick movements.   A smooth and clean break of the trigger should be the most anti-climatic thing you ever see.  It's not supposed to be dramatic.  Just remember to hold the trigger to the rear/back wall  through the shot or until the bullet hits the target.

​This is fire.

Some parting thoughts.  Keep in mind that we are human.  If the only time you are happy is when you are perfect,  you will spend a lifetime in misery.  Be happy with improvements and identifying your flaws should always bring a smile knowing this is the path to improvement.  And, in the end that is all we can strive for. 

If you are one of those that will never be happy until perfection is achieved, then ready, aim and fire will probably be the last words you hear as your own ego becomes the commander of your firing squad.  So leave "ready, aim, fire" for those that wish to die on that hill and think "aim, ready and fire" to reach the enlightenment of a happy and growing shooter. 

How far would you go if you think you could improve the quality of something, even if only by a little?   How much time and effort would you put into a project when people are telling you "it cannot be done"?  How much would you risk to leave an industry in a better place than you have found it for others to enjoy?  Would you invest 7 years of your own income?  Would you risk a million dollars of your very own, when that is all you have?  This is the story of the ACE Chamber System.

I want to share with you my story.   The adventure that started seven years prior to the day of the above picture.  A story about the pursuit of perfection, of wanting better accuracy and the search for the final missing piece to making an extraordinarily accurate rifle with repeatable and sustainable results.  The ACE was designed to yield not just good accuracy or as good as everyone else, but better than has ever been done before.  This is my story and adventure with the dream of wanting to make a difference.

As with any young entrepreneur, (using the word loosely),  I dreamed of having a shop with 6 or 7passionate people wanting to build and create world class rifles similar to artisans creating masterpieces.  Something that would make the customer smile just by opening the rifle case and laying their eyes on it.  Something that gave people confidence in their equipment and in return, giving them confidence in themselves and their shooting abilities.   A rifle that would be a generational gift, an heirloom passed down to the next generation along with all the great stories of fantastic deeds accomplished with it.

Many years in and mastering the curvature of the bore, I have done all the above except for one crucial part.  It was still just me.  The talent of using and dialing in barrels using spiders (will save that for another story) is a rare talent.  Most gunsmiths do not know what they are and of those that do, 95% of them will say "no thank you".  It is a long drawn out and tedious process of dialing in the area where the perfect throat will soon be in a new barrel.   Hidden from the eyes, with only tools and an extraordinary touch to guide you as you slowly turn the curve straight so the bullet will hit the lands and grooves squarely when fired.  Done without spiders, most factory rifles are out by .010 of an inch and most custom rifles .003-.005.   Sounds pretty good until you read some old benchrest books that say for every .001 your throat is out of concentricity it will open your groups up at 100 yards by .1 inches.   Is is a coincidence that most factory rifles only guarantee a 1 inch group and most "custom builders" only guarantee .5"?  Is there a correlation between them?  Maybe, maybe not. But, it sure makes you think.

An entrepreneur of one!  The wall, or at least that is what I called it...a growing business with no one to hire.  Or at least someone that was willing to learn to chamber with spiders.  Everyone loves the art but I am amazed on how few have the discipline to become an artist of sorts.  There are a lot of gunsmiths out there that love to build rifles, but few want to go beyond the bare minimum of accepted practices.  I ran into this firsthand as a young business owner and a hopeful future leader.   I could lead them to water, but I could not get them to drink the from it.  No matter how hard I tried or the explanations of wanting this critical part (the throat) to be perfect, it fell on deaf ears and eventually a defining silence in shop with just me working all alone.  "Sorry, I just want to build hunting rifles" was a common theme to hear as the tools and resignations were laid on my bench.  

The cruel reality was setting in that I was going to be limited by my own two hands for the rest of my career if I wanted to continue building rifles this way.  "Maybe best practices are just as good"  I would say in my head.  But, with each range trip getting ready to deliver another  rifle built using spiders said otherwise.  "You have found the way to exceptional accuracy" I would say, but the question always lingered.  How could I possibly do it at scale?  So, as months ticked by with sleepless nights wondering and tiresome hands filling each order one by one my dream appeared to be slipping away. 

A Thanksgiving to remember.   I can remember it, as if it was yesterday.  Machining away on another barrel using spiders to make another custom rifle.  My heart was sickened and saddened as the reality set in that I was and will always be the sum of my company.   When I get old or tired or injured, my business and legacy will stop.  Like a broken record, this played over and over in my head.  Then it happened, like something in my brain said to me "you are looking at the answer" but still couldn't see it.  "Look again," the voice said.  Have you ever had that feeling that something was right in front of you eyes, you know it's there, but you just can't see it?  That thought kept me staring for several minutes.   The lathe is now off, the room is quite and I stand there blank faced and staring like a zombie while my mind is straining to see something.  Anything.  And then...there it was.

I couldn't believe it.  Right in front of my eyes a measly  12 inches in front of my nose and it had  been there the whole time.  The answer to that nagging question was right there in front of me.  How do you make the perfect throat every time without spiders and do it at scale?  The full length sizing die setting a shelf right in front of my eyes was the answer.   If you want to make a perfectly straight throat, stop chambering the barrel to make it.  Get the chamber out of the way and simply cut the throat in the first inch of the barrel.  Then, in my mind it got even better as I put two and two together because the absolute straightest portion of the the barrel is that first precious inch.  With my brain now going even faster the realization set in, simply attach the chamber when finished. Voila! And, there the ACE was born!

If we can make a full length sizing die that forms our brass back to perfect dimensions for reloading, why can't we make the chamber?  After all, they are almost identical and the process on how to make it is already known.  Just a few modifications and we could attach what would appear to be a full length sizing die right to the barrel.  If it can form brass back to perfect size, why couldn't it be made to support the loaded round too?  With pencil, paper, coffee and an excitement like I have never known before swept over me.  Like figuring out the Da Vinci code, line by line, it was being laid out in front of me.  Was this the answer I had been looking for?  I wondered if it could be that simple?  If it was, why hasn't it been done before?   Surely I cannot be the first person to think of this.   Five days later I was on a plane to travel 2300 miles from my home to share this idea for the first time with people I knew, respected and trusted.  What were they going to think?  Were they going to laugh me out of the building?  Should I even be on my way to share this crazy idea at all?  Will they think I am an idiot?  All of these things and more were going through my mind on that airplane.  But my heart was telling me to go forward with a little flicker of hope that this just might be the answer. It kept me awake for the entire flight and the entire night before the next day's meeting.

More to come in part II.  The making of and inventing the prototype...the ACE!

So, you think you are ready to build your dream rifle?  You have read all the articles, picked out the perfect caliber.  You stressed over your decision on the best action for your intended uses, (hopefully you choose a Bat Machine action), and now it's time for a barrel.  Easy enough, right?  You think..."I know I want a 7 twist for my 22 Creed.  I know I want it to be a heavy barrel for match shooting, so a Medium Palma contour seems like a good choice."   Now, a couple more days and sleepless nights to decide on the barrel's finish length.....

Voila, we are ready to purchase our barrel and get things started.  You think to yourself..."I just have to do a search to see who has what in stock and my rifle will be ready in a jiffy."  And, now you move on to choosing your stock (and a couple more sleepless nights to decide that) and you are ready.

Does this sound familiar?  There is a lot of thought that goes into building your dream rifle. But when it comes to the barrel, we only ask the simple questions and assume all will be well from there.  On the surface, they all look the same.  It's rifling and the good one "looks" beautiful to the eye with a borescope.  So, what are you missing, you may ask.  Everything!

The barrel is the delivery system of your bullet and the rotational motivator for your bullet to get spinning on course.  But, what about stress and stress relief?  What about the caliber selection and the stainless steel?   What about the dangers of stainless barrels in extreme cold temperatures in small contours?   Hopefully, I have your attention now.

Over the course of many years, we have spent hundreds of hours, if not thousands, talking, researching and evaluating barrels.  If you are going to build world class rifles, this is a critical decision.   What we have learned over the years is there are riflers who rifle stainless steel blanks and sell them.  Then, there are rifle barrel manufacturers.  One rifles barrel blanks to sell.  The other manufactures rifled barrels with intent,  with purpose driven processes and procedures while understanding the science and metallurgy to lay the ground work for safety, stability and, of course, accuracy.

The history of rifled barrels goes way back and a good read if you are someone who likes history like me.  But, to those who are currently in the market for a rifle barrel, there is so much more than meets the eye.  You can pursue your barrel purchase like the quad marching down the yellow brick road with joyful glee without a care in the world, until you learn there is dangers in these woods.  Once you know, it's amazing on how much more caution you will use as you proceed.  

Let's take stress relieving a barrel for instance.  As trivial as it sounds, there are a lot of barrel makers that do not apply this craft.  Some through willful neglect, some because of cost and some because they simply don't care or don't feel it's a necessary issue.  "It's not a problem with every barrel," they say.   "We don't put stress in our barrels," they say.  Or, "we buy stress free steal," they say.   All come up with one reason or another to willfully turn a blind eye to stress relieving a barrel.   And, its not a problem until it is and it's on your rifle.

The other major issue with stress relief is how do you know you are doing it right?  You can copy best practices, but those experts in the industry that we know say "most have it wrong."   Who do you believe?  The oldest barrel maker in the world or a local shop in your home town?  Not to say your local guy doesn't know his stuff. But, barrel makers who have been doing this for decades and even centuries have tested and trued their practices. The bottom line is this, if you don't ask, you don't know.   And if you don't know, than you may be rolling the dice on where that metal came from, how it was made and how it was rifle and turned.   In my mind, this aspect of a dream rifle is just as important of a choice as any of the other choices you will have when building your dream rifle.  Why? Because, if you barrel has stress, as it warms up it will change your point of impact and this change can be a lot or be subtle.  And, subtle or not, it's not something you are going to  want to have to deal with.  A .5" shift at 100 yards equals a 5" shift at a thousand.  Accuracy is the result of the sum of your quality components.  So, ask the questions and do the research.  Your future self will thank you.

This is not talked about enough and it is something that we talk about quite often with those in the industry that we know.  Stainless steel barrels of small contours are dangerous in extreme cold weather.   And in big calibers, can be really dangerous.    If you haven't heard this before, hang on to your socks and get ready for a ride.  Stainless steel gets brittle in cold temperatures. 

You heard that right.  So I will say it again.  In cold temperatures, stainless steel rifle barrels become brittle.   Don't believe me?  Ask Mike at Krieger Barrels and he will tell you they will not make any barrel under a #5.5 contour in stainless.   That is a heavy barrel for hunting.  Heavier that most.   Yet, you will find barrel makers and gunsmiths alike building on contours like a #2 or #3 all the time and with big magnums.  Is it a constant problem?  No. Have thousands of rounds been shot through barrels like it?  Yes.  But keep in mind, we are scoring the barrel with rifling, making week spots. So, when they do come apart, and they can, it will be split with potential pieces flying that at best may severely harm you and in a worst case scenario kill you or a loved one next to you.

So, this blog is part education, part thought-provoking and part public service announcement.  Having just had this conversation with a world class tool and die maker, our hearts are always safety first.  So, next time you are in the market, ask the questions about stress relieving.   Ask where the steel came from.  Ask what their processes are for dealing with and eliminating it from the finished product.  And lastly, ask about stainless steel and what size you can safely go down to and with what calibers in cold weather.   This is about starting out being able to simply finish the race.  A component like the barrel deserves as much, if not more, attention than any other working part of the rifle.