NOTE: This article was released in May 2012. That is over TEN YEARS AGO. The items are no longer offered with such pricing.
M1 Garand barreled receivers (item RM1SABRWB) are now available from the CMP for $350.00 plus $12.95 shipping. Combine one of these with an $82.00 walnut M1 Garand replacement stock from Boyds’ Gunstocks and you’ll have a handsome and affordable rig. (But sights, trigger group, op rod, gas system, and other key components must still be acquired.) These are Grade B receivers with “service grade” or “high quality service grade” barrels. The CMP notes that: “Receiver may have minor pitting / frosting above and below below the wood line and has been refinished. Bolt includes: extractor, extractor spring & plunger, ejector, ejector spring and firing pin.”
When visiting Phoenix last week we dropped in at Bruno Shooters Supply (“Bruno’s”). This place is truly a treasure trove for anyone interested in precision shooting. Barrels, custom actions, stocks, scopes, loading presses, dies, and accessories — you name it, Bruno’s has it. We were amazed to see one bin with literally hundreds of new Krieger barrel blanks. This Editor was tempted to purchase a couple just to avoid delays in the future.
Lester Bruno has been running Bruno Shooters Supply for nearly four decades. A very successful benchrest shooter himsef, Lester knows about accuracy. He prides himself on carrying the best products made, and he shoots what he sells. He’s also a very talented gunsmith. In the video below, Lester talks about building accurate rifles.
Bruno’s also maintains a vast inventory of premium reloading components: Lapua brass, Hodgdon/IMR, Alliant, and Vihtavuori powders, and all the major primer brands. You want bullets? Berger, Sierra, Lapua, and Nosler bullets are stacked floor to ceiling!
Lester Bruno has been selling rifle components and reloading supplies for 37 years. He now has a very good idea of what precision shooters want most, and his staff works hard to keep the most popular items in stock. Bruno’s has a large inventory of Nightforce scopes, and Lester recently placed an order for 1000+ Krieger barrels — that number was a new high for the Wisconsin barrel-maker.
Bruno’s has huge inventories of high-demand items, such as Krieger barrels, BAT actions, and McMillan stocks. Lester’s company, now the largest distributor of BAT actions in the nation, usually has 100 or so BATs in stock. Right now Bruno’s has over 500 custom barrels in stock in a wide range of calibers, from .17 up to .416. There’s a very good selection of the most popular calibers, twist rates, and contours. Bruno’s also has 100 or so McMillan stocks in inventory currently.
Gunsmithing Services After touring the warehouse, we had a chance to chat with Lester about precision gunsmithing and component selection. In addition to running the business, Lester Bruno somehow finds the time to build custom rifles — very accurate custom rifles, we should add. Forum member Terry Balding recently won the NBRSA 600-yard Nationals using a Lester Bruno-smithed 6mm Dasher. (Terry also finished third in the NBRSA 1000-yard Nationals with the same rifle.)
In our interview, Lester pointed out that he builds more than point-blank benchrest rigs these days. Lester also crafts long-range benchrest, F-Class, and even hunting rifles. Because Lester has plenty of actions, premium barrels, and stocks already on his shelves, he can normally offer a very good turn-around time on custom builds. Keep in mind however, that Lester is not your guy if you’re looking for a fancy wood project. Lester prefers to use fiberglass stocks, such as McMillan. Lester also noted that he will start carrying H-S Precision stocks very soon.
Pacific Tool & Gauge is now offering a Full-Length Re-Size Reamer and Die Blank Kit for $107.50. Yep, you read that right — you get a solid pilot (HSS) reamer AND the die body blank for $107.50, total. The reamer can be a standard-spec chambering or you can send in a file or print to have the FL re-size reamer match your current chambering. Some folks have wondered: “Can’t I just make a sizing die using my chambering reamer?” The answer is no. A resize die needs to be smaller than your actual chamber so that it can down-size the brass to ensure proper feeding and extraction. This kit from PT&G is a great way to get a custom sizing die for an affordable price. NOTE: You must still get a competent gunsmith to run the FL re-size reamer into the die body blank to create the finished die.
The resizing die kit (item N3861330) contains: One (1) Solid Pilot (HSS) Re-Size Reamer (excludes 50 BMG & Canon Type Reamers); and One (1) Caliber-Specific Die Blank. NOTE: This offer excludes 50 BMG and canon-type reamers.
PT&G 10% Discount for Owners of Stiller Actions
Here’s a great deal if you own a Predator, Tac30/300 or other Rem-clone type action from Stiller’s Precision Firearms. Last week, PT&G announced that it will give a 10% Discount on Remington-type PT&G parts used with compatible Stiller Actions. To qualify for the 10% discount, customers must provide proof that they own, or have purchased a Stiller Action for which there are compatible parts from Pacific Tool & Gauge. Please contact the PT&G sales staff for more information. Send email to pacpes [at] medford.net or call (541) 826-5808.
Story Tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
Lothar Walther has some new “pre-fit” barrel offerings that should interest Garand and AR shooters. Garand Match competitors and vintage military rifle shooters will be pleased that LW is now offering “finished” Garand barrels, pre-chambered in your choice of six (6) different chamberings: .270 Win, 7×64, .308 Win,.30-06, 8x57IS and 9.3×62. These are all four-groove barrels with 24″ length. Twist rates along with land/groove diameters are listed on the Lothar Walther website. NOTE: Though these barrels come pre-chambered, you’ll still need a competent gunsmith for final fitting and headspacing.
Finished M1 Garand Barrel
AR15 Barrels — Multiple Contour Options
For AR15 shooters, Lothar Walther now offers a wide variety of pre-chambered AR15 barrels, set up for either .222 Rem and .223 Rem. With the .223 Rem barrels you have a choice of either standard .223 Rem OR .223 Wylde chambers. You can select either stainless steel or what LW calls “special rifle steel”. For most of these contours, other calibers/chamberings (.204 Ruger, .17 Rem., .30/.221 Fireball, 6.5 CSS, 6.8 SPC) are available on request. Extra charges may apply. Gunsmith required for attachment of barrel extension, drilling of gas port, and attachment of gas block, and (optional) front sight.
Contour 6000:16
Contour 6100:20
Contour 6100:24
Contour 6200:24
Contour 6200:26
Contour 6300-1675-MU
North American customers can order these “finished” Garand and AR15 barrels by contacting:
Stocky’s Stocks has released a new laminated MBR Tooley-style long-range benchrest stock at an affordable price. Dubbed the Bobby Hart’s Ideal Benchrest Stock (IBS), this stock comes inletted for Rem 700 and Rem clone short actions or long actions.
The basic version of Stocky’s Ideal Benchrest Stock sells for just $499.00 including Pachmayer recoil pad installed. For $100 more ($599.00 total), you can get the stock with a CNC-machined 6061-T6 aluminum “Accublock” bedding block installed in the stock. Stock’s new IBS stock features a 1.25″ barrel channel, 3″-wide fore-end and weighs 4.8 pounds total.
Stock Geometry — Flat Front with Slight Drop in Rear
Note that the underside of the buttstock is NOT parallel with the fore-end. The buttstock has a bit of drop to improve tracking on recoil and to allow elevation “fine-tuning” by sliding the stock fore and aft. While some shooters will prefer parallel geometry, Dave Tooley’s original design did feature a bit of drop in the buttstock. Dave believes this helps the gun recoil more smoothly, without bouncing on the bags. Of course, a few minutes spent with a wood rasp, sandpaper, and a level can remove the slight angle in the underside of the buttstock, if you prefer parallel geometry. These Stocky’s IBS stocks are available in 14 different laminated colors, in either satin or laminated finish. A half-dozen of our favorite laminated patterns are shown below.
Product tip from Boyd Allen. We welcome reader submissions.
Six decades after the introduction of the M16, Colt has added a gas piston system to the venerable AR15. Colt put a gas piston in this new AR-platform rifle in order to improve reliability and reduce fouling. The new gas-piston Colt AR, designated the LE6940P, will be sold to both civilians and law enforcement agencies. In selling a gas-piston AR, Colt is following the lead of Heckler & Koch (HK 416) and other manufacturers who have found a market among buyers seeking a lower-maintenance AR with significantly less internal powder fouling than the original direct-gas-impingement AR design.
Colt’s product press release declares: “Colt Defense LLC … has advanced its one-piece monolithic upper receiver to introduce the LE6940P. This modular carbine has an articulating link piston (ALP) operating system and offers shooters a highly accurate, lightweight and easy-to-clean AR-platform rifle with an extended lifespan. The advanced piston carbine (APC) is a lightweight, highly accurate alternative to the traditional direct gas impingement system found in most ARs. The LE6940P utilizes a unique articulating link piston (ALP) operating system, which reduces inherent stress in the piston stroke by allowing for deflection and thermal expansion. As a result, shooters are offered a highly accurate firing experience and the weapon’s lifespan is extended.”
Piston Design Developed for U.S. Military “The new LE6940P puts to use a new, improved version of a piston system that Colt originally pioneered for the U.S. Army,” said David Ridley, Vice President of Colt Defense LLC. Ridley added: “Colt was the first to put a piston system in an AR, and we have continued to improve on that system since. Now, any civilian shooter or law enforcement professional has the opportunity to shoot using this superior piston-operated AR.”
Monolithic Upper with Extended Rail
The LE6940P weighs just over 6.5 pounds, and measures 35 inches with stock extended. The rifle is chambered in .223 Rem (5.56×45 NATO) and uses standard AR15 magazines. Colt delivers the LE6940P with a full-length rail running from the rear of the upper receiver to the front sight. This allows many mounting options for sights and accessories. Colt has also includes a back-up iron sight (BUIS) and a folding front sight. The lower receiver is marked “Piston Carbine” and comes with a Colt/Rogers Super-Stoc M4 H-buffer stock kit with cam-lock lever, push-button QD swivel, and accessory kit. The standard barrel is a 16.5″-long M4-type contour with flash-hider. CLICK HERE for large photos of the internals, plus close-ups of the folding sights.
Brownells’ 6th Annual Gunsmith Career Fair will be held at the Des Moines Marriot Downtown in Des Moines, Iowa, April 27-28, 2012. The Sixth Annual Gunsmith Career Fair is expected to draw hundreds of attendees along with representatives from three dozen potential employers. As in past years, the Career Fair will include gunsmithing seminars along with opportunities for individuals to interview for jobs with arms-makers and government agencies.
Gunsmith CareerFair.com.
In addition to industry and government representatives, many trade schools and colleges offering gunsmithing programs will be exhibiting at the 2012 Gunsmith fair. These include:
Here’s good news for AR fans who want to add an ultra-accurate Tubegun to their rifle collection. Now you can use many popular AR-specific buttstocks with Eliseo CSS Tubegun Chassis Kits. Gary Elesio has crafted a new adapter that fits between the Tubegun’s action sleeve and the buttstock, allowing the use of the many AR buttstocks which fit an AR buffer tube. The new adapter, priced at $60.00, is a simple, no-gunsmithing installation.
The buffer tube (with buffer removed) simply screws into the female-threaded CSS adapter unit, and then the AR buttstock is secured to the buffer tube (either by set-screws or locking collars, depending on the design). Finally, the whole assembly (AR buttstock plus adapter) slides into the rear of the Tubegun’s action sleeve, where it is secured by a tensioning screw.
Gary Eliseo of CompetitionShootingStuff.com (CSS) explains: “I’ve had lots of demand to support AR buttstocks on my chassis systems. The Lightweight Hunter Chassis will now be supplied with an adapter for mounting an AR buffer tube. This adapter, with an anodized finish, will also be available as an option for other CSS Chassis Kits. The whole system is reasonably light with an AR buttstock installed. With an ACE skeleton-style AR stock (shown in photos) the whole Tubegun weighs right at eight (8) pounds. That was with action in place and a 24″ sporter-weight barrel, but without optics. Some heavy-barrel ARs weigh more than that.” NOTE: The Chassis in the photos is right off Gary’s machines, so it is bare metal. As delivered, CSS Chassis Kits come with an Anodized, Cerakote, or Powder-coat finish, according to buyer preference.
Eliseo’s Light Weight Hunter (photo below) will now be delivered with the AR adapter, rather than a CSS-made buttstock. This gives the chassis purchaser the ability to choose from a variety of third-party buttstock designs, including collapsible stocks. The good news is the price of the CSS Light Hunter Chassis with Cerakote finish will be reduced $90.00 to $685.00. That’s a great deal when you consider most guys can use a buttstock they already acquired for their AR(s). If you have any questions about Gary’s new buttstock adapter, you can post in this Forum Thread, and Gary can give you an answer. Alternatively, email your questions to: order.info [at] competitionshootingstuff.com.
Shown above is Gary Eliseo’s Light Weight Hunter with original CSS-made tubular buttstock. From now on, Light Weight Hunter Chassis Kits will be supplied with an AR buttstock adapter (and no buttstock), so the purchaser can select his preferred buttstock design from a variety of third-party options. This change allowed CSS to reduce the Light Weight Hunter Chassis price to $685.00 (including adapter).
Dansig’s Hot-Rod Howa – Forum member Dansig has been busy during the long, cold winter in his native Iceland. He transformed a homely-looking Howa m1500 Axiom into a beautiful candy-red thumbhole Varminter that shoots in the threes. This was truly a “labor of love” that required many dollars invested and dozens of hours of home-workshop labor. But the results speak for themselves. Dansig now owns what may be the best-looking Howa on the planet. And this rig isn’t just a beauty queen — it’s very accurate as well. With a new Krieger barrel chambered in 6mmBR Norma, the Howa shoots repeatable, five-shot groups in the threes, and Dansig has managed a few “wallet groups” in the low twos.
From this beast….
To this beauty … All it takes is imagination, hard work, and the right components….
Read Dansig’s account of the project from start to finish…
For this project I acquired a new Howa m1500 axiom. The transformation began with a $99.00 (USA retail) Boyds’ thumbhole stock.
When I got the stock, I found that even the standard barrel was too big for it, so I had to modify it quite a bit. To help ride the front bags, I added a wood block to make the fore-end wider, and to provide a flat section in the front. This required cutting the sides of the fore-end to mate with the wider block, which was glued in place. I also added an inch to the stock length.
Then I spent a few weeks sanding and filling…
Then it was time for the paintjob ($270). The multi-coat finish was applied by a professional, using car paint and clear coat so it’s very strong and scratch resistant. The color was a customized red with gold metal-flakes, and it looks awesome on a gun.
Bolt Sleeved, Trigger Tuned, and Krieger Barrel Fitted
While I was working on the stock I took the action to the local gunsmith. He fitted a new 1:13.5″-twist Krieger HV barrel and he put a sleeve in the action to make it tighter. He also tuned the trigger, taking it down from 56 ounces (ouch!) to just 14 ounces. Finally, my smith bedded the stock before I took it in for the paintwork.
Project Completed — Looks Great and Shoots Great
And this is the finished product of very hard labor. The project was a lot of work, mostly because it was all done by hand and not with machines. I may do a similar project again, but I would make the stock from oak or other strong wood. The wood I used is a bit soft for this kid of project.
Hot-Rod Howa Shoots as Good as She Looks
Dansig reports: “How does my Hot-Rod Howa shoot? Repeatable 5-shot accuracy with me as a shooter is in the threes, but with a more experienced shooter, the gun could probably shoot even better. I say this because I just started shooting Benchrest for the first time when this project gun was completed. Here’s an exceptional (much better than average) ‘wallet group’ that shows what the gun can do ‘when the stars align’. This group, shot with VV N135 and Nosler Ballistic Tips, made my buddies really roll their eyes! I wish I had more groups like this one!”
Editor’s Note: Groups shown were shot on Caldwell “Tip-Top” laminated weatherproof targets, which display a distinctive punch — similar to a wad-cutter hole — as opposed to the standard gray donut smudge on a normal paper target. The holes appear black because the targets were placed over a black background sheet before being photographed.
The Hickory Groundhog and Egg Shoot, the richest varmint shoot East of the Mississippi, is just three weeks away. The hugely popular Hickory Shoot will be held this year on Saturday, April 7, 2012. The basic entry fee is just $25.00 per gun. That’s cheap for a chance to win a bundle of cash, plus valuable prizes such as Shehane stocks and Nightforce optics.
Anatomy of a Hickory-Winning Rig — Brady’s Record-Setting 6BR
If you wonder what kind of rifle can win the big money at the Hickory Shoot, have a look at Terry Brady’s 42-lb 6BR. In 2010, Terry Brady won the Custom Class in the Hickory Shoot, setting an all-time record with a 99 score*. Terry was shooting a straight 6mmBR with 105gr Berger VLD bullets. His rifle looks “normal”, but it was actually purpose-built for Groundhog shoots, which have no weight limit in Custom Class. The fiberglass Shehane Tracker stock was stuffed with lead shot from stem to stern, so that the gun weighs nearly 42 pounds with optics. The Hickory winner, smithed by Mike Davis of Zionville, NC, featured a BAT DS action with a straight-contour, gain-twist Krieger barrel. The twist rate starts at 1:8.7″ and increases to 1:8.3″ at the muzzle. Terry was shooting a relatively moderate load of 30.5 grains Varget with Danzac-coated bullets. This load absolutely hammered, but Terry thinks the gun might shoot even better if the load was “hotted up a little.”
Minimal Recoil and Insane Accuracy at 500 yards
In the picture above you see the Hickory winner fitted with a 5″-wide front plate. This was crafted from aluminum by Gordy Gritters, and Terry said “it only adds a few ounces” to the gun. Mike Davis installed threaded anchors in the fore-end so the plate can be removed for events where forearm width is restricted to 3″. The plate is symmetrical, adding 1″ extra width on either side of the Shehane Tracker stock. Gordy can also craft a 5″ plate that offsets the rifle to one side or the other. Terry hasn’t experimented with an offset front bag-rider, but he thinks it might work well with a heavier-recoiling caliber. Terry actually shot most of the Hickory match without the front plate so he could use his regular 3″-wide front bag. Even with the plate removed, Terry’s Hickory-winning 6BR barely moves on the bags during recoil, according to Terry: “You just pull the trigger and with a little push you’re right back on target.” With this gun, Terry, his son Chris, Chris’s girlfriend Jessica, and Terry’s friend Ben Yarborough nailed an egg at 500 yards four times in a row. That’s impressive accuracy.
*The Hickory employs “worst-edge” scoring, meaning if you cut a scoring line you get the next lower score. One of Terry’s shots was right on the edge of the white and another was centered right between white and black at 3 o’clock. Accordingly he only received 27 points for each of the 300 and 500-yard stages. Under “best-edge” scoring, Terry would have scored even higher.
When visiting Phoenix last week we dropped in at 
After touring the warehouse, we had a chance to chat with Lester about precision gunsmithing and component selection. In addition to running the business, Lester Bruno somehow finds the time to build custom rifles — very accurate custom rifles, we should add. Forum member Terry Balding recently won the NBRSA 600-yard Nationals using a Lester Bruno-smithed 6mm Dasher. (Terry also finished third in the NBRSA 1000-yard Nationals with the same rifle.)
Lothar Walther has some new “pre-fit” barrel offerings that should interest Garand and AR shooters. Garand Match competitors and vintage military rifle shooters will be pleased that LW is now offering “finished” Garand barrels, pre-chambered in your choice of six (6) different chamberings: .270 Win, 7×64, .308 Win,.30-06, 8x57IS and 9.3×62. These are all four-groove barrels with 24″ length. Twist rates along with land/groove diameters are listed on the 
The basic version of Stocky’s Ideal Benchrest Stock sells for just $499.00 including Pachmayer recoil pad installed. For $100 more ($599.00 total), you can get the stock with a CNC-machined 6061-T6 aluminum “Accublock” bedding block installed in the stock. Stock’s new IBS stock features a 1.25″ barrel channel, 3″-wide fore-end and weighs 4.8 pounds total.
“The new LE6940P puts to use a new, improved version of a piston system that Colt originally pioneered for the U.S. Army,” said David Ridley, Vice President of Colt Defense LLC. Ridley added: “Colt was the first to put a piston system in an AR, and we have continued to improve on that system since. Now, any civilian shooter or law enforcement professional has the opportunity to shoot using this superior piston-operated AR.”
Gunsmith CareerFair.com.
Here’s good news for AR fans who want to add an ultra-accurate Tubegun to their rifle collection. Now you can use many popular AR-specific buttstocks with 
Dansig’s Hot-Rod Howa – Forum member Dansig has been busy during the long, cold winter in his native 
Hot-Rod Howa Shoots as Good as She Looks
