Gordys Precision Gunsmithing
"Highest Quality Craftsmanship"
PRECISION RIFLE WORK
1000 Yard Heavy Gun
1000 Yard Light Gun
Tactical / Hunting Rifle
Action Work
Action work on factory actions can vary considerably in price, depending on what all gets done. Hunting rifles, for example, will generally not need as much action truing / blueprinting work as a rifle being built for serious benchrest or competition use.
Prices will vary depending on how much work is needed. This work can be something basic like truing/lapping the bolt lugs, up to complete action truing: single-point recutting / truing receiver threads, receiver face, receiver lug seats, bolt lugs, bolt face, bolt nose, lapping bolt lugs, etc. Plus it may involve sleeving the bolt to reduce bolt clearance/slop, reboring receiver bolt raceway if needed, bushing the bolt face to reduce firing pin hole size, reworking the bolt/firing pin/spring to correct weak ignition, etc, etc.
Normally by the time you purchase a factory action and have to do all this work to it, you may be better off to go with a high quality custom action if the match rules allow - it may not cost that much more, and resale of guns with custom actions is better.
Dialing receiver in to be trued / blueprinted
Finished truing receiver
Machining bolt for metal sleeves
Barrel Work
All my barrel machining (threading, chambering, crowning) and die making is held to extremely accurate tolerances, with the bore (not the outside of the barrel/die) running perfectly true. The end of the bore being worked on is dial-indicated to run both straight and true typically within .0000" to .0001" (never more than .0002"), as compared to frequently seen off-center and crooked tolerances of .002''-.008'' or worse.
I have specially modified my lathes to allow this extremely accurate way of doing barrel work. I also take the time to closely evaluate, measure and "slug" all new custom barrel blanks to ensure they are as true inside as they are supposed to be (they aren’t always as good as they should be, in which case I return them to the manufacturer for correction or replacement before fitting them to your gun).
The cost of fitting/chambering/crowning/installing a custom barrel will vary depending on the details like the finish desired (standard polish , high polish, matte/bead-blast, Cerakote, etc), whether or not it is a 5R/5 groove barrel (these cost extra due to all the extra time it takes during chambering to keep reamer chatter under control), whether or not a muzzle device needs to be fitted/installed, and anything else that needs to be done along with the barrel work (action work, stock work, trigger, scope, etc).
Barrel threaded to fit action, checking bore is true before chambering
Reaming the chamber
Chambering finished
Stock Work
Benchrest quality "Pillar Bedding"
Done correctly, pillar bedding the action into the stock makes for a perfect stress-free fit of the action into the stock, which gives the very best accuracy possible! First, solid metal pillars are machined and fitted through the stock for a more rigid assembly. Then, the barrel is free floated and the action is carefully bedded into the stock with epoxy. Finally, after the epoxy has cured, the fit is checked with a dial-indicator to ensure the fit is perfect and all stresses are eliminated for the best accuracy possible!
Then, if needed, I often bed the action and stock again to give an even better, more accurate pillar bedding fit. After the first bed has cured (epoxy shrinks slightly while curing) for 2-3 days, it is completely bedded again with a thin second bedding skim coat right on top of the first bedding to eliminate this shrinkage. This makes the stock fit the receiver so perfectly that in effect, it supports and stiffens the receiver even more, allowing less barrel whip and vibration, which increases accuracy even more!
I also do "glue-in" bedding, which is commonly done on benchrest rifles. In this case, the stock is first bedded conventionally, then the stock and action are permantly glued together with a second coat of epoxy.
Pillar bedding a benchrest stock with epoxy
Pillar bedding finished on hunting stock