My 30-06 project

[WildRose]

I think there's an interesting shift that has gone on as well. It used to really matter if you got a gun built on a "good day" and the guns required a real amount of craftsmanship. Now we have rifles like the Ruger American Predator, or a lot of the AR-15s out there, that are somewhat just snapped together and actually perform pretty well, and shoot consistently. The quality craftsmanship being replaced by parts made to exacting standards and so long as they are not assembled very poorly, the gun will perform. Sure there are still lemons, but the overall quality seems to be better.

I'm not knocking actual craftsmanship, but there is something to be said for easy consistency.

Now, when you take that high precision manufacturing, and combine it with high quality craftsmanship you end up with truly amazing products. Look at the fancy 1911s and 2011s being produced by Chambers Custom and other high end builders. Amazing accuracy and amazing reliability. Things that used to be considered mutually exclusive in the 1911 world.

The problem I see today is that we've sacrificed craftsmanship and quality control for high speed, lower cost computerized machining and assembly.

All the computerized top of the line machines one can think of don't make up for having a true craftsman at the major points of assembly that can "feel" the proper fit and finish and again at the QC level before it goes into the box and out the door.

 

[Mitch Rapp]

The problem I see today is that we've sacrificed craftsmanship and quality control for high speed, lower cost computerized machining and assembly.

All the computerized top of the line machines one can think of don't make up for having a true craftsman at the major points of assembly that can "feel" the proper fit and finish and again at the QC level before it goes into the box and out the door.

I completely agree.

 

[xsn10s]

I think there's an interesting shift that has gone on as well. It used to really matter if you got a gun built on a "good day" and the guns required a real amount of craftsmanship. Now we have rifles like the Ruger American Predator, or a lot of the AR-15s out there, that are somewhat just snapped together and actually perform pretty well, and shoot consistently. The quality craftsmanship being replaced by parts made to exacting standards and so long as they are not assembled very poorly, the gun will perform. Sure there are still lemons, but the overall quality seems to be better.

I'm not knocking actual craftsmanship, but there is something to be said for easy consistency.

Now, when you take that high precision manufacturing, and combine it with high quality craftsmanship you end up with truly amazing products. Look at the fancy 1911s and 2011s being produced by Chambers Custom and other high end builders. Amazing accuracy and amazing reliability. Things that used to be considered mutually exclusive in the 1911 world.

My buddy has a 300 Win Mag Remington LR. It shoots really well. He got it cheap because there was a burr in the bolt raceway. He cleaned it up and adjusted the trigger, I think a X Mark Pro, down to around 5 lbs. Not great, heavier than we like, but it broke clean and so he shot it. It shoots sub moa with some minor load work up. It'll be his LR hunter on the cheap.

 

[Mitch Rapp]

My buddy has a 300 Win Mag Remington LR. It shoots really well. He got it cheap because there was a burr in the bolt raceway. He cleaned it up and adjusted the trigger, I think a X Mark Pro, down to around 5 lbs. Not great, heavier than we like, but it broke clean and so he shot it. It shoots sub moa with some minor load work up. It'll be his LR hunter on the cheap.

Good to hear!

 

[wrightjr]

This only goes to prove my contention that one doesn't have to spend thousands of dollars for either a custom or factory rifle to get a good shooting rifle. Sometimes the cheapies will surprise you. While this does not relate to long range shooting I have always shot Remington 870's and 1100 shotguns. They always served me well and were more than affordable. But I decided as I got older that I wanted a really pretty shotgun. Bought a Browning A5 Ultimate, and yes it is pretty and I love it. Inertia recoil is nice but not that much less recoil than my 1100's. I reiterate that it is pretty, but when it comes to shooting it isn't any better or worse than my 1100's . Still have an 11-87 3 inch that I use LOL for hunting when I don't want to take the chance of banging up the A5.

I did adjust the trigger down to around 3 lbs and free float the barrel too, but these were all cash free mods. The rifle actually shot well before these mods. As I learned the fundamentals of "accurizing'' rifles I did these things because I like to tinker and learn how things work. I definately like doing things that go against the normal trends and doing things differently - aka the hard way, hence my love for the 06'.