This would be a good time for an ARC update.
A delay is ok for me but I would like to at least think I know what's going on...
Flyer is correct. This is a good time for an update.
Regarding the Xylo chassis, some design tweaks have been made since Shot Show. These include the following:
1. The grip has been moved aft by about 0.3 inches.
2. The resolution of the cheek piece elevator adjustment has been tripled enabling more precise eyeball placement behind the scope.
3. A lock has been added to the cheek piece elevator in order to eliminate movement to due clearance between parts.
4. An aluminum bad rider will be included because I prefer to use the chassis with it and you probably will too.
5. Ambidexterity will likely be abandoned in favor of a more optimal grip.
5. Still planning on August deliveries
Regarding the both the Mausingfield and Archimedes, deliveries have been delayed but we now expect to start shipping actions this month. When we announced that the Mausingfield would no longer have an integral recoil lug, we immediately received enough negative feedback to make me rethink the matter. So we decided that both the Mausingfield and the Archimedes will have integral recoil lugs but doing so caused a delay. The delay is due to a forging operation that was required to reshape a 1.385" round bar so that a lug can be machined from it. The forged bars are now in heat treatment and will be in the machines on Monday, May 6. The Archimedes receivers will immediately follow the Mausingfield receivers so Archimedes action will begin shipping in June.
The following design changes have been made to the Mausingfield since Shot Show 2019:
1. Integral recoil lug has been added
2. Integral dovetail scope mount has been added enabling direct connection with American Rifle's titanium scope rings, priced at $800 - $1000 per pair. These rings are a favorite among some customers who like high-end Mauser-based hunting rifles.
3. A newly designed Picatinny rail will be included with each action enabling the use of any Picatinny-style scope mounting system. The rail engages the receiver's integrally machined dovetail.
4. The tang of the receiver has been modified to improve stability of a fully retracted bolt. This makes the action a bit easier to run.
5. The bolt stop design has been tweaked to better cooperate with the newly added integral dovetail.
And finally, the Archimedes design. Since this action represents a radical departure from the conventional, I won't go into the details, saving that discussion for a video that we will release before shipping. Instead, I want to address just a couple of key points.
First, your Archimedes will have an integrally machined recoil lug, as mentioned above. The second point pertains to the nature of the bolt cycle and I want customers to know what to expect and why the bolt cycle is as it is.
The bolt rotation of the Archimedes is intentionally limited to 75 degrees in order to provide adequate clearance for your thumb between the bolt knob and the scope . This is important for ergonomics and thus a priority. Theoretically, the Archimedes does not need closing cams machined into the front of the receiver and it certainly does not need an extraction cam machined into the back of the receiver because the pivoting bolt handle solves the extraction problem better than anything else does. However, in my opinion, a closing cam machined into the front of the receiver should be incorporated, and will be, in order to help you force a slightly over-sized cartridge into the chamber. Admittedly, you shouldn't be using slightly over-sized cartridges, but we're all reloaders and we know how things go. The forward cams will accommodate about 0.040" - 0.050" of cartridge protrusion beyond that of a cartridge that is fully inserted into the chamber. That forward cam comes at the price of a little bit of bolt handle lift but it's worth it.
The next, and less important characteristic of the bolt cycle that you should know about pertains to the extractor as it moves forward and encounters a cartridge that was manually placed into the chamber. The extractor will meet the cartridge
before the bolt lugs are far enough forward to engage the receiver's closing cams meaning that the closing cams
will not help you snap the extractor over the case rim. Instead, you will rely upon just a little bit of bolt inertia to snap the extractor over the case rim. I could have made the closing cams larger in which case they would help, but doing so would come at the price of bolt handle lift and/or cock-on-close. The Archimedes is a 100% cock-on-open action and I want to keep it that way because customers are oddly sensitive to that. They are also desirous of easy bolt handle lift and I want to give them that as well.
Now, all of this is hardly worth mentioning because it is extremely easy to push the bolt forward with enough momentum to snap the extractor over the case rim. In fact, if you are unfamiliar with the details of bolt-action function, and I didn't tell you about this, you'd likely never know what the extractor was doing upon encountering the case rim. But, in the age of social media and YouTube, someone will invariably make a video in which one slowly pushes the bolt up against a cartridge manually placed into the chamber and demonstrates that a push accompanied by a feminine "eh" sound is required to snap the extractor over the cartridge. Either that, or they will demonstrate that the bolt will not close unless it's extractor has snapped over the case rim, and insinuate that something is wrong with the action. So, in anticipation of such non-sense, the characteristics of a properly functioning Archimedes bolt action have been described herein for the ages.
Lastly, regarding the Archimedes, it is a controlled-round-feed action, when feeding cartridges from a magazine, the extractor engages the case rims as they emerge from the magazine making the previous two paragraphs completely moot.
I hope this update helps those who have placed orders and those who are considering placing orders. It's been a busy year but we remain committed to serving you well and strive to improve everything we do so that when you vote with your precious dollars, you vote for American Rifle Company. And for that, we will always be grateful.
Ted
