Gunsmithing Building a fixture for test firing

Field

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
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Jan 1, 2006
418
38
Albemarle , NC
I am building a fixture for test firing the rifles I build and thought I'd share. I still have a lot of work to do though.

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Do you plan to fix it to a bench or have it sliding to absorb the shock?

Ive been wanting to do something like this to compare different stages of action work, ie same barrel trued vs untrued etc. But Ive always been under the thinking that if you fix something like that rigidly to a bench you will destroy some part of the barreled action, namely the recoil lug or action screw holes. I thought of some precision linear bearings riding on rails with hydraulic shocks, but thats as far as Ive gotten with it is thinking...
 
I was thinking about the linear slide but have read that they didn't track good enough. I have never played around with one so I don't know. Have been looking at the benchrest railguns and they use ground v-ways that slide on delrin buttons
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I've got a stock that uses a barrel block type device, around the shop for this - I'll take a picture tonight ( I'm at my REAL job today ) and post it. It is heavy, slides in a bag type setup, and other than being UGLY, works pretty good. I want to say it is/was made by Goodson, but I'll get the info tonight.

300 sniper - your right, leaves out part of the equation, sometimes a good thing. It's one way to track down an issue - is it the barrel, the bedding or the trigger monkey?

Having recently taken up BR shooting though, proper trigger pull and follow thru is STILL important with a 4 oz trigger, you wouldn't think so, but have found it to be so.