I think most guys skip the truing of the action when they run a barrel nut setup on a 700. They still shoot. I am almost starting to believe that truing actions is just gunsmith bread and butter.
Yes and no.
The analogy that I've used for years to explain this comes from cars. Lets say you and I want to go Pro Stock drag racing. The price of admission is 1250hp at the flywheel. Less than that its not even worth airing up the brakes on the semi to go. So, we both have that. We run side by side and it comes down to who cuts the better light.
You cough up another $250k in R&D and find 25 more horsepower. All other things being equal, I'll never catch you. You'll get me on the big end every time.
Two important points here:
1. It took 1250 hp to even get an invite. In a bolt action rifle that 1250hp is a premium grade barrel fitted by someone who understands accurate gunmaking.
2. The 25hp does not mean a thing in most circles. On the street it won't account for anything. With a gun, the difference that accurizing makes is small. It's not a big tube of Maybelline lipstick that'll get the pig a date. However, when all the other planets are aligned and your shit is piled nice and tidy, it does make the rifle more accurate. Whether or not you, I, or anyone else possesses the skill sets to take advantage of it is another matter.
After doing several thousand of these across the full gamut of Remington's production history (that is no shit) I've learned that.
Last:
"Blueprinting" is a generic term anymore. Just like "custom" is. There are companies right now selling "custom" (shitty) tool packages designed to make you feel good cause you have an arbored tap running inside the action. It does nothing other than make a threaded hole more threaded. The things the vetted shops pay attention to are sidelined. It's a complete scam imo and its been my crusade for a number of years to make the shit go away. -A losing battle I might add.
If any production job shop attempted to hold any meaningful true position on a part with a drill and a tap, they'd likely be fired from the job. Any machine shop worth a shit would either single point the threads in a lathe or thread mill them in a milling center. Those 2 processes exist for exactly the reasons I've just described. Taps are fast and good for making threads that just hold shit together. When position, pitch dia, and pitch accuracy matters, one must step up the game.
Blueprinting is also a whole lot more than just the work to make the gun accurate. The action is the interface between the shooter and the rifle. Ensuring that it will run to standard/expectation is every bit as important as the accuracy potential. Things like primary extraction, ejection, feeding, bolt manipulation, magazine lengths, etc... all fall into this category.
Producing a well aimed shot that arrives on call results from having equipment that is well made and thoughtfully assembled so that you can focus on marksmanship fundamentals.
Hope this helps.
C.
Final comment:
Your remarks about bread and butter. A gunsmith with a well fitted shop typically consumes between 1.5-2 hours to blueprint an action. Receiver and bolt. Going rate is around $225.00 So, he's making shop rate at
best. Anyone in business will tell you that is not a business. That's a job.
Now me: I just spent north of $250,000.00 and bought a brand new 5 axis mill. I can do a receiver in less than 15 minutes and I don't have to sit there and baby sit it while I do it. I can do it better and faster than anyone I compete with. I also charge the same $225.00. The difference here is it takes just over 1,100 jobs for me to break even. The price of admission is high and the ROI is long term. It took a great deal of very detailed (forensic) programming and macro statements to make it all work. Stuff that the machine tool manufacturer couldn't commit to doing. I had to figure it out myself. Risk and reward...
If were all bread and butter guys why would I/we stick our necks out (for a quarter million dollars in my case) to bullshit people and take their money illegitimately? I realize that some shops suffer from some nefarious practices, but there's an ever growing number of us that would rather take a bullet than steal.
Not cool...
