Friend Vibe, Calfee

[Kathy]

Friend Vibe:

You asked a question, on a thread I started, that I don't see now, about the sporter I'm working on........a very good question........

Anyway, I think I'd best not attempt to answer it here on Wilbur's fine forum...

I have a fax......will be glad to answer you......the fax number is all over this forum, in different locations....

Your friend, Bill Calfee

 

[Donna Brown]

Gee...Calfee gun owners...

Too bad Wilbur deleted that thread...As far as him embarrassing the Calfee gun owners by his "antics", I DON'T THINK SO!!! I know what my guns will do IF I can figure out the conditions and know where to point!!! Personally, I would respect any gunsmith that would thank him for some of the things he has shown them. I think that anyone who has learned from his writings should be saying "Thanks, Bill" instead of ridiculing him. How many out there have NOT learned one thing from him?

I have a 40-X in the safe smithed by Bill Calfee in 1995. It's a great gun (NOT FOR SALE). I named it "THE WIZARD". Some may remember it from the BR-50 days...my daughter painted the "Orlando Magic" wizard on it, hence the name. When the latest Eley bullets came out last year, I pulled it out of the safe one evening and shot it. I shot a 2250 on one target and a 2400 on the other. Never say never, but for the past few years, I've been shooting my Calfee XP pistol...sometimes I do it justice and sometimes not. If I can figure out the conditions, I can shoot some great scores. Any time I can go out to our range in calm conditions and shoot some awesome scores, that tells me my little pistol is cookin'. If I go out to a match and can't handle the conditions, that's my fault.

I'm proud to call Bill Calfee "Friend Bill" and want to say "Thanks, Bill, for the AWESOME guns that you have built for us!" Keep up the good work!

Your friend, Donna

 

[brad541thb]

Donna,

I agree. Say what you want about Bill Calfee, but without a doubt he has smithed more consistant, record breaking guns than any other smith out there. There are some good smiths out there, too, and they have had their share of success. But I can't honestly think of one smith that seems to have a better success ratio than Bill Calfee when it comes to producing winner after winner. I've never ever met Bill Calfee, but you nor I can argue his ability to make most every gun a winner. The folks that aren't winning with a Calfee rifle, more than likely aren't doing their guns justice and most who fit that bill will be the first to admit it as well.

True, some of the best shooters out there are in fact shooting Calfee rifles and winning a lot of matches. But remember, too, there is a reason why they shoot Calfee rifles as well. It's what I call in a word, precision. True precison is why these folks shoot Calfee rifles. His guns have a better resale value as well. But most don't sale their Calfee rifles.

 

[Vibe]

Friend Vibe:

You asked a question, on a thread I started, that I don't see now, about the sporter I'm working on........a very good question........

Anyway, I think I'd best not attempt to answer it here on Wilbur's fine forum...

I have a fax......will be glad to answer you......the fax number is all over this forum, in different locations....

Your friend, Bill Calfee

Thanks. Yes it seems as if that thread is gone. I guess it got way too "funny".

I get accused of being one of your "distractors" (They probably intended to say detractors, but anyway.) I think you know that this is not the case.
Just in case my post gets deleted from YOUR "private" thread, I'm going to repost my questions here. I do not have a fax, but my e-mail is accessible by simply clicking on my name in any of my posts.

Friend Vibe: On another thread I made the statement that I had ran the first test on a new sporter and found I had vertical....and was getting ready to remove some material at the muzzle until I killed the vertical...

You asked something like; Bill, did you slug the bore and crown at the tightest place in the barrel, and if so, how can you now cut the muzzle back? Vibe, I think that's about what you asked......

Close enough for discussion purposes. Thanks.

10 years ago I developed my Calfee Sporter Profile which incorporates a non adjustable muzzle device in the barrel....it took about a year of testing to determine how to make the profile so it could be repeated on the next barrel.....and to do all of this in a 7 1/2 pound rifle....IR-50 ruled it legal.....now everyone uses it...

Anyway, this profile has an enlarged muzzle end with the crown placed about 2 inches deep.....

When you first started discussing the "Stopped muzzle" "parallel Node" on this forum, it was mentioned and asked about a recessed crown. Your remarks at the time were that it would not work? Was this just a communications SNAFU? Because now it sounds as if that is exactly what you are doing.

When I turn the profile, I leave a little extra on the muzzle end....it's easy to remove material but difficult to put it back......

In the development of the manufacturing equipment I work with this is called "tuning stock", and has nothing to do with rifles. Ironic ain't it?

I range test.....if I have no vertical, I'm done....if I do have vertical, is my muzzle device too heavy or too light? How do I determine this?

I have a 1 ounce clamp ring......that will clamp around the muzzle device.

1 full ounce sounds a bit extreme - but if it works.

On my first test with this sporter, I had vertical...I installed the 1 ounce clamp ring.....then re-tested......THANK GOD THE VERTICAL GOT WORSE.....if the barrel shot better with the extra weight, I'm in trouble.....the only option I would have would be to move the actual crown back, exposing more weight past the end of the crown, but, then I wouldn't be at the tightest place in the bore........in other words, the barrel would be worthless, most likely...

Back to the one full ounce being extreme - If the barrel "really" needed only an additional 0.015" of barrel in front of the muzzle - wouldn't an extra ounce of weight cause more vertical because you had OVER corrected?

So I needed to remove some material, which I did, in two .010" cuts, testing after the first cut......then the second...

I now have no vertical.....and I got extremely lucky as this barrel will now wait for me......my last two groups, with my friend Randy Hopewell watching conditions for me, he can read them, I can't too good, went .039" and .105" and I waited at least one minute between shots....

Your friend, Bill Calfee

So if you have a formula to machine all of this into a barrel contour, why the need for an add on muzzle device (tuner) - unless it is to provide the fine tuning adjustability needed to dial in the final tune without the last machining steps.