Smith vs Stock fitter

[center22]

Gunsmith vs Stock fitter

Who should get more credit for building a super accurate RFBR rifle?

First, I do not consider myself a professional by a long shot, but I have fitted at least a half dozen rimfire barrels to actions with head spacing, chambering, crowning and some blueprinting of the actions.

I also have installed at least the same number of barreled actions into rimfire benchrest stocks, both wood and composites. IMHO I find performing the stock work (with milling, alignment, pillar bedding & finishing) to be much more challenging and time consuming tasks. Yet these stock professionals get very little credit when a competitor wins a major match.

This post is not meant to discredit the many fine gunsmiths that we have available in RFBR. However, what are your thoughts on this subject? John

 

[mwezell]

Both have to be done right. The gun will only be as good as it's weakest link. Though not very popular within the rimfire crowd, I like to glue the action in. It's much less permanent than it sounds and gives a perfect bedding job every time, eliminating action screw torque variables, and I feel it does a betterr job of transferring harmonics, FWIW, by unitizing the barreled action and stock. JMHO though.

 

[Kent Owens]

Actually, I prefer to do both. The only way I can guarantee it is if I do my own bedding. Bedding is VERY important. I don't mind if someone else does the finish.

 

[MIKECAMERON]

Gunsmith vs Stock fitter

Who should get more credit for building a super accurate RFBR rifle?

First, I do not consider myself a professional by a long shot, but I have fitted at least a half dozen rimfire barrels to actions with head spacing, chambering, crowning and some blueprinting of the actions.

I also have installed at least the same number of barreled actions into rimfire benchrest stocks, both wood and composites. IMHO I find performing the stock work (with milling, alignment, pillar bedding & finishing) to be much more challenging and time consuming tasks. Yet these stock professionals get very little credit when a competitor wins a major match.

This post is not meant to discredit the many fine gunsmiths that we have available in RFBR. However, what are your thoughts on this subject? John

John usually the GunSmith that fit the barrel is the one on record as the smith mainly because it is the metal work, there is also a category for stock but it should be stocksmith instead IMHO, there are many stocks like Mcmillan stocks that McMillan doesn't fit so the person who does the bedding and such should have a category so folks can see who did that as well because it is a major part of the accuracy and equipment, my 2Cents.
MC

 

[doghunter]

Both have to be done right. The gun will only be as good as it's weakest link.

Lol, that's my problem too! After a range session today I had to admit that sometimes the operator is the weakest link. I was the nut behind the butt who squeezed the trigger with flies crawling in my eyes. Can't blame the stockmaker, the action maker or the ammo.

I am the weakest link!

* Danny in Australia *