The Design

In my survey, I asked 3 yes/no questions about various rifle designs to see what type of interest was there for my 3 designs. The middle of the road rifle design at $1550 generated the most interest. But there were some other surprising results in the other questions I asked that will cause me to alter a few things on the orginal design.

Action: Without a doubt, the action will be a Remington 700 BDL action. While there never was a question wether it would be remington, there was a question wether I would make it a ADL vs. a BDL action. The ADL's are a lot cheaper, but there is no hinged floor plate, and I feel there is enough benefits to the hinged floorplate to warrent spending the extra money. The action will be squared, and the bolt will be lapped. The trigger will be standard remington, adjusted to 3 lbs (A waver will need to be signed by purchasers).

Caliber: I think I am going to start with the standard .308. The reason is so I can benchmark the rifles performance based off of the standard in tactical shooting ammo. The Federal Gold Medal Match .308 (I'll use the 175gr). This will be the benchmark rifle, and if I get the performance I need (.5 MOA) with this factory ammo, then I'll be good. The survey showed a surprising interest in the .30-06 (and in the 7mm Rem Mag, but I knew there was interest in 7mm). Of my "alternate" calibers in the survey, the .30-06 lead in the amount of interest. If the rifles make it to production, I plan to build rifles in the two standard calibers (.308 and .300 Win Mag) and the 4 alternate calibers I listed (.243, 6.5x55 Swedish, .30-06, and 7mm Rem Mag). I personally like the 6.5x55 Swedish enough to produce it, even though there is very little interest. There is Federal Gold Medal Match rounds loaded in .300, 6.5x55, and .30-06, so if I get a weird itch, I might make the prototype in one of those calibers.... we'll have to see. UPDATE The prototype will be .300 Winchester Magnum.

Barrel: The barrel will be a light target contour (#6) 26" long. I orginally had plans for a 24" barrel, as this is my preferred length, but the survey results show a stronger interest in 26" length. The #6 target contour is .750" at the muzzle, which is about where I want to be. I also thought of a #7, but I don't see enough benefits to warrent the extra 1 lb of weight. I'll probably offer a #8 as an option. The barrels will be Chrome Moly, and made by a local company which does OUTSTANDING work. There didn't seem to be enough interest in Stainless Steel barrels to warrent the extra cost. I would like to use HS Precision barrels, but there would be no way to hit the target price range using an HS, they are great barrels, but spendy also.

Stock: A McMillan Winchester Marksman stock was my choice for this rifle. There was a reason why this contour of stock was so popular with the pre-64 winchesters. Its a great stock, and very comfortable, as it was designed specifically for high power competition shooting. The stock will be available in any of the standard camoflage patterns from McMillan, and will have texturing on the pistol grip and forend. It'll have a recoil pad, two swivel studs, and the mounting post for the versa-pod bi-pod (which will be included with the rifle if they make it to production). The prototype will have the desert camo. The action will be glass bedded in the stock. Pictures below:

This is the McMillan Winchester Marksman Stock


This is the camoflage finish of the prototype rifle


Here is the McMillan Versa-pod that will be standard equipment with this rifle

In the process of selling some extra HDD's, to raise enough money to purchase the remington 700 BDL action (used rifle).

Received a first draft for the waiver for the light (3 lbs) trigger from a lawyer friend (Thanks Leon!). not sure if this is totally necessary, but its best to cover myself if I do end up selling these rifles

(06/22/01) The HDD's have been sold, I raised enough money to purchase the rem 700 BDL. I have decided to get a long action and will build the prototype in either .30-06 or .300 WM.

(06/22/01) The check from paypal to me got lost in the mail, so I had to do a stop payment, and now I need to open a checking account to use to transfer my funds that way. Probably be another week before I get the remington rifle.

(06/22/01) I'm trying to decide wether to make the adjustable spacer system a standard feature on the rifle. If I do, it will bump the price up to $1640. I would prefer to not have it "optional" so that I can build ready to sell rifles in a rapid fashion. Email me if you have an opinion one way or the other.

(07/09/01) Well, I finally got the money, and purhcased the rifle that will be used for the action. Its a remington 700 BDL in 7mm Rem Mag. Now, I will not build it in 7mm, but I needed the long action, and I got a pretty good deal on the rifle. (You have to love the pawn shops during the off season for hunting). Its kind of a shame to take a perfectly good hunting rifle and tear it apart and throw away everything but the action. If anyone is interested, I'll sell the stock (it has a few scratch and dings, but nothing major) for $20. Of course, those proceeds will go to the project.

(07/09/01) My barreled action is a long action, but I have not yet decided if I want to do .30-06, 6.5x55SW, or .300 Win Mag. I'm leaning toward the .300 WM.

(07/09/01) I've decided that the rifles will not be standard with the adjustable spacer system. If I can find a way to get the cost down, then'll I'll consider it, but I am aiming for a specific price, and I do NOT want to exceed it.

(07/09/01) I'm only about $100 from placing the stock order with McMillan. That is the next big step and I suspect I should be able to place the order within a month. That will be exciting! After the stock then the metal work is the next step, followed by glass bedding, at the same time the bolt gets the large bolt handle put on and its done! One step at a time.

(08/24/01) Alright! The next step is complete. I placed the order for the stock yesterday from McMillan, it will be 12 weeks before I'll have it. It is a Winchester Marksman in desert camouflage with texturing, Decelerator Pad, AND the bi-pod spigot AND the actual versa-pod bi-pod. Those are included in the price of the rifle when they go into production. The stock cost about $40 more then I expected (labor to put the spigot in was more then I thought) but I hope to make it up in other areas so I can keep the price of the rifles at my target of $1550.

(08/24/01) The prototype rifle WILL be chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum. I'm learning a lot in this process, and I learned that the bolt face for a 7mm is too large to work with .30-06, .243, 6.5x55, .308, etc. But it is just right for the .300 WM. That is just fine, I've had lots of interest in a .300. But I found out some BAD news. One of my personal favorite rounds is the 6.5x55 Swedish, its a great round, but I also found out that the bolt face diameter for the 6.5 is slightly larger then the .308, etc. This is a major problem for non control feed bolts (like the remington). I really want to offer this caliber, but I'm not sure I'll be able to. A control round bolt (classic winchester, ruger mkII, etc) can simply just open the bolt face. I might build my 6.5 rifle as a special model, or just not offer it (the interest didn't seem to be that great).

(10/17/01) Still waiting on the stock from McMillan. But I have made arrangements for the large bolt handle to be put on my bolt. I'll be sending it out in about a week. I've also received interest in a .338 Lapua version of the rifle. This may present a problem with remington actions, I'm researching it now. I may be building another model rifle on a ruger or mauser action for the 6.5x55 Swedish, and potentially the .338 Lapua if there is a problem with the rem700 action. Email me if you are interested in a .338 Lapua. The price will be slightly higher, probably about $1750, to cover the recoil reducing compensator that will be MANDATORY! (trust me).

(12/19/01) The stock finally arrived! The stock looks and feels great. I really like the winchester marksman stock, it has a nice wide foreend, and the rear comb is nice and high which should allow for good alignment for eye/scope. The fit of the stock is amazing, McMillan does great work, but the molded in camo doesn't have crisp lines, but hey, its camo! I also really like the Versa-pod from McMillan. Its a great bi-pod, and very very similar to the Parker-Hale bi-pod. (License agreement maybe?) Now for the one bad part. The forearm portion of the stock is not very high vertically, so there was not much room to put the bi-pod sigot on. So, the problem is that when you put the bipod onto the spigot, it protrudes up above the barrel channel by about 1/16". Right now I am not sure if there will be any touching of the barrel. I will not know that until I take the action up to be worked on and get rebarreled. I always wanted to offer the rifles with a spigot and bi-pod at $1550, if the spigot/bipod does not work, I'm not sure if I'll offer the rifle without the bi-pod and spigot for about $1500 or come up with another solution. I like the Marksman stock enough to not be willing to change stocks, I'd rather offer no bipod. Email me if you have an opinion. I should have some pics of the stock up after the holidays

(01/11/02) Here are some pictures of the stock. Notice the closeup picture of the bi-pod, you can see where the Versa-pod protrudes up above the barrel channel. More news to come when I take the rifle to the guys doing the metal work.

(01/11/02) The bolt is currently at Tactical Operations getting a large bolt handle put on. Tac Ops is not the cheapest out there putting large bolt knobs on, but they are one of the best. The way they mount the knob to the bolt is very strong, and their bolt knobs are also very high quality. The bolt should be done in about a month

(03/05/02) I received the bolt back from Tactical Operations last week. They do amazing work. The bolt and large bolt knob look like they were manufactured the way it is. I'll get a picture up soon. We have about 1 month left building our new home, once that is done, then its the final push to get the prototype finished. Just need to have the rebarrel and action work done, and then bed the rifle. I'm going to fire the weapon without the glass bedding to see what accuracy can be achieved, then I'll pillar and glass bed the rifle and see what kind of improvement I see in accuracy. The price of the rifles includes glass and pillar bedding, but I just want to see if it really makes a big difference. I'll keep you posted....

(03/12/02) Currently, I am leaning heavily to not offering the bi-pod as a standard part of the rifle package. The price of the rifle would be $1500. I personally like the bi-pod, but I will recommend the universal mount for the versa-pod which mounts to the swivel stud of the rifle. They make a wide version for the wide forend of the Marksman Stock. I will be ordering one to see how it fits and how I like it. If a purchaser desires this setup, I will sell the system at $1550 with the universal mount and bi-pod. Like usual, comments are welcome.

(07/02/02) Sorry for the delay in providing additional information. The project is still alive, just had a set back financially while we built our house. That is done and we are moved in and happy. (Also, we are expecting our 4th child... so additional chores have been assigned around the house!) The only thing left on the prototype is the metal work and bedding. A new #6 Target contour chrome moly barrel will be chambered in .300 Winchester Mag and mounted to the action which will have the front squared and the lugs from the bolt lapped and trued. The action will be glass bedded to the McMillan stock. I hope to have this work completed before the fall. The other issue is the liability I expose myself to when I sell these rifles. I'm working with some lawyers (yah, I know) to minimize the risk to my family. But everything is just about finished.... stay tuned.

(04/22/03) Well, just when everyone out there may have thought the project was dead... I sent the barreled action out to have the last bit of metal work, rebarrel, and refinish completed. I sent it out via UPS Ground today, and it shold be completed in about 5 weeks. At that point final assembly and bedding will be done by myself, and the rifle will be complete! I wanted to have it done in april, but the logbooks didn't go as fast as I wanted so I'm a few weeks behind schedule on the rifle project. The stats on the rebarrel are: .300 Winchester Magnum, 26" length chrome moly barrel. 1:10" twist, 11 degree recessed crown, #6 Light Target contour, all finished in matte bluing. The action is also being squared and the lugs lapped. I'm as excited as a kid being so close to the finish line. I cannot wait to get it all back and do the final assembly. There will be pictures at that time.

(06/18/03)The metal work is finished and the rifle is assembled!! Here is a picture of the completed rifle on my couch

You can see the overall look of the rifle. I feel it really came together nicely. It has a #6 light target contour barrel, 26" long, chambered in .300 Win Mag with a 1:10" twist barrel.

The action was squared and the lugs on the bolt were lapped. The large bolt handle was fitted by Tactical Operations.


Okay, now the bad news. The bi-pod doesn't even come close to fitting on the rifle. So all the rifles from here on out will NOT have the bi-pod spigot. Besides that, I really like the end result of the rifle. Now its time to test it. I plan to purchase a Bushnell 10x tactical, as I've been wanting to evaluate that scope for some time now. This will be a good test (durability is somewhat tested with a .300 WM). I am so excited to test this rifle, I can hardly stand it. I have a Howa here for evaluation, so it'll get evaled first. But I plan to have this project rifle out to the range in just a week or so.
Also, I need to know what type of interest there might be in the rifle. My wife is somewhat reluctant to let me manufacture these rifles (provided they meet the .5 MOA requirement) due to the possible liability it exposes our family to. I'd like to hear suggestions and comments if you have them... reply by email

(07/23/03) Well, I took the rifle to the range about 2 weeks ago and zeroed it and did the preliminary accuracy tests. No, it did not get .5 MOA. But it was consistently around .80 MOA with a low of .75. Now, I'm not to worried about this as the rifle was very consistent with nicely formed groups, AND the kicker is that it was not yet glass bedded. I wanted to test the rifle before and after glass bedding to see how much of a difference it makes. The glass bedding on the rifle will be complete tomorrow (the 24th) and I have a day setup at the range next week. Even though it wasn't .5 off the get go, I'm still excited. The one thing I was really impressed with is that the 26" barrel combined with the over all heft of the rifle, and a thick recoil pad combines to make one of the most pleasant shooting .300 Win Mag rifles I've ever shot. Heres a picture of one of the groups from this test.

This one mesured right at .75" at 100 yards.

(08/18/03) Here is the update you have all been waiting for! Well, sorry for the delay, but I wanted to get two range sessions in to verify the results. I took the rifle out about 3 weeks ago for the test firing with the glass bedding. At first, things didn't look any better with groups around .75 MOA, but then the rifle really started settling down and it broke the .5 MOA barrier. It was shooting really consistent and then the last group of the day took the cake, it measured only .24 MOA !! I have photos of it, just have to get them developed and then scanned! The rifle really shoots well. So, to follow up with those results, I went to the range about a week ago (Aug 11th) and the first group I fired was .49 MOA (with cold barrel). I have a good .5 MOA .300 WM rifle with factory loads (federal gold medal match 190gr). So, am I going to produce the rifle? Yes, I will. I am in the process of setting up the corporation to do it right now. After which I will need to get the FFL. This entire process should be complete in late fall. Once the corporation is set up (to protect my family assets) I will begin building the rifles while I get the FFL. If interested... let me know.

Measured .24" at 100 yards.

(11/05/03) Sniper Central LLC is now official! I just received my official paperwork confirming the formation of Sniper Central LLC in the state of Montana. This was a big necessary step to get these rifles produced. I needed to establish this company for tax and liability reasons. The LAST step remaining before I can begin taking orders is to get a FFL. The FFL needs to be in Sniper Central LLC's name so I had to wait for the official formation of the company. All the paperwork (application, finger print cards, etc) are on their way to me from the BATF. I'm still planning on a January time frame for taking orders. The price of McMillan stocks have gone up a bit, but I'm still planning on holding the price at $1500 (no optics or accessories). All the standard molded in colors and camo schemes for McMillan stocks will be available at no extra charge. Optional barrel lengths include 20", 22", 24" and 26". Thats all for now...

(12/08/03) I just received the paper work from the IRS with my new FEIN (Federal Employer Identification Number) which I needed for the FFL for Sniper Central LLC. The paperwork and fees for the FFL will be sent out this week. This is the very last step. Once I have the FFL I will be ready to begin taking deposits for the tactical rifle. I'll have to come up with a model name for the rifles... perhaps something simple, like SC1. Anyway, provided the BATF is prompt, I'll hopefully be able to hit my January goal.

(02/16/04) Well, this isn't much of an update but I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still waiting on the FFL. I know I know, the suspense is killing me too. I hope to have some good news soon. For those of you that are serious about the rifle, I am in the talking phase. I will discuss what features and options you may want and start a file on you and your rifle. I will not take any money (official orders) until the FFL is in place. In case I have not mentioned it before, there will be a 50% deposit required to begin work on your rifle. The balance is required upon completion of your rifle. Also, I do not know if I mentioned it before, but I want to talk about the glass bedding. With the prototype rifle, I bedded the the action and the first 6 inches of the barrel. So the barrel is not fully free floated all the way to the action. The free floating begins about six inches from the action. This was done by recommendation from a few old time gun smiths. They suggest that hanging the full weight of the barrel from the action causes unwanted stress on the action having to support the weight, this is especially true with big heavy barrels. Now, I know there is a perception out there that free floating is required, but this is not the case as long as the pressure is uniform (as glass bedding does) and not pressure "points". Anyway, if there are any questions about that, let me know. As for me, the performance of the rifle is what I am most concerned with, and it shoots great. I recently took it to the high desert in California and ran it through some long range work. (Out to almost 800 meters) in high wind conditions. The rifle shot great and held its accuracy very well considering the conditions. The Fed .300 Win Mag Match ammo is very good.

(03/12/04) I wish I had better news, but hey some news is better then nothing. I finally have heard back from the BATF concerning my FFL. I talked to the Montana representative for the Treasury Department and received my mandatory breifing explaining some of the laws and regulations regarding the FFL. She was very helpful and friendly and everything went fine. She indicated (the bad part) that the FFL should be to me within 6 weeks!! 6 WEEKS!!! Good gravy. Well, at least everything checked out and there shouldn't be any problems. That puts the time frame at the end of April. But since everything is on its way, I am beginning to move forward with the project. If you are interested in purchasing, let me know, we'll get the ball rolling.

(04/10/04) What a wonderful birthday present! Today is my birthday (I'll refrain from give the number of years) and lo and behold, what shows up in the mail box?? The official FFL for SniperCentral LLC !! Woo Hoo! It finally arrived! Everything is a go now. Feel free to contact us about any questions! Its been a long trail as many of you know, but today is the end of the beginning and the start of the next phase!!

(01/18/06) Well, another update to the rifle business. We have had 2 good years of rifle production, and business is going good. So well I have brought in my brother in law to help with rifle construction, and he is a great craftsman and has done a wonderful job. But, we have reached a crossroads and a decision had to be made. Either jump in with both feet and make about a $30,000 investment and do this full time, or scale back. We have elected to scale back and bring the rifle business back to what I envisioned it to be, a passion that I enjoy doing, and might make a little bit of money on the side to help the snipercentral.com business. So, as some have noticed, I have pulled the rifle sections down from the sight and will be modifying them over the next week or so to outline the new rifle building business model. It will be much more limited production and uniqueness. Each rifle will be different, better built, much more accurate (aiming for .25 MOA). These will be more "special edition" type rifles. They will be slower to build, and labors of love, not just labors. Because of the uniqueness and accuracy, etc, the price will go way up. Sorry... but it needs to be worth it and enjoyable. The other thing though, is that I will be writing a section for the members area on how to build a custom tactical rifle for under $800. It should be a fun read. Anyway.... stay tuned.