Custom Firearms Shop For Warfighters

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It’s always nice to have the boss on your side, especially when he runs a world Superpower. In March 1956 marksmen received a positive push of presidential proportions when Dwight D. Eisenhower directed the establishment of the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) to raise shooting standards throughout the US Army. Since then Army shooters have managed hundreds of individual and team national titles, more than 40 World Championships and 23 Olympic medals.

These advanced skills enhance combat readiness via the unit’s training courses and technical advisory. AMU marksmen conduct small arms train-the-trainer clinics for US military forces worldwide. Composed of six shooting sections headquartered at Fort Benning, Georgia, the Service Rifle, Service Pistol, Action Shooting, International Rifle, International Pistol, and Shotgun teams are renowned as among the best in the world. In the hands of every great marksman is an equally great firearm.

No driver, regardless of skill, can take the checkered flag in a Yugo. Similarly, a marksman can’t out-shoot the mechanical limitations of his weapon. Recognizing the need for world-class equipment for world-class teams the Custom Firearms Shop was created at AMU headquarters where they make or customize trophy-quality small arms and much of the team’s ammunition.

Made up of gunsmiths, machinists, range technicians and ammunition loaders, the CFS is the SFC Haidu, the Shop NCOIC, stands by a display of some of his gunsmiths’ work. equivalent of a NASCAR pit crew.

To the benefit of the entire Department of Defense, CFS research and development efforts directly lead to enhanced accuracy and reliability of fielded combat systems, including the M21 and M24 Sniper Systems, Special Purpose Receiver Rifles and Squad Designated Marksman Rifles along with many, individual, specialpurpose arms developed and tested for warfighters. Importance of Match Shooting Before discussing the Custom Firearms Shop we should look at the reasons why match shooting is useful.

Too many shooters, military and civilian, don’t realize that formal competition has been the primary driving force behind nearly every shooting skill and many important firearm developments. Almost every skill and training program concerning good shooting and gun handling

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AMU shooters compete in most conventional, practical and International disciplines and need the equipment to do so. A rack of match-prepared AR-15 uppers are ready for use. can ultimately trace its origin back to some guy trying to earn points and win a contest. Many organized shooting contests originated from range exercises developed to train skills with military issue rifles and pistols.

Shooters improved and match-grade versions were developed with the courses modified to further challenge marksmen and test new ideas, allowing improvements for current-issue service weapons and other firearms. As event participants improve skills, accurized versions encourage further practice and development. While most shooters will never out-shoot rackgrade equipment, skilled competition marksmen can. Furthermore, top shooters trained at these higher levels typically make the best instructors.

A recent example of this occurred during the mass mobilizations in 2004. There was a heightened demand for Designated Marksmen, however, personnel in charge of training quickly realized they lacked the skill and know-how to provide it. High-level Service Rifle competitors, both military and civilian, were recruited at a number of mobilization platforms This S-V pistol is set up for Limited-class USPSA shooting. These targets were shot with M9 pistols in a Ransom Rest at 50 yards.

The target on left is by an issue M9 and target right was shot with an accurized service pistol (ball gun) for conventional competition. to handle the load. In addition to instructor development, competition pushes development of the equipment. National Match versions of all issue small arms have been made and the improvements developed to help win Service competitions have trick led down into combat gear. Notable

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examples for just the M16 developed by the CFS include improved A2 rear sights, free float hand guards/rails and magazine-length 77 grain projectiles (Mk 262). Like the rest of the AMU teams, the Shop is divided into area-specific sections. The Service Rifle gunsmiths build and maintain over 375 Squad Designated Marksman rifles. The development of this much-requested arm came about from High Power shooting and CFS ‘smiths build and service over 200 competition M16 uppers and lowers.

The Service Pistol section maintains over 240 pistols for conventional and practical competition including match M9s, 1911 .45’s, high-capacity STIs and Caspians and Hammerli .22’sin addition to special projects (see below.) The Olympians are supported by the International section.

Air rifles and pistols from Feinwerkbau, Steyr and Morini; Toz free pistols; Anschutz free rifles; rapid fire Pardinis; Perazzi and Krieghoff shotguns; along with long-range rifles, the makes of which include Stolle, Bleiker, Grunig, Barnard and Nesika Bay, are all maintained here. CFS military and civilian gunsmiths have Associate degrees in Gunsmithing or higher, many of them have Engineering degrees and all are knowledgeable on a wide variety of military and match grade firearms.

The Shop has full capabilities to modify, build and accurize standard Mil-Spec, match-grade and specialized combat weapons. Research and development, along with accuracy and ballistics testing, is conducted in house. CFS personnel perform machine-rest accuracy tests out to 1000 Below left and Firearms parts not available on the market can be designed and rapidly prototyped. yards and other accuracy testing at ranges to one mile.

Because there is no profit motive, Shop gunsmiths are free to experiment and capable of rapid production from design to finished product using CAD and CNC machining equipment. Parts not available on the market can be designed, rapidly prototyped for testing and small quantities produced in-house. In addition to standardized accuracy testing from test fixtures, proof-testing at high pressure is done.

Automated, electronic Sius-Ascor targets are used to collect accuracy data while high speed digital video recording is used to diagnose functioning problems and cycle of operation sequences.

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All CFS gunsmiths have Associate Degrees or higher in gunsmithing and are highly knowledgeable on a wide variety of military and match grade firearms. This machine rest fixture was custom built at the AMU. Ammunition USAMU has accounts for military, commercial and match-grade ammunition and the teams fire about 3.2 million rounds per year. While some of this is ordered under contract, CFS personnel hand load much of it and produce a variety of military and match-grade ammunition.

Beside issue cartridges, loaders make control ammunition for non-issue .300 Winchester, .300WSM, .260 Remington, 6.5/284, .338 Lapua Magnum and many others. Ammunition pressure and performance tests at ambient and extreme temperatures while measuring velocity at the muzzle and downrange develops accurate ballistic data.

The CFS has developed and adopted proprietary cartridges of its own, unique design and the ballistic test facility develops and produces high ly-accurate, long range ammunition for actual combat applications. For example, research conducted at AMU tremendously expedited the fielding of MK 262 5.56mm loading. Other notable tests include ARDEC Windshield Terminal Ballistics studies, M855 vs.

MK 262 at 600 yards in Designated Marksman Rifles, "green" ammunition testing in M4 and M16A4s, HK417 and HK416 rifles tests, .338 2 million rounds per year. While much of that is loaded by commercial vendors, certain match ammunition is assembled by hand on loading equipment at the shop. Lapua Magnum testing at 1500 meters for USSOCOM, .50 caliber terminal ballistics penetration testing, and M118LR 7.62mm accuracy tests. Day in The Life So what’s it like working at the Custom Firearms Shop and what is the appeal?

It’s a common myth that everyone at the AMU hangs out on the range all day shooting for fun. The

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22 is a modified Hammerli competition pistol and was built for an undisclosed unit. AMU is an Army unit and its Soldiers have the same mandatory duties and responsibilities as any other trooper. When it does come to range time, unlike the random plinking sessions that many folks delude themselves into believing is training, shooting here is measured against the skill of the world’s best marksmen and members are expected to perform.

Missing performance gates established by your coach can quickly get you kicked out and the expectations rise every season. Performing well this year means you’re expected to do better next year just to keep up. The Custom Firearms Shop has similar expectations. First, you need a formal degree in gunsmithing just to apply but even this isn’t enough. The bread-and-butter work at most shops is maintenance and repair work on factory equipment, not world-class, hyper-precision custom guns.

The difference is akin to checks and services on a soccer mom’s mini-van versus shop work in preparation for the Indianapolis 500. Imagine having National and International champion marksmen using and critiquing your work daily. Its one thing when Bubba claims the deer rifle you worked on won’t shoot true and quite another when an Olympic Gold medalist marksman does. CFS gunsmiths have to build winning firearms, not just functional ones. The Shop offers a unique experience that can’t be found elsewhere.

SPC Billy Hankins said the best parts of working there was the availability of high-end equipment and the ability to experiment freely. Nearly any idea that shows promise is fair game. Han kins is encouraged to pursue projects of his design and provided the tools to do so. With his engineering and gunsmithing background, he certainly could make more money in the civilian sector than his current E-4 pay grade but the Shop offers additional opportunities.

Research and development is apart of the CFS mission and while The Shop has the equipment for manufacturing, there is no profit motive. Personnel don’t have to first create a profit and loss statement to justify how they expect to sell a sufficient number of units once the experiment is complete. Sometimes a miserable failure is needed to first learn what won’t work before the solution presents itself.

The ability to experiment with lowered restrictions allows the engineers and gunsmiths to really refine and expand their craft. This sentiment was echoed by all the CFS personnel I interviewed. Everyone had several interesting side projects going in addition to their normal day-to-day work. Working at the Shop is more than a pay check or a military career. The work floor has the same buzz a Re naissance-era lab must have had, with learned experimenters freely testing and refining the current theories of the day.

Here, the theories become firearms that help win championships and wars. Sounds of Silence Sometimes, only an unconventional tool will do the job. CFS personnel are among the best gunsmiths in the world. Research and development is among their missions and they are adept at special projects. One recent request was for suppressed pistols chambered in .22 Long Rifle and 9mm. Shop personnel started with two platforms they were already intimately familiar with, the Hammerli 208 and Beretta M9.

The Hammerli’s barrel was cut down and threaded to accept a Gemtech suppressor. Standard iron sights were blocked by the can so raised units were added along with a Docter optic mounted to the barrel. Finally, the grip area was modified to have the same angle as a 1911. The M9 had similar modifications, but the raised iron sights sported tritium inserts for low-light capability and a rail underneath the dust cover added for accessory lasers or lights.

Beyond this, the details were considerably less precise than the AMU-built firearms themselves! AG