New Gunsmith Items

As with any industry, technology and trends in gunsmithing continue to evolve. To keep up with the times, vendors market their wares and showcase them at industry trade shows such as SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show). Here are some manufacturers of interest and their latest products. Bore scopes are very useful for gunsmiths and the technology improvements have made them increasingly better and less expensive.

Lyman Products and Teslong offer Wi Fi-based borescopes with a price point that is within reach of anyone that needs one. Both of them work in .20 caliber barrels or larger and use a smart phone to display and record images and video. The Lyman Borecam Pro offers a 24" rigid viewing rod while the Teslong is available with 45" flexible, 26" or 10" rigid viewing rods, along with an optional set of five NTG Borescope Side-View mirrors with an MSRP of $20 that improves image quality for barrels larger than .20 caliber.

The Lyman Borecam Pro kit has an MSRP of $369.95 and the base Teslong unit starts at $89.95. Below center: Oehler System 89 Ballistic Coefficient Chronograph. Clymer Precision (Clymer Tool. com), JGS Precision Tool (JGSprecision.com), Manson Precision Reamers (MansonReamers.com), Pacific Tool and Gauge (Pacific Tool And- Gauge.com), and Star Cutter Company (StarCutter.com) all offer cutting tools for the firearms industry.

Pacific Tool and Gauge announced their new Multi Helix Top Top "One–N–Done" Rougher, Finisher, and Breech/Counter bore all in one chamber reamer. It can plunge the complete chamber cavity from barrel face to rifle bore in one operation. With every diameter and length on one reamer cutting depth consistency will be the same each and every time. One-N-Done

Top: Dura Coat Firearm Finishes. Chamber Reamers decrease tooling costs and increase efficiency in a production setting. Oehler Research still offers the time-proven Model 35P Chronograph that features three Skyscreen III detectors, printer, 4’ mounting rail, and two folding stands in a hard-sided case. The system makes two velocity measurements for each shot and when they agree you have a valid measurement.

The extra screen allows two velocity measurements and whenever the two measurements are not nearly identical (within about 1%) you should consider discarding that data point and repeating the measurement. Oehler recently introduced the System 89 Ballistic Coefficient Chronograph for me a- Below center: Smart-Jaws sleeves. suring the muzzle velocity and time of bullet flight for calculating bullet ballistic coefficient for your gun and load.

The system presents the horizontal and vertical bullet deflection at target that allows an easy evaluation of the wind and the resulting bullet deflection. It includes three sky screens at the muzzle and microphones at the target. Precise timing is provided by controller units at both the muzzle and target linked by radios with a range of over two miles. The entire system is controlled by a Windows computer.

The System 89 is ideal for long range shooters because the system eliminates the requirement to hike to the target to measure group size. The Labradar mounts on a standard tripod and provides velocity data at up to five distances out to 100 yards with a .30 caliber bullet and it is easy to set up; simply place the unit on the side of the muzzle and you are ready to shoot. No down range set up is required which is really appreciated when making bullet velocity measurements at a public firing range. MSRP $625.

A lower priced option, the Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph is supplied with two detection screens, carry case and tripod. It connects to your smart device via Bluetooth and has a MSRP of $169.99. Finishes and Tools Popular firearm coatings are available from Cerakote Firearm Coatings (Cerakote.com) and Dura Coat Firearm Finishes (DuraCoatFirearmFinishes.com). Duracoat finishes are available in many colors and are an attractive option for a durable finish. I’ve used Dura Coat Firearm Finishes Dura Blue from

an aerosol can with good success on new rifle barrels. Some of the newer Cerakote applicators include Score High, Shark Coast Tactical, Snowy Mountain Rifles and Spectrum. The company has a list of coating applicators in your area. Alternatively, you could consider becoming a certified applicator and expand your gunsmithing service offering. Several firearm vises have caught my eye. Berry’s Versa Cradle Gun Vise ($209.99) is a strong and rugged vise constructed structurally of steel and aluminum.

It allows significant rifle fitting adjustments to provide a secure fit to the firearm of interest and because it supports along gun at two points, provides a very stable mount for sight mounting, refinishing, or repair. The 360 degree ball mount allows the firearm to be rotated to a comfortable position for all your long gun work. The vise can be mounted on a bench, tripod or stand for convenience.

Also, accessories are available that allow the vise to be used on a table top, as a shooting rest, or with a checkering cradle. The Hyskore Portable Armorer’s Vise ($69.99) easily clamps or bolts to a table or work bench to securely hold a firearm for cleaning, repair or upgrade. The vise rotates 360 degrees in the vertical axis allowing the firearm to be positioned vertically for ease of repair or cleaning.

The Portable Armorer’s Vise is a rugged and practical vise to take to the range and clamp to the shooting bench for on the spot cleaning or repair. The Real Avid Master Gun Vise ($299.99) provides a versatile and 360 degree gun vise for gun cleaning, improvement and repair projects that installs on your work bench. Smart-Jaws Multi-Fit Sleeves securely hold a variety of shapes and the Master Gun Work Station has a very flexible table top and long gun holding fixture.

The company’s Smart-Assist Accessory System provides a light, magnifying glass, and smart phone holder for improved work site convenience and efficiency. Real Avid also has a line of AR-15-specific tools. The Tipton Ultra Gun Vise ($259.99) offers a modular and interchangeable design that will adapt to almost any firearm shape for cleaning, repair, and upgrade. The ball and socket clamp pads adapt to almost any surface for Far Below center: New Wheeler F. A. T. Wrench Screwdriver Set.

Above center: Wheeler New Ultra Scope Mounting Kit. secure holding. The front and rear clamps are height and length adjustable with fast-turn knobs for quick and convenient secure clamping. Punches, screwdriver sets, wrenches, files, and other hand tools will always be essential.

Obsidian Arms manufacturers a Standard Drive Pin Punch Set and AR-15 tool sets such as AR-15 Complete Armorer’s Punch Set, AR-15 Specialty Tool Set, AR-15 pivot Pin Detent Tool, AR-15 Bolt Catch Removal Punch and AR-15 Upper Receiver Vise Block. All of their products are supplied with a lifetime warranty. Fix It Sticks offers abroad selection of both general purpose and firearm specific tool kits with individual or all-in-one torque drivers with a focus on portability.

Their Armorer’s Tool kit is an extensive, yet portable kit, with most of the tools you need to fix, maintain or upgrade a wide variety of handguns, shotguns and rifles. Wheeler (WheelerTools.com) introduced their new 100 piece Professional F. A. T. Wrench Screwdriver Set (149.99), a solid and complete kit. I’ve used the Wheeler F. A. T. Wrench for many years with good results. In addition to Wheeler, American Outdoor Brands (AOB.com) also owns Caldwell and Tipton.

Accessories Almost all new firearms are currently available with a threaded muzzle option so that a muzzle brake or suppressor can be fitted relatively easily. The number of companies offering options is Far

Far huge, offering products for a wide variety of rifles and pistols.

A few new products in this category worth checking out include Advanced Armament Company’s new Ranger line of rifle suppressors with unique models designed for AR-10 and AR-15 rifles, Carbon Research USA line of suppressors fabricated with carbon fiber and aluminum or titanium for light weight and quiet results, Griffin Armament’s new DUAL-LOK family of suppressors, Nosler Inc. line of suppressors designed for hunters using today’s rifles, and Rugged Suppressors feature a Dual Taper Locking System, ADAPT Modular Technology as well as an unconditional lifetime warranty.

The market for electronic optical sights continues to expand as most manufacturers of pistols, carbines and, more recently, shotguns, are making firearms that are pre-cut, drilled and tapped for easy installation. Viridian offers the GDO 22 Green Dot Electro Optic as green is a better color for some than red. Night Fision and Ameri- Glo both offer tritium based night sights primarily for pistol applications. HIVIZ Shooting Systems offers Lite Pipe based sighting systems for handguns and long guns.

The Forster Universal Sight Mounting Fixture is ideal for gunsmiths and hobbyists who drill and tap holes for the mounting of scope mounts, receiver sights, and shotgun beads. The fixture will accommodate any single-barreled long gun—bolt actions, lever actions, and pump actions—as long as the barrel can be laid into the "V" blocks of the fixture. With a drill press, this allows precisely drilling and tapping a firearm receiver for mounting sights.

I’ve used this fixture for mounting scopes on many different rifles over many years with good success. One of the challenges in properly installing a scope is reticle alignment and I have found the Wheeler scope leveling tools to be very helpful in achieving correct reticle alignment. Wheeler’s new Ultra Scope Mounting Kit is ideal. Sight pushers are offered by many companies.

XS Sights has several new sight installation tool and sight kit packages for Glock pistols, such as their DIY Series which includes a Glock sight pusher tool compatible with OEM slides, requires less install force than standard tools, centering scale for precise alignment, and open top design for easy visual centering and clearance for suppressor height optics and sights. The interest in long range shooting has caused a number of scope mount manufacturers to offer bases with built in elevation options.

MDT (MDTtac.com) offers 20, 30, 40, 50 MOA Picatinny scope bases and Ivey Shooting (IveyShooting.com) of-

Above center: Zero Creep Technology in a Remington 700 trigger. fers Picatinny-compatible adjustable scope bases with an elevation adjustment range of 0-60 MILS or 0-200 MOA. Stocks, Triggers, Cleaners The growing interest in long range shooting has also impacted rifle chassis and stock makers.

Manufacturers such as Boyds Gunstocks (BoydsGunstocks.com), GRS Rifle Stocks (GRSrifleStocks.com), HS Precision (HSprecision.com), Kinetic Research Group (KRG-Ops. com), and MDT offer stocks that are easily adjustable to fit the shooter. All of us have shot rifles that did not really fit and can appreciate the value of a correctly fitting rifle. The Score High Gunsmithing (ScoreHi.com) is keen on promoting opportunities for gunsmiths to increase profits by offering services to make rifles more accurate.

Long range shooting improvements can be offered for a relatively small capital investment. Score High offers epoxy stock bedding supplies and fixtures for gunsmithing as well as a complete list of gunsmithing services with their Adjustable Style Pillar Bedding Kits available for a variety of rifles. Also available are bedding block sets for the Remington 700. Use of the bedding block protects the stock finish and creates a bedded surface like it just came out of a precision mould.

TriggerTech.com offers triggers for gas guns (AR-series) and bolt action rifles. Their Frictionless Zero Creep Technology (ZCTTM) and TKR Technology enables superior trigger sear release characteristics with minimum over travel. Their CLKR Technology allows shooters to adjust trigger pull weight with tactile clicks so the shooter will know the magnitude of trigger pull weight adjustment.

Dillon Rifle Company (Dillon- RifleCompany.com), a sibling company to famed reloading machine maker Dillon Precision, released their new Patrol AR Trigger Family of pre-stage drop-in triggers with a choice of 30 or 100 degree finger engagement. RISE Armament (Rise Armament. com) released their new ICONIC Independent Two-Stage Trigger for the AR-10 and -15 platforms. The ICONIC trigger provides lighter pull weight with minimal over travel, a clean second break without creep, drop in installation, and life warranty.

The first stage breaks at approximately one pound and the second stage breaks at approximately two. Ultrasonic cleaners can make fast work of cleaning and degreasing parts of varying sizes depending on the unit. They also can be set up to clean cartridge cases. A variety of cleaning solutions can tackle a range of cleaning jobs. Infante Ultrasonics (InfanteUltraSonics.com) has their new S9 Subgun & Rifle Cleaning System for long guns, MSRP $1850.

This accommodates parts up to 19" long and is supplied with one 19.5×11.5×6" tank, two part suspension baskets, and one stainless lube pan. Lyman Products (LymanProducts.com) has the new Power Pro Ultrasonic Cleaner ($2550) supplied with one tank (35.75x8x6.25") and one parts basket. AG Far