New match rifles... Curtis actions

Joel and I built (Quickly) 2 new match rifles for next weekend. With the help of our friends at Alamo rifles we got it done...

Curtis Axiom actions with full DLC coating
Muller barrels
Curtis bottom metal
Russo A-5 black walnut stock - manners t5
6.5x47 Lapua
140 hybrid

5 shot groups at 100... shooting some steel tomorrow so stay tuned....

Dang that's nice wood

That's what she said!

That is little bitty

That's what she said........errr..........wait........




What?

Sexy rifles.

I agree. Fine looking gurls you got there!

So what happened to the rifle builds of other customers of yours and Alamo Precision, they just got shoved to the backburner?

As long as you and Joel got yours built.....the heck with everyone else?

Sorry to be a jerk but this is why it takes so long to get a build, friends and family always get moved up to the front of the line, so they can make a shoot? What about everyone else?

It's not just you and Alamo, most of these builders are the same.

Alamo had a few rifles visible and even a spec rifle or two the other day when I was there. Very very nice actions

Not the first time I have heard this question, along with body parts.

I can totally understand your thoughts and concerns with that...

There is more to the whole thing though...

I talked to Robert and Dave and had them literally just chamber 2 barrels as we don't have time either and they did that on their own time after hours. There is a totally differnt story in full being responsible for 2 complete rifles than just a chamber job. We bedded, inletted, and "built" the rifles. And obviously had all the parts.

When someone has the responsibility of making sure the rifle feeds properly... not one scratch on it and is using if for a true "customer or retail" sale it's a totally different game.

We have same issues with our actions. People as why we can't get them one and yet see pictures of complete rifles... well we don't really care if it's all scratched up or has a slight issue... but we can't sell them.

In summary I totally understand what your saying... but it's not always as it looks as I would not sell my rifle (the black) because it was a bedded stock for a differnt rifle I had... milled out the old bedding and re bedded. It's not the prettiest on the inside but it works fine... all that "not caring" stacks up and makes things on our end go much faster. It's not just luck but having the responsibility of a full build as a manufacturer adds a different level.

Again I understand what your saying... but there is usually more to it.

Thank you!

Remember, I don't care how it looks, if it works.

I know how you roll....

Buzz I believe you hit that nail right on the head , something seems a little fishy there

Maybe not fishy at all. They do have some free/personal time, they don't have to work 24/7 on orders.. When the day is done surely you would allow them to work on personal stuff? I used to have a race shop. I did not work on customers items after work. That was my time to do what I wanted to do.

Not saying that is what happened, but could have.

Alamo quoted me 12-14 weeks on 2 builds and got them done in 8 weeks. Nothing fishy there, IMO. If they were running behind then I can understand being upset, but I haven't heard that from anyone.

A gunsmith can't work on his own projects from time to time? That seems highly unreasonable to me.

Fishy?!?!? That we work on our own stuff?? Really??

It seems like a 2-part situation:
1) After hours or not, did they charge you for the work? If so, they moved you ahead of other paying customers...
2) Have any of the other paying customers had to wait longer than the build time quoted? If not, no harm done.

P_102

Interesting thread. Pretty cool when you have to justify what you do with your own time and equiptment to some stranger on the Internet. I appreciate your concerns with how I spend my time and what I do for who. Seems to be a lot of "assumptions" backing up those concerns that aren't that well founded. Customer work comes first, always has. We work long after business hours most days to meet or exceed our customers deadlines. Fact - there has NEVER been a build in my shop for more than 2 weeks that had all parts available to complete the build. Nobody gets put to the "back of the line" in my shop. Builds get worked as parts are available. Period. If parts aren't available to complete a customers build, we'll work with what we have on hand to build a shop rifle for the retail store. Either way, my machines are running constantly throughout the week and guns are moving out the door. If I want to come in on my day off and work on a personal project of my own, or for a friend, or for whoever I want....... Well......... I will. I mean...... It's MY shop!

None of this is even relevant in this case anyway. Other than the fact it was done on personal time to meet a deadline, The fact is Curtis Customs and Alamo have been collaborating on this project for well over a year.

Robert
Alamo Precision Rifles
aprifles.com

I don't see the big deal , nobody is at a set back because of two actions in the scheme of things.

When a company doesn't deliver by promise dates then it becomes an issue. Some of the promises on delivery time may be at the mercy of parts providers (manners, McMillan , etc) to name a few.

Don't be surprised when you get criticism after posting pictures online looking for praise. I think the wood on the top gun looks great. I think the groupings on those rifles looks great. I think Buzzsaw's questions were valid ones. I think the explanations of the guns being worked on during personal time is a valid explanation. I think some might have taken too much offense to the question and probably should have worded their response to the question a little better since this is a forum full of potential customers and can be searched by people outside the forum. Passive aggressive doesn't come across too well towards a potential customer. And last, I think if someone is always putting out a product way ahead of schedule, then they are making their schedules like Scotty.

I agree with everything toxarch said. I didn't think about him working on those during personal time. If I was a customer waiting on my rifle, I might have been mildly put off by seeing personal rifles being done ahead of my stuff until some folks mentioned these guys working on them away from work (which is a very reasonable explanation). And I agree with everyone who said that as long as the time frame I was given up front was stuck to, then I wouldn't really care what else got worked on in the meantime.

That being said, those are some awesome rifles and even better groups. The stock on the top one and the finish work on both are really beautiful. Impressive work.

I agree with this and I'll jump back in, since I started it. One reason I posted this is because I have been visiting with Jason at APR about building a lightweight custom rifle for me, I dang sure wouldn't want to walk in and check on my build and see a bunch of guys building a gun in front of mine because they were in a hurry and buddies trying to start up a partnership building rifles to get a new action "off the ground". That's R&D and should not be done by a builder, the action manufacturer , that's his problem. I will say "after hours" is ok but .......

Hey, many of the custom builders drop what they are doing to "help" a friend RE: If Jacob Bynum calls George Gardner and says, "I need a re-barrel" for the GAP Grind next weekend, Gardner would get it done. If Terry Cross was building a rifle for me and the Government called and said they needed 50 Sentinels in three weeks , mine would go right back in the parts bin.

So buyer beware, do your homework when picking a builder, get references, etc.

I consider Alamo a damn fine, Premium builder or I wouldn't be talking to them. my money is the same color as everyone else's, so lets get in line

So, I guess what I'm leading to is to all custom builders and gunsmiths. Tell us the truth how long it will take, don't tell us 3 months when you know it will be longer because we might not give you the job. Hell I read about it all the time.

I've been staying out of this but I will say I don't care what a gunsmith works on as long as he's within his timeline on my stuff. Don't tell me 3 months and then take 6 because I guarantee I will not use you again. I use 2 guys and they meet their deadlines and if they don't they tell me and I either understand or give them crap. The last two dealings they have completed before when they tell me.

Having said that, when I do something I take them every part to complete the job...they aren't waiting on parts at all.

Also, everything but one dang 6.5x47 barrel has shot well...I haven't given up on it but I'm about to the point of giving up. I can tell you it's not a gunsmith or reamer issue I just got a bad barrel...sooner or later if you go through enough of them you'll get a bad one.