Back in 2018 I was shooting long range benchrest about every weekend that I possibly could and when I wasn’t shooting matches I was tuning guns and practicing. I was building a few rifles a year and can’t tell you how many barrels I was going through...point being, I got tired of giving or owing my gunsmith 1k+ every time I saw him and thought I can do this. My wife and I just had bought a new to us house and I finally had a shop. So I reach out to my buddy TDK and told him I wanted a lathe and if he saw one to let me know.

Fast forward a few weeks/month or so and TDK calls and says “I think I found your lathe if your interested.” Of course I start going through logistic issues and he replies with “if you really want one, this is the one and you need to buy it...we’ll figure out the rest”. So he calls and talks to the guy and basically buys the lathe for me, we just have to go get it. It was a lathe that a gentleman bought to do some Harley customizations in Denton and when the HD dealership moved up there his business was drying up to the point he was closing it down and needed to liquidate some machines. This was one of them.

TDK and I hook up my trailer and head his way...the short of it is we bought it and after we over came some minor some logistic issues we finally got it home and at the same place it sits today, here is a picture of the lathe before I had the back splash put on and power even installed:



Now, I’ve got to figure out how to turn it on and make it run. So I start buying books, videos and asking (probably bugging the crap out of truth be told) TDK and other gunsmiths that I’m friends with lots and lots of questions. After a year of dragging my feet I decided in 2019 I needed to really get this going...so I started making chips and trying to figure this all out. I made some smaller things like a spacer for a 22 Dasher die and I made a 7-08ai Wilson seating die from a 7-08. Once I felt like i had somewhat figured out what needed to be done I decided I was going to do barrel #1 and it was going to be a 7-08. By this time it was early 2020, the first barrel I turned down the tenon to far....granted it is still usable but not on a 1 1/16” thread, which is what I needed. So I order another barrel and chalk the first one as the cost of tuition and experience (there have been a TON of those moments and expenses throughout this journey). I finally get the 7-08 completed and taken to the range and it shoots surprisingly well here is gun #1 and the load I decided on:




The 6 o’clock hole is from a completely different gun, it shot 3 in a nice round clover leaf.

I start pondering taking the gun hunting and decided that gun #1 I need to give to my Dad, he doesn’t have a good carrying rifle and this will be perfect. He’ll get to shoot a few animals with it and when I get it back gun #1 will have two sentimental reasons to keep forever. He had planned to come at Christmas this past season to go to the deer lease with me but he and my mom caught COVID and still haven’t been down here. Gun is in the safe waiting for him, he’ll kill the first animal with this gun and it’ll be his until he can’t hunt any longer. He’s always been a buy cheap guy his whole life so I am really excited to get it to him. This season we should be able to get it punched through something...if the Lord is willing and the creeks don’t rise.

So I start thinking WTH do I build for myself? Of course we’re in the middle of another Obozo type situation with supplies as you all know so I start looking at stuff I already have and decided that I have enough 6mm stuff to last a long while so what can I build in a short rifle (because life is too short for long barreled rifles )...as much as it pains me to say I ended up on the 6 Gaymoor and a 105 hybrid. I order a barrel, reamer and gauges then get to started spinning it up (Buzz hates that term so you’ll frequently see me use it on the forum ). First I cut and thread the tenon:



Once that is done I ream the chamber....after everything is good on a go/no go gauge I then pull the barrel and work on the muzzle, turning it down for threads. First picture is validation that my thread pitch settings were correct prior to really cutting, then the second picture is a complete threaded muzzle:




Once all that is complete, then I need to cut the crown and get it finished, this is the crown:



Oh my, she’s done and ready for final torque and fitting to the stock:



So I decided to load 20 shells up and head to the range, first 20 shots:



I like the 42.2 load so I loaded up 15-20 of those and took off to an axis hunt thinking I’d shoot another gun but if I had an opportunity to shoot it I would. Well Friday morning before the hunt we had some time to shoot it so I ran 5 down the barrel and this was the result:



.243 already subtracted in the caliper it shot just a little over .5” group with almost zero tuning. I thought if I get in a thick spot I’ll take this rifle it’s shooting minute of axis for sure.

(Post 2 coming next it wouldn’t let me add more pictures to this one)

Very nice, Judd!!! Are you going to be doing gunsmithing work?

Well as luck would have it I was told I’d be sitting on a water hole and 100y shot would be long. BigFitz told me I had to take the new rifle...so I pack it up and off I go. This was the setup and how thick it was:



About 6:00 I had two turkey hens come to get a drink...good news is I didn’t spook them so I was more hid than I thought. 45 yards to the trough and 65 yards to the woods. About 6:30 I see what looks like a deer coming to the trough and turns out it was an axis...they warned us to be certain it was a doe because they had some bucks that had dropped their antlers. Well she rounded the back of the water trough as I was pulling my binos up to make sure she was a doe. I got them up about the time she saw the alfalfa we had put out and high tailed it back to the woods...she wasn’t spooked but knew that wasn’t supposed to be there. I could see her milling around back in the brush but never could get a good look at her. She eventually left or I couldn’t see her any longer. I was kicking myself thinking if that is the only one I’m going to see I am going to be aggravated I didn’t check with the rifle scope for dropped antlers instead of my binos. Well at 7:20 I see a glimpse of another axis behind the trough, I think it’s the same one but who knows. Well she was real skiddish and didn’t want to come out. I sit watching and hear something off to my right....15 yards from me three whitetail decide to come through and when they hit the sendero it upset the axis and she stepped out. I kneeled down to my rifle and cranked up the power...she was very nervous and watching the deer and looking my way. I get a good look and realize it’s a mature doe and hope she gets me a real good look. Well just as I’d got behind the rifle and looking at her she steps out where I could see her entire body it was quartering too. I didn’t like the shoulder shot because it tears up so much meat...so I put it on her chin thinking if she turns sideways I’ll hit her in the neck...I no more than thought that and a puff of wind hit the back of my neck and I knew I had to make a decision and fast. So I squeezed one off....the little 6 is awesome from the fact the rifle doesn’t move hardly at all and I see her kick in the scope. I hold on her for a few death kicks and it’s over. Here she is laying right where she was standing:



I go over get her gutted and await my ride...we get her back to camp to quarter and I realize...I have no pictures...so we took a token picture off the back of the hitch hauler:



So....my first kill with a rifle I threaded and chambered + loaded for. You all who have killed your first deer with your own reloads know the feeling but it’s that 10x when you know you’ve spun up the barrel. I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished here and can’t help but throw out some thank you’s....TDK, you know how instrumental you’ve been in all of this. Triggertime (Tony), thanks for answering my questions and giving me some perspective and advice along the way. Curtis Helton has went WAY above and beyond helping me, it’s insane the amount of information this guy holds in his head...plus, he’s been more than willing to help, look at things and tell me what I did wrong and how to fix it. HUGE thanks to you three I couldn’t have done it without you. FJG - thanks for listening to me whine and bitch about things...plus, always giving me a great place to shoot. Finally, the big gorilla BigFitz for talking me into taking this rifle on our hunt.

One might ask, so what’s next? Up next is a 300wsm barrel for a mag action I have...everyone needs a big(ger) gun, right?

For myself ...not sure if this thing will grow legs. I’m not certain I want an FFL under the current political climate and I can’t do them without that so the short answer is “No”.

Plus, I’ve got to get a mill next so I can do some stock work...I suspect that will be another year (or longer) learning curve.

Very cool, living the dream! I am totally envious and happy for you. One day I'd like to follow in your similar footsteps. I would actually like to take a rifle specific gunsmithing course with a real human. Seems like a worthy investment.

Great post too.

Who's the grizzly adams dude?

I agree...the way I did it is the long, hard, expensive way. Taking some classes would be very beneficial to anyone.

Thanks KR...it’s been a pretty interesting ride, no doubt.

Machinists are sharp individuals with a unique skill set. I'm not a machinist. We have three shifts of them and can make anything, to very tight tolerances. I can read prints and understand tolerances and all the dimensions. A machinist can read the print, program if necessary, set up the machine, know which tools to use, make the part from stock, inspect it to print and hit the tolerances called out. Hats off to you for jumping out there and learning this, I'm envious. Just knowing the concept of tolerancing has helped me understand why some rifles are better than others, and why they cost more.

Awesome, Judd!! Congrats!

That is awesome Judd.

Well done Sir!

If/When I do get to take a gunsmithing class, it will be more of a vacation to me than going to school.

Wow! Udaman! I know my limitations and you have far exceeded them by a mile. Congrats my friend!

This is a big deal, and I've been telling Judd for quite a while that it is.

Super proud of a guy diving in and figuring it all out. Great shooters tend to make great rifle builders. They know what a great shooting rifle can really do

Sweet gun and awesome story

Congrats, it’s very rewarding, you should be proud.

On a side note, grind yourself some HSS cutting tools, and those threads will clean up very nice. Warner also makes some indexable HSS inserts that are good as well.

Great job, Judd!

Awesome! I like that little lathe!

LSC...I wondered who might notice those, that is a two fold issue. 1 - I think my insert was a little dull 2 - I didn’t have the compound setup correctly. Once I got that far down the path I stopped took a step back and figured out what was going on. That was the best I could get them. In comparison, here is what “Dad’s” gun threads look like:



Over coming mistakes, miss-queues and issues has been the name of the game thus far. You should see the chatter I got on a 6.5saum die I am making

I have thought about the HSS inserts or tooling but had a bunch of carbide that came with the lathe and Gordy recommended some inserts in his book and I have some of those. HSS will definitely be tried at some point...but I doubt I’ll grind them.

Thanks guys.

S&W - I’ll never be a machinist...you are correct, I just want to be able to do barrel fittings and stock work. Obviously a certain level of machine proficiency will come with that but I will be shocked if I ever consider myself a machinist.

I kid you Judd, but that takes perseverance and talent, neither of which I have.

Well done "Grasshopper"
Just kidding keep turning and making high quality accurate guns, we need them.

Very nice Judd. Congrats on the new venture.

Awesome thread!

WOW!!! Congrats!!

I have started a few project/hobbies over the years that I had no clue how to get started or what I was getting into. Thankfully none as expensive as what you have done there though! LOL!! I will say there is a certain feeling of accomplishment once you get it all figured out and know what you are doing that cant be duplicated by just throwing $$$ at someone else to do it for you. What you are learning there is a skill that few will ever learn, but everyone could use at some point in their life. Enjoy it!

Awesome Judd! Congrats! It’s one of my goals in life to do the exact same thing.