Best 30BR Gunsmith

[eww1350]

I know just about every benchrest gunsmith in the business has built a 30BR for someone, but which ones are considered the real masters of the 30BR?...As Calfee is considered in 22 rimfire. I have a custom action and I want to have a new 30BR barrel installed by the best..
I understand this is each individuals opinion...So your input is appreciated.

 

[tightneck]

Not really sure I understand the question. What do you think the difference is in cutting a 30BR chamber and a 6PPC chamber? A good gunsmith is a good gunsmith. If I didn't do my own, I would have Wayne Shaw do my work. He does a lot of work locally for score shooters. He can cut a chamber with the best of them and if you send him the barrel, he'll probably get it back to you in around a month.

 

[eww1350]

Thanks, I have talked to one gunsmith that does not use a reamer to cut the chamber, but a combination of a body reamer and then a neck reamer, then a throating reamer, all of which he can offer some variants to enhance the accuracy, ie..a standard body, a .330 neck, a .3080, a .3083, or a .3085 throat, and my choice of a 1 or 1 1/2 degree lead angle...
I have heard of a "Robinette" reamer, but I feeel like there are chambers that are superior to others with those minor dimensional variants that a 30BR master has found..

 

[butchlambert]

Several are good. You can't go wrong with Wayne Shaw or Humble Henry Rivers. Why 3 reamers? You say he can customize your chamber, why would he do that? I think the winning smiths are using a Robinett design or similar.
Butch

 

[AlNyhus]

There are a lot of really good 30BR reamers out there based on the 'Robinett' dimensions. The reamer used in my barrels,by Stan Ware) has the body and neck on it, but no throat. The throating is done as a seperate operation, which offers some advantages.

I know that some like to use a necking reamer to maximize the number of BR variants their reamer can be used for, but for a serious effort competition rifle I'd prefer to have the neck on the reamer. Not saying a perfect neck can't be done this way....because I've seen it done. But it does increase the odds of having the neck and case out of alignment.

Just my thoughts on it..lots of ways to skin a cat, though.

 

[eww1350]

I would like to have Stan install my barrel, but I have the issue of a PPC bolt face that I want to keep in my action...and have a 30BR/6PPC switch barrel set up...To keep my action as is the gunsmith would have to turn down the rim of my BR brass to fit my PPC bolt face..many gunsmiths just don't want to do it..
I am looking for a source to turn down the rims on my BR brass at this time..

 

[lmorrison17]

I have a Hall action and after Sid Goodling opened the boltface for BR cases it still pulls PPC cases fine. It's a Hall M action with 6PPC and 30BR barrels.

 

[AlNyhus]

eww1350:

I'd advise ether having the boltface opened up if possible. If not, rebating the case heads and recutting the extractor groove is a pretty simple operation. With a small cutter made from a piece of flat steel, you can probably do it on a lathe as quickly as you can take the cases in and out...a Wilson case guage would work pretty slick as a holder, I think.

Interesting bit of trivia on the 30BR: Randy Robinett's original 30BR...the gun that was used to 'lead the charge' in the 30BR Revolution...is a PPC boltface with rebated cases. :thumb:

Lots of good 'smiths out there with lots of good reamers...that's what Randy envisioned with the whole 'Robinett' spec'd reamers: reamers from several sources, that work with Lapua brass and work with easily available dies. This is much like what Gene Beggs is trying to do with the line of 22 and 6mm Beggs cases/reamers/dies.

You can customize your 30BR reamer a bit with what you specify for freebore length, or throat in a seperate operation to allow for more expermentation with freebore length and freebore diameter. Freebore diameter is another area on these .30 cal. reamers that many overlook but is very important to accuracy.

There's never been a better time to put a 30BR together than now...the groundwork has all been done and proven in competition for many seasons, great barrels are available from many, many sources, great bullets are available, dies and brass are inexpensive and readily available, etc, etc.

Lots of good stuff and 'smiths out there for the 30BR. -Al