RFBR actions

[butchlambert]

I just remembered the builder of my falling block-Karl Kenyon.

 

[Hi-NV Shooter]

Before the history get rewritten based on words from people that know little to nothing about the subject let me say this.

Leonard Baity's greatest contribution to RFBR was him being willing to produce 6 o'clock bolts for Turbo actions. This was only because a certain Midwest gunsmith encouraged him to do so.

At the time Leonard was still developing the Falcon action but he was willing to devote his time and efforts to improving the Turbo action. Who else would have done that.

Falcon actions were good, perhaps as good as most SAP actions, but Leonard had health problems, and his heart just wasn't in it at the end.

He had a very talented guy that work with him, this guy was the one that actually made those rings. I'm sorry I can't recall his name now. But when he decided to take another job that left Leonard on his own and that pretty much killed Falcon.

Leanard was a great guy, but he had a sense of humor that not everyone understood. I recall asking if he would put certain serial numbers on two actions for me. I wanted them in sequence.

Leaonard immediately responded with "sure Harper, how about F**k you one and F**k you two.

TKH

Thanks, Tony, for providing more information on Leonard Baity's contribution for developing the 6'oclock set up for the Turbo, I knew about it and the other things he helped developed with Bill Calfee I didn't want to post anything that might not be accurate.
I have owned all 3 generations of the Falcon and currently own and shoot gen1 and what I think is a prototype as I haven't seen one like it before maybe you can help identify when it may have been produced.
this action has an improvement Bill had mention should be done being to help lockup see picture. the gen1 had a much lower lug abutment? this action's is much higher and protrudes slightly above the bolt handle.

If memory serves me right, it was Jonathan was the name of the worker.


Lee

 

[Tony K Harper]

Thanks, Tony, for providing more information on Leonard Baity's contribution for developing the 6'oclock set up for the Turbo, I knew about it and the other things he helped developed with Bill Calfee I didn't want to post anything that might not be accurate.
I have owned all 3 generations of the Falcon and currently own and shoot gen1 and what I think is a prototype as I haven't seen one like it before maybe you can help identify when it may have been produced.
this action has an improvement Bill had mention should be done being to help lockup see picture. the gen1 had a much lower lug abutment? this action's is much higher and protrudes slightly above the bolt handle.

If memory serves me right, it was Jonathan was the name of the worker.


Lee

You are right, Jonathan.

Names seem to escape my memory now. He was a talented fabricator and machinist.

TKH

 

[Rockingham]

real shame about baity. it seems it all went down hill when they started incorporating ideas from the midwest gunsmith.

i wasn't trying to rewrite history. my prior comment should have specified the falcon. i had actually forgot they did the 6:00 pins for the turbos. probably cause i never quite bought into it's benefit/advantage.

i have a good friend here in NC that owned a calfee rifle and was anxious to get bill to rebarrel it. this was around the time the first gen falcons were being released. during the conversations about the rebarrel the falcon came up. my friend, hoping to sweeten his chances at the rebarrel, ended up buying an early model falcon and sending it to bill for evaluation. this led to several back and forths that resulted in several design changes. those changes frustrated many and in the end was certainly a contributor to the result.

and i can vouch first hand that Jonathan was a master machinist. i was in Leonard's shop one time to meet Kent Owens to pick up a rifle he had rebarreled for me. this was during a time when i was striving to find a base/ring solution for my sporter that would allow me to keep the scope as close to it's mechanical/optical center as possible. I mentioned this to Jonathan and inside twenty minutes he milled up a set of their bases to give me the proper drop. they ended up zeroing within a few clicks of the mechanical center.

 

[TRSR8]

Before the history gets rewritten based on words from people that know little to nothing about the subject let me say this.

Leonard Baity's greatest contribution to RFBR was him being willing to produce 6 o'clock bolts for Turbo actions. This was only because a certain Midwest gunsmith encouraged him to do so.

At the time Leonard was still developing the Falcon action but he was willing to devote his time and efforts to improving the Turbo action. Who else would have done that.

Falcon actions were good, perhaps as good as most SAP actions, but Leonard had health problems, and his heart just wasn't in it at the end.

He had a very talented guy that work with him, this guy was the one that actually made those rings. I'm sorry I can't recall his name now. But when he decided to take another job that left Leonard on his own and that pretty much killed Falcon.

Leanard was a great guy, but he had a sense of humor that not everyone understood. I recall asking if he would put certain serial numbers on two actions for me. I wanted them in sequence.

Leaonard immediately responded with "sure Harper, how about F**k you one and F**k you two.

TKH

Well I’d be the first to recognize that the initial custom machined “anything” could have teething issues and Gordon got 1-2 pretty early ones. As I recall, when he reached out it was inferred the issue might be his skill set.
Now Tony, I know you know Gordon and I suspect you’d agree ….that would be the LAST guy you’d want to tell that to, thus, the die was cast.

 

[High Noon]

Over the many years, actually decades, numerous firearm companies and precision custom action makers would contact me to take a look and possibly review their new product. I learned early on it was tough to explain anything negative about their products even though I felt obligated to do so. I approached it as carefully and sensitively as possible and most times it worked out well. However, there were a few that seemed to always take it personally. Over the years, I ended up telling a couple of the owners that I seem to like their products more than they do. One moment I’ll never forget was when I was working with a gun company who had licensed some of my cartridge designs and also asked me to help them bring out a new precision action and small caliber rifle line. We had been in design meetings all day and when the day ended, I was so happy to crash at my hotel room as I’m just not too fond of long drawn out meetings that never seem to go anywhere. Not long after, the phone rang and it was the owner inviting me to a private dinner. That’s the last thing I wanted as these dinners always turn into more work or the very least another meeting. Interestingly enough, the dinner was very good, relaxing and when it was over the owner said, “you know Todd you are the only person I can count on to tell me what I need to hear - not what I want to hear!”

 

[Tony K Harper]

Over the many years, actually decades, numerous firearm companies and precision custom action makers would contact me to take a look and possibly review their new product. I learned early on it was tough to explain anything negative about their products even though I felt obligated to do so. I approached it as carefully and sensitively as possible and most times it worked out well. However, there were a few that seemed to always take it personally. Over the years, I ended up telling a couple of the owners that I seem to like their products more than they do. One moment I’ll never forget was when I was working with a gun company who had licensed some of my cartridge designs and also asked me to help them bring out a new precision action and small caliber rifle line. We had been in design meetings all day and when the day ended, I was so happy to crash at my hotel room as I’m just not too fond of long drawn out meetings that never seem to go anywhere. Not long after, the phone rang and it was the owner inviting me to a private dinner. That’s the last thing I wanted as these dinners always turn into more work or the very least another meeting. Interestingly enough, the dinner was very good, relaxing and when it was over the owner said, “you know Todd you are the only person I can count on to tell me what I need to hear - not what I want to hear!”

High Noon,

Not to downplay what you are saying here because I have great respect for what you are saying and what you have done in your career, but I heard those very same words from an Army General just before he fired me.

It ended up not being a bad thing I got a better job with another General. If you go through your career without peeing some people off, you aren't doing much.

TKH

 

[High Noon]

“If you go through your career without peeing some people off, you aren't doing much…”

Well said Tony! It’s so much easier now to help with constructive criticism since I’m retired….lol..