Products

Muzzle brakes for AR-15's: The few products that I offer are still what would be considered custom-made by most standards. My AR15 muzzle brake is something I make here in small batches, as determined by demand. Recent changes in some competition rules have led me to keep them on hand again. The brake is 1" diameter by 2 1/2" long, and is extremely effective without acting as a "blast enhancer" (at least from the shooter's perspective). However, as with any brake or compensator that is doing its job, there is a large volume of high-velocity gas and particles coming out the sides and/or top - so don't be there. An M-4 fired in a narrow hallway, with a brake, without hearing protection could be debilitating, so this or any other brake is not appropriate for a duty gun. For competition, target shooting and prairie dog hunting, sure. I have not pinned a fantastic percentage of recoil/muzzle movement reduction on these, but I've had 10-shot bursts of full-auto from an M16 (standing unsupported) go into 12"-14" at 25 yards. Semi-auto splits can be reduced significantly as the sight picture is disturbed far less so the target is not lost after the shot. These are threaded 1/2-28 for standard pre-ban, .223 / 5.56 or 5.45X39 only, AR-15 barrels. Other installations and calibers can be had; I've put these on everything from .22 pistols to .40 cal. subguns to a pair of TC Contenders in 7/.30 Waters for The Masters. Obviously, for calibers larger than .223 / 5.56 / 5.45, the bullet's pass-through hole has to be drilled larger. These are nominally made for bullet diameters no larger than .224. Material is heat treated 4130, Parkerized finish. These are $60 each plus $10 shipping.

Scope Cap Keepers: I am working towards getting this out as a kit for your local gunsmith to buy and install for you, but in the meantime I am offering it as a custom installation. Question: have you lost as many scope adjustment caps as I have? Taken them off at the bench or in the field to make some adjustments, and left them behind? Put them in your pocket and lost them or sat on them? My own habit of doing this was the impetus for the Cap Keeper, which consists of two Nylon cups fastened into recesses machined in the (strong hand) side of your stock. In the bottom of each recess is a threaded stainless piece that will accept your caps, protecting them and keeping them with the rifle (or shotgun). Also picured is a version that attaches to the scope, so the caps are simply removed from the turret and then placed on the scope-mounted Cap Keeper. I will be tooling up to mold these and hope to have them available through distributors before too long. Patent issued 7/02.

Choke Hold: This is very similar to the Cap Keeper, but is meant for storing choke tubes. Having an extra choke tube doesn't do you much good if you don't have it when you need it; the Choke Hold keeps it with the shotgun, well protected, ready for a quick changeout. Covered under the same patent as the Cap Keeper.

Special Projects

My shop is equipped as much like a small tool shop as it is a gunsmithing shop. From time to time I do prototyping, R&D work, and cycle testing for local companies. I do the same thing for other, better-known gunsmithing outfits, also. Not trying to be the big Man of Mystery here, but it might be uncouth of me to name some of them. Some examples would be making fixtures and special cutters for one; one-off scope bases machined from blocks of 4140 for another; prototyping an adjustable rear (pistol) sight for another, which has become a very popular item and is probably the best one out there (not because I proto'd it, because it is very well designed and made right). For SSK Industries, I alter .338 Lapua Magnum cases into their proprietary short, subsonic .50 that they're calling the .510 Whisper (for which they are also making some very fine, suppressed rifles). These cases are made to +/- .001 on length, length to shoulder, and neck diameter; neck concentricity was within .0005. Fil Campos and I developed the DeMooner tool for easily removing cases from the full-moon clips used with some revolvers; I designed and built the mold (these are available through California Competition Works and Dillon Precision).