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Thread: Shooting shed Bits and service

  1. #1
    Parabuteo is offline My Chrony has bought it a couple of times...
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    Shooting shed Bits and service

    Morning shooting types.

    Dave and Kristel Bonwick are well known to many, even if it is just because Dave's work appeals to the Gollums amongst us (shiny things) and Kristel is a general good egg...for a Viking (who still owes me a kicking for calling her German).

    But Dave is about a lot more than just "Precious" (even if what he produces is actually precious).

    Just lately Dave and I have been conversing on a number of things, which have lead me to purchase and ask Dave to do small pieces of work for me, the results of which I am more than impressed with.

    Anyone visiting the Shooting Shed tent at the phoenix could not have helped notice that the tent was not cluttered, all that was on display was well designed, well made items that did exactly what they are meant do.....OK there was a bloody great .50 Cal Steyr but I think that was chained to the table to stop people nicking the tent and the shiny things

    So some reviewing then

    2 Piece comparator

    I was explaining the virtues and advantages of Dave's 2 piece comparator to a couple of club mates....they shoot F class and it scares me that they did not know what it did (and more so that they did not order one but there you go).

    This understated unit is very, very good.

    hand made, tolerances of half a micro-gnats (I have no idea but it is very precise and mere mortals like me wont work it out or feel it) from a single piece of alloy.

    Unlike others, the base (as it has a base...unlike others) and Gauge are made to fit the correct SAAMI spec for the case head (which means it functions well as an over pressure gauge as well if you miss the other signs...good for palma brass then).

    The halves are fitted to the vernier using thumb screws, but there is also a fine alignment allen screw opposing these to allow for "Less than perfect" jaw alignment.

    The gauge interlocks for set up, which should slide together without interference (takes a couple of seconds to align) and this means that there is no juggling, rotating or swearing to get the measurement.

    It just takes the merest touch and the work is done, accurately, and repeatably.

    And I don't think it costs much for what you are getting.

    Sadly, like most gauges it does not look exciting (Dave does not even polish it as the accuracy process may suffer) but this belies the importance of its presence in any reloaders kit.

    He also does second ogive gauges so that you can measure different rounds with common case dimensions (.243, .308 etc).

    Another use of this gauge is that you can easily batch bullets base to ogive which is handy with some bullets out there (Berger Hybrids).

    Using the comparator has taught me several things.

    1. Finesse, re loading does not need a gorilla's touch. If it does there is something wrong.

    2. Just how accurate my gear is and how inconsistent bullets can be (yes, even Berger).

    3. Trust the measuring gear, if in doubt measure twice.

    Scope Alignment System

    I had been toying with getting one of these for a while.

    Anyone involved in benchrest, F class, or any form of long range shooting knows exactly how important cant and vertical scope alignment is.

    There are those that argue that it does not matter as long as it is consistent, but for the rest of us that believe there is only one way up, this bad boy does the trick.

    These days, most scopes have a flat bottomed saddle that is relative to the reticule. many (again most) of these scopes are mounted on some sort of Pic rail or are mounted parallel to some other flat.

    Imagine how easy it would be to get a scope level to the bore if all you had to do was accurately align the 2...well you can, accurately and every time with one of these gauges.

    I had seen them before (March) but having tried the comparator the pedigree was known so I grabbed one of the Shed's.

    It consists of 2 precision wedges the interlock with a small tongue and grove. The wedges slide against each other along this groove to produce and expanding or contracting set of flat parallel surfaces.

    Pop this between the rail and the saddle and rotate the scope while keeping gentle tension on each end of the wedges and the scope has no choice but to be level to the rail...which we hope is aligned with the bore....but then you cannot legislate for everything can you

    Then, you gently remove the wedges and gently tighten the mounting screws, re checking the level regularly with the gauges.

    Don't do as pin-head here did and just tighten up with the gauge in situ....or you wont get it back without slackening the screws off.

    It is designed to stay put accurately and that it does, so when you compress it, the thing sits solid.

    This beats arsing about with a level and various clamps, bags, distant views etc any day.

    It then means that if you need to align a level ( a decent one that clamps round the scope that can be aligned, some of the cheaper rail mounted ones do not sit parallel to the rail ) the majority of the work is done.

    Many may say "Why spend £40 on something I will only use once"....Well I guess it depends on how often you mount scopes, but personally I think it is money well spent and will happily loan it to any fellow club members...at a price

    General fettling work

    Dave is a bit good on a machine (and a bloody good designer as well).

    He found me some Lee dies (for use with a Lee hand loader, I wanted to adjust COLs on the range and since they would have been seated accurately before hand this would do the job nicely).

    They cost sod all and are very well made little dies. A FL sizer was also included.

    Now I don't need another FL die, I have several, but it came with the set, and I did need a universal (30 cal) decapper...so Dave took this die and made it so, brilliantly.

    It would have been better of course if shitferbrains here had reminded him that the pin needed thinning as I use Palma brass as well as normal brass Its in the post Dave!!!

    Some time back I also purchased a Forster bullet puller.

    I like the kinetic ones, particularly for killing off examples of bullets I have come across for my collection, but sadly they can damage case necks if the bullet bounces and they are a pain to use.

    Well I got this puller and it was, well, much as I hate to say this as a fan of Forster....shite. If I could get it to grip a bullet to pull it I held a party, and the bullet (and often the case neck) was knackered.

    The final straw was when I tried to release said bullet and the nut (that you put the spanner onto to tighten and release the collet) came of because the loctite had let go.

    Loctite....bloody Loctite....the thing sat in disgrace on my shelf going slowly rustier...then I spoke to Goll...I mean Dave as I was fed up with trashing cases.

    "No worries, send it to me, they usually need this polishing and that bevelling and yes, we can put a small tommy bar through in stead of that (Awful sodding) loctite'ed nut"

    This I thought I have to see, the thing is the work of Satan and fit only for throwing at people who arrive on my doorstep trying to convert me to jhedi'ism!!

    The other morning a package arrived with the dies in it.

    Yesterday I pullet 30 .303 bullets without so much as a mark on them. Easy, quick, smooth and much better than the kinetic.

    And the icing on the oil soaked cake....slight crack of the collet and the bullet pops out flawless into yer mitts....bargain (bloody well was given what it cost to do as well).

    Thanks mate, Forster get a grip, and sorry about the tommy bar (anyone who knows the Coaxial press knows that a tommy bar wont work up the top...but a allen key will...My fault...again)

    So there you have it.

    Much more than just shiny, look beneath the shine and you see precision, bespoke, fit for purpose innovations that are selling well abroad so get in there before the yanks stockpile the Shed as well!!!!!

    Oh, I nearly forgot, them that know C2R know it works brilliantly, but the bore conditioner (Oil to you and me) is pretty good stuff too.

    It is an oil designed for very harsh conditions and it stays put.

    It stinks, but I wiped a very small amount over the action of my Barnard and it is still slippery and exactly where I left it some weeks later, not having buggered off to hide like lesser oils might.

    Not expensive, and you don't need much.

    Try the Shed, its made in Britain
    Last edited by Parabuteo; 02-06-2013 at 04:59 PM.
    I'm a maggot in another life you know

  2. #2
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    I've bought loads of bits from Davy he's a top top bloke and I will be buying more gear when funds allow! I have have the scope alignment system for a while. March have them but its Davy who make Los emfor them they are a great piece of kit and I like to buy from the source.

    Another vote for the shed!

  3. #3
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    Question Shooting shed Bits and service

    Do you mean Shootshack of Pontefract West Yorkshire or is there a similar firm with a similar name as you do not mention where they are?

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bunnybasher9 View Post
    Do you mean Shootshack of Pontefract West Yorkshire or is there a similar firm with a similar name as you do not mention where they are?
    As per the title its "Shooting Shed" google it, they are in Bedford but mail order only IIRC. HTH
    I am quite certain that the argument you've already won in your head was entirely more satisfying to you than the one that is actually occurring.
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  5. #5
    Eyefor is offline The Artist Formerly Known as Maple
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  6. #6
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    I'll happily recommend them too!!

    Just got a two piece comparator and a bore-guide for my Sako A1 with it's new 20Practical PacNor barrel...... and a very nice job Neil McKillop has done on that too!

    David also made me a new 'interface' to fit my Kite to a Blaser Saddlemount QR base.... much, much better than the original ISTech Pic rail mount base which was just cr*p at holding any sort of zero due to it's design.

    Good stuff!

    's me

    Fizz

  7. #7
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    Thank you for your kind words Parabuteo and all, praise like this makes the time we take to design and build things so worth while.

  8. #8
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    Bought a Timney trigger from Dave. Excellent service all round so would recommend.

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