P.O. Ackley, mentor to an entire industry.

I am nearing completion on a book about the famous gunsmith P.O. Ackley. Naturally in the process of researching this book I have talked to everyone I could find who worked with or knew P.O. The challenge is that nearly all his contemporaries have passed on. There are numerous men I was lucky enough to interview that since have passed away. In short I started this project just in time.

The last guy to buy out P.O. Ackley rifle barrels was Mike Bellm, the later is best know for his work with TC’s. Mike’s son has since taken over Bellm TC’s. Mike is one of the few guys who really spent time with P.O. that is still alive. We have become acquainted over the last few years and his descriptions of his time with P.O. Ackley are interesting.

Based on my research it’s obvious that when P.O. was teaching he subscribed to the concept that he should provide the facts and the concepts, but never give you the answer. Mike’s stories fully support this idea. Ackley understood that if you solved the problem by thinking it through, you would learn far more than if he gave you the answer.

Problem solving is something that many young people today are weak on because teachers give the answers. We can’t hurt anyone’s self esteem… I wish I had met Ackley personally, he was my kind of guy, especially when it comes to sharing information. There are no secrets, at least not in the gunsmithing business.

P.O. wrote for two magazines for decades. He not only answered the letters that appeared in print in the magazine, he also answered all the letters that came his way. That is a level of commitment that is tough to find these days. After all, you don’t get paid for all that work, at least not in dollars. I suspect that a large part of Ackley’s fame was a result of his willingness to answer every letter he received.

Fred Zeglin and Mike Bellm

As a result of all this P.O. Ackley mentored two or three generations of gun lovers. The number of gunsmiths who learned from him or worked with him is impressive and has been far reaching in how it has shaped the American gun business. Today new factory cartridges are essentially “Ackley Improved” when they come from the factory. They have straighter case walls and sharper shoulders than the cartridges that came out in the 1970’s and earlier. I argue that much of the reason for this is the fact that Ackley and his trainees proved these concepts so well that the big gun manufacturers had no choice but to follow their lead.

So you could say, P.O. Ackley was a mentor to an entire industry. How many men can you say that about?

The publications are broken up into books for various types of cartridges i.e. Rifle, shotgun, pistol, and rimfire.  So you only download the information you need.  This data answers an incredible number of questions for avid shooters.  All the tolerance specifications, and pressure data are included.  As a bonus the correct methods for testing are described in detail.

In Truth, there is more information provided than most shooters will need.  However, if you’re trying to compare cartridges or want to know the standard dimensions for a cartridge, this is must have information.

Requirements include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Sales experience (required)
• Detailed knowledge of all types of firearms & ammunition
• Understanding of both internal and external ballistics
• Reloading experience is a +
• Basic computer skills include POS, Word, internet use, proficient typing skills
• Good phone etiquette
• Must have your own tools
• Must either be a graduate of an accredited gunsmithing school or have 3 years professional gunsmithing experience.

Grand Prix Guns LLC. 3105 West County Line Road Littleton, CO 80129

Ask For Casey

There is one constant in the universe. No matter how well you plan, something unexpected will always happen. Especially when you’re going into the back country and can’t just run to the store to get something.

For hunters the problem is often that surprises with their gun are the game stoppers. There are a few common problems that you should check for before you leave on your back country trip. A few of them can be solved in the field. We will talk about both and how to best deal with them.

1. Stiff or sticky action. You would be amazed how often a gunsmith gets in a gun with the complaint that it will not cycle.

Solution: Nine times out of ten its just dirty and dry. The quick fix, use a product like Powder Blast™ from Break Free™ to blow out the dirt and dried lubricant. (This type of cleaning removes all oil and can damage finish on stocks.) That’s right oil can dry out, it becomes like a varnish coating parts and making them stick so they do not slide past one another properly. Don’t forget to oil when your done cleaning. You should have sighted in your gun before heading to the field, then you would have caught this problem at home.

2. Horse or 4 wheeler rolled on your gun.

Solution: This can be a game stopper for more than one reason. First, inspect carefully to see if the barrel is bent. If the scope is obviously damaged, it might still shoot OK, find a place, preferably away from your hunting area to test the scope. (You will have to shoot to see if it’s still sighted in.) This is one time that iron sights can be a life saver. You can prepare for this ahead of time by selecting scope mounts that allow you to easily remove the scope with either minimal or no tools. See thru scope mounts are a compromise to allow you to see iron sights at the same time as the scope, I avoid them at all costs.

3. Safety sticking, either on or off.

Solution: If you already in the field, the best fix is a little lube on the safety or trigger where the parts interact. Work the safety on and off many times to see if the problem solves itself. An empty chamber is the only safe answer if the problem persists. Safeties are only a mechanical device and should never be trusted to keep the gun from firing. (Safe gun handling rule: Never allow your muzzle to cross anything you do not want to destroy.) Obviously, if this happens during prep for the trip, take the gun to a gunsmith, or take the time to make sure the problem is fixed.

4. Accuracy has evaporated, can’t hit the broad side of a barn. You pull down on that 1000 pound 14 point buck at 75 yards and totally miss him. Later you take a poke at a doe at 50 yards and miss.

Solution: In the field, switch to iron sights, or a different gun. Many hunters keep a spare gun in the truck “just in case”. First chance you get, hit the range and check your scope for accuracy and to see if it’s still sighted in. Either you will prove the gun is OK or you will find out you had buck fever. Scopes can go bad without notice, if your scope fogs up, then assume it is time to replace it or send it in for service. It is possible that some other factor is causing accuracy issues, ie check the trigger guard screws to make sure they are tight, and check the muzzle for damage. Cracked stocks can cause sudden changes in accuracy or point of impact as well. Copper fowling of the barrel can cause accuracy problems too, take care of this before the season.

5. Misfires.

Solution: Many possible causes. First look to see if the firing pin is leaving a mark on the primer. Remove the firing pin assembly from the bolt, clean it and the firing pin tunnel to make sure there is not powder, brass, or other blockage. Some guys think if a little oil is good that more is better. Not true, just a drop or two of oil on the firing pin is normally all you need. Too much oil can become thick enough in cold weather to cause a misfire.

Clearly this is a fairly general list. What it points out more than anything else is that preparation is the best way to avoid problems. Another thing that jumps out is the need for some simple tools in your field kit. A set of screw drivers and a field cleaning kit can take care of a surprising number of simple problems.

Good Hunting!

here’s how it looked like while he was cutting it :

and the finished slide, top channel cut with 7 “Mitch” vents on each side :

The reason for all the cuts? To lighten the slide so it’ll reciprocate faster, while should lead to faster follow-up shots.

nice huh? Wait till I polish it!

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Wildcatting has been around almost as long as the metallic cartridge case. Wildcats have an air of mystery about them, no effort is made in these pages to diminish that mystique. Yet, you will find information here that is simply not available anywhere else. P.O. Ackley was the last Gunsmith to address the subject of wildcatting in depth. Over forty years later, Fred Zeglin, Master Rifle Builder and wildcatter has assembled in an easy to read, often humorous manual for anyone who loves guns, reloading, or wildcat cartridges.

History of wildcat cartridges is presented including many well known designers like P.O. Ackley, Jerry Gebby, and Charles Newton. The historical information provides an appropriate frame of reference for wildcatting. Nobody really wants to repeat something that has already been done. More recent wildcats are included along with reloading data and dimensions wherever possible.

Most valuable of all is the how-to information about making reamers and reloading dies. Fred supplies dimensions and instructions on how they are used to produce highly accurate reloading dies and chambers. Delivery times for such custom tools can delay a wildcat project by many months, knowing how to make your own dies can speed delivery of custom projects by many months.

Click here to go to Amazon.com and check it out.

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WOW ! Under 2 hrs since I dropped it Jeff had it done! Damn ! Talk about fast !! I am impressed.  Boy, did her under promise and over deliver or what !! Sweet! I might need to buy another AK just to go back to him! Talk about raving fans, just top notch service. He even fixed my stock which was a bit too tight, and helped loosen it up. I did not even ask him to but .. wow… just wow…

~voicesofinsanity

His office is a small , and by small I mean tiny, place on Fillmore, behind ‘Hurricane holes’ or something along those lines. I was slightly apprehensive to be honest, but Jeff was a real nice and down to earth and my fears were allayed instantly. Add to the number of rifles he had sitting around which he was working on and completed added immensely towards addressing my concerns.

I have always been the first to admit I am not always sure what to do with the firearm and so I proceeded to ask Jeff a bunch of noob questions and he was kind enough to address them all. I mentioned I was in no hurry to pick up the rifle and he said it would be done by the 3rd in about 2 weeks. (I will update this then) His charges were very reasonable and compared to the gun club about 1/2 !  Obviously he doesn’t have the enormous overhead they have but again, that is not my concern. So I paid him the 45$ for cutting my barrel and permanently installing the Bonesteel Arms’ flash hider and left. He’s not too far from where I live, about 20-25 minutes, and finding him took a while but all in all so far I am very happy. Once I see the final product I will add to this review. Also the next time I am going I will take my camera along for some pictures.

~voicesofinsanity