I do love watching videos like this as well as custom builds. I have always wanted a custom bolt rifle but I am disabled so i live through guys like you who can build their own. I do or should I say have reloaded but with no primers or powder for sale plus it's cost prohibitive now so when summer comes I'll shoot what I have and continue to watch your videos. Thank You.
I’m old / retired (64) and taking up manual machining as a hobby late in life after a lifetime wood butchering. Saving for my manual lathe now, but have my Bridgeport mill already (72 years old so older than I am. If I lived another 100 years I doubt I could ever learn to manually machine a receiver and bolt that would ever function let alone be accurate. I’ve been shooting for ~ 43 years all up, and have always been amazed at the engineering and machining that goes into gun smithing as well as wooden rifle stock manufacture. If I could “do over” my life again, I would take up gun smithing as a young man and become good at it with time & experience. The CNC aspect of this manufacturing just blows my mind. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this video. Thank you so much for the effort to record it & thanks to Bat actions for allowing us to see it. Sadly living downunder, I would never get a gunsmiths manufacturing license from our Police Firearms enforcement / licensing branch - they are super super strict about policing the manufacture or repairs on firearms - the hoops to jump through are basically impossible to satisfy. I have nothing but admiration for gunsmiths and stock makers. I think it takes a special type of person to have that much attention to detail. Even if I only made one custom rifle to hand down to my 2 sons I reckon I could die a happy man. Way things are going here (downunder we have the most strict firearms laws of anywhere in the world) - with the new even tougher laws about to be passed by parliament - it’s going to be basically impossible even to keep the 3 firearms I’ve had for the last 43 + years. Annual evaluations by a clinical psychologist, annual permission letters by farm owners to allow you to shoot on their property, stringent gun safes and security measures to prevent against theft and so on. I fear the shooting sports downunder are in their final death throes. We have no 2nd amendment right to arm bears! 😜😂 “econd Amendment Right to Bear Arms A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” It’s a sad old world we now live in ruled by woke lefty lunatic fringe tree huggin dope smokin land rights for gay whales Greta Thunbergs of this world unfortunately. Glad I likely won’t live long enough to see it get much worse before my time is up.
Steve Prosch is the fella in shipping there on the right. He's having a tough go battling cancer. In reading this on BAT machine website there's a go fund me link to help the guy out. Truly awesome for a company to advocate for their workers like that. Great tour of a great company. Pray for Steve.
I'm a Texas gunsmith and I'm sayin this video is so cool on so many different levels. First the absolutely "beam me up Scotty" gee whiz of the machines themselves. Second, Mr. Thom actually knows what he's talking about AND is willing to talk about it. I'm not gonna compete with these guys on my old lathe and Bridgeport, but WOW what a nice video! Thanks
people freaking out about how much "waste" there is. it's machining from a solid block of steel. that's just the way it goes. but what, you think they just throw all the shavings in the garbage can? 🤣 stuff like that is usually sold back to the forging company. nothing is really "wasted" though to help justify product cost some places would love to have you believe that.
By the way I should say for wood it's different. Wood costs more the larger the single piece blank is, especially width. This is because trees take upwards of 100 years to grow into usable size and you can't melt the sawdust and get back the same quality wood like you could with metal. Best you can do is either burn the sawdust for fuel or sell it to pulp companies for making paper or particle board. But they have nowhere near the same value as a piece of brazilian rosewood. But metal is very easily recycled. Even scrap steel from construction can be turned into 17-4 PH steel by adding the right trace elements.
godofm - You beat me to it. No company that expects to stay in business "wastes" material. That 8 pounds of metal that was removed in all those operations gets collected and sold back to the original maker. Might go through a scap merchant first, but go back it does.
I'm a gauge maker at a tool and die shop and I program/setup/run Wire EDM. Everything is spot on and seems to be a very good order of operations. Including machining after heat treatment process. If heat treatment was done after machining, the molecule restructure in the steel will cause severe warping and twisting of the action. His process takes longer and I'm sure increases the tooling costs in his shop but that's the price to pay when doing something close to perfection. Nice video and shop.
100% his tooling costs are high. I do cnc programming. I've machined metals heat treated to around 60 hrc and it was near impossible. Swapping tools every piece or even part way through the piece depending on how long the run time is. I'm not sure the hardness of material he's working on. But 17-4 is usually around 35 hrc which is where things begin to get difficult for the average person. Harder after heat treated.
@@Dirkietje8 it's around 35 hrc. 17-4 is 17-4. I'm super familiar with stainless steels. 90 percent of the programs I make are for stainless steels at the company i work for right now. The other 10% is tool steels and superalloys. 45 hrc is getting into the super alloy range. Inconel 718 can be 40 hrc or slightly above for example.
I own one of his SV actions for my 20 Dasher on a Bartlein barrel and couldn't be happier, their customer service is one of the best out there and will go back for another action.
It’s cool to get an engineers perspective instead of a commercial from the marketing department. A few slow moments in the conversation but it’s all awesome to see!
It's cool to organize your own business with a turnover of at least 200k and buy yourself a workshop, instead of working for someone else's business, 8 hours a day and 5 days a week ..
I bought a different action at the beginning of my 33xc build. As i was acquiring all my parts, i decided to sell that action and buy a Bat CT action! Best decision I made with the build! Steve is a awesome person to deal with! He was available as early as 5am!
As a machinist and former gunsmith I really appreciate this video. If I was making an action for myself I would use 4140 and 17-4 so I have a deep respect for the manufacturing choices BAT have made with their actions. My only wish is that they had shown how they make their firing pin tips and what hardness and material they are made from.
@@Awesymoto14 4 ph it's a high strength hardenable stainless steel. With a higher chromium content level then 15 5 or 16 r which means better corrosive resistance and better structure strength. Something like that.
Now that's an Action :) Last year I bought 2 Pristine Actions for my two 223s and so far replaced 2 bolt handles and one complete bolt. Oh and when I bought my first action I had to return it as the bolt was sticking when chambering a round. Good news is guys they are sold in Canada.
My family shoots and we now have three BAT actions we love them. Great video to see the care and hard work put into each action I appreciate them even more now. The actions are so smooth and take so little effort to work the bolt they have been great for teaching my kids to shoot benchrest.
A BAT action is on my bucket list, I handled one at my gunsmith. Jewelry is a perfect description. Go back and listen to it opening and closing in the final assembly area!
I'm a mechanical engineering student who works in a materials science lab. The processes and order of operations that he talks about in the beginning are all spot on! The fact that he heat treats the round stock at the beginning of the whole process is a testament to their dedication for producing excellent parts.
@@Ultimatereloader I'm not very knowledgeable about firearms as a whole, I've only been shooting a couple of times. I find them to be incredibly fascinating mechanisms so I don't think I would mind learning more about how to make them, but currently I'm leaning more towards medical applications. This video has definitely piked my interest!
I did enjoy this. I have built several rifles from scratch same as he, but I did everything on manual machines. Even with all the skill I have, I would not be able to work in his shop, but I can appreciate the quality of his products. Those are some beautiful parts.
I run a EX action in my 50BMG and Daryl was a great help answering questions, if I wasn't already sold on the product the customer service put them over the edge. Great product made by great people.
@@Ultimatereloader I chose the R/H bolt with L/H port single shot version for FCSA Competition. Check out the "Flavio Fare" Whisper Benchrest Trigger which are made in Italy and available from Bruno Shooters supply in the US. Awesome trigger and might be worth a review cause little is known about them.
After this video I made my mind up and ordered an action for my 300 Norma. BAT Action was in my top 3 but they became my 1st choice. Can’t wait to get my hands on my action. Thanks for great content!
@@venusreena2532 ? an idiot? he knows milling, turning, edm. he's built an incredible business producing custom, precision actions. where's your custom shop?
Hey everyone- lots of questions to the effect of: "why do you heat treat first, then machine, doesn't that cause more tool wear?". The reason is to prevent the distortion you'll get if you heat treat AFTER machining. Bat is all about "doing it right".
What do they bring their 17-4 PH to, H900 or something a bit softer like H1025? (Nice shop, they seem dialed in with some good machine tools and setups.)
17-4 PH cuts real nice when hardened even at H900, which is somewhere around a 40 Rockwell. Good coolant or oil mist helps but it's all about speeds and feeds and getting most of the heat to fly off with the chip. Quickly dulling tools or unpredictable tool wear usually indicate poor chip evacuation if all the other cutting conditions are dialed in. Don't want to re-cut chips lol.
They’re beautiful actions! Jim Borden built my BR rifle using his excellent Borden “Bumps” action. I went to his shop and saw how his system works and this video was deja vu all over again. :). BAT actions look to made as well as any I’ve seen. Slap a Lilja barrel on one and you’re ready to go.
I own an early BAT B, it was made in 2005, it's been cycled and shot probably 100,000 times if I had to guess. It is still as precise as the day it was produced. BAT truly makes the most precise accurate action made, I absolutely love it, I own a few custom actions and all are truly pieces of machining perfection but nothing equals the BAT in my opinion. Great video Gavin!
People say they are expensive,but I really think they are priced right.The cost of years of engineering experience,machine expense,employees,building overhead ect ect… And the end results are definitely worth it.. I was impressed with the shop tour.Had no idea they had wire EDM. Loved it…
Okay gunna be dead honest here. I just bought/ordered a custom action. Not from this company but from another top level company and it's awesome to see how they are made from raw bar stock to a finished product. Such meticulous attention to detail is great to see. Really glad you took the time to make this video. Gives some great insight as to what we are spending our money on.
@@Ultimatereloader It's a ground up build (this time). Starting with a Defiance Deviant Tactical action. A Brux 1:9 RT 28" barrel with a 2 piece Beast brake 5 port. A Trigger Tech 2 stage trigger. In a MPA Comp BA chassis. Topped with a Sightron S3 FFP scope. Round is obviously a .338 LM in Lapua brass, CCI primer, VV N565 powder pushing a 250gr Lapua Scenar bullet. That's the plan anyway. Everything is ordered and in process, lol.
If you want to see mind blowing machines check out the asml nxe 3400c, the most complex machine in the world. A single machine costs around 200 million dollars
I only recently learned of Bat from Impact Shooting you tube channel. I know if Piet Malan is having BAT actions built, they have to be world class. This outfit is truly impressive! Thanks for letting us come along.
BAT Manufacturing is a shining star in the custom rifle action manufacturing firmament. Their approach to machining metal and the precision with which they achieve outcome piques, or brings to attention everyone's interest in the shooting world. With their investment in infrastructure and dedication to machining precise actions for rifle owners in America, their motto might just as well be second to none.
I have a BAT action on my 338 Lapua Magnum. Thing is a tack driver. My gunsmith also said he loved working with it and it bedded amazing. My next build will also use a BAT action.
Enjoyed that immensely. I've been wanting to know how that was done for a while now. A big thanks to BAT Machine for giving us an inside look at the basic process. It also gives me some perspective on why a custom action costs so much.
I do a little machine work as a hobby. I don't have any desire to ever do anything for the public, but it gives me a great understanding of why things cost what they do. The piece of stock that started out at nine pounds finished at around one pound. If you aren't very familiar with the industry then you would be very surprised at what that nine pound piece of raw stock cost, and the cost of those machines would easily run over a million dollars in used condition. He's milling and turning those blanks in their hardened state. Some of those carbide inserts in the cutters he's using can run from $10 to $20 each. When you understand his business expenses, you really wonder how he can sell enough actions to keep the doors open.
Interesting video. I’m an orthopaedic guy so put a lot of steel in bodies but I have no idea what these guys are talking about half the time. Can tell they’re having fun geeking out though. Rockin the black ankle Sox. You’re an engineer for sure.
Being a Gunsmith and specializing in LR Precision rifles i can 100% tell you BAT is my favorite action. I have and do work on them all from Borden to Zermatt and everything in between. They have the best finish and smoothest actions on the market that I know of and the models with the cocking piece bearing option are butter smooth. I am also an F Class competitor i have 6. rifles i compete with 1. BAT 1. Nesika 1. Defiance 1. Sako and 2. Remington actions. The BAT model S that I have in 6mm Dasher is my Favorite, i have been competing with it since 2015 and Lord knows how many barrels have been on it and how many rounds have been through with it. The Nesika is my second favorite also in Dasher. The folks at BAT are great to work with and i can talk with them when i need something and they return calls my and they also share their Tenon Blue Prints on their web site unlike a certain company who's name starts with a "D" who just expects you to figure it out. They make a Great Product you'll be proud of for many years to come. Are they expensive?. Yes, but as the saying goes "buy once and cry once" and in this case you get a Quality American Made product worthy of the money spent. if you're contemplating getting a custom action, i'd go with a BAT.
According to 5S those chips are absolutely. Waste being described as anything that does not add value to your part. However it is not uncommon for wire shops to collect their ships and sort them and resell them to their suppliers.
Thank you for sharing this. I shoot F-TR Class, Mid Range. Many of the competitors both in Target Rifle and Open F-Class shoot the BAT actions. Would love to be able to afford one. Maybe some day. They are amazing actions and as far as I am concerned are the top of the mark.
Totally liking the new approach in filming. Feels like I was their. Excellent video show casing Bat Machine. They are truly setting the bar in precision actions👍👍
this is right around the corner where I live. I didnt even know they were there. I think its a new building cause they were building new commercial building there when I left. I'm gonna have to go check them out
my family has had a dozen BAT actions in the last 20 yrs. when we started F-class using Bat actions almost no one ever heard of them. that lasted until about 4 yrs ago. It took them 20 yrs just to get their name out to the masses. Today, 20 somethings act like they discovered the holy grail over them. However, about ten yrs ago we realized Savage 112 target actions shoot just as good for 1/4th the cost! With that said, BAT actions are the smoothest best looking actions a man can own.
Wow I’m blown away too Gavin . That was a awesome look into the way these actions are made . I better start saving my pennies because want one for an 6mm ARC build 😀
@ gavintoobe Hi Gavin , I have considered the 6 Dasher but here in Australia 6mm Dasher cases are hard to find . It won’t be a problem to source Hornady 6mm ARC cases in a few months from now , there should be a plentiful supply arriving here soon . Cheers 🍻
Great video! One thing I would say for future vids like this is to get more close up shots and overhead close up shots showing the parts while they’re being machined and when you guys are talking and the pieces are on the table. Just gives the viewer a better close up of everything you’re discussing in the moment! Thanks 👍🏼👍🏼✔️
I'd love to see a vid of these actions put into action with the rest of the build to finished product and then been shot ,unless of course there is a vid like that ,if so please give me a link ,great vid ,love what these guys are doing and I can now see why having an extremely accurate action can cost a bit more but totally worth the money spent!
Absolutely amazing!! Thanks for the tour! I so agree, it's like jewelry. Those machines are so amazing. I'll bet it's a whole lot of brain work setting all those machines up. But looks easy when there making all that wonderful jewelry. Wish we could have got a closer look at the bolt! It was just beautiful. Just WOW!!
I used to work with Bruce Thom at Keytronic Corp back in the 80's, and back then he would true up a Rem 700 action and install a match grade barrel for very little money:) Those were the days. Now I can't afford to tie his shoes:( But he's as good a guy as you'd ever want to meet, and his actions are top shelf stuff all the way. World class.
yes, both Burce and Daryle are top-notch. They told me some stories about the early days- amazing what they did with manual machines! That's awesome that you got to work with Bruce.
@@Ultimatereloader I just set up the injection molding machines for which Bruce and others made the molds. His hobby at home finally made him have to quit his day job. Seems to be working out fine:)
Thanks so much Gavin that was awesome to the fullest!!!!!! Videos with machining in them anytime is great with me. I hope to see more of this type and soon.
i enjoyed the presentation , and yes I target shoot with the best rifle made. Model 70 Winchester My personal choice after 21 years in the USAF. Thank you for the time it took you to make this video Henry Loos Sr TSGT. USAF (ret)
I've had 6 or so bats..,, my sporter repeater (deer rifle) shoots true "hummer" groups & is just as accurate as the benchrest versions! purely awesome, excellent products & more or less dominate benchrest matches today...
I have 2 BAT actioned rifles. I also have Stiller and Defiance. The BAT"s have spoiled me. The qualitly and finish is phenomenal. I love mine and hope to have more.
@@robwebster2562 Quite frankly, I would be perfectly happy with either one. My Defiance action has worked very well. Both are of comparable quality. Once you start using these types of actions, you will never want to use anything else. You have been warned!
FormerMPSGT I have tried several brands of barrels, but never used Lothar Walter. My first choice in barrels is Krieger, my second choice is Brux. I always have excellent results with Krieger barrels. I have also had several calibers, but never tried a 308 in a custom rifle. The 6BR Norma is amazing for match and varmint shooting. I have tried several of the 6.5’s and really like them. I was shooting 6.5’s long before they became popular. If you don’t mind the recoil, the 300 Win Mag has also done very well for me. Good luck and have fun with your build!
Living in Australia sucks. Trying to build a high quality rifle with all the parts that is so easily available to you guys in the us is impossible. I’ve been waiting 7 months so far just for my anschutz 1710 barreled action same as the one you reviewed
They're not " building " an action , they're manufacturing one. A builder needs parts , a manufacturer just needs materials and tooling . Building and manufacturing are totally different.
What blows my mind is not only the precision of the action and bolt, the the investment that was made to produce the same. I find it interesting that this business is located in ID not WA, OR, and CA.
I shoot a bat m action setup in 284 win for f open, plan to talk to steve again soon for a second bolt so i can swap bolt and barrel and shoot elr with the same rifle. Bat makes one of the finest actions, cycles like it has ball bearings.
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I do love watching videos like this as well as custom builds. I have always wanted a custom bolt rifle but I am disabled so i live through guys like you who can build their own. I do or should I say have reloaded but with no primers or powder for sale plus it's cost prohibitive now so when summer comes I'll shoot what I have and continue to watch your videos. Thank You.
I'm thinking I. Need a receiver for a AR barrel
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How much are the actions
I’m old / retired (64) and taking up manual machining as a hobby late in life after a lifetime wood butchering.
Saving for my manual lathe now, but have my Bridgeport mill already (72 years old so older than I am.
If I lived another 100 years I doubt I could ever learn to manually machine a receiver and bolt that would ever function let alone be accurate.
I’ve been shooting for ~ 43 years all up, and have always been amazed at the engineering and machining that goes into gun smithing as well as wooden rifle stock manufacture.
If I could “do over” my life again, I would take up gun smithing as a young man and become good at it with time & experience.
The CNC aspect of this manufacturing just blows my mind.
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this video.
Thank you so much for the effort to record it & thanks to Bat actions for allowing us to see it.
Sadly living downunder, I would never get a gunsmiths manufacturing license from our Police Firearms enforcement / licensing branch - they are super super strict about policing the manufacture or repairs on firearms - the hoops to jump through are basically impossible to satisfy.
I have nothing but admiration for gunsmiths and stock makers.
I think it takes a special type of person to have that much attention to detail.
Even if I only made one custom rifle to hand down to my 2 sons I reckon I could die a happy man.
Way things are going here (downunder we have the most strict firearms laws of anywhere in the world) - with the new even tougher laws about to be passed by parliament - it’s going to be basically impossible even to keep the 3 firearms I’ve had for the last 43 + years.
Annual evaluations by a clinical psychologist, annual permission letters by farm owners to allow you to shoot on their property, stringent gun safes and security measures to prevent against theft and so on.
I fear the shooting sports downunder are in their final death throes.
We have no 2nd amendment right to arm bears! 😜😂
“econd Amendment Right to Bear Arms
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
It’s a sad old world we now live in ruled by woke lefty lunatic fringe tree huggin dope smokin land rights for gay whales Greta Thunbergs of this world unfortunately.
Glad I likely won’t live long enough to see it get much worse before my time is up.
Steve Prosch is the fella in shipping there on the right. He's having a tough go battling cancer. In reading this on BAT machine website there's a go fund me link to help the guy out. Truly awesome for a company to advocate for their workers like that. Great tour of a great company. Pray for Steve.
I'm a Texas gunsmith and I'm sayin this video is so cool on so many different levels. First the absolutely "beam me up Scotty" gee whiz of the machines themselves. Second, Mr. Thom actually knows what he's talking about AND is willing to talk about it. I'm not gonna compete with these guys on my old lathe and Bridgeport, but WOW what a nice video! Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it- I feel the same way when I see what they do :)
people freaking out about how much "waste" there is. it's machining from a solid block of steel. that's just the way it goes. but what, you think they just throw all the shavings in the garbage can? 🤣 stuff like that is usually sold back to the forging company. nothing is really "wasted" though to help justify product cost some places would love to have you believe that.
They're not sold back at the same cost as they bought the material but it's still a pretty significant chunk of change to sell them back.
Tyler Fu of course. but it's bar stock. generally not crazy expensive to begin with.
By the way I should say for wood it's different. Wood costs more the larger the single piece blank is, especially width. This is because trees take upwards of 100 years to grow into usable size and you can't melt the sawdust and get back the same quality wood like you could with metal. Best you can do is either burn the sawdust for fuel or sell it to pulp companies for making paper or particle board. But they have nowhere near the same value as a piece of brazilian rosewood.
But metal is very easily recycled. Even scrap steel from construction can be turned into 17-4 PH steel by adding the right trace elements.
Charles White64 gotta watch out for those minutes. they'll get ya.
godofm - You beat me to it. No company that expects to stay in business "wastes" material. That 8 pounds of metal that was removed in all those operations gets collected and sold back to the original maker. Might go through a scap merchant first, but go back it does.
I'm a gauge maker at a tool and die shop and I program/setup/run Wire EDM. Everything is spot on and seems to be a very good order of operations. Including machining after heat treatment process. If heat treatment was done after machining, the molecule restructure in the steel will cause severe warping and twisting of the action. His process takes longer and I'm sure increases the tooling costs in his shop but that's the price to pay when doing something close to perfection. Nice video and shop.
100% his tooling costs are high. I do cnc programming. I've machined metals heat treated to around 60 hrc and it was near impossible. Swapping tools every piece or even part way through the piece depending on how long the run time is. I'm not sure the hardness of material he's working on. But 17-4 is usually around 35 hrc which is where things begin to get difficult for the average person. Harder after heat treated.
@@phuckyocouch9098 He said the bolt of 4140 was 41-44 HRC, Im not sure what 17-4's HRC rating was in this cave.
@@Dirkietje8 it's around 35 hrc. 17-4 is 17-4. I'm super familiar with stainless steels. 90 percent of the programs I make are for stainless steels at the company i work for right now. The other 10% is tool steels and superalloys. 45 hrc is getting into the super alloy range. Inconel 718 can be 40 hrc or slightly above for example.
I own one of his SV actions for my 20 Dasher on a Bartlein barrel and couldn't be happier, their customer service is one of the best out there and will go back for another action.
I am lucky enough to own 2 BAT actions (for 6BR and 300 WSM). They are expensive but of amazing quality. It was great to see the build process.
How much are there actions
It is amazing that people are smart enough to make these machines let alone use them. This was a very informative video that I just happened on to.
Thanks for the tour of the BAT manufacturering facility. I enjoy seeing the best of the best, the pinnacle of any industry. They are simply stunning.
It’s cool to get an engineers perspective instead of a commercial from the marketing department.
A few slow moments in the conversation but it’s all awesome to see!
My favorite thing right now is factory tours. You should check out NYC CNC if you want plenty of other factory tours.
It's cool to organize your own business with a turnover of at least 200k and buy yourself a workshop, instead of working for someone else's business, 8 hours a day and 5 days a week ..
Don't insult the man, he's a machinist.
Well, there's a thing called product experts in marketing, this is the person you go if you're an engineer not the usual marketing person.
I bought a different action at the beginning of my 33xc build. As i was acquiring all my parts, i decided to sell that action and buy a Bat CT action! Best decision I made with the build!
Steve is a awesome person to deal with! He was available as early as 5am!
Sounds like Richard from Near Manufacturing. Awesome dude to get scope mounts from, and arguably nothing better.
As a machinist and former gunsmith I really appreciate this video. If I was making an action for myself I would use 4140 and 17-4 so I have a deep respect for the manufacturing choices BAT have made with their actions. My only wish is that they had shown how they make their firing pin tips and what hardness and material they are made from.
not a machinist, what does 17-4 offer?
@@Awesymoto14 4 ph it's a high strength hardenable stainless steel. With a higher chromium content level then 15 5 or 16 r which means better corrosive resistance and better structure strength. Something like that.
I thinks it's titanium.
Now that's an Action :)
Last year I bought 2 Pristine Actions for my two 223s and so far replaced 2 bolt handles and one complete bolt.
Oh and when I bought my first action I had to return it as the bolt was sticking when chambering a round.
Good news is guys they are sold in Canada.
I spent '84-96 running, setup, 1st article and programming FADALs. Thanks for that little bit of nostalgia.
My family shoots and we now have three BAT actions we love them. Great video to see the care and hard work put into each action I appreciate them even more now. The actions are so smooth and take so little effort to work the bolt they have been great for teaching my kids to shoot benchrest.
"dennis" lmao that's my name
A BAT action is on my bucket list, I handled one at my gunsmith. Jewelry is a perfect description. Go back and listen to it opening and closing in the final assembly area!
I'm a mechanical engineering student who works in a materials science lab. The processes and order of operations that he talks about in the beginning are all spot on! The fact that he heat treats the round stock at the beginning of the whole process is a testament to their dedication for producing excellent parts.
Awesome- are you going to try and get into the firearms industry when you get your degree? I got my ME degree a while back :)
@@Ultimatereloader I'm not very knowledgeable about firearms as a whole, I've only been shooting a couple of times. I find them to be incredibly fascinating mechanisms so I don't think I would mind learning more about how to make them, but currently I'm leaning more towards medical applications. This video has definitely piked my interest!
I did enjoy this. I have built several rifles from scratch same as he, but I did everything on manual machines. Even with all the skill I have, I would not be able to work in his shop, but I can appreciate the quality of his products. Those are some beautiful parts.
I have nothing but respect for BAT machine.
I need to come up with another project.
Precision and perfection are not strong enough words.
I run a EX action in my 50BMG and Daryl was a great help answering questions, if I wasn't already sold on the product the customer service put them over the edge. Great product made by great people.
Awesome! BTW: I'm doing a 50 BMG build on an EX action! Stay tuned!
@@Ultimatereloader I chose the R/H bolt with L/H port single shot version for FCSA Competition. Check out the "Flavio Fare" Whisper Benchrest Trigger which are made in Italy and available from Bruno Shooters supply in the US. Awesome trigger and might be worth a review cause little is known about them.
After this video I made my mind up and ordered an action for my 300 Norma. BAT Action was in my top 3 but they became my 1st choice. Can’t wait to get my hands on my action. Thanks for great content!
Precision shooting magazine did an article on BAT many years back. The investment they made, over the years is amazing. Cry once an own a BAT
Precision Shooting and The Accurate Rifle were good magazines. Would love to have a BAT or Nesika one day if I could afford it!
Man. These guys are awesome. I love the akward silences of two people that are just too damn smart. Lol
Owner is not a natural born speaker. Not a big deal.
He did very well, there’s no need for ‘TV’ slick
Hiding some secret we all know 😁
I wouldn't go that far.. this guy in black is borderline idiot
@@venusreena2532 ? an idiot? he knows milling, turning, edm. he's built an incredible business producing custom, precision actions. where's your custom shop?
Hey everyone- lots of questions to the effect of: "why do you heat treat first, then machine, doesn't that cause more tool wear?". The reason is to prevent the distortion you'll get if you heat treat AFTER machining. Bat is all about "doing it right".
I was waiting for him to say that- I’ve been through jim Borden shop before and I asked that same question.
What do they bring their 17-4 PH to, H900 or something a bit softer like H1025? (Nice shop, they seem dialed in with some good machine tools and setups.)
How to contact you via mail or on phone?
Except the thing is you can rough machine, send out for heat treat and finish machine, but in this case it still may not be efficient.
17-4 PH cuts real nice when hardened even at H900, which is somewhere around a 40 Rockwell. Good coolant or oil mist helps but it's all about speeds and feeds and getting most of the heat to fly off with the chip. Quickly dulling tools or unpredictable tool wear usually indicate poor chip evacuation if all the other cutting conditions are dialed in. Don't want to re-cut chips lol.
As a retired tool and mold maker I found this video a lot of fun. Thanks!
same
This gentleman has got everything of the best machines. (Sodick, Mazak etc.)
We got old mazak manual lathes, and I really like them. But a pallet machine is a world above, production wise.
They’re beautiful actions! Jim Borden built my BR rifle using his excellent Borden “Bumps” action. I went to his shop and saw how his system works and this video was deja vu all over again. :). BAT actions look to made as well as any I’ve seen. Slap a Lilja barrel on one and you’re ready to go.
I own an early BAT B, it was made in 2005, it's been cycled and shot probably 100,000 times if I had to guess. It is still as precise as the day it was produced. BAT truly makes the most precise accurate action made, I absolutely love it, I own a few custom actions and all are truly pieces of machining perfection but nothing equals the BAT in my opinion. Great video Gavin!
People say they are expensive,but I really think they are priced right.The cost of years of engineering experience,machine expense,employees,building overhead ect ect… And the end results are definitely worth it.. I was impressed with the shop tour.Had no idea they had wire EDM. Loved it…
Okay gunna be dead honest here. I just bought/ordered a custom action. Not from this company but from another top level company and it's awesome to see how they are made from raw bar stock to a finished product. Such meticulous attention to detail is great to see. Really glad you took the time to make this video. Gives some great insight as to what we are spending our money on.
Rob- awesome! What are you going to build or have built?
@@Ultimatereloader It's a ground up build (this time). Starting with a Defiance Deviant Tactical action. A Brux 1:9 RT 28" barrel with a 2 piece Beast brake 5 port. A Trigger Tech 2 stage trigger. In a MPA Comp BA chassis. Topped with a Sightron S3 FFP scope. Round is obviously a .338 LM in Lapua brass, CCI primer, VV N565 powder pushing a 250gr Lapua Scenar bullet. That's the plan anyway. Everything is ordered and in process, lol.
Amazing how smart some people are to come up with these machines
If you want to see mind blowing machines check out the asml nxe 3400c, the most complex machine in the world. A single machine costs around 200 million dollars
I only recently learned of Bat from Impact Shooting you tube channel. I know if Piet Malan is having BAT actions built, they have to be world class. This outfit is truly impressive! Thanks for letting us come along.
I could cut those same dimensions by eye using a Dremel.
Y'all make precision sound so complicated.
Youre truly, Bubba Gunruiner III 😂
I've lived in post falls my whole life and I'm just now hearing about this company....
Thanks for the Video ... BAT is the premier action for Benchrest for a reason! Machines accurate to 100ths says it all!!!
BAT Manufacturing is a shining star in the custom rifle action manufacturing firmament. Their approach to machining metal and the precision with which they achieve outcome piques, or brings to attention everyone's interest in the shooting world. With their investment in infrastructure and dedication to machining precise actions for rifle owners in America, their motto might just as well be second to none.
Being a retired gunsmith this was very impressive back when I was working that 3 axis Mazak sure would have come handy, great segment.
Dude is a total pro.
No bullshit.
I have a BAT action on my 338 Lapua Magnum. Thing is a tack driver. My gunsmith also said he loved working with it and it bedded amazing. My next build will also use a BAT action.
Enjoyed that immensely. I've been wanting to know how that was done for a while now. A big thanks to BAT Machine for giving us an inside look at the basic process. It also gives me some perspective on why a custom action costs so much.
Glad you enjoyed it!
David Hutchinson
I showed this to my wife and told her the same thing. She wasn’t fooled by my technique but was impressed with the process.
gavintoobe where can we buy your products. Name of Action and nomenclature please! Thank You!
I do a little machine work as a hobby. I don't have any desire to ever do anything for the public, but it gives me a great understanding of why things cost what they do. The piece of stock that started out at nine pounds finished at around one pound. If you aren't very familiar with the industry then you would be very surprised at what that nine pound piece of raw stock cost, and the cost of those machines would easily run over a million dollars in used condition. He's milling and turning those blanks in their hardened state. Some of those carbide inserts in the cutters he's using can run from $10 to $20 each. When you understand his business expenses, you really wonder how he can sell enough actions to keep the doors open.
@@buckinthetree1233 I was wondering that myself. Hopefully he gets enough business. Kind of a niche corner hes in.
Interesting video. I’m an orthopaedic guy so put a lot of steel in bodies but I have no idea what these guys are talking about half the time. Can tell they’re having fun geeking out though. Rockin the black ankle Sox. You’re an engineer for sure.
Hi great job.. my first BAT was 12 years ago and still shoots great. Just ordered another and can’t wait.
Nothing better than a Bat.
Hope they make a 22 rimfire action someday.
Been there, took a little tour, got the shirt! (and 3 actions)
Got my Batt SV action 4 years ago, wow just wow, so much qualty, in price
Thanks for setting this up, thanks to Bruce for letting us in. I own two.
Awesome- you KNOW how good these actions are then!
gavintoobe yes, I watched them quickly take over the line and equipment lists in short range bench rest.
Well done video and a testament to Bruce's reputation as an industry icon.
Being a Gunsmith and specializing in LR Precision rifles i can 100% tell you BAT is my favorite action. I have and do work on them all from Borden to Zermatt and everything in between. They have the best finish and smoothest actions on the market that I know of and the models with the cocking piece bearing option are butter smooth. I am also an F Class competitor i have 6. rifles i compete with 1. BAT 1. Nesika 1. Defiance 1. Sako and 2. Remington actions. The BAT model S that I have in 6mm Dasher is my Favorite, i have been competing with it since 2015 and Lord knows how many barrels have been on it and how many rounds have been through with it. The Nesika is my second favorite also in Dasher. The folks at BAT are great to work with and i can talk with them when i need something and they return calls my and they also share their Tenon Blue Prints on their web site unlike a certain company who's name starts with a "D" who just expects you to figure it out. They make a Great Product you'll be proud of for many years to come. Are they expensive?. Yes, but as the saying goes "buy once and cry once" and in this case you get a Quality American Made product worthy of the money spent. if you're contemplating getting a custom action, i'd go with a BAT.
Awesome, great to hear your experiences with BAT and other actions! I agree, can't beat BAT!
I have several of the Fadal machines! They are fantastic!
I'm watching this for educational purposes my agent, and this video just got recommendation to me
It isnt waste, those chips are collected and recycled. That's the difference between billet and forging.
According to 5S those chips are absolutely. Waste being described as anything that does not add value to your part. However it is not uncommon for wire shops to collect their ships and sort them and resell them to their suppliers.
@@FormerlyOn2Wheels you can't avoid chips with billet. It's up to the customer what they want.
Thank you for sharing this. I shoot F-TR Class, Mid Range. Many of the competitors both in Target Rifle and Open F-Class shoot the BAT actions. Would love to be able to afford one. Maybe some day. They are amazing actions and as far as I am concerned are the top of the mark.
У вас в стране одни из самых лучших производителей оружия, успехов в начинаниях, спасибо за видео.
through and through American company! SO much respect!
The first thing that came to mind when seeing the slug come out of the action after the EDM process was, that would make a great action wrench.
Totally liking the new approach in filming. Feels like I was their. Excellent video show casing Bat Machine. They are truly setting the bar in precision actions👍👍
Thanks Kenny! Agree, they are amazing actions.
Don’t forget to full length resize and bump the shoulder .002”.
Jk just poking the bear #EricCortina
@Joseph Rivera It’s all good , the boys will be getting together for a few cold 🍺 🍺 soon .
this is right around the corner where I live. I didnt even know they were there. I think its a new building cause they were building new commercial building there when I left. I'm gonna have to go check them out
my family has had a dozen BAT actions in the last 20 yrs. when we started F-class using Bat actions almost no one ever heard of them. that lasted until about 4 yrs ago. It took them 20 yrs just to get their name out to the masses. Today, 20 somethings act like they discovered the holy grail over them. However, about ten yrs ago we realized Savage 112 target actions shoot just as good for 1/4th the cost! With that said, BAT actions are the smoothest best looking actions a man can own.
Wow I’m blown away too Gavin . That was a awesome look into the way these actions are made . I better start saving my pennies because want one for an 6mm ARC build 😀
Go for it! 6 ARC on a Bat would be awesome. BUT- have you thought about 6 Dasher?
@ gavintoobe Hi Gavin , I have considered the 6 Dasher but here in Australia 6mm Dasher cases are hard to find . It won’t be a problem to source Hornady 6mm ARC cases in a few months from now , there should be a plentiful supply arriving here soon . Cheers 🍻
Really appreciate this wonderful tour. Kudos to Steve “ still working on getting my action...thanks
Fire arms fabrication is both a science and a freaking ART
Great video!
One thing I would say for future vids like this is to get more close up shots and overhead close up shots showing the parts while they’re being machined and when you guys are talking and the pieces are on the table. Just gives the viewer a better close up of everything you’re discussing in the moment!
Thanks 👍🏼👍🏼✔️
I have several Bat 3LL actions. By far my favorite custom actions!!!!!! Good job Bruce
I love that the shipping guy has a cassette tape boom box!
I'd love to see a vid of these actions put into action with the rest of the build to finished product and then been shot ,unless of course there is a vid like that ,if so please give me a link ,great vid ,love what these guys are doing and I can now see why having an extremely accurate action can cost a bit more but totally worth the money spent!
Absolutely amazing!! Thanks for the tour! I so agree, it's like jewelry. Those machines are so amazing. I'll bet it's a whole lot of brain work setting all those machines up. But looks easy when there making all that wonderful jewelry. Wish we could have got a closer look at the bolt! It was just beautiful. Just WOW!!
That was amazing. Very impressive manufacturing process. You can see were the value comes from.
Couldn't agree more!
We get the kind of action we pay for. Nice to see the process.
This is super interesting I had no idea actions were so critical to accuracy and performance of a firearm . Very interesting stuff
Thanks to you and BAT for a very enlightening video.
Awesome video! Its really interesting watching the machines make the parts! Especially made in the USA
Nice. My .338 Edge and .20 Beggs has a Bat action. This will be interesting.
Own 4 BAT's 2-'M' , 1-'MB' and 1-'VR' .... absolutely the finest custom action ! IMHO
NICE!!!!
I’m telling you guys, Idaho is the best kept secret in the nation
I used to work with Bruce Thom at Keytronic Corp back in the 80's, and back then he would true up a Rem 700 action and install a match grade barrel for very little money:) Those were the days. Now I can't afford to tie his shoes:(
But he's as good a guy as you'd ever want to meet, and his actions are top shelf stuff all the way. World class.
yes, both Burce and Daryle are top-notch. They told me some stories about the early days- amazing what they did with manual machines! That's awesome that you got to work with Bruce.
@@Ultimatereloader I just set up the injection molding machines for which Bruce and others made the molds. His hobby at home finally made him have to quit his day job. Seems to be working out fine:)
Jay, been a few years! thanks for the comments!
@@brucethom4957 You bet brother. Good to see the shop is doing well:)
That is World class kit ,Awesome Deluxe brilliant
Thanks so much Gavin that was awesome to the fullest!!!!!! Videos with machining in them anytime is great with me. I hope to see more of this type and soon.
This was an awesome tour. Thanks Gavin & BAT.
i enjoyed the presentation , and yes I target shoot with the best rifle made. Model 70 Winchester
My personal choice after 21 years in the USAF.
Thank you for the time it took you to make this video
Henry Loos Sr
TSGT. USAF (ret)
That’s a pretty cool fixture holding the 2 three jaw chucks in the horizontal.
I've had 6 or so bats..,, my sporter repeater (deer rifle) shoots true "hummer" groups & is just as accurate as the benchrest versions! purely awesome, excellent products & more or less dominate benchrest matches today...
I have 2 BAT actioned rifles. I also have Stiller and Defiance. The BAT"s have spoiled me. The qualitly and finish is phenomenal. I love mine and hope to have more.
How did the Defiance stack up? I'm curious because the rifle I'm building now I'm going to use a Defiance Tactical.
@@robwebster2562 Quite frankly, I would be perfectly happy with either one. My Defiance action has worked very well. Both are of comparable quality. Once you start using these types of actions, you will never want to use anything else. You have been warned!
Who made your Barrels and what Calibers please? I’m considering Lothar Walther Barrel in 308 for a Short Action Build!
FormerMPSGT I have tried several brands of barrels, but never used Lothar Walter. My first choice in barrels is Krieger, my second choice is Brux. I always have excellent results with Krieger barrels. I have also had several calibers, but never tried a 308 in a custom rifle. The 6BR Norma is amazing for match and varmint shooting. I have tried several of the 6.5’s and really like them. I was shooting 6.5’s long before they became popular. If you don’t mind the recoil, the 300 Win Mag has also done very well for me. Good luck and have fun with your build!
Living in Australia sucks. Trying to build a high quality rifle with all the parts that is so easily available to you guys in the us is impossible. I’ve been waiting 7 months so far just for my anschutz 1710 barreled action same as the one you reviewed
Sorry to hear that :(
They're not " building " an action , they're manufacturing one. A builder needs parts , a manufacturer just needs materials and tooling . Building and manufacturing are totally different.
Gavin's totally nerding out on the machines more than what they are making...
omfg, custom gun dorks! AWESOME!
Just watched this again, such a great vid! Glad it did so well!
Very cool video ...when I went to school for cnc machining all that was pretty cool But the machines they have today are friking awesome
As A retired machinist running a lot of CNC machines. thanks enjoyed
Awesome, if you enjoyed it that says something about what these guys do!
What blows my mind is not only the precision of the action and bolt, the the investment that was made to produce the same. I find it interesting that this business is located in ID not WA, OR, and CA.
Those states aren't firearm friendly, Idaho is.
I'm more surprised to hear that it's in Post Falls and not around Boise like everything else.
Awesome vid Gav! Hopefully some of those actions being made were mine ;)
I hope so too, love your content.
Ha ha, yes hopefully you get it soon! Thanks Piet
just this name on your channel so I had to look it up .now I want one.
@@michaelmuzzy8401
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It was fun to see the machines that make the parts.
I shoot a bat m action setup in 284 win for f open, plan to talk to steve again soon for a second bolt so i can swap bolt and barrel and shoot elr with the same rifle. Bat makes one of the finest actions, cycles like it has ball bearings.
Great Video Gavin
Very happy with mine, great to see the machining processes.
Love 5 after the decimal precision !
Outstanding work by BAT. Good video to detail the work that goes into making those actions.
Glad you liked it!
Nice vid, Thanks for taking the time to make the video and share it.
And nice craftmanship
That’s one of the cleanest machine shops I’ve ever seen!