Welcome to The Precision Report
Dive into real-world custom rifle builds, expert gunsmithing techniques, precision reloading tips, and deep-dive guides from a working shop in Chandler, MN. Whether you're a hunter, competitive shooter, or builder, this blog is built for you.

Most hunters who call Redleg about a custom build open with the same sentence: "I was thinking maybe $2,000?" That number comes from somewhere. Maybe they priced a factory rifle at a big box store. Maybe they talked to someone who bought a used hunting rifle and called it a build. Maybe they just guessed. Here is what $2,000 actually buys in 2026: a solid factory hunting rifle with no optic, no suppressor, no scope mounted and lapped, no ammo tested, no dope card, no zero con

If you have been waiting to buy a suppressor, 2026 is the year. The $0 NFA tax stamp changed everything. On January 1, 2026, the federal NFA transfer tax on suppressors dropped to zero. That single change sent 150,000 e-Forms into the ATF system on day one alone. If you are a Minnesota hunter trying to figure out how to buy a suppressor in Minnesota in 2026, this guide covers the full process from choosing the right can to getting it installed and zeroed. Normal daily volume

AR-15 vs AR-10 vs Bolt Action for Deer Hunting: The Real Answer If your current rifle has already started giving you problems, start here before you consider a new platform: 👉 When a Rifle Suddenly SHOOTS BAD: the most common causes and how we diagnose them at Redleg: https://www.redlegguns.com/post/when-a-rifle-suddenly-shoots-bad-why-my-rifle-wont-group Or if you want to understand the full accuracy system before choosing a new build: 👉 What Actually Makes a Rifle Accurat

Custom Build Redleg System includes Rifle, Scope, Ammo, and Reloading Dies Most shooters think they already know what makes a rifle accurate. You changed the ammo. It didn't help. You swapped the scope. Still inconsistent. You've put thousands of dollars into that rifle and it still won't do what it should at 300 yards. You're starting to wonder if something is fundamentally wrong with it. Here's what we see constantly at Redleg: the rifle isn't broken. The diagnosis is. Befo

Introduction: Threading Is Not a Simple Job Every week, rifles come into the Redleg shop that used to shoot well. The suppressor gets blamed. The ammo gets swapped. The optic gets checked. And the problem doesn't go away because none of those things caused it. In almost every case, the issue starts at the muzzle, and it started the day the barrel was threaded. Most shooters think barrel threading is simple. Cut threads. Screw on a suppressor. Done. Two customer rifles threade

“½ MOA Guaranteed.” You’ve seen it everywhere. It’s printed on rifle websites. Quoted at gun counters. Repeated online until it sounds like a universal truth. But ask ten shooters what an “accuracy guarantee” actually means and you’ll get ten different answers. That’s not an accident. In the firearms industry, accuracy guarantees are one of the most misunderstood and most abused marketing tools. Not because accuracy isn’t real, but because the way it’s presented often leaves

Picture This You’re at the range. Heart rate steady. Dope dialed. Wind checked. First shot perfect. Second shot still good. Then the group opens up like a shotgun pattern. Frustration hits. “Barrel’s shot out,” you mutter already pricing replacements, scopes, maybe a new stock. Stop. Most rifles don’t die overnight. Something changed and 9 times out of 10, it’s not the barrel. At Redleg, we’ve seen shooters waste thousands of dollars chasing the wrong problem. That’s why we b

The True Measure of a Rifle Isn’t How It Shoots Dirty It’s How It Shoots Clean. Every precision shooter eventually learns the same painful truth: Barrels don’t lose accuracy overnight. They lose it one careless cleaning at a time. At Redleg Precision Guns in Chandler, Minnesota, we build and maintain rifles that live at the intersection of craftsmanship and science. We chamber, bed, and tune rifles for PRS, F-Class, ELR, and precision hunting and we’ve scoped, measured, and d

Command the Dark Picture this: It's 2 AM on a sub-zero night in southwest Minnesota. The wind bites through your gloves, and the only sound is the crunch of frost under your boots. Suddenly, a coyote's heat signature blooms on your scope like a ghost rising from the snow. That's the power of thermal optics turning the hunter into the unseen predator. At Redleg, we've seen how these tools revolutionize night hunting, but only when matched with precision craftsmanship. The Ther

Comparing Precision in Factory and Custom Rifle Actions: Pros, Cons, and Redleg Refinements Borden Accuracy: The Pursuit of Perfect Symmetry Overview: Jim Borden’s actions are synonymous with true precision. Benchrest shooters rely on them because every line, lug, and bore is cut to near-molecular consistency. The Ridgeline and Alpine are among the most concentric custom actions ever made. Pros: EDM-cut raceways and lug seats ensure perfect bolt travel. Ultra-tight tolerances

I. The Rifle Action as a Dynamic Structure Every rifle action is a pressure vessel, a torque tube, and a resonance system all in one. The moment the firing pin strikes, the rifle transitions from static geometry to a dynamic elastic system steel flexes, vibrations travel, and forces balance across microscopic imperfections. Let’s break down what actually happens inside that split second: The firing pin accelerates at 10 – 15 feet per second, striking the primer with roughly 1

Some jobs start with a story. Others start with numbers that just don’t add up. A client brought in a new lever-action rifle that looked flawless but wasn’t shooting like one. The primers on his fired brass were backing out, and he wanted the rifle tightened, the chamber shortened, a trigger job, and a full Cerakote refinish. On the surface, it sounded simple. But when you measure everything, the truth shows up in thousandths of an inch. ⚠️ A Word of Caution For Lever Action

If you’ve been in the shooting game for a while, you already know this truth: barrels wear out. But if you're newer to precision shooting, you might be surprised how early those effects start and how significantly they can impact your rifle’s performance. What is “barrel life”? Simply put, a rifle barrel’s life is the number of rounds it can fire before accuracy or velocity degrades beyond your acceptable level for hunting, competition, or tight group shooting. 🧰 Why Barrel

Every precision shooter reaches a point where something feels off: your once-dialed-in rifle starts throwing random flyers, velocity strings stretch out, and your bolt feels a little... tight. Is it the brass? Bad batch of powder? Did your scope shift? Odds are it’s none of those. You may have a carbon ring. This issue plagues custom rifles, especially high-pressure cartridges like the 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 6mm Dasher the same rifles we build and shoot here at Red

Diagnosing Gas System and Extraction Issues in AR-15 and AR-10 Platforms Your AR ran fine all summer. You get to the range two weeks before deer season and it starts short-stroking. One round fires, the bolt does not go back far enough, the spent case does not eject. You rack it manually. It fires again. Same problem. You swap the ammo. Same problem. You clean the rifle. Same problem. You are now two weeks out from the opener with a rifle that does not work and no idea what c

Whether you're building precision bolt guns at Redleg or tuning AR platforms for coyote hunting, understanding trigger mechanics is essential. This section is for those who know their way around a mill, have worked a stoning jig, or obsess over sear angles like a toolmaker. 🧩 Fundamentals: How a Rifle Trigger Works Mechanically A rifle trigger system is essentially a levered mechanical release that manages the engagement between: Sear: The component that holds back the firin

🎯 Introduction: Precision Demands Consistency You're dialed in at the range. Everything prints sub-MOA. Then, on the first crisp November morning of deer season, your shot lands three inches off zero. You didn’t change your ammo. You didn’t bump your scope. So what happened? Welcome to the world of thermal drift a subtle but critical factor in long-range and hunting accuracy. This article unpacks what thermal drift is, how it impacts your gear, and how to mitigate it like a

Whether you’re a hunter looking to protect your hearing, a competitive shooter managing recoil, or simply a firearms enthusiast interested in suppressors, threading your barrel is a smart and increasingly popular upgrade. But it’s not just a matter of cutting threads and screwing something on. When it comes to threading barrels for suppressors, precision and alignment matter far more than most shooters realize. At Redleg Guns, we offer precision barrel threading services for

Whether you’re out in the field chasing whitetail or spending time at the bench dialing in your load, dings and dents in your rifle stock can happen. The good news? If the damage is just a compression of the wood fibers (not a gouge or chip), there’s a time-tested fix: steam. At Redleg Guns, we’re all about helping you preserve the precision and beauty of your firearms. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to steam a dent out of a wood stock using tools you likely already have

Every rifle tells a story but not every ding or dent needs to be part of it. Whether it’s from a hunt, a bump in the safe, or just years of use, minor stock damage is something most gun owners will face. Luckily, there's a clean, effective fix that doesn’t require a full refinish: clear epoxy. At Redleg Guns, we use a simple but reliable method that blends durability and appearance and yes, it includes a trick with painter’s tape that makes blending a breeze. Here’s how we do