XYZ bed mill on target at Precision Rifles

The XYZ RMX 3500 with ProtoTRAK control in-situ at Precision Rifles

A new XYZ RMX 3500 bed mill with ProtoTRAK RX Touchscreen control is proving a sure-fire hit at one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of custom rifles. Precision Rifle Services Ltd (Precision Rifles), located on the 55,000-acre Glenlivet Estate in Scotland’s whisky country, is using the RMX 3500 to facilitate its transition to CNC milling. By moving away from manual mills, the company is already seeing a significant reduction in machining hours for key operations such as the in-letting of composite rifle stocks.

Formed in 1990, Precision Rifles is a small, four-employee business dedicated to producing the world’s most precise custom rifles - providing customers with an accuracy guarantee. The company’s workshop is located at Ballindalloch, deep in the Scottish Highlands. Although an unlikely place to find an XYZ CNC milling machine, like much of the surrounding countryside, it is a sight to behold.

Callum Ferguson, company owner and managing director, said: “Business is currently as strong as it has even been, which is part of the reason for investing in a CNC bed mill. There is a limit to how many workshop hours we can exploit with our existing manual milling machines, so investing in a CNC mill has helped us move through our workload much faster.”

Precision Rifles has known of Devon-based XYZ Machine Tools for many years, largely from its prominent industry presence and exhibition appearances. After initial discussions, the company visited XYZ’s Scottish showroom in Livingston to see demonstrations of an RMX 3500 bed mill with ProtoTRAK RX touchscreen control.

The ProtoTRAK RX touchscreen control simplifies rifle stock in-letting at Precision Rifles

Mr Ferguson said: “It is great that there is a showroom here in Scotland. We wanted to make sure we were making the right decision as an investment in a CNC machine tool is a big commitment for a small business like ours.”

The primary role for the XYZ RMX 3500, which arrived in August 2024, is the inletting of rifle stocks. A rifle stock supports the barrel and action while simultaneously helping the shooter control the firearm. The machine’s X, Y and Z axis travels of 750 x 480 x 510mm (over its 1,370 x 355mm table) make it the ideal size for this challenging task, ably supported by a 5,000rev/min, 3.75kW programmable spindle.

Precision Rifles imports its composite stocks from the USA, where they are manufactured from layers of fibreglass cloth, impregnated with epoxy resin and moulded together at high pressure. Machining these synthetic materials is problematic because of subtle differences in the geometric tolerances of each moulding. Precision Rifles has to calculate the optimal position for the action in relation to individual stocks.

Simon Nicoll, who is responsible for operating the new XYZ machine at Precision Rifles, said: “We use Fusion 360 software to create a drawing for each stock and then export the DXF file to the ProtoTRAK® control. In-letting stocks is high-tolerance work, with precise draft angles and radii to ensure a perfect fit of the action metalwork with supporting contact all round.”

Flexibility
Each stock costs hundreds of pounds before Precision Rifles even starts machining. Accuracy is therefore paramount, as scrap can prove extremely expensive. Mr Nicholl added: “One of the machine’s many benefits is its flexibility. We take advantage of the conversational programming capabilities of ProtoTRAK to make as many parts as possible in-house.”

A good example is the custom base for each rifle’s sight/scope. Machined on the RMX 3500 from aluminium, bases feature a custom radius and, depending on the rifle’s intended use, an incline that makes it slightly lower at the front than the rear.

The XYZ RMX 3500 with 5,000rev/min, 3.75kW programmable spindle in-letting a composite rifle stock

Mr Nicholl explained: “We can machine these manually but it is an all-day operation that proves expensive for the customer. However, with our RMX 3500 we machine the bottom side in just 8min, turn it over and complete the top side in 24min. It is quite incredible what we can achieve conversationally at the ProtoTRAK control.”

Precision Rifles takes particular advantage of the control’s TRAKing feature. Certain toolpaths feature very small clearances of 0.01in (0.25mm), which are quite easy to misjudge. Nr Nicholl continued: “TRAKing means we can physically move through the program with the handwheel for complete peace of mind,” says Simon. “It reduces the chances of wrecking an expensive workpiece. We are so impressed with the precision of the machine. We get gauge-level accuracy almost without trying.”

Precision has always been a topic of interest to Callum. Before founding Precision Rifles he worked for a rifle barrel maker, learning how to manufacture and fit match-grade barrels. Callum soon had a yearning to set up a business building custom rifles with ‘bench-rest’ accuracy.

“Like many things in life, a rifle is only as good as the components, tools and expertise used in its creation. Component quality depends on utilising modern methods of production, which is why we have taken a huge step forward with our machining capability. We are extremely pleased with our RMX 3500 milling machine, and it will only get better as we create more programs and gain familiarity with different CNC operations. We are already able to create types of radii and pockets that are extremely challenging on a manual mill without consuming an inordinate amount of time. The XYZ CNC bed mill is proving to be an enormously helpful asset.”