August 30, 2024
By Alfredo Rico
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As a shooter who works on my guns and reloads my own ammo, I am always on the lookout for tools that will make a task easier or more precise. After searching the web for a barrel vise, I ran across a line of gunsmithing tools from Short Action Customs (SAC). Their products caught my eye because of their fresh design approach, manufacturing quality, and modularity. SAC is a custom precision rifle builder based in Wellington, Ohio. It was founded in 2009 by Mark Gordon, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. After an honorable discharge in 2006, he earned an Associate of Arts degree in gunsmithing and became a licensed airframe & power plant mechanic on the Cleveland Clinic Life Flight helicopters. Putting his gunsmithing degree to work, he spun up barrels on the side until his work became in such high demand that he was able to dedicate himself full time to SAC. The SAC rifle builds use many high-end, proven actions and barrels from multiple custom barrel manufacturers. Their gunsmithing services include action truing, custom throating, bolt fluting, and a host of other performance improving customizations. If you want a laser-like rifle build or are seeking to improve your rifle’s precision, SAC has the knowledge and experience to enhance its performance. In their drive to build the best precision rifles, they found that some existing tools fell short of their needs and redesigned them to make them better. The result is a series of premium gunsmithing and reloading products that are built with precision and modularity.
The Bravo Barrel Vise and Modular Barrel Vise SAC’s Bravo and Modular Barrel Vises are heavy duty and service a wide range of barrel diameters. The $175 Bravo Barrel Vise is a two-jaw clamping vise that is CNC machined from 7075 aluminum and includes a V bushing that fits 1.25-, 1.2-, and 1-inch barrels. The design is straightforward with two cap head screws that tighten with an Allen key to secure the barrel to the vise. Additional bushings are available for thinner barrels. For mounting, the vise includes two threaded holes and an ARCA compatible dovetail machined on the base’s bottom. The dovetail is designed to slip into their ARCA Mounting Base, making the vise quickly detachable. If you’re swapping out a lot of barrels, you’ll want to look at the Modular Barrel Vise. It is also made of 7075 aluminum but has a single torque screw instead of two. In place of a screw, SAC engineered a hinge for ease of use. To clamp or release a barrel, loosen the torque screw and flop the top jaw open or closed. The Modular Barrel Vise uses the same bushings and has the same mounting holes and dovetail as the Bravo Barrel Vise. When mounted securely to a platform, both of these vises are heavy duty and can withstand high torques needed to release stubborn barrels. Another nice feature is that the vices use easy-to-find drywall tape instead of rosin to grip the barrel and prevent marring of finished or painted surfaces.
Modular Action Wrenches An essential tool for barrel removal is an action wrench. If you have more than one type of action, buying multiple wrenches can get expensive and take up a lot of space. The SAC Modular Action Wrench simplifies this with their modular design. The wrench consists of the body, a removable head, and bumper. The body is made of 4140 alloy steel with a super hard heat treat and black oxide finish and handles up to 60-80 ft-lbs of torque. That’s about 100 ft-lbs above what a barrel should be torqued to and should be plenty strong to remove stubborn barrels too. The head is made from 4140 alloy steel and heat treated to HRC 32 with a black oxide finish. There are 20 heads available that will fit many of the popular actions, including custom actions. The SAC Modular Action Wrench is a rear-entry wrench and hassle free to use. Simply slide the appropriate head on the wrench, screw in the SAC bumper, and insert into the receiver. Attach a 5/8-inch socket head, and using a breaker bar or torque wrench, remove or install a receiver. The Modular Action Wrench body costs $125, while the heads run $50 each.
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Final Scope Level and Multi-Base If you have many scopes, the Final Scope Level will make your life easier. It’s a dedicated scope mounting platform that allows you to quickly mount and level a scope independent of the rifle. The unit is CNC machined from 6061 aluminum and is designed and manufactured in the United States like all the products here. It is type 3 hard coat anodized black. The rail has been CNC cut in single operation to M1913 specification, making its surfaces highly square and parallel. The Final Scope Level’s $200 price tag initially made me wonder if it was worth the cost, but once I started using it, it became a must have item due to its ease of use and utility. To level the scope, you must first level the top rail with a bubble level by turning the washers on threaded bolt ball joints. This adjusts the pitch and yaw of the rail. Once level, add the scope rings, level the scope, add an anti-cant device, and you’re done. I have double checked scopes I’ve mounted with the Final Scope Level with a line and plumb bob and found it to be dead on. What gives the Final Scope Level a lot of versatility is its base. The underside of the base has been drilled and tapped with two holes for hard mounting to a workbench. The base is also machined with ARCA compatible dovetail for use with SAC’s ARCA Mounting Base or any ARCA compatible clamp. These clamps are commonly found on many tripod heads used in precision shooting. The Final Scope Level can also be installed on SAC’s Multi-Base, which is what I used as a stable base for mounting scopes, performing turret tracking tests, and for side-by-side scope comparisons. The Multi-Base is CNC machined out of 6061 aluminum. It has a lengthwise slot machined specifically for the Final Scope Level’s center pillar screw to ride in the slot and is secured as you snug the Final Scope Level’s plastic nuts. The base also has many holes including the threaded holes to mount the ARCA Mounting Base or a myriad of other devices. To add even more utility, SAC machined the bottom of the Multi-Base with an ARCA compatible dovetail, so it could be mounted on a tripod or used by itself on a precision rifle for stability.
Modular Sizing Dies and “The” Bullet Seating Die The Modular Action Wrench handles stubborn barrels with ease, and additional heads can be purchased from SAC. “The” Seating Die’s price tag is justified in the versatility of its use with a range of calibers. SAC has also applied their modular concept to their full-length sizing die and bullet seater. The Modular Sizing Dies are available in two short-action models: the BRA and the Creedmoor. At $325 each, you may ask if they have gold plated lock rings. They don’t. What makes them a good value is that each of the Modular Sizing Dies are designed to be used for a family of cartridges, not a single dedicated one. For example, the BRA dies will size 22 BRA, 6 BRA, and 25 BRA. The Creedmoor Modular Sizing Dies size 6, 6.5, 25, and 22 Creedmoor. Since each family shares the same body dimensions and shoulder angle, the same body die can be used for every cartridge. For the neck, the die uses a SAC designed neck/shoulder bushing, which can be swapped out for the cartridge you are using. One neck bushing is included with the die, but additional bushings are available for $35. One of the features unique to the SAC neck/shoulder bushing is that it is slightly tapered toward the top of the bushing to work the shoulder/neck junction less, reduce run out, and minimize the effect a donut can have on deep seated bullets. “The” Seating Die is also multi-functional and seats short action cartridges with bullet calibers from .22 to .30. It even seats the popular shorty 6s like the 6 GT. At $375, its usability across the spectrum of short action cartridges makes it a deal.
The die accomplishes this wide range by using two bullet seating sleeves. The Model 1 sleeve is designed for .22-caliber to 6.5mm bullets, while the Model 2 serves 6.5 to .30-caliber bullets. For cartridges like the 6 BR or 6 GT, the die includes a 10mm stainless steel ball spacer. The inside of the sleeve is tapered to spread the pressure along a larger surface area and helps maintain concentricity. What’s great about using this seating die is that it won’t imprint a ring on the bullet like many bullet seaters. The bullet seater uses a Micrometer Head from Mitutoyo, which is known for their high-quality, precision measuring instruments. Aside from the value they provide, do the dies do what they claim and reduce runout? After my small test of loading 30 rounds with the SAC dies and 30 rounds with my match dies, the answer is yes. In my test, I checked case concentricity after sizing and concentricity on the bullet after seating and entered it into a spreadsheet. I found that 30 percent of the ammo using SAC dies had less runout than my dies. The concentricity ranged from .000 to .001, and there were a few with a runout of .002. This is what I normally get with my dies, but the SAC dies had fewer ammo that equaled or exceeded .001. In my experience, I have found no perceptible differences downrange between .003 or .000 runout, so a .002 runout raises no concerns. From a mental standpoint though, it was refreshing seeing more .000s in my spreadsheet and having bullets without the shiny ring from the bullet seater. Continuing with the modular mission, SAC also makes a series of Expander Mandrels for $50 each that are designed to work inside their sizing die and seating die.
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Modular Headspace Comparator A great compliment to the sizing dies is the Modular Headspace Comparator. At a glance, this looks like a normal comparator, but it is a two-part system: a body and a head insert. There are two bodies available, a standard and a short. The standard is for loaded ammunition up to .338 Lapua Magnum, while the short is more convenient for measuring a case or a bullet. There are two types of heads: one for measuring the headspace and the other for measuring the bullet. Both are available for calibers ranging from .20 to .375. The inserts mate tightly to the comparator body via an O-ring. This allows you to swap out the insert when measuring a different bullet or case. What makes the SAC comparator excellent is that headspace inserts are machined with a shoulder angle for a precise measurement. This small feature made a big difference when seating the case. It locked the case in firmly and quickly without having to twist the case much to level it to the calipers. The body and heads are $30 each, or you can buy the kit for $175. The kit includes a comparator body of your choice, four inserts of your choice, and a beautiful CNC-machined aluminum stand.
I used the SAC products for a month and found myself reaching for their reloading products instead of mine for other reloading projects. This surprised me because I have excellent reloading dies and a comparator that gets great results. With their gunsmithing tools, I came to favor the simplicity of the Modular Vice’s hinged jaw, the compactness of the Modular Wrench, the fastidiousness of the Final Scope Level, and the multitude of uses of the Multi-Base. SAC is hitting a home run on many levels and carving a unique niche in the market. Their quality, design, and expansive utility are what makes them a valuable investment for any reloader, gunsmith, or DIYer.
