Centerfire Rifle Accuracy By William Hambly-Clark Jr

I received a copy of Centerfire Rifle Accuracy a month ago. It arrived via the Registered Mail from Australia and it was an instant hit.  The contents of this book are geared towards the construction and techniques used to build an accurate bolt action hunting rifle for the professional gunsmith and the advanced hobbyist/amateur.

I was first made aware of Mr Clark's book online almost a year ago. Those that had received this latest revision spoke very highly of it. I have to admit my copy was a gift from a friend that felt I needed all the help I could get. When I finally sat down and turned the page to the first chapter I was hooked. I only got out of the chair twice to make coffee, work at the shop stopped for half a day. Centerfire Rifle Accuracy should be considered a form of Continuing Education for any gunsmithing practitioner. I have since re-read a number of chapters. The procedures, deductions and engineering techniques Mr Clark covers are very well thought out.

At 564 pages it covers a lot of ground in regard to the truing of actions, bolts, gimbal 4 jaw set ups, threading, indicating and chambering both actions and barrels and why he prefers these methods to past procedures. The chapters devoted to die making, load development and barrel tuning are interesting to say the least. His coverage of glass bedding is in depth and should make the typical classic rifle maker either re-think his current procedures or never open the book again, ignore the facts and bury his head in the sand. The chapter on trigger construction and modification in itself is worth the price of the book. There is a short mention of an action that he designed and then tried to have produced to fill a void for Australian shooters that never made it off the launch pad. There is a chapter on fitting scope mounts that made me chuckle and reminded me of why I began making my own mounts.

This book does not cover the basics of stock making, finishing, checkering, feeding, bluing or the making of sights or other hardware. Its goal and intent is to steer the reader into the realm of building an  accurate rifle through well planned procedures and how to maintain that accuracy.

The book is filled with a lot of nicely done photography that I only wish were in a larger format. It is clearly evident that Mr Clark is much more than a "Capable" craftsman. Ladies and gentleman from what I can see and read there is no doubt Mr Clark can build both an accurate and beautiful rifle. The pictures of his Classic Rifles along side his Target and Varmint rifles attest to this fact. Mr Clark has been neck deep in a broad spectrum of rifle work be it walnut or fiberglass for quite a very long time. Being self taught should give hope to anyone thinking about stepping into the breech, no pun intended.

Much of his expertise was developed from a life time in the field using his rifles. A number of paragraphs are devoted to preparing a rifle for a particular type of hunt and the effort to zero the rifle for that style of hunting be it buffalo, hogs, dogs or crows.

Sadly there are closing paragraphs explaining why Mr Clark eventually closed his doors having to seek employment outside the trade. It is a common lament for those with great gun making talent throughout the last century, we are all diminished by these events no matter your profession.

Mr Clark gives much of the credit for this book to his wife Lyn who quite literally dotted all the I's and crossed the T's to assemble a shoe box full of crib notes into paragraphs, then chapters, and finally into the current text. No small task for the squeamish. Many thanks need to go to her as it is evident that this book has been a team effort.

This book can be ordered via e-mail to mkass2@bigpond.com. The cost will eat up the better part of $126.00 US if shipped by air. It is well worth the money and should be considered a tool purchase for any serious Rifle Maker as well as excellent reading material for any seasoned  rifleman. It is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it.