Sep 1, 2012 6 min read

When I heard that Washington gunsmith Fred Carpers was scheduled to be a speaker at the Dormont-Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen’s Club, I had to attend. I don’t know Carpers well, but I expected to drill him with some tough questions.

I thought of Carpers as a quiet fellow, but was pleasantly surprised at his ability to speak in front of a group of gun people who knew their subject.

I was a bit set back by his response to my first question, “What is the most important thing that affects a rifle’s ability to shoot in tiny groups?”

Without pause, he answered, “The person holding the rifle.”

His answer caused me to hesitate for a second. But you know what, he is right. That’s a pretty sharp cookie.

Later, as he explained methods of bedding a rifle, a subject that was expected to bring an argument from me, I was again set back. I am no gunsmith and have never claimed to be, but I do know rifles and have an idea of what makes them shoot better.

Again, however, everything Carpers said, I agreed with. There was no argument.

Bedding the rifle action and barrel to the stock is a key to a good shooting rifle. You can own the best action and a quality barrel, but if it is not properly mated with the stock, the shooter is in trouble.

The term bedding refers to the way the stock and metal are mated. The action must be in the stock without any side pressure, which will put uneven stress on the action.

A middle screw can pull the center of an action down, creating a slight bow. This is not good.

I prefer even contact at the recoil shoulder, with the possibility of a small pad in front of the recoil lug. The rest of the action should have no contact with the stock, with the exception of the rear tang.

This creates contact in the front of the action and again at the rear. The rest is floating.

Barrels can be floated or a bit of pressure can be added near the forend of the stock. Personally, I like a heavy barrel floated and alight. I also prefer a bit of forend pressure. In reality, it is a case of trial and error.

A rifle can be super-accurate and be almost impossible to shoot well because of a heavy or gritty trigger pull. Trigger adjustments can cause gunsmiths to tear their hair out. Because of this, most smiths won’t do triggers. In fact, adjusting a trigger can cause a gunsmith to lose his insurance.

Because of this, you should be a little understanding when a gunsmith refuses to replace a bad trigger. Liability then falls to the manufacturer.

Regardless of what we think, there is some mystery related to firearms accuracy. Why do two rifles from the same assembly line with consecutive serial numbers shoot radically different? Another question is why do some guns shoot well with any load and any tension pressure on the screws holding the whole thing together?

In other words, they shoot well regardless of what is done to them. Others won’t shoot well no matter what you do to them. Why?

We all know that a good barrel is a necessity to good shooting. Or is it?

I have seen rifles on which the barrel looked like the Ho Chi Min trail that were still accurate. Why?

In my gun room, I have a Marlin .22 that shoots high-velocity hollow point ammunition into the same hole at 50 yards, yet won’t group well with the best of match ammo. It doesn’t make sense.

While Carpers and I don’t agree on everything, it’s amazing just how much we do agree on.

n I’ll never forget my late mother’s words as she spoke to a minister. She had just turned 90, and the minister had just commented how wonderful it was to live to that age.

She said it wasn’t so hot. After all, all of her friends were now deceased, as were her brothers and their wives.

I thought of that as I read the obituary of Joe Jacanin of Canonsburg. I am losing friends too often.

Joe’s father had a gun shop in Canonsburg for years, while his son, Keith, is one of the most knowledgeable firearms experts in Western Pennsylvania.

Every couple of months, I would look forward to seeing Joe at the gun show at Arden as he helped Keith man a booth. I’ll miss his infectious smile and the constant stream of jokes.

At the last show, I approached the booth and saw a pair of fingernail clippers with a sign declaring they were a George Block commemorative. There was a promise of my autograph with their purchase.

The clippers were there among all of the high-priced guns, and I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t shown up to sign my name?

I sure will miss Joe. The gun show won’t be the same without him. But Saint Peter had better watch out, or Joe will smile and pull a fast one.

Joe just always made me feel better. It was Joe who taught me where a bumblebee goes to the bathroom – the BP.

And why does a chicken coop have only two doors? If it had four, it would be the chicken sedan.

George H. Block writes a Sunday outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.