New Bolt Action design in my head...

[BigCheese1]

Hey ladies, in the last few years I have developed a severe addiction to rifles.
Recently, I have come up with a new design for a bolt action rifle and receiver... the idea came to me in an attempt to fix some purely cosmetic problems I had with certain rifles. However, I now think it could be VERY popular and extremely functional, while maintaining or even increasing the accuracy standard.
I work in a precision CNC machine shop, waiting for the next semester of school to start. I am just a grunt right now so I really can't make anything or develop any sort of blueprints.
Can anyone offer any advice on going about getting/ making blueprints so I can design this new concept on paper, then perhaps someday soon, have one made and see how it functions?

This absolutely might be something that only I would like. But I can see it becoming wildley popular among fellow gun enthusiasts. I have been nervous to even ask for advice, thinking people might find it stupid or a waste, but my girlfriend encouraged me to go for it.
So... if you have any advice on how to design and ultimately machine and build a new rifle action and bolt, PLEASE let me know!

Thank you,
BigCheese1

 

[6.5BR]

Good luck. Curious, you mention cosmetic problems, what do you find so wrong with what is currently available? Hard to imagine current offerings lacking given the accuracy we see in quality products. I would check ATF website on laws in building an action, or call an office/agent.

 

[BigCheese1]

Oh, please dont take me wrong! The accuracy capable today is Unmatched and I doubt it could be much better.
There is also nothing wrong with what is currently available. There are just some minor personal preferences that I wouldn't mind changing.
My goal is to just build one of these at some point for myself. If its a big hit then so be it. What's out there today is top notch and had little to be improved upon.

 

[fenwick253]

I would say you should find out what programs your shop uses to produce G-Code (Rhinocam, Mastercam, Solidcam etc.) and start building yourself a 3D model. If you don't have access to any of these digital tools (or somebody who can use them), you can always sketch. It is hard to give advice on something that doesn't "exist", let alone something we cannot see.

 

[nutzo396]

BC1, I would suggest picking up a free CAD program online like Autocad Student and Teacher edition. It's free and you can find basic tutorials online on how to run it. If you did end up having one machined most people would want somesort of a CAD file anyways. The beauty of it is that you get to see what it looks like before you even go to steel. It's also very easy to tweak and make design changes as you get new ideas. Besides, If you happen to stay in the CNC and Machining fields, being able to run somesort of CAD program would be a valuble asset to you or any future employer. Good luck with your idea.

 

[J-Ham]

There's a pretty good chance that the school you're attending has at least one computer lab with some sort CAD software on the computers... I think programs like SolidWorks & ProE are a little better suited for this kind of thing than say AutoCad is, but I also don't have much experience with the 3D side of AutoCad so...

 

[steveptr]

Find some one with a program call Solidworks and have them help you it will sallow you to build very thing and assemble it. Rino might work as well. Those are the only two programs I know of that are great. Other then start drawing it out.

 

[Massoud]

I drew my first action design on graph paper and later made it in Google Sketch-up. That was before I had Solidworks access and before Google sketch-up was as useful as today. You might try starting there. The industry needs new ideas so I encourage you to press forward.

Be aware of a couple things, one is that there's not much new in the gun world so your idea may have been thought of and dismissed already for whatever reason (production complexity, cost, etc). The other thing is that sometimes when one has an idea it can be easy to fall into the "trap" of thinking it could be wildly popular. It's something all companies including ours have to watch out for.

For an example, watch a few episodes of the Shark Tank show, everyone on there thinks their idea is the next big thing but sometimes the "Sharks" really try to kill an idea because they see the people sinking all their money (kids college funds, mortgaging house, etc) into a losing venture.

Actually producing a commercial product like what you have in mind is extremely expensive and difficult but making one for yourself is not a big deal and it may just take off when you post pics on here or show it to friends.

Don't worry about the ATF, it's widely known that you can make your own rifle, just don't attempt to sell any without the proper manufacturer's licenses. Good luck and keep in mind that if you post pics or drawings here, you'll have no intellectual property protection (unless you have the patent stuff squared away) and before you show it to a company, make sure there's an NDA in place. Keep us updated!
Justin

 

[Shibby!]

Be careful what's been done at school. Most, if not all schools have fine print saying anything you do at school is their property and information.

Ie, our industry design projects were handed over to the school and the companies we did them for. All free of charge and without any means of us benefiting off them. We had to hand over a design of a ambulance patient suspension system which was designed to replace their pneumatic system they currently used as a cheaper alternative and that could easily installed on vehicles that didn't have any system.


As a side note I'm saving my pennies to afford the Whiskey 3 chasis ^^^ I didn't know you guys were located in Idaho! (I'm from Alberta)