Igor Zhukov (NSK) on the .33XC Specter BespokeGun

Igor has already picked up his rifle and has provided very thorough feedback on the system in the first two days. Break-in, case molding, load testing, geometry check, barrel inspection, and the first targets—all in action.

Igor is always a pleasant guest for us. He knows exactly what he wants and has very strict requirements for the system. It's all the more telling when the rifle, configured as he is, immediately starts producing results.

We're publishing excerpts from his review, virtually unchanged. Igor wrote about it in detail here.

We worked for two days and collected a lot of useful information. We broke in the barrel, molded the cases, and shaped the throat.

The case is very strong. It went through 14 cycles. After 14 cycles, we measured the neck walls—they're holding true. The tight neck is a big plus. We did our own manual on one case, reaching a 121-grain overdose. We used Vikhta 570 powder, Berger 300 bullet, and Federal Gold primer.

Velocity reached 1,000+ m/s. Working with loads immediately gave a clear picture of the system.

I forgot to mention: there's no copper at all. The break-in period, it seemed, was unnecessary. When I switched to 15-25-shot series, there was no copper either. Two passes with a brush and TrealM removed all the carbon, and Iosso paste removed the carbon. The entire cleaning took 15 minutes.

Annealing is not necessary, nor is washing. The fit is very soft on all 14 cycles.

I inspected the barrel with a borescope after break-in and case molding (125 cases). Everything is shiny, no pitting, not even a hint. The muzzle is razor-sharp. The barrel shows no signs of fouling.

Regarding the copper: it doesn't stick at all; it comes off during the carbon removal process. This means there are no rough spots in the barrel.

The bolt is after molding. It feels like it just came out of polishing. You can feel the power of the metal even when you just hold it in your hands.

Target shooting is also excellent. The system shows a very high level right from the start.

Rifle in Igor Zhukov's configuration.

Working with the complex at the border.

Sleeves after turning.

The quality after turning the sleeves is excellent.

Size of the assembled cartridge.

Measurement of the assembled cartridge: 0.36600.

Test powder samples.

Size of the machined sleeve.

The cartridges were blown out.

Preparing the cartridge cases.

The bolt after 125 shots.

First group.

Second group.

Groups based on the results of work with the complex.

The primer after firing

Velocity.