Report of Igor Zhukov on the configuration of the Monolith
Report by Igor Zhukov (NSK-I) on the Monolith tuning from BespokeGun in caliber .33XC
Igor Zhukov (NSK-I) — a name well known in the Russian precision shooting community. Two-time European benchrest champion, founder of the Reloading Academy, and author of the book "The Perfect Shot Is Simple!". For over twenty years, Igor has been focused on extreme accuracy, tuning rifle systems, and refining his own rifle tuning methodology. His approach is confirmed not only by his sporting achievements but also by years of practical experience, and the methodology he developed is now being referenced in specialized scientific and technical publications.
Finished tuning the Monolit. Impressions are overflowing.
Over the many years, I have probably used all the top-tier "guns" that were available in Russia at the time. I have something to compare against.
The Monolit impressed me with its thoughtfulness, quality, and attention to detail. It is the only system that requires no refinements, modifications, or improvements.
I want to make it clear right away: this is not an advertisement for Bespoke, this is the opinion of a user — an experienced user. I know exactly what I need and how things should be in the ideal case.
The tuning took 4 days, and six days were spent preparing the brass (250 pieces).
I prepare the brass by hand and do not use Girauds or similar tools. I always achieve the numbers I need, with no tolerances.
As an example: the neck is turned for a tight neck of 0.368, with 0.001 clearance per side, the loaded round is 0.366, and the wall thickness is 0.01400.
Cases where the wall thickness is 0.01395 are set aside. Out of the 250 cases I prepared this time, 20 pieces were set aside.
Case length — minimum per the manual, which is 3.0750 for all cases.
Yes, it takes a long time and may not be necessary, but that is just how I do it and I won't have it any other way.
Video
Peterson brass is not of the best quality and requires attention. The only advantage of this brass is that it holds pressure well.
I reached 1009 m/s when identifying signs of overcharge.
As an experiment, I ran one case through 14 cycles at a velocity of 980 m/s. The case performed normally, without cleaning or annealing, and did not even develop work hardening.
The tight neck performs 100%: the case neck wall dimensions remained within spec.
With a tight neck, I never use annealing, cleaning, or mandrels!
The photo shows the case neck wall dimensions after 14 cycles, without annealing or cleaning.
As a reminder, this is a tight neck of 0.368, with the loaded round at 0.366.
Bushings 0.365 and 0.364 for magazine feeding.
I will not go into the nuances of reloading and component preparation — I have described my methodology many times, and you can read about it in my book, articles, or on the Reloading.cc website. Everything is described and shown in detail there.
Break-in, case forming, and tuning were conducted at the SSK shooting range named after Dmitry Donskoy.
All the conditions necessary for tuning are available there: an open 100 m gallery, proper concrete tables, target frames at the correct height, a reloading room, and a cleaning room.
Friendly staff, a barbecue area, a lounge, and restrooms.
I highly recommend it. It is the best place in Moscow for tuning sessions.
The break-in took 7 shots and one full day of work. No rushing — everything was done with careful attention and borescope monitoring. In the end, the barrel was broken in and ready for forming the newly prepared cases.
300 Scenar bullets, Irbis 570, 75-grain charge were used for forming.
Forming is a training exercise in precision shooting, it is a data-gathering process, and it is always a very worthwhile activity.
In the end, we get a broken-in barrel, a formed bullet seat, and expanded cases. As a reminder, cases change dimensions on the first cycle, take the shape of the chamber on the 2nd–3rd cycle, and are perfect after the third cycle.
The groups I measured for accuracy (15 groups), totaling 45 shots, showed an average accuracy of 0.330 MOA across all groups.
45 shots!
There is nothing surprising about this — or rather, nothing surprising for Bespoke. The same result was seen with the previous two Spectre rifles in .33XC caliber over 50 shots, with strings of five and ten shots. I am used to these kinds of results from Bespoke.
Bespoke is the only manufacturer in the world that guarantees the accuracy of its products within 0.3 MOA. If I am wrong, please correct me — perhaps I missed something.
After forming, I cleaned the cases, ran them through the preparation algorithm, and found the CBTO for the 300 Berger bullet. During forming, using one case and a Berger bullet, I built my own load data, determined the charges and velocities that this barrel, bullet, primer, and Viht 570 produce.
The velocity range (charge weights) shifted. I was not surprised, but I noted it. With the previous barrel and the same powder, the velocities were different. This speaks to the question of using other people's load data. Everyone should understand that all barrels, powders, and bullets are different. Someone else's recipes have no bearing on your barrel.
But that is just a side note.
The tuning took two days. I will not describe the algorithm here — I will provide a link where everything is available.
https://7universum.com/pdf/tech/8(137)%20%5B14.08.2025%5D/Bogoslovskii.pdf
The caliber does not matter — what matters is the tuning algorithm. What is tuning, anyway?
Tuning is a set of procedures aimed at achieving extreme accuracy with a given system.
The tuner's task is to run the system through the tuning algorithm and evaluate the result.
We take several different systems from different manufacturers, run them all through the same algorithm, get the results, and evaluate them. Naturally, the results will differ! Why? It all depends on the system and how it was made.
A great many different systems have passed through my hands, and I ran them all through my algorithm. I have a thorough understanding of how to evaluate them and what different systems are capable of. Essentially, they are all in the same class (Barrett, Accuracy International, Mannlicher, and so on down the list).
Bespoke stands apart — it is genuinely a head above all the rest, it is number one in the world. I assess it no other way. The opinion is subjective, I agree. But! This is the opinion of a user — and I repeat, I have something to compare it against.
But that is not even the main point — I always back up my words with targets, and this time will be no exception. When we talk about shooting, we show targets. You could just show the targets and say nothing at all :)
For .33XC with the 300 Berger bullet, I have all my data recorded, but this particular Monolit had a barrel with a 45 mm muzzle diameter. I decided to spend some time going a bit beyond my planned scope — to look for a node at a high velocity range, or more precisely, a very high one. I found no joy there and returned to normal, sensible velocities for this bullet. The experiment took an entire day.
On the second day of tuning, the weather did not cooperate: it was a windy day, with gusty, unpredictable wind that blew all day without letting up. American flags were set up along the range, and they were a great help. I had to remember my benchrest days.
Video.
When we tune, we control two parameters: the charge weight and the seating depth. These are interrelated parameters. But there is a nuance: seating depth is more responsible for accuracy. Change the seating depth by as little as 0.003 and the group tightens sharply to extreme values. And vice versa — the group can deteriorate just as sharply. In other words, accuracy appears and disappears instantly: there is no accuracy, you take one step — and it is there.
And BULLET SEATING DEPTH is responsible for this.
The tuner's task is to find a node in the seating depth. A node is a series of consecutive seating depths where the accuracy is essentially the same. The seating depth step is always 0.003; a node is typically three steps wide, and that is considered good (9 thousandths). Sometimes 4 steps — that is 12 thousandths — but that is not common. Very rarely 5 steps, but in all my many years of practice, that has happened about 10 times.
What accuracy values am I talking about — what does extreme accuracy mean to me? I have defined the range of 0.1–0.2 MOA for myself and consider that extreme accuracy.
Benchrest rifles in 6 PPC stand apart, with super-extreme accuracy in the range of 0.05–0.1 MOA.
This refers to mechanical accuracy achieved when all the right conditions are in place and all sources of disturbance are minimized — typically a proper enclosed range, and so on down the list.
The global standard for tuning ELR rifles is based on accuracy of 0.3–0.5 MOA, and that is considered a very respectable result. Anything more accurate is regarded as a benchrest exception and an outstanding achievement.
I recommend checking out the link. It is a brief overview of the Spectre tuning in .33XC caliber, with a comparative analysis of Bespoke's results against world-class results.
https://7universum.com/pdf/tech/7(148)%20%5B14.07.2026%5D/Bogoslovsky.pdf
I will not belabor the point — let us move on to the targets.
A reminder: when we tune, we are looking for the right place in the barrel for the bullet! And it does not matter at all whether that place is in the rifling or in the jump. To find that place, you must go through the entire "path" — you must work through all the rifling engagements and the jump. There is no other way!
I naturally went through that entire path and found a node spanning SEVEN steps. 7 steps equals 21 thousandths! That means there is no need to worry about throat erosion!
Below are the targets at the selected charge weight with 0.003 increments.
Beginning of the node.
The numbers on the targets are the seating stem head size of the Wilson die.
Seating depth step of 0.003.
Three shots per group on the targets.
And this is the last group in the node. Strictly speaking, it should have been repeated (reshot), as the first shot did not land where it should have. By all feel, all three shots should have been together.
But I reasoned: what does it matter what this group looks like? It is the last one in the node. Even if it were tighter — so what? Nothing would change.
The node is 21 thousandths wide, and I was completely satisfied with that!
That concluded the tuning. The accuracy across all groups (21 shots) was 0.187 MOA.
Essentially, I repeated the result of the previous .33XC tuning, but that was done on a Spectre.
What I noted: Bespoke is capable of delivering extreme accuracy and tunes with long seating depth nodes. This tendency has held across all Bespoke rifles I have tuned. In the near future, I have several more Spectre .33XC tuning sessions planned.
I am also eagerly awaiting the Monolit in .375 — while it is being manufactured, I am sourcing components. There will be a great deal of research work involved: we ordered different twists for different bullets. Everything needs to be tuned and evaluated to determine what works best and in what combination, and to definitively settle the question of .375.
It has always been this way with every caliber. You have to find the right combinations empirically: twist — bullet — barrel length — velocity range. That is the only way to close the question.
And I also forgot to mention the fouling shot. There is none! Throughout the break-in and case forming, I cleaned frequently and tested this parameter. I am satisfied with the result — there is no cold bore shot after cleaning!
Testing for a cold bore shot did not make sense: the barrel has a 45 mm muzzle diameter, and even after a string of 20 shots it remained only warm. The heavy contour meant heat was never a concern — the shooter tired out faster than the barrel heated up.
As is tradition, I take this opportunity to invite you to my courses. One person and three days of productive work! I will share and demonstrate all the nuances of reloading and rifle tuning. There is plenty to talk about 😎
All shooting (tuning) was conducted with magazine feeding.
