Shrewsbury-based shotgun manufacturer Boxall & Edmiston is harnessing the accuracy of System 3R’s workholding technology to make guns of the highest calibre.

By combining 150 years of traditional craftsmanship with 21st century precision engineering, the artisan gunmaker says it is able to produce exceptional, quality shotguns. Major investment in machine tools, driven by SolidWorks CAD software, allows the company to manufacture every component in-house.

In providing bespoke guns for its clients, Boxall & Edmiston says it is committed to preserve the art of British gunmaking and this is reflected in the traditional way customers are measured for a gun.

Gun fitting is an art in itself, with the walnut stock length, bend, cast off and cast on all being variations which dictate the build of the finished gun in order to provide the comfort and consistent shooting accuracy required. Coupled with other factors such as barrel length, left or right handedness and the shooter’s dominant eye, it’s a crucial part of the process.

All metal components used in the shotgun assembly are manufactured on Brother TC-52C and TC-32B milling machines, a Sodick AQ 35L sink erosion machine, a Sodick AQ 327L wire erosion machine and Fanuc Cut Alpha-OA wire eroder. System 3R’s Macro pallets/holders are used not only to produce copper electrodes for the sinker, but also to transfer workpieces from one process to the other without any loss of accuracy. On average around 20 different electrodes are required for one gun’s components.

The milling of metal components also benefits from the Macro holders – with tolerances of below 20µm being consistently achieved. Workpieces are moved from one metalcutting process to another with Macro holders synchronising the accuracy required.

Consequently, the gunmaker says, Macro plays a vital part in producing more than 40 complex, metal components which, when fitted together in the final assembly of the gun, must be accurate to a few microns internally.

The building of a bespoke Boxall & Edmiston gun – carried out by a traditional craftsman called the actioner – takes three weeks after every component part has been manufactured. All components are made to upper tolerances which allows the actioner to zero tolerance the parts for maximum life, by precise fit and finish.

“The repeatable accuracy that System 3R gives us in the manufacture of our complex metal parts goes right to the core quality of our guns,” says director, Peter Boxall. “Since we were established in 2009 we have quietly but confidently carved out a niche in bespoke British gunmaking and now have customers all over the world.”
In addition to its range of side by side barrel guns, Boxall & Edmiston is launching an over and under barrel shotgun this year.

System 3R
www.system3r.com

Boxall & Edmiston
www.boxallandedmiston.co.uk