Truing an action has become a very loose term in the gunsmithing industry. With the perception that if
     metal is coming of the action and or bolt, that it is being accurized and is being brought back into alignment
     as drawn on the blueprint. This can only happen if a machining setup has been preformed from a starting
     datum point as to which all other surfaces will be referenced before, during and after all machining has taken
     place. Then all surfaces must be remachined with single point cutting tools from a single setup that have an
     alignment relationship to the starting datum, not just one or two.

         As the saying goes ignorance is bliss. This runs rampant in the gunsmith community with the belief that
     if something has been done a certain way for 40 years it's got to be right. So just leave me alone and don't
     confuse me with the facts. My question is to this, at what point does doing something wrong make it right?
     My belief and explanation of why this is so true is that almost all the people that classify themselves as
     accuracy smiths have had no formal training in  material and tooling setup for machining, let alone a basic
    101 machining class. The lack of this knowledge and experience has created a fraternity of believers in the
     industry that believe in the EASY button. Case in point that a tap will correct threads that are off center and
     or angled in relationship to the bolt bore raceway. A tap is a form tool and will follow the original hole only
     accomplishing the following, a larger off center and or angled threaded hole. It doesn't matter who makes
     the tap, the design, method of use or the depth of a person's convictions in the belief of what a tap will
     accomplish, the fact is you create a larger off center and or angled threaded hole.

         In 1995 I tackled the setup and  machining issues I had with the accepted methods of remachining an
     action, with the jig in the picture at the top of this page. This jig allows me do all my machining without
     disturbing the setup until all surfaces have been machined. I won't go into a long thesis paper on complete
     setup and use,  ( I have a 4 hr. video on setup and use ) but from one setup in the lathe, I align the actions
     bolt raceway coaxially to the rotating axis of the lathe. I then pickup the action threads and machine them
     first with a single point full profile threading insert until a clean thread has been machined. Next the action
     face is machined followed by the action lugs.

         The bolt is then setup in a lathe and depending on the extent of work to the bolt i.e., bushing the firing
     pin hole, Sako extractor and or double sleeving, all surfaces are machined in a certain predetermined
     order from one setup.

         Below is pictured a bolt that has been doubled sleeved and the bolt lugs and face remachined.