Custom Compensating Chuck is a Straight-Shot Success

"This chuck has improved our manufacturing process due to less downtime and better repeatability."
-Norman Brooks, Preventive Maintenance Coordinator, Thompson/Center Arms

Manufacturing firearms is a time-honored trade that requires skill and precision. Thompson/Center Arms, a master gunmaker since 1965, recently began producing military and police rifle barrels for their parent company, Smith & Wesson. For this new undertaking, EB Manufacturing was supplying T/C Arms with another brand of compensating chuck.

When price, quality, turnaround and customer service from the third party was not up to the satisfaction of either EB Manufacturing or T/C Arms, it was decided that EB would instead manufacture the compensating chuck in-house.

T/C Arms wanted to be absolutely sure that the new custom chuck met their strict manufacturing needs and would not delay production of the gun barrels. Because of this, a 30-day no-obligation trial of the compensating chuck took place to evaluate its performance.

For one month, 24/7, the chuck was used to turn barrels on centers. After this trial period, during which there was zero downtime, T/C Arms was satisfied with both the barrels produced and the performance of the chuck. Furthermore, after disassembling the chuck for inspection, it was discovered that there was hardly any wear to its components. At this point, both parties realized that this new custom compensating chuck would not only last significantly longer, it would also be more reliable and produce less scrap when compared to the previous chuck.

More efficient and effective preventive maintenance was another benefit of the new EB chuck. This was, obviously, of great importance to the Preventive Maintenance Coordinator at T/C Arms, Norm Brooks. When asked if his company was pleased with EB’s product and service, he said, "Absolutely. This chuck has improved our manufacturing process due to less downtime and better repeatability. Spare parts are now at a fraction of the cost, delivery is just what we need, and EB’s expert advice has been invaluable."

Above and beyond the original issues of quality, price and service, EB’s custom compensating chuck features several design improvements. These include:

Special coating to minimize wear on components in contact areas
A 2-piece body to better control squareness and for a more precise fit of components
A decrease in the amount of clearance for moving components
Improved, higher-grade inner components for greater strength and longer wear life

T/C Arms plans to replace all the compensating chucks they have been using with EB’s newly developed custom chuck. As Brooks says, "EB has definitely earned our respect here at T/C Arms."

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