Over my years I’ve watched gun companies dream up misguided marketing schemes and launch dumb new bullets with a goofy case to match. There has to be a secret orb that conjures up these type munitions.What’s really amazing is the gun companies don’t have a knowledgeable man in their organization to ‘STOP’ this buffoonery along with common a sense boss to back him up. But here’s the worst part. Down the road a ways another rocket scientist pops a new load and Olin, Winchester and Remington stop making your dumb ammo and you have nothing the go bang with. Yup, a dumbass born a minute. But wait, there’s a bigger problem. In the event of an armed conflict in this country, what will you have for personal defense. On the other hand, if you bought guns in common calibers, you could use what your dead opponent had. Is this hard to imagine? I’m sure it is for those who have never had to think through such an event. I wish you the best mental evaluation on spending your money on trending items that have a zero future.

I been around this gun business for over 50 years. I see products like powder and bullets advertised as better than and more economical. Who says? It’s always a marketeer. Their experience is zilch. Sadly, this country has many gullible people, and that’s who they pander to. I was in Home Depot this afternoon gathering a few necessities and on an end Cap were cans of spray paint with big bold lettering claiming bonus quantity per can. Barf. I bought some like that one time and discovered that there WAS extra paint but the can didn’t have enough aerosol to distribute the paint. I was disappointed, so I cut the can open with one of our band saws to prove to myself the ad was misleading. I see articles and ads everywhere guns are sold, all claiming sub- MOA accuracy. Where’s the proof? We’ll……here at IBA each rifle has a detailed gunbook with the 100 yard target pasted inside the front cover. You determine how you wish to proceed. Thanks for taking the time to read this commentary.

I know I’m an opinionated individual. I get that way by seeing things done wrong and I made mental notes. I spent 8 years at sea. Deployments stack up during those times. I enjoyed my touring on the big boats as the Admirals and ship Captains were ‘Old School’ and knew how to do anything. I was taught ship navigation over the many years going along with my Dad when possible. I frequented the bridge’s of whatever ship I was on at the time. One night in the North Atlantic with 60’ foot seas, all hands were sick except the Captain and me. He asked me if I knew where we were. I pointed to a spot on the chart and announced we were about 8 hrs. out of Portsmouth, England. We docked in about 9 hrs. All he said was “you’re hired”. For a Marine LT to be a ship’s navigator was unheard of. But men like that recognized talent and allowed you to do the job. Later I was qualified as underway OOD and stood Bridge Watch when my other duties allowed. I don’t think the timid Officer Corps of today possesses the confidence and the authority to allow a junior officer command of their ship at sea under any circumstances. PS: Dad was a USCG Commander and ship’s Capt in the Pacific during WWII

If you attend Gun Shows you encounter tables with assorted scoped rifles displayed (usually with Bipods). If you ask, the rifle is often described as a Sniper Rifle. Next, the seller will confidently state that his piece will shoot M.O.A., etc, etc. All we can really say about those rifles Buyer Beware, because most of what is offered cannot begin to approach the qualities claimed or the requirements demanded of a decent Sniper Rifle.

The Chandler Sniper is another story. We can write that with certainty because we have labored for years to make it so. We built Sniper Rifles and nothing else! Every Chandler Sniper is a small masterpiece. No expense is spared, no is “next to best,” and no money-saving short cuts are taken. We number our scope mounts to match the rifle number and each Chandler Sniper is individually numbered so that no one can lay out one of the outward “look alkies” and claim it is one of ours.

The old cliché that you cannot tell a book by its cover is especially adaptable to Sniper Rifles. What can you tell from looking at a rifle? Not much; you have to know what is inside. Even then, unless you are something of an expert you may not be able to identify really good bedding from the body-filler bedding often used by “custom” gunsmiths. What you need to know is Who built your rifle. We mean the company that sells it, and the individual who did the work.

The Chandler Sniper comes as a complete system. You have the best box on the market, the best ramrod, the best bore guide, even the best torque wrench. You receive a gun book. The gun book gives the name of the USMC trained RTE gunsmith who actually built your rifle. If you ever need work on your rifle (an extremely rare circumstance) we recommend that the rifle be returned to Iron Brigade Armory so that the builder of the rifle can do the work.

If you are interested in exact details, ask but be aware now that a Chandler Sniper is special. The barrel is a 26 inch stainless steel HART. You should see the recoil lug! It is HUGE and specially shaped. Actions do not move in a Chandler Sniper. The titanium bedding? The material is so difficult to work with that most smiths do not attempt it, but if you are skilled enough—NOTHING can compare. Bedding blocks? Give us a break. We would not put such ill-fitting contraptions in air rifles. Our Chandler Snipers get titanium and fitted with a skill that makes you want to look inside. Beautiful describes our work.

We could go on for pages, but if you want the best, only the Chandler Sniper can meet your requirement.

Iron Brigade does NOT use 5R barrels on any of our guns nor we work on guns that are missing a land and a groove. Take your business somewhere else. The marketing weenies think they are doing everyone a great service by providing these 5R barrels which at most only belong on collectors type rifles. Don’t think you are going to take your clunker to a high power rifle match and win anything. I’m a USMC Distinguished Rifle shooter and hold several long range records and I always had a rifle with 6 lands and grooves. So I feel qualified to condemn whatever I think is bogus hoss manure. If this offends you, so be it. Leave this website and don’t come back. But Hopefully you are mature enough to reason through the diatribe and reach a correct answer.

Iron Brigade only uses Hart Rifle Barrels from Lafayette, NY. If available we will use older but new condition Remington barrels from the old Ilion Plant days. They are 1 x12 twist with 6 lands. Carbon steel and well made. I know that because I worked the barrel making area of the plant for several years. I recommend you find 1 or 2 of these gems and hold on to it for future re- barreling of one of your rifles. My background with HRB goes back to post Vietnam time when the Marines RTE shop at WTBn Quantico was rebuilding all the old wrecks from many years in a jungle climate. Hart stepped up to the plate and the rest is history. (See more in the Death From Afar series of books) written by my brother Rocky and me in the last century. I post this for factual reference so you will know what is real and what has worked for the past 55 years of my life.

One evening when I was bored with the mundane I decided to look on line to see what barrel makers were still around and check out their wares. I viewed 7 or 8 makers in no particular order. Some of the notable were backed up a year! Wow must be a famous name? For several hours I scrolled through site after site. All the makers offer a pre- threaded short chamber barrel. The next day I checked my notes on the last 4 Remington M700 receivers. Didn’t pay particular attention to when made. The thread depth on all of them was irregular. Some deeper others somewhat shallow. Mind, we are only talking about .006-008 thousand which doesn’t sound like a lot. So, when you buy a pre-fit type what are the chances of having a sloppy fit. Yet you did your homework and wanted a barrel with accuracy in mind. Hmmm… No sale to this cowboy. That’s pure unadulterated bohocky by whoever wrote the description of this expensive piece of steel. Yet words like sub- MOA accuracy and my favorite one, the boat anchor 5R type. Marketing has killed the real gun world as many of us remember it. So Joe Blow your local gunshop torques this barrel onto your receiver. Would you bet money that his chamber reamer is exactly the same as the manufacturer’s reamer so as not to leave a slight ridge. That observation doesn’t come up. If it did maybe we could say it’s close enough for government work, haha. But you waited months for this tube. You also laid out $450-800 bucks only to have a lesser piece of work performed. Plus whatever additional you paid to have the local smith to finish the gun. Probably a minimum of $250. If all you needed or wanted was a blaster junkyard gun to shoot rats and have some element of fun you’d be ok. I think the barrel makers should advise and or refuse to make a half assed product! IBA gets a call a day from old Rodney who bought a complete kit and he wants us to put it together. Here, the answer is no. Today’s customers don’t like to be told NO, or for you to hold school on him. Such is an aire of arrogance on the asker. So the industry gives this customer the product he probably deserves. Remington, the new folks in LaGrange, Ga are putting 5R rifle barrels on the SPS, LTR, ,varmint/tactical models so I read last night. That’s blasphemy! But what about the good customer? We have many. I can’t look at a man and make up a marketing story. I want him to know what he’s buying. I guess the price of a nice Ilion, NY barrel with 6 lands and grooves just went up. It’s too bad the gun world has sunk this far down in the water! I write these reports the way I see it just like my brother and I did in the Death From Afar USMC sniper books. The Quantico mob was livid as the light was shining on their ignorance and incompetence. Tough cr…p. Thanks for reading and now you can make a decision on how you want to proceed. My best, Norm Chandler USMC Distinguished Rifle and Pistol.

When the word clone pops up you might think of a Starwars movie. Then there’s the word custom. I guess this word means you can have anything/anyway you want , even if it’s wrong and won’t do what you expect. Well that’s just too bad. You just blew your money on a boat anchor. When I was a kid my dad took me everywhere. One day we went to the local hardware store. Dad was wanting a shovel and a firewood saw. The owner showed him several types of each. A conversation ensued about best vs cheap. The owner simply replied that if it wasn’t the best or do as intended, he wouldn’t have it in his store. That was in the 1950’s. My how times have changed! Many years ago I met an older man at a gun show in Richmond, Va. he was selling bolt disassembly tools for the Remington M700 rifles. I bought 2. One for me and one for a gunsmith friend named Charlie Lauer(a WW2 Marine).The sellers name was K.W. Kleinendorst. Over the decades I bought one for each rifle I built so the owner could easily take his bolt apart for cleaning. As the years went by I noticed cheaper copycat models floating around. I didn’t buy them because I wanted the original makers mark model. Kleindorst still makes the tools and I still send one out with each rifle. The copy-cats lack integrity. So be it. Folks today blame China for making cheap crap. Not quite accurate. They are asked to make a ‘price point’ model and they willingly do so. Buyer beware! Let’s blame the right entity. The marketeers have accomplished their mission which is to confuse the buyer. The old bait and switch campaign. I could go on but I think you get the picture.

I don’t know where to start. This man destroyed the concept that every Marine is a rifleman. He dismantled Weapons Training Bn, Quantico specifically the Marine Corps Shooting Team and the weapons build shop known specifically as the Rifle Team Equipment Armory operated by skilled gunsmiths. He didn’t stop there as he got rid of all Marine Sniper Schools. That’s 50 years hard work putting it back together after Vietnam. Marine Snipers were famous worldwide for their skill and abilities not only with the rifle but superb scouting and patrolling. Names like Carlos Hathcock and Chuck MaWhinney should ring some bells. What was this guy thinking? Or was he? One thing is sure, he’s a bureaucrat of the first magnitude. Staff job to staff job. You’ll notice he has all the I’ve been there badges. Guess he didn’t learn much coming up through the ranks. This destruction is mind boggling as putting it back together with a real thinking General would be virtually impossible. Anyone who knew how to do these things are gone- end of enlistment, or retirement. Going to the Quantico Sniper School was the the dream of any long gunner! Seals, Special Forces troops attended over the 5 decades of existence. ALL Federal Agencies had men attend to sharpen their skills for missions unknown to anyone save a few Marine Officers. That list of leaders is short. I think the Marine Corps needs another Chesty Puller or Al Gray! What about readiness for the next war? I fear we’re going to pay a high price in body counts and failure to sustain and protect our great Republic.

When I was a 1st Lt, I was sent to be General Michael Ryan’s aide. I got my Chesty Puller book entitled ‘ Marine’ and studied up for my new but temporary job. Casual conversation riding around Camp Lejeune one day his WW2 background came up. I was careful but I said,Sir you were a Company Commander in then Colonel Pullers Bn on Matanikau River Guadal Canal It stunned him and said how the hell do you know that? I told him my father took me over to see General Puller when I was in 10 th grade and get my book signed. Dad was U.S. Coast Guard in the Pacific during WW2 and the General treated us as family. Mrs Puller came out with coffee for all hands and latched on to my Mother for ladies talk. Coast Guard men were coxswain for the Higgins boats- landing craft. Signalman 1 st class Doug Monroe won the Medal of Honor getting Col. Pullers Bn off Pt Gloushter when the Bn was pinned down on the beach by 3 Jap Regiments. The light bulb came on and then I knew why General Puller was so fond of men in the Coast Guard and held them in highest esteem.

When I later explained to my boss about this event my entire time with my General was very different from what I had originally anticipated. I grew up around men like this and somehow the Generals of today don’t measure up to these standards. It very saddening.

After many years with five different contractors, Iron Brigade, during the DARPA years determined that .312 thickness was the best dimension. The original thin Remington M700 recoil lug didn’t have enough mass to anchor the heavy barreled actions common on the M40 vintage guns. Even when bedded, small gaps and looseness were noticeable. After 12-1500 rounds the barreled actions just fell out of the heavily bedded McMillan stocks when turned upside down for removal. Closer inspection found gaps that would cause accuracy issues at long range. Some of this was caused by shrinking of the bedding. It was then determined that a better bedding compound had to be found. The Titanium/Devcon folks assured us of zero shrinkage. They were correct. During the 9 years that Iron Brigade worked at Blackwater we had daily access to the 1000 yard range. This was the perfect opportunity to test our new bedding material. We routinely offered our guns for use by the many military snipers present on the ranges daily. The guns have performed, without flaws, these many years. The DARPA folks wanted many things tested. They were of the opinion that the M40 guns were too heavy. We agreed. To lighten the weight, they wanted Titanium used as much as possible which gave birth to the Titanium recoil lug which is available today on this website. You are fortunate because this part has been out of production for the past 15 years. The other item was the lugged Picatinny scope mount. We used Titanium and further reduced the weight. We fluted the barrel with 6, straight cuts and took off a pound of weight. The DARPA engineers were pleased.

One of the biggest accuracy issues over past 45 years has been scope mounts. How many times have you seen a nice looking rifle with a $20 base and ring set. Often the scope was high dollar but the gun still had pathetic aluminum base and rings. Iron Brigade started making one piece mounts. All steel with rings permanently fixed to the base. All mounts had the 20 MOA inclined base. It took 10 years for the industry to figure out why we put that angle on our scope bases. A Special Forces friend of mine, Earl Reddick made the first, now called the Picatinny rail for us. He made a nice set of clamp on rings, now called Mk 4 rings. Without a patent right or way to document his work it was quickly copied and named something else. We called them Reddick rings and used them as long as we could get them- until Earl died. Fortunately we still made our one piece scope mounts so life went on. You can read about a lot of these early parts and pieces achievements in the Death From Afar books sold on this website and on Amazon. The clip slotted receiver with the matching lugs to fit into the machined recesses made a bombproof rig. With the blessing from the owner, the man who made and makes these good parts is named Jake Linville. Jake is backed up by the best machinists in this country. I’ve seen it all, over the past 60 years and they are THE best on the planet. This has enabled us to recreate these solid parts not obtainable elsewhere. These parts are not copycat versions. They are made to the original spec and marked accordingly. Further, the owner has kept the costs down and priced things fairly. We have other parts in the re-create category and they will be available soon. As a recommendation, have your receiver clipslotted (DARPA) cut at PTG and order a scope base to match.  Remington receivers vary (always have) and they will carefully trim away the stray receiver metal to ensure a perfect fit and retain the 20 MOA angle. All IBA receivers are done at PTG. A lot to be said for getting complete work done on one machine by one man to get the perfect match. And we are picky!

This afternoon, 26 January 2024, I watched as 3 big helicopters flew by all in formation. The CH-53’s has been the workhorse for my entire life. They need to brought back in force. The dual- eggbeater planes are hard down and ought to be sent to a graveyard. They’ve killed enough troops to warrant their demise. The masterminds at HQMC brought about this debacle with some half thought out scheme to move troops faster in the event of war in the Pacific. I thought we did a good job developing our Amphibious Forces, landing craft and helicopters. I guess it wasn’t high tech enough to keep something that works every time without fail.

> Of late the Marines dismantled their Scout Sniper Schools, the Illustrious Marine Corps Shooting Teams which gutted their Weapons Training Battalions. Post WW1, the Generals decided to permanently enhance all shooting programs emphasize on service rifle excellence. Also known worldwide as EVERY MARINE IS A RIFLEMAN! Our last Commandant disemboweled that concept and needs the highest degree of chastisement he could be awarded. I thought about writing a letter to the current Commandant but the Corps doesn’t have one. Yet another disaster with the Assistant Commandant trying to field all the problems. These are problems NOT issues. We are talking about degeneration of warfighting skills with enemies in all hemispheres.

> Most Marines are busy training/deploying and we have the mental midgets in HQMC undermining all efforts. I live in Jacksonville,NC the home of the 2nd Marine Division our Expeditionary Force in Readiness so the sign at the front gate says. This unique group of men need another AM Gray or Chesty Puller to get this Corps functioning again. If you don’t believe me, your head is in the sand. The Men in this Corps deserve way more than being used for cannon fodder in soon to come battles. The way forward is simple. All that’s needed is rock solid Leadership at the General Officer level and none are stepping up to the plate. I’m not interested in bean counter solutions or excuses. Just serious action from the leaders. Semper Fi, N A Chandler Lt. Colonel USMC

> PS. I refuse to put retired after the USMC part.

Seems the geeks within the Marine Corps are playing the misinformation game by saying that the reason they got rid of snipers in the Infantry battalion was because they wanted more reconnaissance assets within the Bn. What a falsehood. They got rid of the Scout- Sniper schools so who or where might these new guys get trained? I haven’t heard any answers probably because there aren’t any. Whoever spins these yarns has learned well from the politicians we see daily on our news channels. Oh, but, Mr Chandler we are retaining our Snipers in MARSOC. Who or where will they be trained at or by? Once again there is a vast dead space. I’ve never witnessed negligence and incompetence at the Senior Officer level such as it is now. I spent 10+ years writing 7 books on Marine Corps Sniping history all of which are still sold by Amazon 25 years after 1st publication date. Maybe I should assume our leaders don’t read or maybe they don’t want to pay attention to what a lowly Lt. Colonel said? I’m listening but haven’t heard any response. What’s worse is no one is questioning these insane orders. The discussion amongst the experienced former enlisted ranks is vehement. I receive 1 or 2 messages a day asking me what is happening. I also have many calls from senior Law Enforcement officers requesting training such as the Corps just ditched. However, some prior service 8541’s are taking care of these worthy organizations at the rate of one a month!

I’m tired of all these. Un patriotic creatures living here in our Republic protesting and trying to make all hands feel sorry for the Palestinian mob. The Palestinians hate most everyone, especially Israelis. The reason the IDF is bombing the crap out of Gaza is to get rid of the tunnel complex’s. The digging of all this has been going on for 10+ years and has gone unnoticed. For that I blame Mossad intelligence. This has been a ticking timebomb. When asked by the IDF for information about tunnels, tunnel entrances, nobody knows anything. Then they whine and moan about how they are being mistreated and expect international help. Hamas recruits from the Palestinian population but no one raises any alarm or complains. Next is the 2 State idea that Palestine should be their own country. They were given a chance to shine under Yasser Arafat. We all know how well that didn’t work. So I doubt Israel will want the enemy for a neighbor. No one in the US news world ever brings up this history or reports correctly or asks pointed questions comparing historical timelines. Even Fox News stinks because the folks reporting weren’t born when all these early year’s problems were taking place. The kids today receive no history classes and are kept in the dark and blinded by social media. I know about most of these things because my boots were on the deck and witnessed it first hand. I’m Disgusted.

I finally figured out what the big problem is with our U.S. world today. I listen to ALL the news- good, bad, ugly- even CNN. All the talking heads, Fox included, are the absolute masters of identifying problems. So far this month I haven’t heard one person mention how to fix any of it. Gov. Abbot in Texas provided a solution by using their National Guard and ringing the entire state with Razor Wire. 26 other State Governors have sided with Texas and many of them are deploying their National Guard for duty on the southern border. I think this is the definition of National Guard. Have you heard anyone with a sane solution? NO. Any answer is the same. Throw more $ at it or pass new laws. Most Americans are lost in the sauce. Look at the poll #’s. There’s always 25-30% of the folks polled who don’t know, don’t answer or ask for more info. Check it out. We’ve been dumbing down the kids for 3 generations and I will guess they are the ones in that percentage bracket that are clueless. God please bless this mess.

In the old Marine Corps as an Officer you were taught to conduct “School Circle” and talk w/ your troops about whatever comes to mind. Tactics, proper decorum, safety when driving, uniforms, base information ie movie call, snack bar routine. Then question and answer time. Everyone gets to know you and it’s amazing what you will hear back. I did this at Remington, Bushmaster & Colt. Magically, perceived problems disappear and get resolved. After that men would walk up to me and say hi or comment on something. Productivity went up and happiness at work prevailed. It’s a pleasure to see. But those were the old days and that type of event doesn’t happen anymore. So sad.