CNC Precision, Hands on Craftsmanship
My name is Scott Weichel, I was born in West Point, Nebraska in 1963. Before graduating high school I joined the United States Navy through a delayed entry program, where I served for five years. I was attached to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 where I was home ported in Gulfport, Mississippi. I completed four deployments overseas and was awarded three Battle Effectiveness Awards and qualified as "Expert Marksman" with the M16-A1 all four years.
As a kid, I grew up around firearms and was heavily influenced by my Grandfather who was a blacksmith. I began welding at the age of 8 (stress quality and craftsmanship) I began reloading at the age of 14 and continually progressed from there. As time passed and working different jobs, I shut down my shop to go help Barney Lawton of Lawton Machine and Lawton Rifle Barrels. I helped him for a few months on his project for the CheyTac Corporation, where he was making the 375, 408 barrels for the M200 intervention. He was also making barrels and actions for the CheyTac M310 rifles. Among other things, I chambered most of the M200 barrels and nearly all of the M310 barrels. While in Dillon, Montana I shot 1000 yard benchrest in a neighboring city called Missoula, Montana. While utilizing Barney's equipment, I shot a ten shot group at 1000 yards that measured 3.743" center to center. Needless to say, I ended up winning the clubs smallest group of the year award.
After getting Barney caught up, I returned back to Western Nebraska to resume operations at my shop while still continuing to help Barney with finishing barrels for some time. It was a terrible blow to me when I found out that Barney had brain cancer. He either did not know, or he hid the fact from me when I was working with him. When I found out of his passing, I thought the world had lost a true artist and seeker of perfection.
The summer of 2007, I met Jerry Stiller and Curtis Helton of Stiller's Precision Firearms at a match called The Varmit Hunters Jamboree in South Dakota. While conversing with them, they had mentioned that they were about ready to hire someone for a full-time machinist / gunsmith position. I simply replied that my kids were off to college and that I was ready to make a change to get closer to the firearms manufacturing industry. So, they gave me a chance and I ended up securing a position with them and stayed for seven years. In the meantime, I had bigger plans to be my own boss again, in which gave me the inspiration to buy a piece of land and resume business in my own shop once again. In March of 2015, I left Stiller's Precision Firearms to start Live Oak Accuracy.