Firm aims high with high-tech barrels

Glenn Tuck with a high-power rifle designed and manufactured here. Photo/George Novak

Tauranga's Bronco Sports managing director Glenn Tuck, with his father Ben and two silent partners, has officially launched an innovative carbon fibre-based process that can be used to create rifles that are lighter, stronger and shoot straighter than anything on the market.

"It's technically the most developed barrel on the planet," said Mr Tuck, who says the team plans to adapt existing firearms using the technology and also develop its own models of popular calibre hunting and target rifles.

Mr Tuck and his partners have been funding the development of its Tac Carbon Systems technology over the past three-and-half years, and plan to launch the technology internationally in June at the Sydney SSAA SHOT Expo.

"It's always exciting to see the level of innovative spirit we have here," said Andrew Coker, Priority One chief executive.

"There have been any number of businesses that have been created in the Bay of Plenty with that sort of mindset. You have to really applaud them for persevering without seeking external funding."

Rifles have been made using carbon fibre technology before. The difference with Tac Carbon Systems' approach, says Mr Tuck, is that it used an advanced form of carbon fibre developed by an Auckland firm. Mr Tuck said that for reasons of commercial confidentiality he could not disclose the firm's name, but Tac Carbon Systems had secured worldwide rights to use the blend for firearms.

Carbon fibre consists of fibres composed mostly of carbon atoms bonded together in crystals that are aligned parallel to the long axis of the fibre to give it a high strength-to-volume ratio.

Mr Tuck said that the carbon fibre blend developed in Auckland was sent to Australia for processing into a weave then came back to New Zealand.

"We get our barrels, mill them to the design we want, then we wrap them with the carbon fibre over the top," he said. The core was steel, but the carbon fibre was applied in layers using a process that used much less resin than usual.

"When a barrel is fired it expands, but because of what we've done, the carbon will not allow the barrel to expand," he said.

"So you get better accuracy, better velocity, better wear on your barrel, better heat transmission, a longer life and more accuracy."

Tac Carbon Systems has also developed an innovative system for creating carbon fibre rifle stocks, using a blow moulding process, which creates a much stronger one-piece stock.

The rifles are put together in Tauranga and Hamilton. Mr Tuck said the team planned to make high-end and low-end models in popular calibres.

"We can either provide a finished weapon or upgrade your existing rifle and make it better," he said. "But most will be made to order. We have the capacity now, but that's why we've been very slow and pragmatic in the way we've gone about this. If we went too big, too fast, we wouldn't be able to keep up with demand."