PM 1440BV for Home Gunsmithing Shop?

W

wnchstrtnfldvlle

H-M Supporter - Gold Member
H-M Supporter Gold Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2023
Messages
40
I recently finished the SDI gunsmith course, and have started the process of getting my home based FFL going. I plan on offering as many different services as I can, but my real goal is to build accurate hunting and competition rifles at some point down the road. During the school I used the GI bill money to purchase the PM-1022v. It has been nice to learn on, and I feel it was a good decision to learn and practice on a smaller machine, but I'm ready to upgrade.

While shopping on the Precision Matthews site I have narrowed it down to either the 1440BV or the 1440 GT. Now when I emailed them about the 1440BV this was the initial response.

"We are doing a bit of an upgrade to the PM1440BV model. We have made some minor changes, mostly cosmetic and sourced these machines from another factory that we use that are able to get them to us a bit faster. Because we are changing factories with this model, the name is going to change. The model that will be replacing the PM1440BV is going to be called the PM-1440-2V. The price is the same, with DRO it is $8799. These are on a ship already heading our way. We are expecting delivery on our end here around mid to late December."

So now I do understand that the machine is changing some, but what I would like to ask those more knowledgeable than I is whether you feel the 1440BV is a capable machine for gunsmithing. Not necessarily comparing it to the 1440GT, but the machine on it's own. Their sales team told me that it is more than adequate, and I trust them, but I would like to ask for some feedback from you all before taking the plunge. Obviously there is a big difference in price which is a driving factor, but I'm also not against waiting longer if the feedback is resoundingly in favor of the GT. Again I'm not looking to build national championship benchrest rifles here, but I do want to make sure it's not the machine holding be back in a year or two.
 
Sure, it is capable of any gunsmithing. You don't need that big of machine at all just to do gunsmithing.

It all comes down to quality/fit/finish of the machine vs the GT. The GT is overall a much better quality machine. Is it worth it to you for that extra quality? Maybe, maybe not. To be honest, I had one of the 1440GS's and immediately had an issue. Eventually, I replaced it with a GT and was much happier. Had I not had the original issue with the GS, I probably would have been happy with it for what I used it for which was also my own personal gunsmithing. After having the GT, I felt it was worth the extra cost, but it wasn't near as big of difference in price back when I bought mine and due to my issue I only had to pay the difference between the two machines which made it easier to swallow as it broke up my cost.

I wouldn't go into debt to get the GT probably, but if you can afford it, it would certainly be recommended by me.

Personally, knowing what I know now for what I do for gunsmithing, I would just get the 1340GT. All of the things like Chucks and extras are also cheaper because they use the D1-4.
 
Last edited:
I appreciate the response.

Looking at the 1340GT, have you seen any issues with the 1 91/6" through bore? Or is that plenty of clearance for any barrel I may work with?
 
Even a large barrel is typically only 1.2" so it should be plenty. You can go just over 1.5" in it, so it would be a BIG barrel to have any issues. And if you needed to do one that was bigger, just do it through a steady rest.

For me, use the saved money to setup a VFD and add the ability to control speed, etc and get the tooling you will need.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top