Will Piatt, 'nuf said

Will sent this picture of everything taken apart and on his bench.

I wrote several times last year about the journey to the Pyramyd Air Cup and ultimately winning the Hunter PCP and getting the prize of an Ataman M2 Sport. I'd like to elaborate on what happens after you get a new rifle.
Initially off a bench it was one-hole groups at 30 yards. But when I got into comps I wasn't seeing that accuracy. I just wasn't sure if it was me or the gun. There are times when you know it was you, but there are other times when you just felt it wasn't. And that was a problem...that doubt then gets in every shot you take.
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Knowing it could shoot well, but having some flyers at times was an issue. And if I'm not shooting closer to 20 ft/lbs then it's going to be hard to remain competitive in Hunter.
In April I went down to Baton Rouge for the Cajun Spring Classic and while I shot well, my scores weren't headed in the right direction and my frustration with the rifle was starting to show. Well, I got wind that Will Piatt is an airgunsmith and he was at the comp that weekend. So I approached him to see if this was a project he could take on. He was very receptive and after talking about what I was hoping to achieve...closer to 20 ft/lbs, he take the rifle and asks me to stick around for a minute. Out comes his own Ataman M2 Sport. He saw mine at Pyramyd and decided he had to have one as a backup for his Steyr. He also showed me what he had done to his... barrel stiffener, drilled a hole in the trigger to get a crisp 2nd stage, and had worked on his regulator.
Knowing Will for as long as I have, I know that he is a top shooter, almost always at the top of the leader board. And seeing him shoot I know that he expects perfection from his rifles. So handing my rifle to him I knew it was in good hands. After seeing the additional work done to his Ataman I asked that mine have the same.
What I got in return is the most amazing rifle. He added a carbon-fiber barrel stiffener, checked the regulator to make sure it was working correctly, enlarged the transfer port, replace some springs with heavier springs (all to get it to 18 ft/lbs), drilled the hole in the trigger and added a set screw and spring to give it an amazing 2-stage trigger, and the very last thing he did was remove the rubber ring inside the barrel band.
What Will saw on his own rifle is that the stock at the far end is thin enough that it can torque which then causes the barrel band to touch the barrel thus mucking up your shot. Such a big problem with a crazy simple solution.
​This rifle now shoots clovers at 55 yards off a bipod at 16x mag. I'm sure it can do better, but that's what I shoot in competitions. There is no doubt in my mind that any missed shot is now my fault, which is EXACTLY what you need. If you ever have doubts about whether it's you or the gun then have your gun looked at. As soon as you remove the doubt you then know that the only thing that needs to improve is you.
As far as I'm concerned, Will Piatt is a miracle worker and I will forever be grateful for the work he did on this gun.
Here is Will's contact info:
https://sites.google.com/site/saddlemountaingunsmith/
m[email protected]
595 Saddle Mountain Church Rd.
Ennice, NC 28623

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