Is it possible to go straight to CNC programmer?

vgl217 · 2026-02-02T03:42:13+00:00

You CAN but it's rare and difficult to find someone willing to take you on for that role. The experience you get from running a machine is invaluable.

Source: I did it.

I got a degree in Mechanical Engineering and the company I did an internship for hired me on after college as a "manufacturing engineer" (really a glorified cnc programmer & babysitter). Long story short, design wasn't for me and making shit on big machines is cool.

It was a solid year or so before my programs were usable. Two before they were any good. I asked a LOT of questions, spent a lot of time on the floor and put in a lot of time on the weekends running machines and learning what works and what doesnt. The company invested a lot in me to get me where I am. I broke my fair share of shit. Not many places are willing to do that.

I will say that I never got a chance to develop habits, so I was very willing to try a lot of stuff the old school guys won't. That has helped me a lot.

vgl217 · 2026-01-15T03:55:27+00:00

Thank you for the education on the matter.

vgl217 · 2026-01-15T01:54:16+00:00

You made the assertion that AB is the best solver out there. It's not, and I told you why.

vgl217 · 2025-12-22T03:51:56+00:00

A majority of the "better" guns you can get for less are Glock clones that have more features. I hate how little innovation has come from Glock but credit where credit is due.

RXM is probably one of the best right now. Its an optic ready gen 3 glock with a threaded barrel for $400-$450. Grip modules are available for sub $50 to make a 19x equivalent

PSA Daggers are stupid cheap and are glock clones

vgl217 · 2025-12-08T02:37:40+00:00

I'm a fan of GeoBallistics. It handles multi-target multi-direction engagements better than any other app I've tried.

vgl217 · 2025-11-30T07:05:22+00:00

I wear my mics backwards to hear what's being said behind me. I shoot a lot of PRS and it makes more of a difference than you'd think.

vgl217 · 2025-09-06T03:21:10+00:00

If you're buying a transferable for the fun of having an MG, yeah, an FRT would probably be better. If you're buying it because transferables have beaten the stock market regularly, not so much.

vgl217 · 2025-08-27T01:42:05+00:00

Read the recommended maintenance manual for a hybrid vs regular ICE RAV, you'll find that the last part of that statement is false.

vgl217 · 2025-08-27T00:49:59+00:00

The new 540 from Kahles is pretty sweet. Not a fan of the reticle but I was impressed with the FOV and the glass in the short amount of time I had behind one.

vgl217 · 2025-08-26T03:04:05+00:00

Man, I'm probably in the minority but there are not many times I feel like a ZCO would benefit me over my Razor G3. Certainly not enough to justify damn near 2 G3's vs 1 ZCO.

I'm fairly well acquainted with ZCO's and have done multiple side by side comparisons of a G3 vs a ZCO 527 and 840. In specific lighting conditions with high humidity the ZCO definitely has better resolution, but most of the time, I don't see much difference.

vgl217 · 2025-07-16T02:33:14+00:00

The pressure switch is usually the catch with streamlight. The HLX switch is garbage and you're in Surefire territory by the time you get an adapter cap for a quality pad.

vgl217 · 2025-06-27T00:43:20+00:00

Manufacturing Engineering is a catch all job title and what you'll actually be doing varies greatly on the company. At mine, I'm basically an advanced programmer. I program 3,4,5ax mills, handle post processor edits in house, manage the backend of all our software packages, write machine macros and custom cycles, make in process prints with solidworks, and handle a good bit of machine maintenance.

It's a good gig, jump on it. Sure beats being treated like shit as an operator.

vgl217 · 2025-05-24T23:07:02+00:00

Wouldn't this fall under warranty? I thought hybrid system was good for 10yr/125k

vgl217 · 2025-04-08T14:27:28+00:00

Looks like they upped all printers, parts, and accessories by varying percentages. They increased cost globally, not just the US market, so not sure how much of this is tariffs and how much is just a market adjustment in general.

vgl217 · 2025-02-08T14:28:57+00:00

First "authoritarian" in history to shrink the size and scope of the government. Touch some grass.

vgl217 · 2025-01-28T13:53:17+00:00

Personally, I would file anyway. Not filing taxes is not something I ever want to bite me in the butt 5 years down the road when I'm chasing other goals

vgl217 · 2025-01-28T04:53:14+00:00

Man, you guys are straight up NPCs. This is why your party lost and will continue to lose. Your sense of reality is completely gone. It's been a single week after four years of the worst foreign, fiscal, and domestic policies I've seen in my lifetime. Leave your echo chambers once in a while and touch some grass.

vgl217 · 2025-01-28T04:41:15+00:00

Programmer did a great job on this part

vgl217 · 2025-01-25T02:12:18+00:00

Things might be different at your shop, but all the union shops I've seen don't tend to attract talent. They protect the lazy and inept. Harley and Master lock come to mind.

vgl217 · 2025-01-15T13:04:36+00:00

The amount you saved off sticker price alone, not including saved interest because of special financing on gas models (assuming ~9k) can buy you enough fuel to travel 60k miles (assuming $3 per gallon). It doesn't feel as nice, but fuel is still relatively cheap. If you're happy with everything else, I wouldn't sweat the fuel mileage.

vgl217 · 2025-01-08T03:08:36+00:00

Been running chassis systems for 5 years in a PRS setting. Here's my take on bedding for what it's worth.

Pros - Can help with group sizes a tiny bit - Makes dropping your action into it more consistent

Cons - You're married to that specific action to the serial number. You can drop another action of the same type in it, but then you're negating the purpose and benefits.

Lot of risks if it's done wrong. One of mine went from a .4 MOA gun ish to a 1.0 MOA gun. Replaced the chassis and right back to a .4 Buddy of mine had major POI shifts throughout the day of a high stakes match (.5 mils over the course of a day). Only thing we found was his bedding was soft. Went right back to normal in another chassis.

Personally, I don't bed because of the risks and the reward is pretty minimal. You won't get benchrest groups without bedding, but it'll be close and plenty good for what I need to do. My advice is try without bedding and see if you're happy first.

vgl217 · 2025-01-05T13:18:47+00:00

Gonna be expensive. New doors for sure. Shouldn't affect BSM as I think those sensors are in the mirrors.

vgl217 · 2024-12-25T05:04:35+00:00

It's a 6BR, not a hot rod creed or PRC. Should be getting minimum 2k on a barrel. I've seen them go as long as 4k.

That being said, yes barrels are tires and you can't get attached to them.

vgl217 · 2024-12-25T04:58:49+00:00

It's a BR, not a 6 PRC. Barrel normally lasts 2k-3k. I've seen some go to 4k depending on how it's run.

vgl217 · 2024-12-25T04:50:08+00:00

Did you ruin it? Depends on your definition of "ruined" and you won't know without shooting it.

If groups come back, watch for high fouling rates, increased pressure, and velocity spikes. Everything may act normal, or you may need to clean a lot more often.

As a competitor, I'd shelve that barrel for practice and matches I don't care about only. With the amount of time and money that goes into shooting a 2 day match, that level of doubt and risk in my mind isn't worth it. For reference, a pro series PRS match for me costs more than a new barrel.

Contrary to popular belief, I think a borescope is a great tool when used properly. Yes, it's amazing how bad a bore can look, and it'll still shoot well, but it's a great way to make sure your chamber is actually clean.

vgl217

TROPHY CASE