From Hobby To Hotseat

Northwest Action Works is a newcomer to the precision firearms custom rig creation world, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their targets dotted and  their hairs crossed. Their humble roots but high quality standards have given them the tools they need to create some truly impressive rifles for considerably less than most other custom shops. Why do they do this? We asked NAW founder Mason Watters how he got started, and what he is doing to shake up the industry as a newcomer.

American Shooting Journal How did Northwest Action Works LLC get started and what inspired you?

Mason Watters We started this company on accident. We weren’t able to afford the often high prices associated with custom rifles, so we started building our own. Over time and after several builds for friends and ourselves, we started to get pretty good. When we first became an official business, we thought it would only be a side job. We primarily just sold components. The next thing we knew we had custom-barreled actions and complete rifle orders coming in. We quickly had to adapt and it turned into a fulltime operation. We decided that in order to focus solely on the company, we had to maintained a goal of bringing only a line of high-quality products to the market at prices we felt were fair to us and our customers.

ASJ What would you say is your best product or strength?

MW All of our rifles and barreled actions come with a ½ minute of angle accuracy or better – guaranteed! With high-quality loads and steady hands, these actions are capable of much better, and it is not uncommon to see ragged or even single-hole groups at 100 yards, or bullet impacts stacking on top of each other at longer range steel gongs. Many of our customers are outstanding shooters and report some incredible feats of marksmanship.

ASJ How are you involved with the nation’s fastest growing shooting sport, the Precision Rifle Series?

MW We are actually just getting our feet wet with PRS. We have put together several rigs for people getting into practical competitions, and recently expanded our lineup to include a wider range of tactical-style, custom-rifle packages, each of which have a number of features and options that can be configured into an ideal competition rig.

ASJ Have you released anything new, or do you have anything in the works?

MW Yes! We have a new rifle package called the PMR Tactical, and we’re very excited about it. While this is our most entry-level package in price, it features performance traits that make it anything but entry level. It comes with our ½ MOA or better guarantee, as well as several upgrade options that make it a truly customized first rig without breaking the bank.

ASJ It’s been great talking to you. We support your efforts and look forward to seeing what you come up with next.

MW Thank you. ASJ