The JP LRP-07 Billet Beauty special edition tribute rifle retails for $4,649.00 and they are only making 25. As such, I realize most of the comments on this review will criticize the gaudiness of the rifle, the high MSRP, the low production number, etc. but there is something one needs to understand about this unique piece: JP built it as a tribute to a B-17 bomber “known as Liberty Belle, formerly flown and maintained by the Liberty Foundation , a plane which once had John Paul himself as a passenger before she was lost.” As a result, they spared no expense, cut no corners, and made one hell of a tribute rifle that really does remind me of WWII era aircraft. In fact, as soon as I opened the box “Takin’ A Ride” started playing in my head as I envisioned that scene from the film “Heavy Metal”.

JP Enterprises is well known for producing some of the best three-gun rifles and components in the world, and many of said components found their way onto the Billet Beauty. It is also worth noting that the machining is immaculate, and the finish is nothing short of brilliant.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course, but I think JP did a great job emulating a B-17:

This gun is 2 of 25!

The screws that look like airplane rivets are a nice touch!

The brake and barrel are one piece, which is a nice touch.

 

 

As JP is big in three-gun stuff, they added a side charging mechanism to the gun:

And I found out the hard way that if the handle is locked to the rear, you have big hands, and you hit the bolt catch, your thumb will pay the price:

That aside, the JP trigger is amazing and perhaps one of the best I have felt on any AR variant:

The low mass .308 carrier is another nice JP innovation:

So the Billet Beauty has all the right parts, but how does she shoot? Well, only a range trip could determine that oh so important bit of data.

Patrick R. and I took the rifle to his gun club and we set up targets at the 100 yard mark.

I sighted it in with some cheap ammo before using my good match-grade stuff:

I put a Trijicon ACOG on the rifle with a mere 4x magnification:

I had never shot a title I AR this pricey so I was very excited to get some trigger time with it. Here I am trying to conceal my grin while sending some down range:

Of course she really does shoot well and I can’t say enough good things about the trigger and the overall build quality of the rifle.

So after sighting in and plinking some steel, it was time to get to business. I brought along some SSA match grade 7.62×51:

I loaded up the SSA cartridges and got to business:

With only 4x magnification my groups hovered around an inch. If it weren’t for this damn flyer I would have had an amazing group!

I am absolutely sure that with higher magnification I could have made this rifle perform much better.

So as for my final thoughts on the Billet Beauty:

JP is making 25 of these and I am not quite sure why they sent me, of all people, one to test. I am not a big name in the industry and to be honest I felt a little out of my league. However, this thing is pricey and I felt honored to be entrusted with it. While you could hunt with it or use it in a three gun match, this is to me a piece of functional art, and a man wiser than I once said “art can have no purpose other than itself”. This rifle shows off some of the best qualities of what you can find in a JP rifle: immaculate machining, attention to detail, top quality parts, incredible customization, and a beautiful fusion of both form and function.