Some rifles I have stocked or built

It was suggested that I start a thread on some of the rifles I have worked on over the last few years. None of these are your high grade professional works but plain utilitarian using rifles that have a certain resonance with those having budgets that dont run to top of the line custom work.
There have been possibly 35 or more so wont do much more than possibly show what I started with and the finished rifle. Mausers, Lee Enfields, and Martini's have constituted the majority of them but there has also been Remington, Howa, BSA among others.
Not sure where to start on this so will just go through my albums and look first at those rifles sold on.
1908 DWM 7x57.

I've been wondering about the Rigby style peep sights. Is there some advantage over one that is mounted on the receiver?

perttime said:

I've been wondering about the Rigby style peep sights. Is there some advantage over one that is mounted on the receiver?

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The advantage is the longer sighting plane and the closer position of the aperture to the eye reducing error. The bolt needs to be sure in its locked position with no sideways movement of the cocking piece and this particular action was very good with the GS remarking on its tight lockup.

Very, very nice craftsmanship!

Love that butt plate

This is the Martini that I bought as a 303 but found to have a 30-30 barrel so swapped it out for the N O S 303 barrel and stocked it with a carbine stock.

It was a very accurate little rifle and while I hunted with it the once I didn't see a deer that trip but after I sold it on I got a report back from the new owner with this pic of a headshot spiker at 110 yds

Wonderful work, please keep it coming if you have more available to share!!

mark-hunter said:

Wonderful work, please keep it coming if you have more available to share!!

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Will do Mark. There are probably another 20 or so

I’d say you are a talented man!

I think many of you may have seen the 404 Jeffery I built on the FN Colombian action.

Von Gruff, that 404 is just plain beautiful. Stug is one lucky dude. How about a better photo of the rear sight? Why didn't you put a Rigby style rear "peep" sight on this one as well?

The rear sight was a Williams but it sat way too low so the GS made another base for it to sit on.

If Stug ever decides to sell it and there is a way for me to import it I'd be more than happy to add a third 404 to my collection.

This was a Martini 577-450 that was a bit rough when I bought it but it had a superb barrel. Why someone would cut a stock to lengthen it thiw is beyond me but the top of the wrist and the Mk1 style forearm wood attachment pin area were in very poor condition but the price was very attractive for this reason and it was another project for me to play with.

Maybe they had a "grandkid" that later grew up.

Shootist43 said:

Maybe they had a "grandkid" that later grew up.

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I do have one of their offspring to post up later. A very early English sporting rifle reproduction on the martini action and a cadet with new clothes.

What do you use for a finish? Is it an oil finish?

The 20 VarTarg. In the 70's I had a *Mod 70 22-250 and 2 Hornets (martini and a savage) and was constantly wanting something with the manners of the Hornet and the capability of the 22-250 and a while after that the 17 came about on the rem and the Hornet case. There were so many reports of the fouling and wind problems at any distance that I never considered this caliber so when the 204 Ruger entered the field it made an impresssion although I still considered it a bit more than necessary for absolute efficiency and through that if they had used the Fireball case (like the 17Mk1v} instead of the 223 mag case it would have been ideal so I googled this combination and the 20 VarTarg came into view. There were many sleepless nights deciding on how to best go about getting my hands on one and in the end I ordered a Rem XR 100 BR actioned 204 Ruger. I bought a packet of ammo (just the third packed of factory I had ever bought) just to see what it was like but it lived up to my concerns of explosive results on the rabbits so I sent the rifle to the GS to have the barrel shortened by 16.5mm and rechambered for the VarTarg and this has been my small game rifle ever since. It has given me the very best accuracy of any rifle I have ever had in hand with .25 groups expected with one bragging group of .084 to hang on the wall.
The rifle as bought and after re chambering to 20VT with the 6-24 scope installed. The thumbhole stock was ok on the bench but horrible in the field.

I wasn't taking as many pics back then as it was all 35mm and actual film so the only pic I have is one I took today of the rifle as it sits now. The stock is made from a laminate I did of beech strips but unlike the commercial laminates I used a 3 strip stack. Changed the scope to a Nikon Monarch 4-16 for its more compact size and excellent glass. Mostly it stays on 7X. The country I now hunt the rabbit is very much ridges and gullies where a standing shot is the only one available so I shoot over the Bog Pod sticks and am generally restricted to about 150 yds so so. I have two loads that work well with the scope set for the 35gn Berger at 3500fps with a 200yd zero which gives the lighter rabbit load of the 34gn Nosler "shots" bullet at 2800fps a 100 yd zero so I can use them both with the same scope setting. Have also changed to a smaller and lighter suppressor which has made a real difference to carry weight and balance.

sandyridge1123 said:

What do you use for a finish? Is it an oil finish?

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Everything has had a hand rubbed multiple coats of tung oil. Some of the walnut has had alkenet root oil used to increase the red tone of some grain structures.

Very nice
Wow!