$150 rifle

[noharleyyet]

One sets the trigger..the other actuates the firing pin.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Harley, after 6 years in Houston, I decided there's nothing in Texas worth going back for.

 

[Dinkshooter]

Harley, after 6 years in Houston, I decided there's nothing in Texas worth going back for.

I bash Texas as much as anyone but Texas does have a lot of pretty girls!!

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

I bash Texas as much as anyone but Texas does have a lot of pretty girls!!

 

[Ben Lamb]

So the Smith calls today telling me the rifle is ready to pick up. Somehow, I forgot to tell my wonderful wife I committed us to this effort, so I went and took a look at it, before getting the beat down I deserve.

Here's the crappy cell phone pics of it. Picking it up tomorrow and hope to get up to the range this weekend for a try out. The Smith went with the standard 35 whelen, which is fine. I was having second thoughts about the AI version in this rifle.

New buttpad, reduced to 13.5" LOP, 26 inch Douglas barrel, hand shaped by the smith. Front ramp is milled in from the barrel blank. He reblued the action and it should shoot right as rain.

$900 to make a $150 rifle right. Scope is a Denver made Redfield fixed 4 power.

 

[tarheel]

Nice looking piece. The action is military; can you tell what action it is by any proofs or have they been scrubbed? I'm surprised the builder didn't grind down and re-contour the rear bridge since they were going to that much trouble. Anyway, nice that you breathed some new life into it.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I'll take it apart and scrub it down good when it comes home tomorrow and take some better pics. Can't remember seeing any identifying marks on the action though. It's been engraved, so I'm thinking it was sportered during occupation, or it's an older converted 9x57 that was rebored to 35 Whelen. Nobody seems to have answers for it.

Hope to take it out this weekend and run about 40 rounds through it and see how she does.

 

[Randy49er]

Money well spent Ben!

 

[Summitthunting]

I'd like to do half octagon on my next Mauser build. Sweet looking rifle, hopefully it draws blood this fall.

 

[idnative1948]

You luuucky dog! But, good for you.

 

[idnative1948]

That in your younger days?:hump:

 

[Ben Lamb]

Better pics, and a new Balvar 8 (2.5x8):

Will head to the range tomorrow to see what it can do.

 

[huntme]

That in your younger days?:hump:

i think the fat lady is singing:hump:

 

[Ben Lamb]

Went out to the range today. Some really nice rifles out. The custom stocked Mannlicher Schoenauer in 7x57 was the nicest.

Put 20 rounds through the whelen and best I could do after sighting in at 50 was 2 inch groups at 100 yards. There's a pressure point on the fore-end that I'll need to free up and it should help close the groups. So far so good.

 

[shoots-straight]

So were you just trying to break the baby in? Did you get it lapped? What is the recommended break in by your gun smith?

 

[noharleyyet]

Barrel, butterknife, and schnabel fore-end....like.

 

[Ben Lamb]

So were you just trying to break the baby in? Did you get it lapped? What is the recommended break in by your gun smith?

Yews, just checking the scope and seeing what it could handle. Didn't get it lapped, but it's got about everything else. No recommendations on break in. Barrel is a Douglas XX.

 

[Summitthunting]

Douglas barrels are great, the dozen rifles I've built on them have been tac drivers. Do you reload Ben?

 

[Ben Lamb]

Summit, yes I do reload. I used 55.1 grains of RL15 under a 250 grn Hornady roundnose today. I'll be working up a load for this over the next few weeks. I'm really hoping that RL 17 can give me about 2600 fps.

Looking for some 275 grain bullets as well.

 

[belly-deep]

Hey Ben,

I saw an 8mm with the butterknife handle and all at the Missoula gun show this weekend. That thing was actually pretty cool! Handled really nicely. And that goofy-looking sloped stock actually felt better than just about any straight-combed stock I've held. It kinda made me want to buy it...