My new benchrest rifle...

Thanks for an entertaining thread, Dick.

It reminds me how much I miss your articles in Precision Shooting. But, I still have most of them, so I can dig them out and reread them when winter keeps me in.

I always liked your stories about reading in your heated deer blind. I'm thinking of building one out back.
 
As I said I have many, many pictures of the entire process. Right now Excede is angry with me... it seems I have used 100% of my monthly allotment. Made a big mistake and hooked Glorya's computer up to the internet. Alas, she found out that she can go shopping on the net.

Photobucket is usually kinda slow... much worse right now. Will post some more as soon as I can make peace with Excede.
 
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Pics taken whilst shaping the stocks... The cheek piece is probably the most difficult part of any stock job to get exactly right and any errors are immediately visible to anyone who has tried to do it. I took this w/o flash to help show how we do it... the shadows from the lights show you exactly how you are doing. I took this after a few hours spent solely on the cheek piece. You can do this only just so long before you start to shake.

At this stage the cheek piece is not done... however, it's important to know when to stop before you make a major screw-up.
 
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Single shots are a lot more difficult than bolt actions to stock and get right. The wood and metal parts need to be flush when the job is completed. To me aesthetics matter... no matter how good the workmanship, if the shape is ugly and not proportional you have failed. Note the plastic tape I use to protect the metal as I take the wood to its final shape.

The part of gun making I love the most is shaping a stock. It's slow and painstaking work but, when you get things exactly right, it can be very rewarding.
 


I spend a lot of time taking pics of work in progress... I put them on a big screen and just stare... what can I do to make the lines (shape) more perfectly proportional and artistically appealing?
 


Years ago, back in the 70's, I bought a few pistol grip caps from Jerry Fisher of Montana. I took a couple of them to a fellow in Ohio and asked him to engrave them for me. He did so.

Sometime last year I was sorting thru the incredible mess that is my workshop and found the two engraved grip caps as well as an original Neidner butt plate. I had totally forgotten that I had them. I decided to use this one on the Ruger. It needs some cleaning up but will be fine. Also the wood-to-metal fit needs work.

Jerry Fisher is widely regarded as the best custom gunmaker ever. I just heard that he has one of the custom rifles he made for sale... for a modest $45,000.00. He will get it. Art is expensive.
 
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pikedrop said:
Culture Centers!!! Now that is a good one Dick!
Click to expand...

Matt knows... he lives near here. Micelli's Bar is fairly famous in Michigan. Located in, basically, the middle of nowhere, it features young ladies who dance and kinda wiggle to music in varying states of undress. We live in hunting country and, during deer season, Micellie's is very busy... I have driven past and seen lines 50 yds. long of hunters waiting to get in. I'm sure the hunter's wives think they came up here in the woods to hunt deers.
 
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As I said there are a lot of pics... I think I better quit for a while before Excede remembers that they are mad at me.
 
Did you do anything to stabilize the hanger or just avoid it by bedding the forend to the barrel ?
Anything to the hammer in the way of better lock time? Lightening etc?
 
None of the above. It shot so well when I test fired it that I haven't touched anything. If it shoots as well when I get it back, I still won't mess with it. If it doesn't shoot, then I will do one thing at a time till it does. My past experience with No. 1's is that the fore end up pressure on the barrel, when adjusted, will change how it shoots. When it comes back I will shoot it every chance I get till I'm satisfied. FWIW the fore end is bedded very tightly to the barrel now. ?????? Hope that's good.

Thank Gawd, I have a good 50 and 100 yd. range just outside my office door... This is Michigan so I will have to wait for nice days. This winter has been mild enough for me to be optimistic re: weather.

I think I have everything I need to load, clean, etc. except a custom FL size die. Neil Jones will make me what I want as soon as I give him numbers... Now if I could only find my ball mike. I bought 100 Lapua Match cases some time ago.
 


I have always regarded the safety on No. 1's as being an unsightly lump. I got a spare for this gun and ground and filed it down to a more pleasing shape. Then I had it checkered 40 LPI. The edges need rounding off but it's, otherwise, done. I like this a lot better. I asked Charlie to round of the sharp edges before he blues it.
 
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Whilst I wait for the gun to come back, I am collecting everything I need to load, shoot and clean it. I bought 100 Lapua match cases. I am moly coating any .22 BR bullets that I might want to shoot. This gun has a factory chamber with a minimum factory neck. I will neck turn it only enough to clean up any run out in the case neck thickness which, in my experience, is very little with Lapua brass, probably only a few tenths. After I do that and have the numbers I will get a FL size die from Neil Jones. Neil also made me a cleaning rod guide, something a little tricky for a No. 1. My only hold-up so far is I couldn't find my ball mike in this mess... no problem, I borrowed one from a friend.

The first match is late April, only a little over two months away, so I need to start shooting it as soon as it comes back and weather allows. (Thank Gawd for my 50 and 100 yd. range just outside my office door.) Right now I am praying vigorously that it still shoots the way it did last summer when I test fired it. I have enough IMR 4895 (first choice) and Isreali 2015 (only made in 1990 and 1991) to last me for a while when I decide which one shoots best.
 


My loading bench is inside my office and only a few feet from my range and shooting bench which are just outside the office door.

I am neck-turning the brass just enough to eliminate any run-out in neck wall thickness. (Factory chamber.)
 
Dick..if you will, don't turn the necks on a few cases and let us know how they stack up against the turned cases.
 
I can do that. I have about a doz. cases that aren't turned. Although I can't imagine how not turning them would help. We do so much to insure that the bullet is looking straight down the barrel...

There was considerably less than a thousandth runout in the neck wall thickness of the Lapua Match cases and I miked them all. I just cleaned them up. A while back I sold my neck turning machine to Richard Watson so I did it by hand. Been a long time since I did that.

I just heard from Charlie who is working on the gun. He promised me some pictures of his progress. I'm hoping I get it back in March which should give me enough time to get it shooting as well as possible before our first match. I'll probably post the pics I get.
 
I'm not asking you to do this to see if the unturned cases shoot better but rather if they shoot as good. We've turned cases for a long time and I'm curious if it's necessary.
 
Dick,

I think I may have said it before but that is going to be one great looking rifle when it arrives back at the Wright's house! It will be a hoot to see you shoot tiny groups and great scores with it! I will have to take a few photos at the first match and share on here.

Matt
 
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