Ranger action ?

D

Dennis Sorensen

Guest
I was at a gun show in Calgary on the weekend and to my surprise saw this old rifle... It was a long time ago... about 1970 when I built this .375 H & H Ackley Improved. I think the action used was a Ranger action? I also think Champlain Arms was using/making them?

I should add that there is no name on the action...

Anyone remember these actions? What they were named?

375%20AI%20left.jpg


375%20AI%20cheekpiece.jpg


375%20AI%20left%20grip.jpg


375%20AI%20left%20forend.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
They made this action/rifle in gainesville texas at one time.you might check the bolt action rifle book by de hass or "the bolt action"by stuart otteson. according to him the designer was a john brandt in the 60's his partner was homer koon who brought out the snakecharmer 410 shotgun/pistol. they split up after some differences and koon had the business there was the texas magnun,and texas mustang (short version)koon was also connected with omega arms in denton, texas .champlain was a different action/co. they were located in enid ,oklahoma
 
Last edited by a moderator:
They made this action/rifle in gainesville texas at one time.you might check the bolt action rifle book by de hass or "the bolt action"by stuart otteson. according to him the designer was a john brandt in the 60's his partner was homer koon who brought out the snakecharmer 410 shotgun/pistol. they split up after some differences and koon had the business there was the texas magnun,and texas mustang (short version)this furm was also connected with omega arms
 
There was also the........

Texas Maverick. They were really nice. A friend of mine bought one in .22-250, with a 15X Unertl, a real turn-key operation, from Ron Prachyl, when I got my 40X. He later sold it. Now wishes he hadn't. :eek: They were known as, Ranger Arms.;)
 
Last edited:
Dennis,

That is a beautiful rifle. It honors the gunsmith and it's owner. If it were mine, it would never be put up for sale at a gun show.

Concho Bill
 
I don't think it's and RA action. I vote for Champlin. The give away is the trigger guard, "NO SAFETY" The top picture has no indication of the safety in the front portion of the trigger guard.

Go to chapter 10 of volume II of Otteson book "THE BOLT ACTION" on page 153 and look at the drawings of both 1968 and 1971 version of the actions. The early version (1968) has a safety like the Mark V Weatherby.

All three versions of the "Ranger Arms actions clearly show a safety in the trigger guards. They can be seen on page 87 of chapter 6. Same book.

Champlin is still in business, why not call them and ask about your action/rifle. It clearly looks like their work.;)
 
I feel it is a Champlain action from what I remember so long ago. I don't understand why a company would not mark their product with their name... I just remember the store where I was working got two of these actions, one in -06 size and one in magnum size... from what I remember we were told they were the same as Champlain actions but they were made for another company building custom rifles... maybe we got a couple of bootlegged out the back door actions... :D



'
 
Dennis,

that is certainly identicle to the "Ranger Arms" action builkt in Gainesville, Texas.

Joe Dubiel was head honcho.

Joe's dad and Joe, himself, were master gun makers from the old school and old country.

Joe built me three custom LEFT hand guns back at the time you reference.

All three were works of art.

At the time the market would not support this product.

Homer Koonz ended up in Enid, as stated previously, and Ranger Arms disappeared.
 
Is your bolt shroud have the safety lever on the right side of the shroud? Surest way to tell if you have the early (1968) version of the Chaplin.

You know there were several actions along about the same time period that look similar?
 
Big Al said:
Is your bolt shroud have the safety lever on the right side of the shroud? Surest way to tell if you have the early (1968) version of the Chaplin.

You know there were several actions along about the same time period that look similar?
Click to expand...


I don't have a good picture of the right side of the action but I believe there is a safety on the shroud similar to the Weatherby Mark V. The rifle is 700 miles away...
 
some info on this thread ...

http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/general-rifle/55110-info-ranger-arms-texas-late-ace-heinmann.html

"My father was a dealer for Ranger Arms back in 1968 and stayed on through 1978 when Ranger closed its doors. The 2 rifles shown in the pictures look like Governors Grade rifles (Ranger Arms top of the line). Your stocks are laminate maple and walnut rosewood caps. Current prices vary depending on the calibers and shape of the rifles. 300 win mag was the most popular caliber. Currently there is a 300 win mag in the same config on GUNBROKER. The seller is asking $650 for it. It has been 3 weeks now and still has not sold. Rangers are not considered collectable like a Purdy or Colt.

Ranger Arms went out of business in 1978. Van Ellis was the owner with the patent on the trigger mechanism. Ranger Arms produced roughly 4000 custom guns from 1968 -1978.

Do both rifles say Ranger Arms Gainesville TX on the barrels? In all my years I have never heard of Ace Heinmann in regards to Ranger Arms. Can I ask where / how his name was mentioned to you? Homer Koontz was another investor in Ranger. You will also hear his name in regards to Omega rifles.

I was also raised in Gainesville and my father was a gunssmith at Rangers Arms. I remember hearing about the rifles they made for the governor (Preston Smith - I think) and John Wayne. They both had the Texas Seal and were top of the line. I believe that John Wayne came to the Dallas area for the presentation - but dad wasn't that impressed because Wayne had already had a few too many drinks"

another thread:
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2759810
 
relodr36 said:
http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/general-rifle/55110-info-ranger-arms-texas-late-ace-heinmann.html

"My father was a dealer for Ranger Arms back in 1968 and stayed on through 1978 when Ranger closed its doors. The 2 rifles shown in the pictures look like Governors Grade rifles (Ranger Arms top of the line). Your stocks are laminate maple and walnut rosewood caps. Current prices vary depending on the calibers and shape of the rifles. 300 win mag was the most popular caliber. Currently there is a 300 win mag in the same config on GUNBROKER. The seller is asking $650 for it. It has been 3 weeks now and still has not sold. Rangers are not considered collectable like a Purdy or Colt.

Ranger Arms went out of business in 1978. Van Ellis was the owner with the patent on the trigger mechanism. Ranger Arms produced roughly 4000 custom guns from 1968 -1978.

Do both rifles say Ranger Arms Gainesville TX on the barrels? In all my years I have never heard of Ace Heinmann in regards to Ranger Arms. Can I ask where / how his name was mentioned to you? Homer Koontz was another investor in Ranger. You will also hear his name in regards to Omega rifles.

I was also raised in Gainesville and my father was a gunssmith at Rangers Arms. I remember hearing about the rifles they made for the governor (Preston Smith - I think) and John Wayne. They both had the Texas Seal and were top of the line. I believe that John Wayne came to the Dallas area for the presentation - but dad wasn't that impressed because Wayne had already had a few too many drinks"

another thread:
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2759810
Click to expand...

I think you should maybe read my post again.. and take another look at the pictures... :)

I built this rifle using an action that has no name on it.

The stock is not laminated. It is French Walnut.

I stamped the caliber on the barrel 375 H & H Ackley when I built the rifle.

:)
 
I have two of them both long actions SN# 3433 and 3434 The action with out a name was sold to gunsmiths to make custom rifles. And I hate the trigger it is just mounted in the stock not on the action. I think if the trigger was made like a Remington they would be still in production today. It is a very well made action.
Art

PS: I still have the "Certificate of Quality" that come with it and a copy of Gun World December 1969 . Homer Koon (( the way it's spelled in the magazine )) was President of Ranger arms. My gun was built by Douglas Jackalope Guns and Sport Shop in 3/15/73. One was a 300Wby and the other is a 300-378Wby.
 
Last edited:
I have known about these guns my whole life. My father and Homer were good friends and in the same hunting club. When Ranger Arms went into production mode, Homer gave my father the first production rifle which is a .300 Win Mag serial #101. I have this gun today as well as one other. Additionally, I have 4 Omega III's. I would be happy to offer any information that I have to fill in the gaps. Looking at this picture though I would say that the action may be a Ranger, but the trigger does not look right. One of the most important design features was the Remington style button safety in the trigger guard and I don't see it here. Of course, it does not make sense to use the action but not the trigger, as that trigger is one of the best I have ever shot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top