Up 'til now I've been gagging on thinners fumes (MVP&Naptha) whilst trying to get a half decent pic of this nicely figured furniture as it flashes off in August Az. heat.

Finish "roughed" to a rough #180 grit, and a few toolmarks still visible, it got it's first "soak" of EXTREMELY thin oil finish yesterday evening, and will get one or two coats a day until provisionally "sealed".The next two / three coats will just use the rifle itself to fixture the work. This is a "Never sweat" approach, and beats the crap outta' dangling things on wire. The metal won't care, at this point,and gummy residues wipe off handily. MAY be shooting it before dismantling and starting the metal finishing,...hope so, anyway.

Everybody that's picked this one up and mounted it has commented on how well it "hangs", and balances.It's going to be "Lively" with 550 grain loads. One would not want to use this barrel profile with anything smaller than a .45 caliber, you'd wind up with something clubbish..I'd REALLY like to assemble one in .50-70

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Member, Clan of the Border Rats
-- “Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.”- Mark Twain