Again, really great stuff... I guess I have to add Cigar Aficionado and Peterson's Hunting to the list of periodicals. I understand he also has had pieces in American Rifleman early and late in his career.
I am still trying to figure out how to document this stuff. I think I will either put it in a shared google doc that people can see and add to if they want, or possibly a "wiki" hosted on my own server.
Someone mentioned the Remington 700 in .22-250, and I know I have read about it several places. That's great detail about the era of the checkering pattern; I would not have the expertise to know about that. There was a great picture in an 80s G&A that showed him with the rifle and what looks like 50 or so coyote pelts nailed up to dry.
I understand it was rechambered early on to 22-250 Ackley Improved, and he finally shot the barrel out in the early '90s, spending more than he originally paid for the rifle on the rebarrel job (I guess not hard if you held it through the inflationary '70s). Most interestingly, he refers to it as His Favorite Rifle of All Time.
I will turn to on this and share with you as I get further info
interesting project you are working on...
as i mentioned earlier, i've enjoyed his writings on coyote hunting and revolvers--i especially enjoyed the articles on revolvers, as much of it was new to me, and the info was of great benefit. the coyote info was of interest, but in a different way, as i had already been hunting them for 15 years when i first read his writings around about 1986--but it is always interesting to read what others are doing.
i did not realize or know that his old remington m 700 bdl heavy barrel was rechambered to 22-250 AI--had always thought it was a standard chambering. with this being so, it was likely an early experiment prior to a gun build, as i did know that he had a shilen dga heavy barrel in 22-250AI...
you mention that the checkering pattern comment was of interest--didn't realize that would be of interest in and of itself, as i was thinking through the model/time to calculate a possible date for college...
nevertheless, those early rem 700 bdl's from 1962 to 1968 were exceptional guns: of course they had the checkering pattern i mentioned; an aluminum buttplate; non-jeweled bolt body; split sear; the back end of the receiver in the loading gate had a square notch cut-out in it; the bolt shroud on the back was much shorter, so that the rear end of the firing pin would protrude much further; the safety was somewhat taller, having a squared off contour; the bolt handle on them was unfortunately positioned so that in heavier kicking guns the index finger would often get banged; and finally, the wood was finished with rkw, a finish developed by dupont for (i believe) bowling pins. it was exceedingly tough, but so are other finishes--what made it unique is that it was very "rubbery", it really flexed easily (if a small piece peeled loose and you bent it in your hand)--to perhaps take the shock of a bowling ball hitting the pins. the finish on the stock did not crack when out in very cold weather (wood contraction), nor did it easily crack if the wood took on water and swelled a little, as it could "stretch" a bit...
though i've much nicer guns than these, i've never been able to shoot anything as well as a 700, especially the older ones--and the sporter weight 22-250 in either the 1962-68 checkering pattern, or the 1969-1973 pattern, are easily some of my favorite shooting rifles--though i surely appreciate the workmanship and machining on very finely made rifles, such as sakos, etc. my L579 sako 220 swift with high comb and 8x leupold is a work of art, but i can only hit yotes with it out to about 375 yards max, whereas the old remington 700's give me an edge to where i can at times hit them out at about 425 yards--and both are sporter weight rigs, as i'm not a fan of heavy barrels.
will be intersting to read all of the material that you compile...have fun with the project!
