Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Custom D'Arcy Echols G33/40

I have had several people PM me inquiring about my newest custom build, so I thought I would post a few photos on the Campfire.

The rifle is based on an original, Tom Burgess built, G33/40 action that our own RinB had kept stashed in his safe since the Pleistocene. It was still in the white, and had Burgess custom mounts and safety.

I bought the action and hauled it over to D'Arcy's shop to see if he was interested in completing the rifle for me. It took a couple of six packs of Alaskan Amber and an undisclosed amount of top-shelf gin, but he agreed to do the job.

He brought the blueprinting up to his standards and installed a Krieger barrel of his own contour chambered to the exotic 30-06 Springfield cartridge. He also installed a Recknagel trigger and a speed-lock firing pin spring before fitting a McMillan stock.

I really like the way the rifle turned out. It weighs about 7.75 pounds with a Leupold fixed six and five rounds of ammo, which is just right for a 30-06 in my book. The rifle has also proven to be very accurate, shooting 168 TTSX's at 2900 fps into .500" or so with the first powder he tried.

I think this rifle makes a nice addition to my hunting battery and compliments my 270 Legend that was also built on a Burgess Model 70 action.

As always, D'Arcy did a fantastic job and I appreciate his willingness to do this one of a kind job for me.

Best,

Chet

Beautifully thought-out and executed. Looks like it should get the job done:)

My dream rifle. Pretty awesome Chet. I'm still saving hard for a D'Arcy.

Mind me asking what bottom metal was chosen? It looks trim and clean.

It is original Blackburn BM that was made in the 70's.

Chet

It really doesn't get any better than that. Period.

Fantastic rifle buy a true crafstman, and you chose the great all-around chambering/bullet.....hard to improve from there. Thanks for sharing....enjoy!

Fantastic Chet! Well done D'Arcy.

Chet,

There's beauty and then there's classic beauty! That is classic Audrey Hepburn beauty!! NO fake boobs, no gimmicks.

While I know there are some guys who build some reaaalllly nice guns here, you are one of a handful that always, always are posting up quality stuff.

Thanks for sharing and Happy New Year!

That is a first class piece of work!

Very nice rifle.

Love it!

Only way to improve it would be to make it a 270!

"Awesome" is an overused adjective... but in this case I think it's apt. What an outstanding shooting iron.

I would agree! very nice Chet! Great work by DArcy as usual!

Sweet!!

What Mcmllan is that?

Nice rifle.

Congrats, that is real nice. 22" barrel?

Very nice. Those G33/40's are first class actions. The bolt release ledge and left side cut out on that McMillan stock are a very nice touches and the caliber choice just tops it all off! Congrats to you, D'Arcy and the late Mr. Burgess on a very nice rifle.

Thanks guys. It is a 22" barrel and the stock is is the Mark X pattern version.

Best,

Chet

Saawwweeeettttt!

Nice rifle, Chet!

Veddy nice!!!

Oh, that's a nice rifle!

I like that.

That's got to be one of my favorite McMillan Patterns.

I agree. It is very nice.

Have a feeling those scope bases aren't off the shelf. They look fantastic. Would look great if they came in a dual dovetail set-up too. It just hit me what's missing........a red recoil pad. Good looking rig Chet, thanks for sharing.

Nice rifle. I like the stock lines..no more Bansers for me

A safe bet that Burgess made those bases.

Great looking rifle - nice components and built by a true craftsman.

I could happily hunt the rest of my days with that rifle. Very nicely done.

What a fantastic rifle, Chet!

I love it!

Yes, those bases were hand made and fit by Tom Burgess. A red pad would look fine, in fact my 270 Legend has one. I just slightly prefer a thin black pad. To my eye, it gives a rifle like this more of the essence of a steel but plate.

Best,

Chet

What an absolutely fantastic rifle! In a great chambering to boot.

Now I have to click on over to the McM website and see if that stock is available LH...

It is. :-)

I would agree with this 110%...except, keep it 30-06

Wow, what an amazing rifle, Chet! Congratulations!

That's a nice-one for sure.

You have the BEST there is. PERIOD.

Very nice!

PS- You've really aged since we met a decade or so ago to count sage hens...

Counting sage hens takes a toll!!!

That it does. I do miss getting to see that country on a regular basis...

I should have never looked at this thread. I have three g.33/40 actions and now I want them to look like the rifle shown on this thread. Unfortunately I don't have any Alaskan Amber or Top Shelf Gin.

What is the finish and color name ? Again, looks great.


Thanks

plain

Only an idiot would call functional perfection "plain".

In his defence, we haven't seen proof that it will pass Savage's "2-shot" test yet!

Or maybe he was talking about Echols!

Clueless.

Hilarious.

This rifle will be exposed to a lot of 'wet rocks' and other outdoor elements, so I went with an easily repairable finish.

It is the regular McMillan paint.

Chet

Well, there was little doubt on who could possibly replace safariman as the biggest imbecile here - thanks for removing all doubt.

Beautiful rifle. Looks like a perfect hard hunting rifle! Congrats on it.

Chet-

Wow, can't add any more superlatives. Really perfect.

Follow up on the paint as I have a MCM I need to get painted and I want it to look exactly like yours.

Is that brown with black speckles? Any specific details would be appreciated.

Also, FYI, my stock in question is a Legend and will have a black pad as well, or maybe red... I gave both and can't decide.

Thanks

Bob

Wow, there are no words that I can think of to adequately describe the incredible level of ignorance displayed by such a comment. I usually refrain from jumping on the pile, but holy cow, just unbelievable

I can live with "Plain" as Simplicity is the Essence of Perfection
John Rigby understood and applied it in their rifles as well
Everything D'Arcy does to a rifle is meant to affect it's function.

Chet,

I had to opportunity to look over and photograph your action, or one identical to it, during a visit to Echols shop in May, 2014. I went over it from stem to stern and it was as good as a G33/40 can be made to be. Burgess metalwork leaves nothing lacking. He was a true genius and his likes will not come this way again anytime soon. I would have loved to bring that action home with me but D'Arcy never let me with the action out of his sight. The reason for my trip, other than to visit with an old friend, was to gather information on Burgess for an article I was writing for Gun Digest on the man and his work. That article, including a photo of your action, is published in the current edition of Gun Digest that came out last July. Shown here is one of the images of the action.



As far as the completed rifle being described as "plain," there is a style for every taste. In my world, I would call it elegant.

TT

That is magnificent. If you ever want to sell it, put me in line. I'd sell the rest of my stuff to own that.

What is the barrel length on this rifle?

What is the barrel length on your .270 Legend?

Would you do anything different or make the barrel lengths longer or shorter?

Thanks!

T Square

Did you ever get a chance to visit with Thomas at his little shop next to his home there right outside of Kalispell?

Alas, never had the pleasure of meeting with him. As far as I know, he didn't attend any of the shows and I've never been in Kalispell, other that passing through. I got my information from various sources who knew Burgess very well.

I was there twice. Met his lovely wife as well. Once you got past his ___________ (whatever you want to call it) he was really a very nice man, and very generous with his time. He liked to visit, especially when he didn't have anything else going on in the shop. And he really loved telling stories about Jack O'Connor.

One of the times I was there I happened to have my copy of the old Gun Digest Review of Custom Guns edited by Ken Warner. He was very gracious to sign it for me on page 42, where there is a really good photo of all of the Custom Smiths (or most of them I guess) who attended the 1979 NRA show at Salt Lake City. So I guess that photo tends to show that he did attend at least one Show.

His shop was very modest. In fact, when he first showed me around I could hardly believe that the quality of the work he was putting out came from such a meager shop.

I made sure that his time with me wasn't for naught. Even though I didn't need any, I purchased a set of his famous scope rings (he liked cash money) I should have never sold them, but life goes on and takes us all with it.

You, being the absolute gun nut that you are, would have liked him.

Do you get over to Cody much when you are having "yet another" stock made by Gary Goudy?
K

I'm sure that we would have gotten along fine. I've found over the years that most of the folks in the custom gun/gunsmithing business that I've met or had dealings with were pretty nice folks. I've met very few that took some getting used to.

I'm glad you reminded me of the Gun Digest Review that Ken Warner put together. I haven't seen my copy in a few years now. Guess I'd better make a concerted effort to find it.

Only been to Cody a couple times. I was there once on a media junket hosted by the Wyoming Industrial Development Council or some such title. I was there about three days as I recall. I have/had a few friends in the Cody area that I also visited with.

I've never been to Gary's shop. We see each other once or twice each year, and hove known each other for a very long time. He knows what I like and doesn't have to ask much of anything other that which checkering pattern I want. Guess I should get up to Dayton and visit with him one of these days.

TT

Nice rifle.. looks almost what I am collecting parts for.

Just to bad the McMillan MkX grip is to small for my hands. And the comb is to low for me.

I am sure there are some very talented people out there who could fix both of those problems for you without too much difficulty.

Sorry for the slow replies, I was out hunting chukar all weekend.



It is just the basic brown McMillan paint with an overshot of black to form the speckles.

Thanks,

Chet

Yes, that is my action. I will have to get a copy of the Gun Digest issue to keep with the rifle.

It is a very traditional looking rifle, no doubt. Like Jack O'Connor said, "I like my rifle stocks in a classic pattern and my women un-tattoo'd" or something to that effect.

Best,

Chet

I will add you to the list.

Best,

Chet

The barrel on the 270 Legend is 22" as well. I would not change either one, but there is nothing magic in 22" per se. If either rifle had a 23" or 24" barrel, I would get by just fine.

The only thing I had a hard time with are the scope mounts on the G33/40. I have been using Echols Legends with D'Arcy's mounts since the late 90's and I have become exceedingly fond of them. When I took the action to D'Arcy, I was thinking of having him install a set of his rings, but we both had a hard time wanting to ashcan the Burgess mounts because they are fit very well and are part of the whole Burgess essence of the project. I will try them out, and if I still can't find any love for them, I will buy a case of Bombay Sapphire, head over to the shop, and see if D'Arcy will replace them.

Here are a couple of photos of the 270 Legend on a recent hunt. They give you an idea what a 22" barrel looks like in a Legend stock. These guns are my "using" rifles, so please forgive the plentitude of mud, water and rocks.





Best,

Chet

Chet,

Not to worry on the Burgess mounts. Just tell D'Arcy that I have a G33/40 that they will work just fine on so I'll be happy to take them off his hands.

TT

Chet, aren't you aware that expensive custom rifles should never be used around rocks or water ? In fact I hear even shooting them will eventually wear out the barrel.

Nice photos

Chet, hope it shoots as well as your Blasers :-)

Looks like that sheep took a good punch in the nose!
Really nice photo.

Super. Chet, what pack are you using or would you recommend for a sheep hunt?

It is a Stone Glacier Solo. There are several good packs out there, but I really like that one.

Best,

Chet

My R8 is frightfully accurate and functions well. Can't argue with someone who uses one of them.

Best,

Chet

Thanks for the follow up Chet. I am going to try and replicate that.

You sure do take your rifles to some nice destinations.

Bob

That is one, beautiful rifle. It has classic lines and elegant proportions.

Your posts mentioned it is painted stock finish. Presumably, this was for weight saving reasons. How well does the painted finish stand up to rubbing along with you pack / being carried and crawling etc.?

The scope mounts, are they detachable so the back up scope can be used if something happens when hunting in the wilderness?

Thanks.

The paint holds up pretty good. My 270 Legend has the same paint and has been hunted hard for 9 years now. There are a few dings and scratches, but it is pretty tough considering.

I do not generally use detachable mounts. I prefer simple, solid, one piece non-detachable ones like the Echols mounts or the Talley lightweights.

Amen to that!! Put me on that list as well!

Great to reread this old thread. A friend and I were just jaw jacking about this old G33….

I loved this thread and reread it a few times. ChetAF has such great taste in guns.

I had Mike McCabe build me a 270 Win on a G33/40. Had Alex at Master Class Stocks put a Bansner stock he had on it. That rifle is so awesome. Shots better than I can and weighs about 6 lb 12 oz before scope. Threads like this inspired me 😊

Thanks for digging this thread up. I always loved the line ChetAF wrote about the caliber, "chambered to the exotic 30-06 Springfield" Ha Ha!

Same here, that makes me laugh a little.