Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Documenting a build--.280 Rem in Classic American style

I am working on my fourth, and probably final, custom rifle off the LH Zastava action. I went through my LH Remington 700 phase for about 25 years because they were the best game in town for lefties. Then I had a very good LH Winchester 70 phase, until those rifles got so bloody expensive. Along the way, the LH Mauser 98 actions from Zastava became available, and even though they are rough, they are a good basis for a custom project, particularly if the goal is a more classic--even retro--project. The current fiberglass stock/stainless metal/turreted scope era is no doubt a technological improvement, but for me not an aesthetic one.

The first was a .35 Whelen that I learned a lot from, but that I think would meet the Colonel's approval nevertheless. Next was a 7x57 with largely the original metalwork because I always wanted a Mannlicher. The third is a 9.3x62 that stepped up the game in terms of metal work and has a McMillan stock for now. (I have posted photos of all of these in the past, so won't repeat them here.)

This fourth one is a .280 Remington that Mark Penrod barreled and also did quite a bit of truing and refining to the action. I am doing the stock work, starting with a pattern that I have been shaping and truing for what feels like an eternity. For an amateur like me, Bondo truly is your best friend.



The blue on the barrel is Prussian blue with a half depth line scribed into it that helps me keep the action deep enough when I am bedding the pattern.




But a dash of spray paint evens out the psychedelic pink camo effect, and shows both where there is still work to be done, and how things are progressing overall.





I already have a chunk of wood that I think should work well for this project ...



Stay tuned, although my work obligations mean that the next installment of progress photos is likely not to arrive for months.

Very nice!

That's going to be beautiful when he's done.

That is very cool. Can't wait to watch the progress.

mr. utah: I am impressed !! Question: I've been wanting to do the same for a M70 and have been considering my options re: the action inletting: how are you planning on doing yours? thank you.

Very cool!
And none of this "no updates for months" stuff either.

Starting with a semi-inlet stock with roughly the correct lines could save you a bunch of time and effort.

Getting the inletting right is of course critical to the function of the gun. The barreled action has to be at half depth, not be rolled to one side or the other (most evident by the trigger being angled off to one side), and not tipped relative to the top line of the stock. And of course the alignment between the receiver and the magazine box/bottom metal needs to be right.

On this project, the action is inlet into the wood quite oversized, and then traditional epoxy bedding fills in the rest. If you look at the second photo you will see two large holes and maybe see one tiny hole that have been drilled into the side of the stock. Bedding epoxy was injected into those holes to fill the gaps around the magazine box, and themselves later filled and leveled. The nice thing about a pattern stock is that you can do whatever it takes to get it right, in the hope that you save time on final stock, and you will not need to be making big changes on it, which increases the risk of an amateur flub up.

I would love to make more progress on it, but will be out of country for the next seven weeks or so. I have built a little fixture that can be clamped to a table and holds the bottom metal steady. I will take that with me and spend time polishing and shaping. I am using Blackburn bottom metal, which is top quality, but it still has a lot of machining marks.

Looking good. That blank is a striking piece of walnut.

I really like blanks with mineral streaks driving hard down toward the toe; I think it creates a real flow to the rifle.

I intend to use this pattern twice--for this stock and again on a stock for the 9.3x62. I have a piece of Bastogne waiting in the wings for it, which I hope will be striking as well.





Although that gun does not look too bad in a McMillan.

utah: thank you for sharing. Actually, I was not clear in my question: what I meant to ask was: how do you actually remove the material for the action inletting: completely hand cut, a milling machine, access to a duplicating machine, or some other means? Thanks again.

Hand tools is all I have. The pattern will be used in a duplicating machine--I will have that professionally done.

Can't wait to see more. Safe travels.

Thanks for sharing. I like the shape of your grip and butt stock. Should handle quickly and still give a good sight picture with the right scope.

Nice work and a great blank. I am reluctant to comment on someones work especially if it is much better than my own. But the cheek piece is a beaver tail and the shadow line is an ellipse. I would bring these closer to each other like on an Echols legend stock. Both elliptical or both beaver tail with the former my preference.

Jack O'Conner made an interesting analogy about gun stocks and two sisters. A slight nuance here and there makes a big difference.

Your comment is fairly offered, and openly received. When you say "closer together" do you mean near the butt or as it approaches the pistol grip?

Apologies again on critiquing your great work. What I meant was the cheek piece and the shadow line should mirror each other more closely to suit my taste but not necessarily yours. Closer together in shape not the spacing that's already perfection.

The butt end of the check piece/shadow line is what I am referring too. The rest is pure poetry. The end point where the shadow line and comb meet is excellent.

The cheek piece appears rounder forming an arc and the shadow line is more of an elliptical shape. I wish I could draw it as it is easier than describing. Using letters as an analogy the shadow line is more of an "L" ellipse and the cheek piece is more of a "C" arc shape on the butt end. Picture a CC shape or an LL shape but not a CL or LC shape.

Compare it to the Echol's legend stock. The check piece on the Echol's is rounded but follows the shadow line more closely. A very subtle transition between an arc and an ellipse.

If I am still confusing the issue I could draw it in autocad and email it to you. PM me if I should. Don't know how to send it otherwise.

I only commented on this as the stock is so close to total perfection and the little things are mostly a matter of taste and individual perception or preference.

After some months away from this project due to work, I have a little progress to report. I stopped by the stock duplicator today and was able to pick up this slab from the blank that shows what the grain flow will be like. This blank may be one of those that looks better on the inside than on the surface. The final duplicating may be done this week.

That is an absolutely gorgeous piece of wood! I look forward to your progress.

Come on Utah...you're killing us. powdr

You sir have nice wood