Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots My 2017 project...

I hope to have this finished by spring so I can shoot it in matches next summer. I found the Unertl last year at a real deal and decided it needed a rifle. I started collecting parts, made pattern stocks and had them pre-carved by Charles Grace in CO. The wood is Turkish Circassian that I bought from a friend.

The gun is fairly small... it has a #2 Douglas barrel chambered in .222. I weighs 8 lb. 4 oz. with the scope. I shot it in the pattern stocks and was very pleased.

Plans are to take it to benchrest matches and occasional woodchuck hunting.

This the pic from above. I guess that the campfire doesn't like large pics.

Very nice!

Here's a project 222 on a No. 3 action that I completed a few years ago. It was started by J.K. Cloward; I got it as an unfinished stocked action without any internal parts. Mine shoots very well too.

Cloward made some nice rifles. He was also an excellent target shooter. You have a gem.

A think of beauty. Thank you for the inspiration.

A thing of beauty and a joy forever. Nicely done.

To my eyes, a classic single shot cries out for a Unertl/Fecker/Litschert/Targetspot scope. Evidently a lot of other guys think so too, judging from the high prices they fetch these days.

There are some pretty ones being made for the BPCR crowd as well. Been thinking one of the short ones would be the beans on a Navy Arms .22 Rolling Block, or even on my Low Wall Hunter .44 Mag, if I can get by my fear and loathing about drilling and tapping it.

I was up at 5 AM today working on this. I finally got tired and quit and took this picture. I am getting the fore end near it's final shape. There's a ton more to do but I'm loving it. This piece of wood (Turkish Circassian) is turning out better than I expected.

Comments on my incredibly messy workbench are not solicited.

A close-up of the fore end complete with lots of sanding dust. Note the escutcheon which covers the hole... also the widow's peak in the ebony.

A close-up of the grip area and cheek piece after several hours more work.

Certainly a nice piece of wood.

Excellent!!!

Damn. You put the cheek piece on the wrong side!

Nonetheless, a beautiful piece of wood and a wonderful action and caliber. I'll be really happy to see the finished work. Congrats on a job well done.

I was playing with iPhoto and got this result. It shows grain popping out as I sand the wood. This is a 180 grit finish. Should be spectacular when I get to 600.

The fore end finally has it's final shape. All that remains is final sanding and finishing. The butt stock is coming along well. I'll update when it is ready to finish. This thing is going to keep me out of bars all winter.

This is the butt stock about ready for final sanding, raising the grain, filling and finishing.

This is the whole rifle as it looks today. Lots of fine detail work to do but getting closer to putting finish on it.

This gun weighs 8 lb. four oz. with the scope, 7 lb. 4 oz. without. Surprisingly light for a varmint/target rifle.

I will probably shoot it again before it gets a bath of mineral spirits to remove any oil and stains from the wood. Then I will raise the grain, finish sand down to 600 grit and apply the first coat of finish. The last time I shot it in the pattern stocks it shot about 3/8 MOA... very good for this kind of rifle. My first benchrest competition guns were .222's (forty years ago.) and I have a pretty good idea how to make them shoot.

Thats lovely.

Beautiful workmanship!

A close-up of the grip area. I now have the lines about the way I want them... lots if sanding coming before I can put finish on it.

John Keats was right...

Exquisite workmanship, classic lines.

Don't get much better than that...

DF