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

What finish are you going with?

DF

I will fill the pores with Behlens. Then I finish with McWilliams Refinishing Oil. Final coats are Gun Savr which I hand rub on. This stuff is a lot like the Arrow used to be... use very lttle finish and lots of rubbing.

The McWilliams makes the grain pop out better than anything I ever used. I went thru the process on a CZ 17 HMR that is well documented on AR in the custom guns forum.

I'm really flattered. Thanks.

The kicker is that this is my next summer's match rifle. I will be shooting it in 100 yd. benchrest matches that are held locally. It shot extremely well when I test fired it in the pattern stocks this summer... about 3/8" at 100 yds. on my range. I have shot competitive benchrest for forty years and my first guns were .222's. I have a pretty good idea how to make them shoot.

Can't wait to see the final product.

Yeah, I wouldn't want to use the spar varnish treatment many here on the Fire seem to like, not on that project, for sure.

DF

How did you handle the forearm/hanger bedding?

DF

I took this when I was test firing it on the 50/100 yd. range that is just outside my office door.

I used take-off Ruger stocks and modified them till they were the shape I wanted. Lots of Bondo. I sent the patterns and my good wood to Charlie Grace in CO. He has a duplicating machine and did the pre-carving for me.

This is the wood, exactly as I got it back from Charlie plus the Unertl. I had him put the ebony fore end tip on for me. I have no way to do the widow's peak.

Charlie bedded the pattern stocks to the action. That makes inletting quite easy... the machine is very accurate.

Charlie bought Dale Goens duplicating machine a few years back and got all Dale's patterns. He's reasonable and I highly recommend his work. I made my own patterns... I wanted my lines, not someone else's. A lot of wood has come off since I took this pic.

Would you share Charlie's contact info...

DF

Sure. Send me a PM and I will give you his email and phone number. Charlie is a past president of the ACGG.

I soaked the stocks with mineral spirits to remove all prints and body oils. From now on, it will be handled with gloves only till it has the finish on it. This is the best look I've had at the grain and color.

The fore end with the mineral spirits.

I won't touch this for a day to let the mineral spirits get really dry. Whilst it's in the vise I shot this as a study in lines. If I'm going to change anything, now is the time.

Nice!

Are you gonna checker it?

DF

Charlie is going to checker it and rust blue it for me after the stock is finished.

Now, that's gonna be NICE...

What pattern are you thinking about?

DF

A very simple point pattern. The wood is fancy enough that the gun will need no more embellishment. When Charlie was here I told him I didn't even care if he wrapped the fore end pattern all the way around.

I would really like to get it engraved but old age and finances will make that impossible.

It'll look great with rust blue, no engraving.

I agree with a simple pattern.

That's gonna be super, simple elegance, not over done.

Look forward to finished photos.

DF

I wet the stocks down yesterday to raise the grain. I've spent all morning dry sanding to remove the whiskers, most of the time working on the cheekpiece. I've taken lots of breaks... at this stage a slip can be a major disaster. Doing this right requires just the right amount of coffee (shaking is bad), no hangover, a steady hand and a clear conscience. I'm not quite done yet.

I took this w/o flash. This is how I work on it... the shadow lines tell you how you are doing.

When this is done I will use Behlen's waterbase to fill the pores. Then it's more sanding with 220 grit, a final sanding with 400 and then, finally, I will put finish on it.

Agree with Dirt Farmer simple elegance is timeless. The craftsmanship, wood and finish on this gun will be amazing. Nothing worse than gaudy..... wisdom knows when to stop.

SB