Nice lookin rifle Ken

Thanks John.

Another big bore?


Are you overcompensating?

No,gonna re-chamber it to .450 Howell.


Smart azz!

I thought the Safari Classic's came with upgraded wood?

You don't consider the figure in that wood "nice"?

No.

Yes.

Photos taken in bright sunlight rarely show off more subtle wood figure very well, so it's hard to tell. But there are hints that it might be pretty good.

Also, my CZ 550 .416 Rigby's stock didn't look like much when it first appeared at my door, after buying it from a friend in New Mexico. But after I remodeled the stock it turned out to be nice enough for most people to comment very favorably, with contrasty grain and fiddleback all the way from the butt to the forend tip. Often there's much better wood than is immediately apparent under a factory finish.

Where'd you find that? Ordered your reamer yet?

Found it on Gunbroker.

Yes,the reamer is ordered. Already have the "go" gauge and the spec sheet.

Yup,it's pretty good for a "factory" rifle. The Safari Classic is a step up from the CZ American. But you already knew that.

I believe that the stock is Turkish walnut and the quality can vary. Even in the Brno days you could get lucky with good timber - they never used to try and sort into different grades.

375 on top, 458 on bottom (458 has better grain) - sorry I don't have buttstock photos where the difference is more obvious.




Brno 602 in 375 which I sadly no longer have

The .458 and the bottom .375 have WOW! figure.


Thanks for the pics Mauserand9mm.

+1

Best CZ wood I've seen.

DF

No doubt that is nice CZ wood but you are being modest. The 527 in you safe is one to be proud of!

Yep.

Will post photos when I get it scoped.

DF

I have a 7.62x39 527 that has crazy wood that is in need of a strip and refinish. It seems that CZ's photos of their pieces on their website may be selected...

EdM, you could say the same thing about all of the gun manufacturers at one time or another.

Took the CZ to the gunsmith yesterday to have it re-chambered to .450 Howell. He said it'll be a month and a half before I get it back.

I lucked out with my CZ in 416, really nice wood:

Love the "tiger stripes" in that rifle.


He has a .404 Jeffery that I WANT! it would give a dead rifle looney a stiffy!

Who did you end up taking it to?

The gentleman you recommended.

Good! He was not taking any new work, but I thought that he might be interested in your project. He will do a good job for you.

We talked about building a .280 Rem on a FN Mauser action that he has. Along with one of his stock blanks.

The gunsmith called and the .450 Howell is ready. Going to pick it up tomorrow.

Sweet! Hope that it shoots as good as it looks.

Very nice Ken. A nice tribute to Ken Howell. You'll have to bring that to Armijo Springs and see what kinds of ooohs and aaahs it will get.

Jeff

Thanks guys,but it will go back to the gunsmith it is not feeding the second round. Using Hornady DGX.

Going to shoot it this morning,just cause I want to. Then try a different bullet and see if it will feed better. Going to try Nosler Partitions.

If it is working right,I will bring it to Armijo Springs.

What gr. bullet are you using? I have found the 300 SPHP does not feed as smooth as the 350-400-450-500 gr round nose, most anything with a round nose works in my 450-H.I am happy to see you are getting your 450-H up and running we can have a great time with them in July at Armijo Sp. Rio7

I'm using 500 gr Hornady and Nosler bullets.


Just got back from shooting the .450 and no problems feeding,firing and extracting. The rounds jam when checking them to see if they feed and extract,but don't jam when shooting.

When ken, gave the 450-H I have, he gave me a bunch of 458 bullets, I have 100 500 gr. fmj and 100 500 gr.lead nose soft,I can send you to play around with. Rio7

Thanks RIO7,but I have the ones I want to use in the .450 and .460.

It's just a matter of the gunsmith working on the feeding.Have loaded up some rounds to take to him and show him what is going on.