Finn Aagard often took a similar approach. Another man for practicalities. I seemed remember at least one rifle where he shortened the barrel with a hacksaw, trued the muzzle with a hand file, modified the stock with Bondo, or some such, to make it fit better and then spray painted the whole thing. Wish I'd kept the article. A Mauser of some sort, IIRC.
- TJM
I found that article and started another thread on it a while back. The article was "Home Remedies," Rifle #167 (Nov.-Dec. 1995).
The rifle was an 8x57 Mauser 98 with "barrel chopped to 20 inches, metal painted with Rust-Oleum, stock treated with Varathane, a duct tape muzzle cover and an inner tube scope cover."
The article also described creative uses of Shoe Goo, duct tape, stove bolts, Bondo and clothespins.
It also has a description of his case lube method, in which he lubed the cases with Vaseline and wiped them off a paper towel dampened with unleaded gasoline (!). That section ends with this comment:
"I never polish my brass. I want my old cases to look old, so that I am not tempted to over-stress them by using any but mild loads."
