I had thought of exactly that and am kind of torn here. On the one hand, the wood itself is very nice. A little slimming (and sanding off that awful checkering job) while keeping the overall lines, recheckering,a nice finish and maybe a forend tip would turn it into a real beauty. But then the inletting would still be a bit �off�. It�s not horrible but has gaps around the rear of the trigger guard and around the barrel, that wood is gone and can�t be put back.
It�s a bit premature to mention this, but kk alaska put me in touch with a stockmaker in Idaho real close to me and I've emailed him. He says he has almost 250 patterns with many of them being old historical classics. He�d like to create a pattern and supply semi-inletted stocks to a lot of us who bought these left handers. I�m going to drive over and visit with him sometime soon to see what his work is like and what he has.
What I�d like is to sort of duplicate Osa Johnson�s Type A that BFaucett displayed in the African forum and I'm hoping this fellow could do that. I�ve had a real nice piece of quarter sawn walnut sitting in my bedroom for over ten years, Jack Belk picked it out for me at a Boise gunshow. It has a great reddish/brown tint to it with nice figure and would be a perfect candidate for this.
But then I�d waste that nice piece of wood that came with this rifle. It�s not AAA or anything but it�s right up there with some of the nicer wood you occasionally see on Ruger #1�s.
Plus, this rifle has to prove itself before I go spending a lot more money on it.
I�m in no hurry, just thinking of possibilities. Besides, half the fun in these kinds of projects is just dreaming and planning.
