Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Photo essay

Now that is a hunting rifle.

Nice. What's the history of it?

That gun has more character than all the stainless/McSquirrellys combined!

I hope I get to hunt enough to have my rifles so worn.

Maybe I should just leave it to speak for itself, and one of you can can concoct a story that you think fits the photos (much like our local newspaper publishes a political/social commentary cartoon and asks people to caption it.)

Step 1 is to sell all of your guns but one.

Those MK X 458's take a licken. Glad I painted mine 36 years ago

Nice looking varmint rifle,Utah708.

It would take a lot of varmints to provide the leather for the gun case.

Yes it would.

I so wish I could commit to one and run it like that one has been.

When I was younger, I wanted a safe full, then thinned out a bit with some higher quality custom builds. Now my mind is just wanting a bare minimum of rifles and to wear them down hunting.

Nice pic, sir!

Gets the juices flowing for sure.

The short story on this rifle is that it was the EDC of a buffalo and elephant PH in Zimbabwe. My recollection is that the gun case is elephant hide from an animal dispatched by the rifle.

I have seen a few just like it in Africa. No cracks in the stock but most of the bluing gone from carrying it. Most were handed down through the family. I would get the stock replace before shooting it.

A friend came by to see me last Saturday night and shared a story of his 2018 elephant hunt, resulting in (IIRC) a 48/52 ivory bull at an astounding 15 yards and a crop raiding cow. Later that night I had some vivid dreams running in my head, all good.

Cool rifle, did it never wear a scope?

The crack at the rear of the receiver doesn't look like it impairs the integrity of the grip area yet. I would just make sure there is clearance and then epoxy bed the tang and fill the crack. Some would add a cross bolt but I wouldn't want to alter the appearance. A threaded rod could be installed the length of the grip if re-enforcement seems necessary this would also reduce the chance of the crack increasing.

Nice rifle.

That tang crack makes my shoulder ache.

The one in my safe, same model, could pass for new, sadly.

There is only one way to fix that! Hunt it!