Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Looks Like It Will Shoot

I got this custom 22 Hornet at the gun show this past weekend. It is the nicest custom gun I own. It is a Winchester pre-64 model 70 22 Hornet action, cut and trued to the perfect length for the Hornet. Everything about this gun is exceptional and whoever did it, didn’t mark the gun.

I put a scope on it and took it to the range today…

Congrats, one of the coolest customs I've seen.

Believe that DOG WILL HUNT........

Distance?

Stunning, I bet you'll enjoy it!

Wow that is quite exceptional

Shrapnel……..that doesn’t shoot worth a darn. I’d be glad to take it off your hands though and dispose of it properly😁.

That’s one of the coolest customs I’ve ever seen - congrats!!

PennDog

Now that is a nice rifle. And in a classic cartridge. Love me some 22 hornet.

Who ever did that work knew his stuff.

Any idea on who?

Congrats on a neat snag.

DF

100 yards…

One supposition was Tom Burgess, however, I don’t know. I tried to take it out of the stock to see if any maker’s name was there, but it is too tight and I’m it going to mess with it. I am taking it to the Kalispell gun show in a couple weeks and have Monte Mandarino look at it. He can tell by looking at it who the builder might be…

Sexy whore-net you picked up Shrappy

That’s perfect!

That is one cool Hornet. I’m jealous.

Nice unit you picked up there

Another smith up to that level of work was Ron Lampert, Laporte, MN. He did some outstanding welding of Mauser actions for Jim Carmichael, made one shorter, one longer than std.

Jim featured that work and Ron in his Book of the Rifle. Not sure if Ron is still with us, he had some health issues a few years ago.

I have a .257R he fitted a Brux barrel on a LA Rem 700 action that he slicked up. That rifle feeds about as slick as any I have and I have some good ones. The Rem trigger that he tweaked is as good as any custom trigger.

It's one of my fav rifles and a keeper.

DF

Whoo-wee, what a beauty...and it shoots as pretty as it looks! Congrats on a great addition to your fine collection.

I just put a scale on the trigger, just under 2 pounds and clean as can be...

That rifle has class written all over it.

I've seen the other pics. The wood to metal fit is fabulous.

A shame the smith isn't known. But a great find none the less.

Wonderful. Looking forward to some dead gopher pictures with that little honey. Enjoy.

Shrap, reckon that fiddleback wood may be Claro Walnut. The color seems right.

I agree with other posters, that's about the finest custom rifle ever.

DF

Something looks amiss with the way the bullet is seated - maybe it's just an optical delusion . . .

It’s a stunner for sure……

Nothing amiss, a 40 grain VMax seated to fit in a magazine…

I have looked over your photos. From the serial number I guess that it was factory Hornet but as you know those original actions were rigged with spacers and blocks to make it work. Shortening one would simplify the bolt face issue.

The trigger bow looks like an early Ted Blackburn from back when he made them either one at a time or on his tracing milling machine.

The bolt handle in definitely not by Tom Burgess and I seriously doubt that Tom would invest the effort at cutting and shortening an action, which is a significant task, and forego doing the bolt. Also a full job would include Tom’s scope bases which those are not.

Ted Blackburn did shorten a number of G33/40 Mauser actions. I think he was capable of doing a M70. He had the welding skills to do the work. Incidentally shortening the bolt is more than half of the work.

Herman Waldron was also capable. However your rifle doesn’t have scope bases characteristic of either Ted or Herman.

Tom, Ted, and Herman did only metal work. Al Biesen shortened at least one 98 type action.

I can’t identify the stockmaker without seeing the cheekpiece and more details.

Regardless, nice find.

Ojive appears to be well inside the neck when looking at the image on a 27" monitor

Good looking piece of lumber on that one!

I took more pictures, if that will help identify the maker...

Thanks for the pics.

1. There is something that makes me think that the work was done more recently than during the Burgess Waldron Blackburn era. The rear guard screw hole has been “blinded” by welding. I never saw that done by any of those three. I can’t see any signs of welding so must have been done by more advanced welding techniques and equipment. Also the checkered bolt release isn’t familiar. Presently a number of metal guys do this, in fact it is rather common.

2. It would be interesting to know if the stock and metal were done by a single person. I can’t tell from the pictures who did it. Doesn’t look like Goudy who only does stocks. Also, not Fisher or Smithson or Echols.

3. I would check in the inletting for markings. Also if there is a metal butt plate. Looks like a skeleton grip cap but, again, can’t see clearly.

4. The stick is very nicely laid out and the work looks good…overall clearly not a hobbyist job.

I tried to take the barreled action out of the stock, but it was too tight and I wasn't going to force it. I thought it looked too late for Burgess as well, but don't know any other craftsmen of this caliber...

Target indicates need for more practice. But I'm just green. What a catch.

Those early Hornet rifles had a min spec mag for short bullets. With the later trend of higher ogive bullets, you have to seat below the ogive.

I have a CZ and was able to lengthen the mag about .1” which helps.

I just loaded some Shock Hammer 33 gr bullets which are
shorter. That may be a good one for this rifle.

DF

Shrap. That is a splendid rifle. I am wondering if Mike Connor could have been involved in it. Hallowell has a Mike Connor custom rifle off of a CZ. I don't know how far you are from there but the pancake cheekpiece looks very similar. I think that Mike Connor worked under Dale Goens.

I looked at that gun and his checkering doesn’t look this sharp. All the checkering on this gun is sharp and clean to the border. I do see the similarities with the cheek piece however…

How does it compare to Dale Goens? Conner is still alive. I might reach out to him. I think he is in davenport, Iowa. Conner is first grade smith. It does have some stock similarities to Jay Frazier as well. Jay would label a lot of his guns but he would also make very nice rifles for his friends and not label them. Whitebird has the 411 on him and probably has one of the nicest collections of custom rifles on here. I would PM him first.

Good idea! I haven’t talked to Cliff in some time, I will PM him…

Hard to believe a smith capable of such fine work wouldn't leave his ID somewhere on it. ....under buttplate, grip cap, barrel channel.

I'll take it PM sent

Overall a nice rifle regardless.
Enjoy it.

I guess back then they never dreamed of having plastic tips on bullets or the profile change. Maybe they knew those plastic tips would melt?….grin.

It is kinda funny to see something that heavily modified and wonderfully done I might add that requires the bullet to be loaded that way.

The action is from an original Winchester model 70 22 Hornet. Hornets of that era were loaded with short round nosed bullets that weren’t very long. The magazine is original and the gun was made in 1947. I have 3 22 Hornets, a Winchester super grade made in 1952, a Sako L46, made in the early 50’s, and this gun which has the original magazine that is made for the short Hornet cartridge.

The VMax bullet needs to be loaded deep in the neck to allow it to function in the magazine. I also have a Sako L46 in 218 Bee and the neck is so short on the Bee that it won’t work with a VMax bullet at all unless you loaded the cartridge into the chamber manually, as it won’t fit in the magazine with a VMax bullet…

Little bugger is pretty cute.

If looks can kill…..that there is a murderer! 😉 memtb

The stuff that dreams are made of.....

There's something about the overall look of this rifle that makes me think it could be a Lee Kuhns custom but the checkering just doesn't look quite right for one of his rifles.

Winchester used to make some 45 grain hornet ammo that shot great and were very explosive on prairie dogs. They also fed very very well in the Model 70.
Sierra makes some some 45 grain bullets (#1210) that should shoot and feed well.

The Hornady 35 grain vmax works, in my experience, better than the 40 grain vmax.

Either way the rifle is really neat and I sure wish it would have been found by me.

That rifle is stunning. Not much else I can say. Just absolutely stunning. 👍👍

Extry Skookum!

Dang Shrap! Just dang! Lottery rig and it shoots!!! Congrats

It's stunning alright. It "stunned" about 3 dozen gophers today.

Congrats Kirk,
Very cool~~
Can't wait to see it~~~
Thanks for the call~~
SDH

Even if it does not shoot, you will look good missing....
Very nice piece

Few people understand the value of looking good when you miss, but it is important…

OK, yez topped my K-Hornet low wall by a bunch.

Roger Vardy (OZ) wood?

Got to see it for myself, and feel some of the inletting work. Rifle of a lifetime, basically.

Absolutely beautiful rifle and in a wonderful caliber. I fell in love with the Hornet from an early age after Dad let me shoot his BSA Hunter at a rock at 100 yards. Hit it dead on and it was nothing but adulation from then on. Dad has long since gone to his reward but I still have the BSA and I'll never sell it. Cannot compare that to this rifle and what a beauty it is.

Schrap, you love the chambering and you have quite the collection already. I think this would complete it for you.

https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...rnet-carbine-99-nib.cfm?gun_id=102262064

I saw that this morning, a bit too pricey. There is another Super Grade in a box only 400 digits from the one I have. I can't imagine what it will go for, but it won't be cheap. I got $8,000.00 out of this pre-war carbine Hornet when I sold it...

I still like the one you gots now and lastest bestest.

In standard hornet, there is plenty of "neck" to stuff a bullet deep into the case to make whatever the mag length your working with. But I believe if it were me; I would trim the brass back so there wasn't any neck beyond the shank of the bullet (if that's the bullet I was married to). Otherwise, looks like a pit for trash/lint/dirt to pocket up and eventually end up in chamber/barrel - or am I the only one that keeps a few extra loose rounds in my pocket(s)...

Oh- and that's a heck of a beauty!

I must say it is refreshing to see such classic firearms. I have nothing against modern carbon stocks and cerakote, but looking at your taste beckons memories of reading The hunting rifle when I was a kid growing up! Thanks for sharing!

Pretting fhuqking funny,that a "Gunsmith" would botch the basics and it's lauded as "good",by Window Lickers. Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!....................

Congrats a very very nice rifle indeed. I love the Hornet and have gone through a couple of pre 64 M70's including one carbine. I've sold off most of the M70 collection in recent years however. My current Hornet is a Kimber "S" series, it's a good shooter but doesn't compare to yours in the looks department.

Gotta say, your taste in rifles is beyond reproach.

Man that's one slick rifle!!

that is fantastic. I have a Blackburn/Gaudy (supposedly) shorted 98 in 250 savage