I'm assuming this one means sporter magnum? :


Thanks guys.

This is just one project I picked up recently. I like working on these old rifles:



Scope that came on it is on ebay now for $100 and the rings and bases $37.50. I don't figure I can get much for the older Simmons Whitetail classic scope that was on this rifle, but after selling those items, I will have very little in this rifle. Chambered in 7mm rem mag. That is why I'm assuming the stamp stands for sporter magnum. If anyone knows for sure, let me know.. Oh, incase you were wondering why I'm bedding this thing:


Dang hot glue crap winchester used wasn't good for much of anything.

I always thought SM was satin matte or stainless matte. I have one in 300WM

Interesting Milwroad. It may be. The finish on this rifle is weird. It almost looks like a cerakote finish, but is not. It does accept cold bluing very well though??? One of the reasons I posted this thread is because I don't know. Can anyone else confirm this? Also, this is a 5 digit classic if that matters.

Sounds just like the finish on my mine which is a New Haven 6 digit Classic. Curious myself what it means.

Synthetic Matte, IIRC.

Always conjured "classic SM" in conjunction with the Hippy, free love era. Festive, costumed 'sports', giving rise to run on ping pong paddles as bottoms dropping out of the French Maid costume market! No "satin mattes" deployed! Just good old turf with green stained posteriors resulting! "Mooning" as badge of honour. !!!

Oh yes... Far as "Classic" Winchester markings... My several such nineties era Models reflected below.

Best & Keep a sense of humor!
John

It is a nice finish. Not quite "matte" though. More like my pre 64 338wm that I had cerakoted midnight blue, but it is not cerakote. When I get this one finished up, I'll post some better pics of it. The pictures I posted are when I was glass bedding it, so it had release agent all over it. I painted the stock and will get it put back together maybe tomorrow. When I first got the rifle, it was dirty and I just thought the finish was worn, but it doesn't appear to be that at all after I cleaned it up. The rifle has been carried a lot though. Someone really used it out in the field, but its a nice one.

Thanks for that John. I like how winchester marked the barrels. But this one has me stumped. Generally its written out on the barrel. The other one I recently acquired is a stainless BOSS and that is written on the barrel. The downfall to that is if I cut the BOSS off, it will probably significantly reduce its collector value.. Digging more into the BOSS system, it seems there are some guys that actually like it. I always thought they looked tacky and gimicky, but damn if it does not reduce felt recoil substantially. I actually like it. My major downfall: Once I have a rifle in hand I will generally fall in love with it, or forsake it forever...

Thanks buddy. So you 2 guys say that is what it is. Synthetic matte makes sense. I know you've had more of these rifles than I've had too, so I'll believe you.. Damn, that means I can't put a walnut stock on it. ha ha..

You recall correctly.

Nice rifle bsa.

Yes, they are like this

https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...-and-h-magnum.cfm?gun_id=101374579#lg-10

https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...ssic-sm-300-wm.cfm?gun_id=101636279#lg-5

Synthetic and matte, per the '93 or 4 catalog.

Just a cheaper stock and no polishing so they could sell it cheaper than the walnut and blued guns.

Made great shooters or donor guns.

Thanks buddy. That is a cheapie I just got a few days ago. I'm liking it though.. The action is buttery smooth. It was, at one time, someone's favorite rifle. By the looks of it. Some after pics for the late night crowd:



Paint turned out pretty good. 3 coats of paint and 3 coats of clear with a little texture. Feels good in the hands. Glass bedding as per usual:




The barrel is totally freefloated now too, so it should shoot pretty good. Another thing I found interesting is the barrel length is 25". I thought they came with 26" barrels? Maybe this one was cut? It also has an 11 degree crown, so I'm thinking someone hacked it, but why only cut 1" off?

Yep, there you go. Its just like the 300wm without sights. The bolt handle appears to be browned, instead of blued. Thanks Milroad. So it appears the SM stands for synthetic matte.

Maybe it was threaded at one point. Then lopped off.

Not likely..

Where's Scotty? You aren't even going to want to know how that 7 did today buddy..

-SM- Shooting Mother f(*&&^? Maybe? Or Shooting Machine?


I think it should say -SMF- I'm going to get my stamp out and fix that..

I didn't want to get fancy and do a head shot. Figured there was more meat in the neck...

Start doing that in your matches and you'll move up in no time!

That turned into a good project BSA. Seems like it shoots.

What load and how far was the coyote?

I could kick myself when you could buy SS Classic 7 Rem's and 300 Win's for under 650 a few years back. Bob used to call them parts rifles in a box. We have all had them where they were either nail drivers or should just be used as a hammer

I have been fairly lucky with them by and large. I had one 7 Rem that had an oblong chamber somehow and my 264 Classic was a basket case in the trigger department. Trigger pins were sloppily drilled and the trigger flopped around. All easily correctable stuff.

I for one still miss Bob's posts. He cut to the chase without talking down to anyone and was quite willing to share his considerable knowledge.

For sure. He's the ultimate one who pushed me over the 7mm Mashburn Super edge..

+2

50 yards? At least brush the unburned powder off the coyote!

Ha ha.. You see the little tiny pock marks in the same spot. I was hitting him there the other day with my 204 ruger.. Didn't even make him bleed!!!

You have no clue how my CTR shoots.

Yeah, I knew it would be pretty good. Someone carried and hunted the heck out of it. Guys don't do that unless they shoot well. Right over the head of the yote is the yardage sign posted in the background on the backstop. I've been pretty lucky as far as classics go (knock on wood). The worst one I saw was a 7 digit 7WSM that the scope mounts were not drilled perfectly in line with the bore. I think I did something goofy like oblong one hole in the mount and I was good to go. No other issues with that rifle. Triggers have generally been pretty easy to fine tune. This is a pretty good rifle. I'm pretty impressed with the initial range day. Load is what I worked up for the 7mm stainless classic boss last week:


I was pretty happy with the 300 yard grouping I got, so I flung 5 shots downrange just for schidts and giggles:

Yeah, this load was not developed for this rifle and it is a "hunting rifle". First time out with an arbitrary load shows pretty good promise. Not trying to impress anyone, just good honest targets, as per usual. The funny thing was I was using the dope from my 300WBY sheet, since I thought I was done with my classic stainless BOSS and stapled that to the targets the other day. Didn't even have the 7mm rem mag sheet in the range bag, but I had previously printed off the 300WBY dope sheet the other day and had that in the range bag. That was after shooting it at 400!! "A day late and a dollar short". Kind of a cluster, but it was 4.7 MOA up at 400 yards. I haven't even compared that to the actual sheet I have stapled to the targets. Probably pretty damn close though, as The groups seemed to be pretty centered on the orange dot I was shooting at. Not impressive groups, but that scope is severely lacking in the clarity department and the reticle kept doubling up on me. May have been my eyes, but even my cheaper Burris FFII's don't do that.. Still on the fence about the Leupold. For damn sure not going to send it in because they will keep the SOB and it's better than any new scope they make..

If that's what you've been shooting I'd stick with it, for matches. Don't alternate rifles/cartridges as it will just complicate your wind calls.