A short while back I purchased a Project rifle from a poster on these forums. it was presented in a "WTS" post as follows:
"
For sale is a J. Stevens Model 17 .22 LR Project Rifle with New Octagon Replacement Barrel. We picked this up a long time ago and acquired a new 24" octagon blank from Brownell's to rebarrel but never got to it... Despite it's outward appearance, the action is exceptionally tight (reason for buying it) and the trigger is very crisp for the genre. The 20" 1/2 octagon 1/2 round barrel could be relined. We did many of these for other people but never took the time to do this one for ourselves.
Price for the rifle and the octagon barrel blank is $150 shipped. We can accept only a Postal Money Order or Cash, and we try to ship within 24 hours of receiving payment. First "I'll take it" here followed by a PM gets the rifle. We'll send along another used buttstock with the rifle.
Thanks for looking!
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For the price of $150 via USPS MO and my local State of California Gun Shop Taxes and Transfer Fees of $122 plus the cost of the MO and a ten day wait to take possession from my LGS (total cost about $274), I get a 'rusty old single shot rifle with a Taped wrist Butt stock plus a replacement Barrel Blank and a replacement butt stock.
I have the blank barrel and replacement butt stock in my hands now but must wait until June 20th to receive the rifle.
The Blank is full octagon ~24" long and ~.760" across the flats. with an aged brown surface coat of fine rust. one end shows fresh saw cut at a slight angle while the other end is the basic brown rust color.. The bore appears clean but not at a high polish shine, with multiple fine lands and a clockwise rotating twist.
The Replacement butt stock is a 'dark hardwood' (died Red Oak?) in color with fairly wide spaced growth rings, about 1/8" spacing, that feel raised on both sides of the stock. it is inletted like most "Favorite" stocks and shows used screw holes for butt plate and tang screws, with the top butt screw hole cracked toward the top in two places (to be glued and clamped) and both tang screw holes double drilled, top tang holes about 3/16" apart, with the bottom tang holes abutting. These will need filling and redrilling.
Will the inletting fit the rifle action? That is to be determined in the future, but I have my doubts.
As the rifle 'finish' is fine rust at the time, it will also need to be refinished, possibly via 'rust blue' conversion process?
As to the barrel and forearm that is the 'original' they also will need refinishing.
Now the "Favorite" came with a slip in barrel held in place by a single clamp screw working in a 'hole' in the barrel tenon bottom. The receiver has a roughly .660" diameter spigot hole that is shaped outside like a half octagon of about 1" width this MAY have enough 'meat' to allow threading a short distance at the front end with either 32TPI or 40TPI threads to emulate its bigger brother, the model 44, action arrangement.
The octagon blank seems to have enough 'meat for this.
The original barrel would need to have an exterior 'sleeve' added to take threads or just left as original and have a reduced bearing length in the receiver. original tenon length is about 1-1/2 " so using a 1/2 inch of thread would leave a bearing length of 1" in the receiver.
I am figuring on converting the receiver to a Center Fire via a replacement of the Breech Block with one from my stock of spares, along with a lever and link to make a reversible RF/CF conversion action.
My understanding of the "Rust Blue" process is the metal first is kept in a high humidity cabinet (steam cabinet?) until a fine red rust coat is present then it is Boiled in pure water in an iron container until the
Red Rust is converted to Blue-Black Iron Oxide.
Once the conversion is complete, the surface is rubbed to remove the none adherent oxide leaving an adherent blue finish.
I believe this process is repeated until the desired thickness and color is obtained.
Alternatively, I could thoroughly clean the metal and have the parts commercially blued via my LGS.
I am thinking I can have a convertible single shot rifle in .22LR, .221 Atkins CF, .22Ladybug CF, and .25ACP CF using interchangeable barrels and Breech block-link-lever assemblies.
Chev. William