My favorite single shot rifle

[Phil]

Here is a photo of my favorite single shot rifle.

Cheers,

Phil

[hpdrifter]

ya really know how to rub it in! nice!

[Phil]

Thanks hpdrifter. Its a FBW action, Sherer barrel in 30 US Army, 1/2 octagon, 1/2 round. Shoots pretty well too! JJ Jenkins did the case colors.

Cheers,

Phil

[Four Fingers of Death]

Purty! Are you talking 30 Krag, 30/03 or 30/06?

[Phil]

Hi Mick,

Its a 30-40. I built it for my daughter many years ago. Had to completely rebuild the action and true it, they were a mess to start with. I think I have another pic of it somewhere, I'll have to look. I don't know how many hours I had in the whole project, was always too scared to total them up.

Thanks for the compliment. I appreciate it.


Cheers,

Phil

[Four Fingers of Death]

Yep, I place myself on a need to know basis with some of my projects, 'what did it cost? I don't need to know!'

:D Mick.

[C A Plater]

These projects we undertake are almost never cost effective from a bean counter perspective. They are immensely satisfying though and how can you put a price on that. At least that's what I used to tell my wife.

[Phil]

The cost wasn't that much as a matter of fact. I bought the action, made the barrel, and did all the work except I bought the rough turned wood for the buttstock and forend and had Jenkins case harden it. It just took lots of time to do. Working on and off I think I had somewhere around four or five years. But, that was just working on it in odd moments and when I felt like it. The case hardening was the most expensive part as I recall but it has been so many years now that I can't remember. Cash money I probably had less than three hundred bucks in it. To recreate it for retail sale would be darned expensive though. Fortunately I can still do most of my own work fitting and chambering barrels, bedding, trigger work and such or I could not afford to shoot anything but 22rf.

I'll dig for pix today sometime and post anything I find. I know I have at least one more somewhere that shows more detail.

Thanks for the interest guys.

Phil

[Nrut]

The case harding is beautiful!!!..your wood to metal fit is perfect also...Nice rifle for sure......:-D

[Phil]

Thanks Nrut, Jenkins does (or did, don't know if they are still in business) a great job of coloring. I fit the wood to the metal before I finished the metal. No power tools were used in finishing the action or barrel except for truing the receiver sides and face. Everything else was done by hand.

Found three pix showing the extractor fit and barrel shoulder where it transitions from round to octagon. Dang! Hard to believe I really did that, and harder still to believe its been over twenty five years ago!

Cheers,

Phil

[stillhunter]

WOW...craftsmanship, the vanishing art..!!

[NoDakJak]

In 1977 I transferred from England back to the states. As soon as I arrived I ordered a Fix Falling Block Action. Dean Miller installed a Douglas Supreme barrel chambered in 225 Winchester. I purchased a fancy grade Myrtle Stock blank from Herters and did the stocking myself. Certainly was a tack driver. Turned many Prairie Dogs into red mist. It had two problems however. The first was the unbelieveablly poor trigger that I never could cure. The other was a much worse problem. The extractor did not seat until the lever was pullled up. The 225 had a miniscule rim and the two were not compatible. Three or four rounds out of every twenty would slip past the extractor when chambering it. Getting it back out past the extractor was much harder. A gunine, gold plated PITA. I finally sold the thing and the new owner promptly rebarreled it to 45-70 and that cured that problem. I have a High Wall action that JJ Jenkins recased and it is a thing of great beauty. I have been saving it for a special project for more than twenty years now. The problem is that the special project keeps changing. Ah Well! Neil