10x
03-14-2013, 07:08 AM
After over 50 years of shooting I bought Jack O'Connor's favorite caliber.
a .270 Winchester.
There it was, sitting on the rack at a local gunshop, the bluing worn off, the Fajen California walnut stock with an oil finish showing ripples and whorls under a neglected oil finish. No major dents in it and one spot with small dents that can be raised with steam, then sanded out. A home gunsmith had taken off the plastic butt plate and replaced it with a shotgun recoil pad. That was done so long ago that the rubber in the recoil pad was hard and starting to crack.
But I knew who had made the gun and it's early history. And I knew that the original butt plate had Globco Golden State Arms on it.
But best of all the bore was pristine. A shot of spray klean on a patch and a few seconds of air to dry it showed a mirror like bore with sharp rifling.
The barreled action on this rifle was made in Spain by Empresa Nacional Santa Barbara de Industrias Militares. The stock by Fajen, and the two were married in Cafornia to a Fajen walnut stock, possibly by Fajen.
The factory in La Corona that built the Mauser 98 action was started with aid from Germany in the mid 1930s and was closely linked with Oberndorf who ran the factory for years. Despite what folks say about Spanish metallurgy - the steel in these guns comes from the same suppliers that FN and all of other European rifle makers use - In all my years of trading firearms I have never seen one that had worn out or failed. P.O. Ackley used these actions in his custom rifles and if Mr. Ackley thought them good enough for his custom guns, they are good enough for me.
The price was right - $300.00. A Fajen walnut stock with that grain would sell for 2/3 of that.
So today I will get dies and a mold and a lee sizer.
For you guys that need photos
My Krag, the 270 S.B. Mauser, my dad's S.B. in 30/06 and a 22 Winchester...
641496415064151641526415364154
a .270 Winchester.
There it was, sitting on the rack at a local gunshop, the bluing worn off, the Fajen California walnut stock with an oil finish showing ripples and whorls under a neglected oil finish. No major dents in it and one spot with small dents that can be raised with steam, then sanded out. A home gunsmith had taken off the plastic butt plate and replaced it with a shotgun recoil pad. That was done so long ago that the rubber in the recoil pad was hard and starting to crack.
But I knew who had made the gun and it's early history. And I knew that the original butt plate had Globco Golden State Arms on it.
But best of all the bore was pristine. A shot of spray klean on a patch and a few seconds of air to dry it showed a mirror like bore with sharp rifling.
The barreled action on this rifle was made in Spain by Empresa Nacional Santa Barbara de Industrias Militares. The stock by Fajen, and the two were married in Cafornia to a Fajen walnut stock, possibly by Fajen.
The factory in La Corona that built the Mauser 98 action was started with aid from Germany in the mid 1930s and was closely linked with Oberndorf who ran the factory for years. Despite what folks say about Spanish metallurgy - the steel in these guns comes from the same suppliers that FN and all of other European rifle makers use - In all my years of trading firearms I have never seen one that had worn out or failed. P.O. Ackley used these actions in his custom rifles and if Mr. Ackley thought them good enough for his custom guns, they are good enough for me.
The price was right - $300.00. A Fajen walnut stock with that grain would sell for 2/3 of that.
So today I will get dies and a mold and a lee sizer.
For you guys that need photos
My Krag, the 270 S.B. Mauser, my dad's S.B. in 30/06 and a 22 Winchester...
641496415064151641526415364154