Hunting knives and related projects

[Von Gruff]

I got the barrel band done this morning. Threaded to sling stud shaft that I filed down in the drill press the other day and shortened the band nut so it would be a nice compact unit. Because I couldnt thread right up to the shoulder I countersunk the nut enough to get a good mating surface. This should be stronger than any soldered joint with about 4 threads to hold it in to the band nut.

[Von Gruff]

Was through ot the gunsmiths today and dropped off the parts for his attention.
He will shorten the 6.5x55 barrel enough so he can rechamber for the 6.5x57 with his match reamer then rethread for my action. He is going to reprofile the chamber end out for about 5 -6 inches to give it a mre pleasing appearance as well.
Change the bolt handle, D&T for the Tally bases and front sight, fit the barrel band sling eye I made and weld up the trigger pieces and the lock screw hole on the TG.
It could be a while till he gets it doen so I will have to controll the impaitence till I get his call.

[Von Gruff]

Home from the gunsmith with the bits done that needed to be done so I can finish the stockwork. It will go back afterward for the polish and blue and the cartridge engraved on the barrel. Very pleased with it and couldn;t help but to sit it into the wood as far as no barrel channel would allow just to see it in one piece---sort of.

[Von Gruff]

It was a very heavy frost this morning and really a bit cold to be in the unheated shed but having waited to get the B/A back I was anxious to get the barrel inlet done so after a quick breakfast I made a start.
A preliminary track was made so I could sit the B/A in place and mark the lines in

So with a bit of smoke to guide me I made a start. Having said that this piece of wood has fiddleback so I couldn't use a chisel accross the grain and waves along the chanel so I couldn't use gouges or even my barrel end scrapers along the channel without it chipping the grain out (you can see this in the previous two pics) so it was a case of 60 grip emery round various round dowels to remove the wood without damage to the finish lines I neede to keep sharp.

It took 6 hours to get it done but eventually it all settled into place

After that I got the piece of horn doweled into place and cramped up for the night.

[Von Gruff]

Got the horn tip inlet this morning and have run the forend through the bandsaw so it is ready for the shaping process now. This was a piece of horn I didn't think I would be able to use because of the slight curve and the end of the interior hollow of the horn which made it necessary to set it to one side that in itself threatened the runout through the curve. The interior hole was larger than the barrel diameters I had been using on other rifles but this one is just slightly heavier at the point where it meets the tip and I also shortened the wood part by another 1/4 inch so that with carefull placement it was able to be used.

[Von Gruff]

Have finished for the day and will not be ble to get back to it for a few days now but quite pleased with how it has shaped up. It has fulfilled the original design concept I had and at 6lb 9oz with the Talley aperture sight installed but without ammo it is going to be a nice fast handling hill rifle. The balance pount is a 1/4 in behind the front action screw so it will be very pointable with a very quick mount. The stock wood has more than lived up to what it promised in the blank with really nice colours with the marble cake and fiddleback really showing through now.

[Von Gruff]

I have the rifle at a sgate where I can get some pics with the intention of showing just how nice this piece of wood really is. Still in the white and will be till the extended flag safety and the Talley qd rings arrive then it can go back to the GS for polish and blue.By then the canvas sling on order from South Africa should be here and the rifle will be ready for some amunition trials.
It is near mid winter here and so these pics had to be taken on the porch with the weak sunlight offering little in the way of good light (along with my old cell ph). Whern it is all finished I will get a friend with a decent camera to try for better pics but in the meantime this is what I can post.

[Von Gruff]

[Von Gruff]

[Von Gruff]

I got the left side extended flag safety and the talley qd rings in the mail this morning so mounted the scope to see how it looked. I had intended to fit a m8 6x Leupold but there was none available here so I bought a 3-9 Nikon instead. I have a few other Nikons and like them a lot and at just 13 ox the complete package weighs in at 7 1/2 lb so still a portable hill rifle. I can cycle the bolt with the lens covers on with good clearance, so getting the bolt fitted the way I did has worked a treat. It still has the oberndorf look I wanted but allows for the lowest Talley rings and no scollop out of the bolt handle to ugly things up..

[Errorhead]

You got skills!

[montana]

My orthopedic knee surgeon didn't have the patience or skill you have. You can not teach that kind of skill, it has to come naturally or by some voodoo god LOL. Von Gruff you are very talented. That is one of the best pieces of stock wood I have ever seen and you did it justice. I would have put it above my fire place mantel in a case if I had made such a beautiful customized rifle. To say I'm impressed is an understatement. How you fit and customized everything is what they mean by a work of art. This is a very enjoyable process to view, thank's again for posting it. WOW!

[Von Gruff]

This was the knife I showed earlier that is the companion piece to the rifle with its handle from the same piece of walnut

[Von Gruff]

This was the start of a 404 Jeffery I built for myself. A 1950's FN Colombian ex military action that I had bought in the 1970's as a 30-06 with a shot out barrel which I promptly had rebarrelled to 7x61 S&H. That was my main hunting rifle for many years but then I built a 7x57 so the rifle was surplus to needs and I had at that time, (about 12 years ago) some hope of hunting Africa so decided on the 404 Jeffery.

[Von Gruff]