Hunting knives and related projects

[Von Gruff]

This is the accuracy I got from the bench with the 370gn cast bullet at 2415 fps.

This was a hunt report where a friend and I got onto a mob of goats and got 21 of them with me shooting my 404 (with a light load) and my friend shooting my 7x57

http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/5621043/m/2801043151

This was a very short vid of a couple of shots with the 370gn bullet at 2415fps. My wife got a bit of a fright at how much more noise the 404 made to what she was used to with the lighter rifles. This one has since been sold on but I built a 400 Lee Speed so I still had a 40 cal in the gun safe. Will post on that one when I get to the Lee Enfields

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n21MUgpm5YI

[montana]

You have made some real show stopper rifles, gorgeous! Do you have any problems with barrel leading pushing a cast bullet 2415fps? You are obviously are getting the accuracy.
You got some exercise I see on your goat hunt LOL. After the shooting is when the work begins. I shot a brown"black bear" back in 1992 in the Scapegoat wilderness about 2 hours before dark. The shot was across a steep canyon and both sides of the hill were almost vertical. My brother and I had to climb down, cross a fairly large steam at the bottom and then climb to the top of the other side which was a good 200 yards higher than where I made the shot. I found the bear wedged against a tree and had a heck of a time skinning and dressing it on such a steep hill side. By the time we climbed down and back up to the trail it was dark and we had another 8 miles to my pickup. I had lost my flash light retrieving the bear, so luckily my cousin who stayed on the trail had one since the trail was very icy. Just before we headed out we heard a loud animal sound "growl". My cousin who is from Wisconsin asked us what the he!! that was and we shrugged our shoulders as we had no idea. He didn't care for that answer LOL. I carried the pelt and meat while my brother carried the rifles. My cousin was 50 at the time so he had the job of flipping the flash light back and forth so we could see our footing and led the way which was in the direction of the animal sound. He was a little nervous about the line up which made us laugh. It is some of the hardest hunts that turn out to be the most memorable.

[Von Gruff]

Absolutely right in that the hardest hunts are often the most memorable but I would add that the company of good friends adds imesurably to the memory as well. At just on 65 I am starting to find the high country a little more demanding than it used to be but will keep going back while I am able.

As far as leading in the barrel with velocities in the 2400fps + range, there is the a golden rule of "fit is king" and if that is right with a suitable alloy and a good lube then leading is a non event.

[1075 tech]

A master at work. Awesome work! Actually, with that talent and attention to the smallest detail, I suspect it is more of a labor of love and not really work at all.

[muzz1504]

A master at work. Awesome work! Actually, with that talent and attention to the smallest detail, I suspect it is more of a labor of love and not really work at all.

Yep, the man has talent. I have to admire that. All I can do with a piece of wood is build a fire.

[Von Gruff]

Thanks guys. It really is a passion to do these, and I get to have some nice rifles to play with.

This is another one I did for myself. Starting with an almost unused 1908 DWM action, and a (unfortunately way to heavy) 7mm barrel. I had the barrel chambered to minimum spec 7x57, but throated to suit the 160 gn Woodleign bullet (@2700fps) which just happened to also suit my 160gn cast bullet (2400fps) and the 120gn GS Custom bullet (3200fps) and that covered about all the possible uses this rifle was to be put to. Got a new bolt handle made and did my usual trigger extension.

[Von Gruff]

There were various little jobs I did on the metalwork as well with the waist on the trigger guard to reshaping the tang to cutting my own version of a skeleton butt plate into the MacFarlane solid unit. A series of holes drilled and then set to with file




I made my own island sling swivel base

[Von Gruff]

I got onto a Rigby styled bolt mounted aperture sight which is a splendid sighting option and has allowed me to kill goats to near 200 yds (with cast bullets)






I had a set of bases made for a QD scope for the longer shots

[Von Gruff]

I made a German styled scope bag to carry it


With provision for the long range ammo it is sighted for although the scope with its 250 zero with the 120gn GS bullet is a 200yd zero for the Woodleigh and a 150yd zero for the cast bullet so it all works happily together

[montana]

You wouldn't be related to the John Rigby family by any chance would you ? I have never seen a skeleton butt cap before. You made it perfectly, Beautiful. Your leather work is also pretty darn good too.

[Von Gruff]

No. no relation to Rigby but I am an admirer of his firms work along with the other stalwarts of the english gun trade from between the war years.
I made a laminated stock to emulate the style of the rigby from those years but did it differently than the usual laminated stock in that I started with a 15mm center stick and machined it down from the action to the forend tip and from the action back through the wrist to make sure that the rest of the 7mm laminates would ne be cut through except for the shaping of the outer one as is the case where a stack of 2-3mm laminates is glued up.

It was a blind mag stock but in the rigby style and is a delighfully light and quick handling rifle for high country stalking. Light to carry, and very fast to mount and the aim is as automatic as pointing

[montana]

It took me awhile to figure out how you did it, brillant

[Von Gruff]

One I did for some else for a little change of pace and in these cases the design may not reflect my own taste


I had a new project offered to me just a while back. Through one of the forums I was contacted to see if I would restock a Sako into a mannlicher styled stock and of course I said I would even if I was not overly inclined toward his preferred style with Schnabel at the tip. I contacted my wood guy and he sent me a number of blanks and after due consideration this one was chosen. It is about as perfect an example of a 1/4 sawn blank as I have seen so it should be very stable with the long forestock Being a 1/4 sawn blank there is not a lot of figure but there is a little contrasting grain and the colour will be nice when it is fnished

[Von Gruff]

The guy turned up this morning with the rifle so I can just about make a start on this one.



During the discussion this was shown as a sort of like this but without the ducks bill on the forearm

[Von Gruff]

Had to rug up in the shed today as there has been a little snow over the last few days and the temps have been fairly brisk.
Got a pattern drawn on the blank and cut out. There will be about 3/16 cast off on a 14 1/4 L O P with the checkered steel butt plate having a 4* negative pitch. The barrel is going to be cut off at the action side of the tape so it will have a 20 in barrel.




Action stripped down for the initial inlet with headless screws to facilitate checking the inlet.



Getting down to the action flat



And this will do for the day