Thanks I can use it, here’s the rest of the story
What started as partial payment of a bad debt, when I received a Dakota Model 10 action in the white, is beginning to get crazy, luckily the expenses are being spread out over a number of years.
Aside from the action, which will have the lever reshaped, the block engine turned, and the safety re profiled during engraving, this rifle is going to be totally custom.
Lilja just finished their part of the barrel. Now it is being profiled, tapered octagon, and having integral quarter rib and front sight ramp, as well as an integral barrel band machined. Then it’s back for finish chambering and assembly. Then it’s off to Wenig’s for stocking, once stocked it will be off for, polishing, heavy relief engraving, and final finishing.
At least a year or two away from completion, a financial necessity, in the mean time, accumulating some hardware like EAW scope mounts that will be recessed and melded into the integral quarter rib, a Schmidt & Bender scope, a trap grip cap for storage of a detachable adjustable rear peep sight that fits the EAW mounts, and a leather covered recoil pad bullet trap for the butt.
This project began in 2005, took about six months just for me to finish the full-scale drawings of just the barrel, and then another three to make a full-scale mock-up of it in wood out of a 4x4. I also spent about two months on the engraving pattern for the rib, front ramp and hood, barrel and band, and finish for the top barrel flat, still working on the patterns for the receiver, lever, trigger guard, and checkering style and pattern.
I fully intend to use it as a field gun, the stock will be oil finished to allow for easy touch-up from the character-marks it will be receiving. The metal will be slow rust blued, except for some inlays and a filigreed German silver recoil pad spacer. It is being chambered in 375 H&H, as it’s a magnum action, but will see most of the time shooting at 38-55 velocities. It is really an over powered stalking rifle.
Some of what I am doing is just for appearance and some is functional elegance, as it were, but that is the nice thing about a custom gun. It fills no need but it does fill a want or two, and it has been a lot of fun so far, and as it has been designed as a long term project, due to necessity, I am paying for it by eating out two or three times less a month than I used to, does not make the kids happy eating dad’s food, but hey if they are hungry they will eat it.
If you like guns I think you should do a least one just the way you want it whether it takes a day or several years it is fun and the results will last a life time or two. Ah well more details to contemplate, engrave the screw heads, contrasting inserts for the screws, scallop the action, re shape the trigger shoe, so many choices to be made.
Will post a picture in a year or two when it is done.
Life is no joke but funny things happen
jon
