Reproducing Harry Selby's 416 Rigby

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I acquired a brand-new, never fired take-off CZ 550 416 Rigby barrel, and I was at a loss as to what to do with it. I dug through my stash of receivers and found a stripped VZ.24 receiver & bolt with a hinged floor plate and a complete M1917 receiver already machined for long rounds. Since the 550's barrel thread wasn't going to accommodate the M1917 without a silver soldered bushing, I decided to try to reproduce my version of Harry Selbey's 416 Rigby as built by John Rigby.

Before I get a dozen "nutty idea" posts, I have the time and the ability to do the job, and almost 100% of the parts, and I always wanted one. I will make the stock from scratch as this will be an iron sighted rifle, with express sights already on the barrel, and I will need less drop than has a scoped rifle.

I also thought I would do a pictorial of the entire job for posterity. Anyone interested in looking at such a project? I would post the pictures once a week or so, maybe every two weeks if I am busy with other endeavors.

I have already started fitting the barrel to the receiver, which was a bit of a trick, since the CZ 550 thread is M26x2sp3 and the VZ.24 receiver thread is 1.1x12 tpi. I made two AutoCAD drawings and overlaid them to see the degree of interference, and decided I could fit the two by using valve grinding compound to exact-fit them (no lathe required). The CZ 550 has 7-8 threads, and I have engaged 5 threads of the two already - three to go. It started raining cats and dogs and I decided to quit for the day. So far I have expended a little over one hour fitting the barrel to the receiver.

If this is the wrong place or no one has any interest in such a project, I will just fade away quietly. Let me know.

I am looking forward to test firing the beast.

jt

[older than dirt]

Yes I would be interested in looking at your progress weekly or so. Good luck with it.

[RCS]

Jim, Check my post on the M1917 forum showing the Maynard Buehler 505 Gibbs conversion of the Enfield. RCS

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Wow, what a shoulder blaster that sucker has to be.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I finished fitting the barrel today. Now to open up the bolt face - time to crank up the old lathe. I'll take a few pics and post them later tonight.

jt

[Emri]

I will make the stock from scratch as this will be an iron sighted rifle, with express sights already on the barrel, and I will need less drop than has a scoped rifle.

I also thought I would do a pictorial of the entire job for posterity. Anyone interested in looking at such a project?

If this is the wrong place or no one has any interest in such a project, I will just fade away quietly. Let me know.



jt


Sure Jim !! Would love to see pics of your project. Since this is the Mauser forum, it seems to be the place to do it since you are using a Mauser action. As far as the stock dimensions go, I think you got it backwards. For iron sights only you need more drop. Scopes sit high on the reciever and have less drop. But why don't you get a G&H side mount or some claw mounts and put a nice vintage 2.5X Zeiss or similar scope on it ??

Later,

Emri

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I want very little drop to make the recoiling rifle come straight back. Those Weatherby style stocks tend to make the barrel rise which creates greater felt recoil. I will install some kind of compensator in the stock to further reduce felt recoil. I am also going to epoxy a steel pin through the wrist and add a weight in the buttstock. I am going to stick with the iron sights, as a scope into the brow with a 416 Rigby is one chance I don't want to take. I ordered some bullets last night for test firing. I am trying to decide if I want to Blue Pill the puppy, and if so, what Blue Pill to use. The only real issues I have are the right side cut into the front receiver ring, and making the box magazine that will hold three rounds and still feed properly. I was making some preliminary measurements last night, and it appears I have to extend the box back AND forward, and most likely make a longer follower. I will probably weld the floorplate onto the box. I will only get one shot at those rails, so I want everything mechanically completed prior to starting that job.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

After fitting the barrel, I discovered the CZ 550 receiver ring is 0.050" longer than the VZ.24. I had a gap between the barrel and the receiver. I bugged out down to the Burgaw Milling feed store and bought a 0.050" thick 1" machine washer that almost went over the barrel threads. Put it in a vise and ran around the inner circumference a few times and she screwed onto the barrel threads. Screwed on the receiver (torqued to 70 ft-lbs) and it was a perfect fit. Ground down the excess washer flush with the receiver and just finished the 220 grit polish. She looks great!

I ordered a set of Lyman dies and 50-350 gr hard cast RN bullets today (Total of about $60.00, which gives me a total monetary investment to date of $150).

Tools used so far are:
1. Big table vise
2. Dremel tool with grinder
3. 10" Mill bastard file
4. 12" cheater to screw receiver onto barrel
5. 1 sheet 220 grit wet or dry sandpaper
6. Valve lapping grit mixture

Left to do:
1. Open up bolt face
2. Build magazine box/floorplate
3. Make a stock and fit/checker/finish
4. Glass bed receiver and barrel lug
5. Rust blue all metal parts including bolt (I like black bolts)
6. Odds and ends
7. Open rails and receiver to accept and feed a 3.720" 416 Rigby round
8. Order a bolt stop/release for a 98 Mauser (mine is missing)
9. Install Timney trigger w/o safety (on hand)

Any questions? Comments are welcomed, good or bad. Feel free.

Pics are before and after 220 grit polish.

jt

PS
I accidentally added two photos that have nothing to do with this post. Sorry about that.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

OK, I am planning on using a barrel band sling swivel, most likely the Talley (below - on list of items to be ordered, which is very short). That requires removing the front sight ramp. Does anyone know what type of solder is used to solder the CZ 550 front sight ramp? If it is silver soldered on, I will solder a split band onto the barrel versus a full band, and not remove the front sight ramp at all. The latter was the technique used by Rigby if I am not mistaken, but I intend to soft solder the band to the barrel.

I also plan to use one of the older Timney triggers designed for the M1917. I prefer these triggers over anything offered today. It has no safety, but that is OK because I will use the standard Mauser flip safety since I won't be mounting a scope. It is handy and quick and positive and time proven.

I plan to cut off the bolt handle, straighten it, and weld it back on upside down. I want it to be at the same angle and length as the Model 70 bolts, but have the larger knob of the Mauser military rifles.

I have been looking at the standard Mauser floor plate, and it appears I will move the rear wall back the thickness of the current wall, and the front wall I will cut off and stub on a new front wall with short side walls such that a 3.720" OAL round will fit with a minimum of 0.010" clearance. This will allow me to not alter the rear of the receiver magazine opening, and have all metal removal at the front, which will result in a rather short ramp. The ramp angle will be determined by how well the rounds feed, which means the magazine must be made first before the ramp is angled, although I can go ahead and remove the metal that must go to allow the round to exit the magazine box. Removing metal behind where the lower bolt lug locks up gives me pause, so I will ensure that not a sliver of metal will be removed other than that required to feed the round. I will have to make a new floorplate, which I will hinge with a positive lock. I will convert a standard Mauser floor plate I have in my parts box.

I have been giving the stock a lot of thought, and I am thinking of having maybe 1.5" drop at the front and 2.5" at the back. The grip circumference will be determined by the size of my hand, which will be around 4.5". I will alter the grip to place my trigger finger pad on the trigger with no muscle strain, and I prefer a more closed grip than usually seen on these rifles, with blued steel grip cap. The grip will be reinforced with a steel rod. LOP will be 12 1/4", which is my usual fit, but I will check before I cut. Stock balance will be in the middle of the receiver ring, or about 6" in front of the trigger. The forearm will be 8" long (from end of floorplate), round with melded rails and a horn round tip. It will be checkered in a classic style (I really suck at checkering). I plan on making a recoil compensator system consisting of a lead filled cylinder suspended between two valve springs in a hole drilled into the buttstock in front of a 1" compensator rubber pad (English style). A slight cheek pad in classic style will adorn the buttstock. Cant will fit my shoulder muscle hollow, and offset will be determined by my exact line of sight in an unstrained offhand position, and if done properly, offset can reduce felt recoil significantly. I will have at least 4" between the front edge of the upper comb and me right thumb when my finger is on the trigger to help prevent "thumb nose" from the heavy recoil. Total weight of rifle empty will be 10 lbs, and maybe 11 lbs.

Rigby made only a few 416 Rigbys on standard length Mausers, and I had never seen one until recently. I was surprised at how little had to be altered. Remember, the Rigby was designed to be a 43,000 psi round, although I will test to 55,000 psi based on my calculations. I do not anticipate encountering any strength issues whatsoever.

Right now I am stalled on opening up the bolt face because my 3-phase lathe that runs on 110 single phase is down due to a dead capacitor. I may resort to a nearby machine shop. I am eager to test fire it no later than next week. I will use the tried and true "tied to a tire and a long trigger string" method, and I intend to video tape the test. I am sure I will wince when I dump 90 grains of powder into each case. She will not be cheap to shoot, but it will be fun.

Comments welcomed, also any questions.

jt

[da gimp]

Have you considered a Mod 70 style safety? Double recoil lugged into the stock? My thought is to go with the spit forward sling ring, no chance that way of the front sight being canted, IF you like the current front sight. If not, a gold bead or ivory front sight are pretty & have an added benefit in low light on a dangerous game rifle.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I did consider the Model 70 type safety, and I like them a lot and have installed several of them on hunting rifles; but I wanted the same safety I think Harry Selby used. I have never seen a picture (close up) of his rifle, but I have seen another Rigby standard Mauser 416 rifle. It had the standard Mauser safety. Since the rifle Selby bought was an "off the shelf" rifle, I suspect it was the same as or similar to the one I have seen. It also had a beautiful nitre blued extractor that was purplish blue, which I will duplicate either by nitre bluing it or oil bluing it.

I do have double recoil lugs, as the barrel as an integral recoil lug built into it, and at this point, I agree with you that it will be best to leave the front sight as it is and cut the band at the top just wide enough to slide past the front ramp. I will taper it to the barrel, taper the outside of the band, and tin it before soldering it to the barrel. I have thought of using one of the bright green or red rod insert beads, but I think the recoil of the 416 will wreck it pretty quick.

I think I have figured out a way to open the bolt face without a lathe. If it works, I will post pics and gloat, and if it doesn't work, I will buy a new bolt.

Thanks for the comments, Gimp.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Today I decided to see if I could open up the bolt face in my lathe under no power. I still haven't figured out which capacitor in my home made static phase convertor is bad, and all my electrical equipment is at the plant 72 miles away. Some time ago, I had to cut the face of a 91 Mauser bolt completely flat. I did it by rotating the chuck by hand. I decided I would open the 98 Mauser bolt the same way. Low and behold, my chuck was frozen up. It was almost 100 degrees here with high humidity, and my shop is not air conditioned. I am going to build a new shop (the old one has rotted away), and I can assure you it will be air conditioned. It took me several hours to free the chuck, and I did some lathe maintenance to boot (Clausen 1500). I will do the actual bolt work tomorrow.

The head of a 416 Rigby case is 0.590" in diameter My once fired Norma cases are 0.588", so I will open the bolt face to 0.592". A dangerous game rifle is not the place to have tight tolerances. The bolt won't have much face rim left, but more than I originally thought. I did some preliminary work with a Bubba Dremel tool (see picture below), so I have very little metal left to remove. Right now, even though the bolt face appears to be opened, the bolt won't close on a fired case. I need to remove a few thousandths of metal from the edge of the bolt face. I will have to cut the bolt handle off to chuck the bolt it into the lathe if the rollers on my steady rest do not completely straddle the extractor ring groove. That is not a problem, but I was going to order a cooler bolt handle from Brownells. I will just have to make my own.

I also made the initial grind on the extractor, but it is evident that it will require a bit of additional work to function flawlessly. As that claw gets shorter, it also gets stiffer - a lot stiffer. The extractor may turn out to be a bit of fun to make work properly.

For those not familiar with the 416 Rigby round, it came in 1911, and was (and is) quite the epitome of a modern round. It has very little body taper, a 45 degree shoulder, and a neck just long enough to hold the bullet in recoil. Weatherby's 460 Weatherby is a belted 416 Rigby case with about one degree less body taper and will hold around 7-8 grains more powder than the Rigby, and is loaded to (I think) 60 to 65, 000 psi versus the 43,000 psi of the Rigby. The Rigby, when handloaded, can approach the 460 in energy, but never exceed. The Rigby has been around over 100 years, and will drop any creature on earth in its tracks most rickity tick. The old steel cased Kynoch solids (the early ones) would penetrate a rhino or a Cape Buffalo from end to end. Most people do not find it pleasant to shoot, but Harry Selby wore out the barrel on his. It took many years and many thousands of rounds, but he did it. He was (is) of slight build, but he could obviously take some punishment. The recoil from a 416 Rigby will definitely get your attention, and this one will NOT have a ported barrel due to the excessive muzzle blast that results.

One of the pics shows the area (shaded) of the receiver ring that must be removed to allow an unfired round to be ejected. This is the "thin" part of the ring where the bolt lug travels before it goes into battery.

I own a small fortune of "pink" stock in a renewable energy company, and if they ever go public, I will sell and go to Africa to hunt Cape Buffalo with my 416 Rigby. That is #1 on my bucket list since I decided Selma Hayak wasn't realistically going to drop in for a fun afternoon. If I die broke, someone will get a fine dangerous game rifle capable of standing toe to toe with any man eating, bone crushing, man stomping creature on earth.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I got a call this morning from my neighbor that he needed help disassembling his hay mower. I was setting up to open the bolt face, but in farm country, when a neighbor calls, you go. Finally got back to the bolt when it started raining. While opening the bolt face, I discovered the bolt face was not square with the bolt body. It's not off much, but enough that I will have to square it in the morning. That is a good thing, as the bolt won't close on a fired case (my dies haven't arrived yet). Squaring the bolt face may be just enough to take care of that little issue. The barrel face does hit the receiver face, or is so close a 0.001" wire won't go between them. I also had to cut off the bolt prematurely because I couldn't set up with the steady rest as the rollers were close enough to the extractor ring cut that I was going to round off the edges. Problems always surface in a project like this, so one must be flexible enough to solve the problems. I will make my own bolt, since I can't find my stash of bolt handles (figures).

I plan to make the stock from a very nicely figured blank of American Walnut from a tree stump cut some 15+ years ago. I decided to make a pattern stock first. A pattern stock is used in a duplicating machine to make the real stock. You can use Bondo, glued wood, or anything else to form a stock that meets all your requirements. I have two 90% Springfield stocks I bought super cheap (do we see a pattern here?), and I am going to use one of them to make the pattern stock. The Mauser floorplate (unaltered) dropped right in, but it has a 1/2" barrel channel which will have to be hogged out for the 416 barrel. The receiver mortise requires less work, but it isn't a gimme either. One of the two stocks has some darned nice figure in the buttstock, but some anal retentive goofus cut the grip too short when installing the grip cap (it cost $15 - figures). That, or he was making a rifle for someone with hands like a small child. As usual, the butt is way too long, so I will cut it to length, and use that piece to elongate the grip. After it is checkered, you will have difficulty seeing the glue line. The forearm is too long, and I will cut it to a little over 9" in front of the floorplate. I have some buffalo horn I will use for a forearm tip. I will glass in the receiver and the barrel lug with Devcon Titanium Putty. If you have never used it, it sets up with almost zero shrinkage.

Got my 416 350 grain bullets today. Made up a dummy cartridge. I can hardly wait until the dies get here. Hopefully I will be videoing a test shot next week. That should be a hoot.

I will post more pics tomorrow. I had to unload horse and pig feed in the rain, and I am wet to the bone and dead tired.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I finished opening and truing the bolt face this morning. The bolt closes on the fired case now (thank goodness). As it turns out, I did not have to remove but a 0.001" from the bolt face, and it is square. I also welded on my homemade bolt handle (see pic), but I made it too long. My desire was to copy the Model 70 bolt, but I failed miserably, so I gave it a graceful curvature. It is about 1/2" too long. I will deal with it at a later date, and may replace the bolt entirely as I have a half dozen 98 bolts lying around. No clue why, since there are no matching receivers.

I cut off the excess forearm on the stock, and checked to see if my walnut plank (6' x 3' x 3") is still pristine, and it is. I have been wanting to cut a blank out of that board ever since I bought it. There are over a hundred left where I got this one. They are very heavy, and I can pick through them, but it is a laborious process.

As soon as the dies arrive, I will load some some rounds for test firing. One will be a max, or close to max, load. I had rather blow up an old tire rather than my arm.

I am limited by how many pictures I can upload - unfortunately.

jt

[da gimp]

lodge bro that has the place behind us talked it over with his lady, & he decided to start big game hunting in style, the kids can make their own money, Has taken a brown bear in Siberia, Cape Buffalo, huge black maned lion (in his tracks 1 shot), 2 elephants ( 1 shot apiece, brain shots), leopard (fell out of the tree dead) & I think a hippo. Ed has appeared on most of these hunts on Nosler's Magnum TV program. Daam he can shoot, either his double rifle or the bolt gun.

Ed said he could of bought a nice farm for what he'd spent, but I told him that he'd always have the memories.........which is better.

Hope you get a chance to use it too. Might try joining Nosler's hunting club, my understanding is that it is 1st rate, on professional hunters, & safaris.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Sounds like your friend has been having too much fun. I hope to make one trip over before I go, and as I said, for Cape Buffalo only. That would probably be all I could afford. My brother's buddy has hunted all over the world, and taken just about every thing imaginable. He is single and makes a very good living. I look at his pictures and yearn for the hunt. Maybe I will make it and maybe not, but I hope to be prepared.

I have been busy with my day job lately, but hope top get back to the 416 this weekend. My dies haven't arrived yet, and I am getting irked a bit. My next step is the test firing of the barreled action. I look forward to hearing her roar. There is nothing as awesome as a big bore dangerous game rifle in my book.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I am still waiting on the loading dies, so I thought I would inlet the barreled receiver into the faux stock I picked out. Using a barrel scrapper, a 3/8" flat chisel, a 1/2" rat tail file, and a flat faced body hammer, I got about 90% of it inletted. It only took 1 1/2 hours and cost me nothing. This may be the least expensive rifle I ever built. I still have to buy the recoil compensator and the barrel sling swivel, and they aren't cheap. I found a package of receiver bolts with the little Mauser screws I had stashed away in my parts bin. I really need to AC my shop.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

It rained today, so I found some time to finish inletting the barreled receiver (pics). I am going to glass bed the entire barreled action, probably in two steps (receiver then barrel). I was going to use Titanium Putty, but it hasn't arrived either. I have some glass bedding materials around, but the release agent has evaporated in the kits. I will use white grease as a release agent, the spray on kind. It is cheap and works very well.

I may have the receiver too tight in the stock and I just might remove more wood. I am going to install two crossbolts, but I think I am going to glass bed first. I was going to use two old Springfield crossbolts, but they may not be wide enough.

I did some quick and dirty fitting of the stock also. I want my eye to line up with the sights when I throw the rifle into the "V" in my shoulder. The way I check it is to close my eyes and throw the rifle to my shoulder, then open my eye. I want to be looking straight down the sight. Grip and LOP must be correct to do this test or you are wasting your time. My normal LOP is pretty short (<12"), but with a heavy recoiling rifle, you want at least 3" of space between your thumb and nose when the rifle is ready to fire or you will get a case of "thumb nose" in recoil, and all that blood splatter is certain to rust your rifle and momentarily detract your attention from that 3,000 pound raging, charging Cape Buffalo in front of you that you managed to miss completely. I still have some adjustment to do, as this stock has way too much excess wood.

I will have a classic little cheekpiece that should look as it has been laid across the butt. I also have to make sure there is no wood in front of my cheek that is going to drag across my face in recoil. That is usually very painful.

I reduced the grip to fit my hand, but I still have a little wood to remove there also. You want the tip of your trigger finger to naturally lay on the trigger when you comfortably grasp the grip with the rifle to your shoulder. If the distance from the tip of the grip to the trigger is too short, your trigger finger will go too far across the trigger. Move the grip tip back, contouring the grip each time, until you are happy with the finger/trigger engagement. It is best to go slow, as it is tough to glue sawdust back onto a stock.

I thought the barrel recoil lug was going to be a problem to inlet, but it was a breeze to cut using nothing but a handheld chisel.

I am going to shorten the bolt and rebend it.

Tools used:
barrel groove scrapper
big rat tailed file
3/8" wood chisel (most work done with chisel)
flat faced body hammer (to bump chisel occasionally)
el cheapo belt sander to remove wood from cheekpiece mucho faster

Total cost today: $0.00
Time consumed: 3-hours

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I thought I would add the following pictures. I inletted too closely, or closer than I had to since this isn't the final stock (unless it turns out stupendous!). I do have that 03 issue at the rear of the receiver that I must attend to somehow. Suggestions welcomed. The floorplate must be deepened at the rear, as I have a 1/8" space between the rear of the magazine box and the receiver, and a bump fit at the front.

Does anyone have any suggestions on the glass bedding sequence or materials? Since my Titanium Putty is in space somewhere, I am going to use my Brownells kits I have on hand. Maybe I should add something to the mix to strengthen it. 70 ft-lbs of recoil is an eye opener and will beat a poorly fitted stock to pieces. I am particularly concerned about the wood/metal juncture at the rear of the receiver. I may leave a space, but then again that may not be such a good idea with this baby.

I have been using items I have on hand to hold down cost. It appears my total cash outlay will be less than $200 since everything I am using was off an old rifle I already expensed, or something I bought super cheap, like the $15 stock. Of course that doesn't include what I have spent for bullets, dies, and powder. The empty Norma cases came with the barrel.

I will make my own hinged floorplate by modifying one I already made. I want the magazine to hold 3-rounds loaded with 405 gr bullets to an OAL of 3.72". With one in the chamber, that will give me four rounds to expend. I suspect the floorplate/magazine is going to be one trick pony to manufacture.

The first picture shows the forearm contour where the horn tip will attach (black line). I drew that line before I started inletting, so I did pretty good keeping things straight. The second picture shows it is beginning to look like a real rifle.:banana100:

Enjoy.

jt

[older than dirt]

Very fine looking project so far. By the way, MT your ash tray. LOL

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Thank you.

jt

PS
I do empty it on occasion, when I am not carving on a stock.

[da gimp]

are you going to lower a lil wood from either side of the bolt release?, might make it handier to access..........

an ivory bead shows up well in bad light too............

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

are you going to lower a lil wood from either side of the bolt release?, might make it handier to access..........

an ivory bead shows up well in bad light too............

Yes, I will lower the wood all around. When I start inletting, I just go straight down. I trim to fit later. I have been working on the grip and cheekpiece today. I finally got them both where I wanted them.

I wish I had an ivory bead. I like their looks and they work so well. I may opt for the translucent green or red ones. I have a couple on some old non-scoped rifles, and they are outstanding in all light, particularly dim light. The ivory bead is a class act though, and if I had one I would use it.

This is the grip and cheekpiece as they are now. I will carve the cheekpiece to give it that sculptured look. You would think it would be hard to do, but actually, with a Dremel tool and a rough cut square file, I can whip one out in a jiffy. If you look at the pictures below, you can tell I have removed a lot of wood from the cheekpiece, reducing it in both height and thickness.

I have reduced the grip from 5 3/4" diameter to 4 5/8" in diameter. The grip cap (steel) is a sacrificial cap. The final cap will be a heavier steel one. I also moved the grip tip back about 3/8" to get my finger on the trigger correctly. The grip shape lends itself to checkering in a nice way. I only hope I can do a decent job of checkering. Sometimes my jobs look like they were done by a drunk pig on ice skates. I hope to do better.

I am concerned about lack of weight. The rifle as it is weighs a little over 8 lbs, and my goal is 10 lbs. I may have to add some lead to the stock. I am also concerned about the LOP to get my thumb off my nose. I am a scope crawler big time. That won't get it with this puppy. If I crawl this stock, I will be smiling out my ear.

It is coming together, as it is time for glass bedding and crossbolts now. I still haven't received my loading dies, which is beginning to irritate me, but I can do other things in the mean time. One thing I need to do is finish my CAD drawing of a new digestion facility I am designing. Never a dull moment.

jt:eusa_dance:

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I said I could create a sculptured cheekpiece quickly, so I decided to time myself. It took me 1 1/2 hours to go from what I posted this morning to what you see below. It was actually entertaining in a way. Once you can visualize what the rifle will look like, it gets to be fun.

I ordered a Pachmayr D550 Decelerator Trap Pad ($39.99, grind to fit, black, trap profile, pigeon face), the barrel swivel band ($28.99), and re-ordered another set of dies ($32.99) from Midway today. I hope that Pachmayr is as good as they claim.

Tools used:
big rat tailed file
coarse square file
hand sander
3/8" chisel

Cost: $114.12 - parts

jt:icon_pirat::icon_pirat:

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I don't think I will be checkering this rifle. I am so bad at checkering, and I try so hard to master the craft, I must be bewitched. I decided to practice on another rifle. I just finished checkering a grip panel on that rifle, and it looks like something the cat drug up. I suck at checkering.:eusa_wall: Anyone know someone on the forum who checkers stocks?

Emri, do you know anyone? Someone needs to profit off my inability to run straight lines.:1948:

Just to be humble, I will post pictures of my checkering job tomorrow sometime.:icon_redface: I thought it would look better in the morning, but I was wrong. I haven't made any attempt to clean up the over-runs, etc. Good grief.:eusa_whistle:

Mercy.:icon_rolleyes:

Tools:
a bunch of expensive checkering tools

Cost:
self respect

Jim

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

The job looks better after I cleaned it up, but it still sucks. I will do the other side of the grip tonight.:eusa_wall:

jt

[da gimp]

we live about an hour north of Gary wnnig, & the old Fajen craftsmen, you might consider calling him & asking for a name from him. We got spoiled with Bishop & Fajen being so close to us.

Have an old post WW Steyer Mauser 98 commercial rifle, in .30-06 with a long slide Lyman peep rear & a gold bead front & double set triggers, (built for a US military officer stationed there), it has the small shadow line German/Austrian cheekpiece that is comfortable to shoot.Even when he was a young officer, Bob had daam good taste in rifles, they made him a standard style stock instead of the Mannlicher full length, you can still see the trace of the nose cap of the 1st stock @ the front sight.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Sounds like a nice rifle. I have a M1917 that was sporterized for an officer in Asia, and the style is a bit weird. The wood is a real mystery, as it is white (stained red) and pretty soft. The rifle itself is accurate and fun to shoot, but the checkering is the English flat style. I like the old rifles.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

John Rigby didn't make many 416 Rigby's on the standard 98 Mauser receiver (49 or 69), but I managed to locate pictures of one of them (not Harry Selby's). The first thing I noticed was I planned to make my receiver cut exactly where John Rigby made his, which was reassuring. The second thing I noticed, and hard to see in the pictures, is he made an elongated magazine, which I will not do. Considering this is a $20,000 rifle, it is very utilitarian. My plan to use the standard Mauser safety was valid, as well as my sights, which are remarkably similar to the original.

I located my Cape Buffalo horn block, which will become my forearm tip, which this rifle doesn't have. In the box the block came in is a small square of horn to be used for a grip cap. This I may do by epoxying it onto the grip. I have decided to use this stock, if for no other reason than it fits me so well as it is. I will be glass bedding it this week, if my bedding kits haven't solidified. I will be putting in the crossbolt tomorrow. My dies arrive Thursday, so the "fire in the hole test" will be Friday or Saturday. My Pachmayer recoil compensator also arrives in the same package. They sent the swivel band by USPO for some odd reason and I have no idea when it will arrive.

I inletted the bolt into the stock today, and I may leave it at its present length. It may be more handy as it is.

Below are pictures of the real Rigby rifle.:eusa_whistle:

jt:hello:

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I will use two posts to get all the pictures in.

My first problem was the crossbolt, which is absolutely necessary for a rifle that has recoil of this magnitude. I had some old Springfield crossbolts I wanted to use, which would certainly be sufficient for the job. Some quick measurements demonstrated that they would fit, if I could get every detail correct. The crossbolt will be recessed so I can add a wood plug over it (it isn't coming out in my lifetime). I needed to recess the heads, but the recess had to be very exact to allow the serrated head of the crossbolt to engage its serrations sufficient to tighten it up.

I had no such tool, but what I did have was a sling swivel installation tool that recessed the rear stud into the stock. Once again, quick measurements showed I could reduce the OD of the swivel tool recess cutter slightly (0.011"), and it would work perfectly. I chucked the tool in a drill and using a file, I reduced the OD by 0-011" exactly. Holding my breathe, I drilled the hole, but the bit didn't completely penetrate the width of the stock. I had to use an extra long bit, which I happened to have, to drill the hole completely through. I slowly cut the recess for the crossbolt heads on both sides, inserting the crossbolt occasionally to check fit, until it was perfect. Using a screwdriver in which I had cut a slot to fit the crossbolt nut, I tightened it down until it was perfect.

Sounds good, heh? Well...I messed up by drilling the hole through a section of the stock that will be hollow inside for the lengthened magazine. I will have to move it forward 7/16". I will have two side by side wood inlays when I finish. How soon did I notice my mistake? Immediately after I tightened the crossbolt nut and leaned back to admire my brilliant:icon_redface:, but flawed work:icon_lol:. Oh well, it will be hard to see, and hurts nothing as I will fill the small round hole with epoxy.

In the pictures below, you can see the tools I used except for the drill and file. Note what appears to be a wooden block and a corresponding square wooden disc. These are the Cape Buffalo horn I bought from a nice gentleman in St. Louis who realized his horns were worth a lot of money if he sawed them up and sold them piece by piece. I will install the square block as a forearm tip at a later date. I will show you a neat trick on how to install it with dowels that actually line up.

Glass bedding is covered in the next post.

Tools used:
drill
extra long drill bit
big rat tailed file
10" Mill Bastard file
sling swivel stud installation tool
slotted screwdriver
vernier caliper

Cost
$0.00

Semper Fi,
jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I decided to glassbed the barrel as well as the recoil dam and the rear of the receiver. I also drilled a long hole through the wrist from the rear of the receiver mortise and epoxied a steel rod through the wrist for strength. I dug out all my old epoxy bedding kits, and discovered I had enough stuff to glass bed several rifles. To my chagrin, I discovered they were the old non-gel kits, which run like molasses out of a gooses' rear.

I made one last check for pinching in the stock, and found a serious pinch in the barrel channel. After relieving the pinch, I had a very slight gap on the front right of the barrel channel. Since I was going to bed the entire barrel, that gap would disappear like Dorothy in a tornado.

I covered the barreled receiver with mold release, then for good measure, I sprayed it with white grease after the mold release had dried. I pre-mixed the hardner, gel flock, and brown dye in a cup (saves on mixing time). I then added the resin, mixed it, laid it out in the stock, and clamped it all together with stock screws. I left it overnight, bumped it out this AM with a piece of firewood, and found the usual gaps in the bedding:icon_scratch:. I cleaned the glass bedding with brake cleaner to get the white grease off (it worked like a charm), and repeated the whole bedding process, and it is setting up as we speak.

One of the things I like to do just as the mix starts to set is to make sure all gaps are filled from the top. The pictures show the results. Hopefully, the glass bedding job is complete. I had an excellent front barrel recoil lug mortise, which really had concerned me. If I managed to fill all the gaps (I did some clay blocking), it should all look very nice.

My dies and recoil compensator arrive today:icon_wink:. Thank you Midway.

Next will be the installation of the trigger and the lengthening of the magazine. The latter is going to be a real test of patience.

jt:1948:

[da gimp]

In one of Bob Brownell's gunsmithing hints books, (the very early hardback Nov 1969 one), he mentions lengthing the magazine boxes on 1917 Enfields by removing the ends then re-inserting them reversed (using I assume tack welds, as he doesn't say) to enable that action to use the super long magnum cartridges like .375H&H & the other African rounds. Just a thought for you.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Thanks, Gimp. I plan to cut the back of the magazine and move it back the thickness of the backplate. The front I will cut off at its furthest extent and weld on a new extended nose made from thin plate steel. I will have to make a new floorplate or significantly modify the old one, probably the latter.

I got all my parts today. Unless I encounter some major hurdle, I will load up some rounds and test fire the she-beast tomorrow. I won't get many rounds per lb of powder, but what a blast!

jt

[da gimp]

How much were the cases? $5.00 a piece? Dies for $170.00?

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

The Lyman dies were $32.99 (they look nice) and I bought 50 once fired Norma cases for $25 off eBay a couple of years ago. The bullets are ridiculous in price, and I may stick to cast bullets since the max velocity is around 2400 fps. I will buy some of those $100(+) for 50 solids just to have them. A box of factory ammo starts at $125/box of twenty for Hornady SP's, and the solids can cost over $200/box of twenty. Since the typical powder load is 90 to 125 grains, depending on powder and bullet weight, one can expect it to be an expensive round to shoot and they won't be disappointed.

jt

[da gimp]

Most of the .375 H&H & larger bore shooters I know only use virgin brass for loading rounds to be used for hunting dangerous game. Trying to cycle the action of a rifle & finding that a case has seperated, is not the thing you want to find out when something that wants to eat/kill you is bearing down on you from 30'.

Keep all your brass segregated on 1ce fired 2ce fired etc, if loading for doubles or drillings & expect shorter case life, at least that is our experience. Shooting the large mid bores & heavy bores is addictive, you'll grow to love the thump............. Sighting in a large rifle from the bench should be done in limited sessions(5-10rounds at time), as flinching can develop v v quickly.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I loaded up some rounds today (350 gr bullets, 80 gr IMR4895, Winchester LR primer, full length re-sized cases, crimped bullet), and test fired the she-beast. Fired it into a pond, and man, what a splash it made! She roared like a big dog:headbang:, but I had her tied to the shooting bench and was pulling the trigger with a looonnnng string from behind a big pine tree:hello:. Untied her, grabbed the old girl up and had a misfire. Loaded another round, and had a second misfire (?). Loaded a third round and cut loose with another round into the pond. The kick is nothing to laugh about, but it isn't a man-killer either. I did make the decision not to shoot it again without it's recoil pad:eusa_wall:! I am so glad I didn't port the barrel, as I want that massive blast going away from me. I wish I had put the rounds through the old chronograph now, but I can do that later. I was concerned what the muzzle blast would do to the chronograph:eusa_whistle:.

I have just installed the recoil pad and in a few minutes I am going to the shop to shape the pad to match the stock. I cut the stock to have a 13 1/4" LOP with the pad. The fit to me is excellent, but I am going to do some reshaping where my right thumb rests. I both glue and screw my recoil pads to the stock. I use Elmer's Glue and have done so since 1968 and I have never had one come loose - ever. I use a Delta belt sander I bought from Home Depot to shape the stock, and an electric hand sander to smooth up the job. The belt sander will ruin your stock if you let it slip:eek:.

One of the pictures below shows the fired round primers. Any comment? The two on the left fired, the two on the right misfired. I have plenty of firing pin protrusion, and I am perplexed as to what caused the misfire. The two fired cases were way too hard to extract:icon_scratch:. I think I am going to leave that long bolt handle the way it is, as without it, I don't think I could have opened the bolt.

Any comments are welcomed.

jt:icon_wink:

[da gimp]

very deep primer strikes on all 4, suspect primers . cases head spacing on belt okay? any chance that firing pin is driving them a tad deeper?

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Hello, Gimp.
The 416 Rigby has no belt, and the rifle has a tight chamber. The primer indenture is so deep I was worried about perforated primers, so that isn't the answer. The only thing I can think of was that I was applying baby oil to the cases by hand when I was loading them, then placing the primers in the cup one by one to prime the cases. I may have gotten baby oil on the primer igniter and "killed" the primer. I am going to pull the rounds and check the primers (I hit them with a hammer).

I am preparing to remove excess wood from the forearm to bring it into proper shape. This is done by drawing lines to delineate the wood to remain. I will also meld the forearm after I shape it. I will install the forearm tip by drilling two holes in the end of the forearm, inserting two sharpened pins, bumping the tip block against the two pins to show where I have to drill the matching holes in the tip block. I will then glue the tip block onto the forearm with epoxy and two steel 1/4" dowels. Once it sets up, it won't be coming off. Once it dries, I can cut the barrel channel into the tip block. I did discover that buffalo horn is so hard even a file has problems cutting it. This might get interesting.

Jim

[da gimp]

Have never owned a .416 Rigby, but you're lucky it doesn't have the useless belt (un-needed on a bolt rifle), ought to reload easier & longer life too.

Friend has a Howa .375 H&H mag that shoots 1" or less groups from the bench, told him to never sell it, someone in their family might need a good medium/large bore for big bear, moose or even long distance elk.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I did learn several things today, one being that buffalo horn is harder that Superman's nether region. I epoxied the tip on using two steel dowels. Squaring the two ends turned out to be a troublesome task, but I finally got it done. I don't think it will ever come off. As you can see from the pictures, it was a square block. Shaping that block tried my patience. I did polish a piece, and when finely polished, minute cracks show up along with this beautiful brown streaking. You will see what I mean when I finish the rifle. More on finish later.

I also cut the barrel band sling swivel so it would just slide past the front sight. No way was I going to remove that sight. I will cold solder the band to the barrel between those two pieces of red tape (for sanding off the bluing). I didn't have any solder paste on hand, so that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Shaping the forearm and the tip together to maintain straight lines was horrific. It took a lot of time, and 98% of it was done with a file. My "I wish I had done that..." list is getting longer, but that is always the case.

My major concern at this point is weight - not enough of it. I wanted a 10 lb rifle, and I have a 8 1/2 lb rifle right now. It balances perfectly right under the front receiver bolt, and before I put the recoil pad on it, she would stand straight up without falling over. My second concern is the long bolt handle (see pics), but as I said before, I am going to leave it as is for now,

Tools used:
belt sander
big rat tail file
10" Mill Bastard file
12" half-round file (course)
electric hand sander (like a Jitterbug)
electric hand drill
barrel bed scrapper
2-1" x 1/4" steel dowels

Cost: $0.00

More pictures in next post.:eusa_dance:

jt:icon_pirat:

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I can't get many pictures in a single post, so this post is for pictures only.:1948:

jt

[older than dirt]

First I got to say I really like your holding devices. What would we do without rubber bungi cords? LOL Also it`s really turning into one fine looking rifle. Can`t wait to see the finished shooter.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

First I got to say I really like your holding devices. What would we do without rubber bungi cords? LOL Also it`s really turning into one fine looking rifle. Can`t wait to see the finished shooter.

Like those bungees eh? They did the job, as I have been trying to demonstrate than anyone can sporterize a rifle and do a good or even excellent job with no more than a 4" heavy vise and a bunch of hand tools. I realized that when I saw a picture of Alvin Linden's shop. It was a "lean to" in his sister's back yard. His collection of tools would have fit in a small toolbox. I did need a lathe to open the bolt face, but that job could be farmed out to any machine shop as can welding on the bolt. 99% of the work I have done in my kitchen while watching TV. Now if you are married, all bets are off.

I haven't discussed the finish at all. The metal will be hand polished and rust blued to a dark blue black, or I may go for an iridescent Zischang blue, but Rigby didn't do Zischang blue jobs to my knowledge. The wood finish will most likely be logwood staining followed by Tru-Oil applied in repetitive thin coats followed by buffing with 0000 steel wool soaked in acetone. All the cruddy crap will disappear like a butterfly in a rainstorm. I do have an ancient bottle of finish that is older than me. I have no idea what it is, but it still looks good and fluid. Hmmmm.

I am pleased with it so far, as I have adhered to my original plan to a "T". If I ever build another big bore, I will drill holes in the buttstock for lead weights as well as the forearm. About 2 lbs of lead would do nicely. At 8 1/2 lbs and no muzzle break, I suspect recoil is going to be a bit of a bugger:evil6: I have a 100 yard range out behind the barn, so I can be on range and ready to fire in about 15 minutes total. I am not recoil sensitive, but I don't care for a pummeling either:eek:. The Timney trigger pull is nice and crisp and about 2-3 lbs max. I am accustomed to light triggers, but they aren't everyone's cup of tea.

I have decided to checker it myself. No sense in shying away from any task at this juncture:icon_lol:.

jt

[Emri]

I don't think I will be checkering this rifle.

Emri, do you know anyone? Someone needs to profit off my inability to run straight lines.:1948:


Jim

No Jim, I don't. I don't do checkering either. I CAN, just don't. It is very time consuming. I stocked an O/U shotgun 30 years ago in school. I checkered the forearm and got a simple pattern laid out on the grip area. The forearm is finished. The grip has lines laid out on one side. It still ain't finished 30 years later and I don't have the inclination nor time to do it. The two Mausers I built and stocked aren't checkered either. Let me know if you find someone that does nice work reasonable !!

[Emri]

I have decided to checker it myself. No sense in shying away from any task at this juncture:icon_lol:.

jt

OK, I just read that after making the above posting. You need more than a single checkering tool. You need a right hand lay-out tool and a left-hand lay-out tool in addition to the single line cutter. Those tools keep your lines evenly spaced, YOU have to keep them straight !! There are some other tools that help to straighten out lines that get to going astray, but you have to realize they are going crooked and stop. Then use the tool to straighten the line out before continueing. Did I mention above that checkering was time consuming ??

Good Luck !!

Emri

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

You need a right hand lay-out tool and a left-hand lay-out tool in addition to the single line cutter.

I have all the cool tools, but my problem is keeping the lines straight. Try as I might, I eventually get that crossover line that ruins the whole job. I try to fix it and cut out the adjacent lines, leaving a big bare spot and the process repeats itself. Maybe it is lack of patience. Whatever, I intend to take my time on this one, maybe half a panel a day and do 18 lpi.

By the way, I had a very nice 7mm Mauser I built in college that was half checkered for thirty years. People who saw it would get real quizzical looks on their faces.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I took the day off from working on the big bore, and decided to take it to the range. All I can say is OMG but does she buck. Offhand I was hitting within 6" of the center of the target at 100 yards. I have to develop my DGR etiquette a bit better before I go to the bench. I might point out that a loose grip on the trigger hand will result in getting your knuckles rapped, which is distracting. I was wearing nothing but a tee shirt, and no problem on the shoulder end. That means that recoil compensator was worth every dime it cost. I did not have excessive barrel climb either, so I guess my ideas on stock design worked out well. I got my ideas from reading Jim Howe's books, plus several others, so I'm not breaking any new ground, just using the experience of others.

I need to practice dry firing to get it all together, as I want to be able to get off 2 shots in 3 seconds, which might be unrealistic. I figure that is about all the time one would have under charge. I watched some YouTube lion charges, and 3 seconds may not be enough. The trick is to have a sight picture almost instantly. I have to avoid that "knuckle rap", as it hurt like Hades. I was having trouble picking up the front sight due to shadows in the woods. I will switch to a "day-glo" green bead and fill the groove in the rear of the back sight with white paint. That should help. I will also use full bore loads when live fire practicing, since it is the recoil I must adapt to.

Anyone have any idea how far away I need to place my chronograph to keep the muzzle blast from blowing it apart?

It was fun. If you have never fired a 458 Winchester or 416 Rigby or any other big bore bruiser, it is a hoot. Don't worry about the recoil, it only lasts a split second.

jt:hello:

[Larry C.]

Have a .416 Remington. It is without a doubt one of my favorite guns to shoot. The recoil does not bother me, but after about 20 rounds, I get a headache that won't quit.

Chasteen

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Have a .416 Remington. It is without a doubt one of my favorite guns to shoot. The recoil does not bother me, but after about 20 rounds, I get a headache that won't quit. Chasteen

They are fun to shoot, but how do you keep the trigger guard from rapping your knuckle? I went out to the range again today, and I changed loads because I realized the load I was using was pushing the pressure limitation in my rifle. I am now loading 91.4 grs 4350 behind a 350 gr bullet, which is on the lower end of the pressure scale, but recoil didn't change much. I did eliminate the sticking cases. I am also shooting 6" to 8" high at 100 yds, but I can fix that with a shorter front sight insert.

Jim

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I went through almost a lb of 4350 before I decided I needed to get back to work. I like this puppy, and I will name her Rosey (deceptive, heh?) because she makes me smile:icon_lol:.

I tippy-toed down to the hardware store and bought some solder paste. I tapered the barrel band to fit the barrel by turning it on sandpaper wrapped around the barrel (one layer), chamffered the outer edges a bit, tinned it, and soldered it on. I need to clean it up and she is ready for the hunt.

I made the initial cuts on the magazine box (pics below) and will make the front nose piece and the rear plate tomorrow. I moved the rear plate back as far as possible (thickness of rear plate) to lessen the metal that must be removed from the receiver ramp. The nose piece will enable me to load two rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, for a total of three available shots. To have gone for four rounds would have required widening the magazine, and this stock won't allow that. Note the homemade hinged floorplate and latch:icon_scratch:. I will have to move the pin forward about 1/4". I will use a standard Mauser spring and follower and should have no problems. Once it is all together, I can start the rail alteration to allow feeding the larger diameter rounds, which includes cutting back and reshaping the ramp to the chamber:eek:.

I thinned the stock to almost flush with the bolt release, but left it proud for finish sanding. It will be a flush mount:banana100:. That's about it until tomorrow.

jt

[older than dirt]

They are fun to shoot, but how do you keep the trigger guard from rapping your knuckle? I went out to the range again today, and I changed loads because I realized the load I was using was pushing the pressure limitation in my rifle. I am now loading 91.4 grs 4350 behind a 350 gr bullet, which is on the lower end of the pressure scale, but recoil didn't change much. I did eliminate the sticking cases. I am also shooting 6" to 8" high at 100 yds, but I can fix that with a shorter front sight insert.

Jim

If it`s shooting high, you need a taller front sight to get the barrel down.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

If it`s shooting high, you need a taller front sight to get the barrel down.

You are absolutely correct. I misspoke, as I will indeed need a taller front sight. Mea maxima culpa.

Thanks for setting the record straight.

jt

[Larry C.]

Probably all wrong, but I put quite grip on the stock with the last three fingers of my right hand. I also pull the gun back into my shoulder fairly hard with both hands. Not a death grip, but a firm pull into the shoulder. A 2 to 2.5 pound trigger release still gives you the "surprise" when it lets loose so accuracy is not compromised.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Probably all wrong, but I put quite grip on the stock with the last three fingers of my right hand. I also pull the gun back into my shoulder fairly hard with both hands. Not a death grip, but a firm pull into the shoulder. A 2 to 2.5 pound trigger release still gives you the "surprise" when it lets loose so accuracy is not compromised.

Thanks, Larry. I am old, and my grip isn't what it used to be, but I know I am doing something wrong. You and I are on the same page with how to hold, but I guess I have a wimp grip. I will install a pad on the trigger guard if I have to. That is a nasty rap on the old knuckle, but the kick itself isn't a problem. If you haven't tried the Pachmyer recoil compensator, I highly recommend them.

Thanks for the advice, Larry. I take it you are a big bore guy?

jt

[Larry C.]

My .416 Rem. resides in a McMillian fiberglass stock (Express Style). It was built on an old, in-the-white Magnum Mauser action I had. It is not ported or have a compensator. I have used it to take even whitetails (rather stunning reasults I might add). Yes, I love 'em. Once you are able to handle the gun, and you shoot it a lot, there is nothing else like it. It's also fun to take it to a public range and let loose a few rounds.... it does get people's attention. On the rapping knuckles, try shooting off-hand. let the gun work your body rather than yor hand and shoulder. I've found I can shoot a lot more often and absorb more recoil off-hand.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Since I decided to stick with only two rounds in the magazine, my only concern was length. I moved the rear plate back, and made a new nose piece (pictures). It will take a factory round of 3.720" length with a little room to spare. I will epoxy a slick piece of plastic into the nose to keep lead rounds from hanging on the steel front.

The nice part is that is requires very little inletting to accommodate. Next will be the nerve racking part of the conversion - the opening up of the rails to allow feeding of the rounds. Too much and the rounds just pop out, not enough and the rounds won't feed properly. Everything has to be done just right. Arrgghh!:icon_rolleyes:

I included a pic of the barrel band swivel to show the plum color one gets in the early stages of rust bluing. When finished, it will all match.

jt

[da gimp]

an old retired SF trooper here uses a Ruger in .458 Win for hunting (amongst other calibres) hunting deer n such.Billy is about 5'7" mebbe 5'8", was about 160 lbs when he got it, & flat out loves it. He's maybe gained a little in the last 30 yrs.......

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

The one thing a DGR must do is feed reliably every time - no exceptions. Old Rosey holds two rounds in the magazine, which means each one will feed from a different side. I also chose to alter the standard Mauser follower rather than buy a "magnum" follower, which Brownells sells. Simultaneous to altering the feed rails, I had to alter the extractor for operation with the Rigby round. That would prove to be a challenge also.:icon_twisted:

The job is finished except for polishing the rails and everything else in the vicinity. If anyone is interested, I will devote a post on how to alter the feed rails for one of the largest rounds that comes down the pike. I will tell you this - it is much easier to get a round to feed from the left than to feed from the right (last round). Tougher yet is to get a soft point round to feed effortlessly and slowly, which Old Rosey will now do. I believe I have done a good job, and I am considering making a video of the rounds feeding into the chamber from firing the 1st round in the chamber to firing the 3rd round from the magazine. If anyone is interested, let me know. By the way, I did 100% the work while Hurricane Irene was trashing my little farm. I worked until the power failed, went out and drug the generator from the shop, cranked it, set the back-feed prevention, and went back to work.:eusa_dance:

The rifle will now accept 3 factory 3.720" rounds, chamber each round from its relative position, and hopefully put all projectiles within a 2" circle at 100 yards (416 Rigby's are inherently accurate), which is way better than minute-of-Cape Buffalo accuracy from a rifle that will deliver over 2 1/2 tons of redneck kickass every time you pull the trigger.:eek:

All the work that remains is cosmetic or simple in nature (except for the checkering). I will have a bench rest session fairly soon, complete with chronograph data. I expect the rifle to be very accurate, and will accept nothing less.:63:

Semper Fi,

jt

[pmclaine]

Man, when you try to explain the term "Shoulder of the cartridge" to someone that round would be ideal to do so. Its almost like its stepped. Whats it like sizing these things to reload?

I have no interest in Mausers but I have been following this post regularly. Thanks for posting.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Man, when you try to explain the term "Shoulder of the cartridge" to someone that round would be ideal to do so. Its almost like its stepped. Whats it like sizing these things to reload?

I have no interest in Mausers but I have been following this post regularly. Thanks for posting.

Reloading is very much like any other cartridge, except you go through powder like grease through a goose. I did manage to break the decapping pin, but that was my fault. I full length resize every case, use large rifle primers, and crimp the cases slightly. You have to make sure each case is well lubricated to avoid sticking cases, and check OAL each time although case stretch isn't a problem.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I have had to work (job) the last couple of days and have done little to the rifle but rust blue the scratches and dings from inletting and glass bedding. My method of rust bluing is different from anything I have read or seen, but it works so well and requires so little effort that I like it. If you look back at past pics and look at the pics below, you can see what I have done. You see, I do it in stages and use no heat or water or rubber gloves or any of the stuff one usually does. All one needs is the right solution. The end results are spectacular.:1948:

I inletted the stock for the larger magazine, and you can't tell the difference from the outside. I am going to add a second crossbolt behind the magazine, and I did not have to move the front crossbolt after all. How lucky can I get?:banana100:

I started shaping and polishing the feed ramp last night, which is longer than I expected it to be after the cut-back, mostly because I moved the rear wall of the magazine back in addition to moving the front wall forward. I suppose one could argue that removing any metal weakens the receiver, but no more than I removed can only have a miniscule effect:eusa_boohoo:.

I will have to trim the bolt stop so I have more extractor extension for that big case. I will also trim some metal from the inside of the right clip feed slot guide to aid in the big case swinging out during its exit. I still have to make the half-moon cut to be able to extract 410 gr (bullet) loaded rounds. Again, the half-moon cut requires very little metal removal:eusa_dance:.

I read an article in an African magazine for hunters and guides, about a qualification test where the rifles must past muster. The author did not like American rifles and didn't like some English rifles (DGR's). He particularly didn't like the Weatherby's and Remington's. I wonder what he would think of mine. His issues were reliable feeding, too hot rounds, and the position of the safety. I would love to have him put mine through the paces.:icon_pirat:

I am getting to the mundane polishing, bluing, and stock finishing now; as well as that dreaded checkering job.:eek: I have to decide if I am going to stain the stock (logwood stain) or leave it that peculiar American Walnut color, which I actually like. Plenty of time to decide.

One day at a time, part time. That is my motto. You can build a barn by nailing up one board a day, and hardly notice the cost. But Old Rosey ain't no barn!

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I couldn't load them all at once.:eusa_wall:

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I am in the process of finishing the stock. I have completed the metal work with the exception of some welding on the floorplate to close an unsightly gap and polishing the metal. I did start polishing the bolt. The finish you see starts out with a 240/360 grit sanded stock, onto which a very diluted solution of Tru-Oil and mineral spirits is applied twice. This increases penetration, but takes a little longer. I use no filler, and apply the Tru-Oil by hand. For a $15 stock, it looks very nice.

Yesterday I finished shaping the feed ramp and cut the tit off the inside of the right clip slot as well as removing a few thousandths off the tip of the bolt stop. All extraction issues promptly vanished. The big case was hitting the tit just as it was released by the extractor, leaving the case sitting over the magazine. That's bad dooty for a DGR.

I need to start polishing the receiver and floorplate for rust bluing. First I need to do some cosmetic welding on the floorplate. I am nearing the end of my tasks. I purchased a couple of boxes of Kynoch 410 gr solids on sale at Midway. You know those puppies are expensive when they sell them 5 rounds to a box. I will use them to gauge the size of the half-moon cut for extracting live rounds. From preliminary measurements, it is going to be a very small half-moon. Moving that magazine wall back really paid off.

I will post pictures later tonight. Bear in mind, I paid $15 for this stock, and this is its first coat of finish.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

The rest of the pictures.

jt

[Bill D]

Very nice rifle. You do exceptionally good work. You did say that you plan to replace the grip cap, didn't you?

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Very nice rifle. You do exceptionally good work. You did say that you plan to replace the grip cap, didn't you?

Thank you. I have been doing it since I was a kid. I am a student of many craftsmen like Tommy Bish, Jim Howe, and my favorite stocker, Alvin Linden (and many others). I will never be as good as any of them, but at least I tried.

Yes, I will replace the grip cap with a nicer grip cap, maybe of cape Buffalo horn, which I have, or a heavier steel one, which I need to order.

Jim

[da gimp]

since you wre obviously cheated so bad on that stock, I'd make a fair offer to you for this old squirrel gun, it's brass & dies too............. Looks dern good so far, wainting to hear your first range report & even more for your first cape buffalo hunt with it.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

since you wre obviously cheated so bad on that stock, I'd make a fair offer to you for this old squirrel gun, it's brass & dies too............. Looks dern good so far, wainting to hear your first range report & even more for your first cape buffalo hunt with it.

I have recovered financially from the beating I took on that stock. I actually got two stocks for $15. The seller stated they were flawed and no one bid on them but me.

Shooting from the bench is going to be a hoot. I hope, and expect, the rifle to be very accurate. I assume the sights are registered for factory ammo, and I don't want to be cutting on the sights. I will change front sights instead (easily done on the CZ 550). I do hope to go Cape Buffalo hunting in the future, and I have been checking prices and accommodations, and it is truly expensive. I wish I could find a "work as you hunt" setup, but that is unlikely. Do you want to go with me? I would build a rifle for you.

jt

[da gimp]

Ed, my neighbor, said he could have bought a nice farm for what he paid for those hunts featured on Nosler's Magnum TV.

Currently nursing another blown lumbar disc (fell in 86, broke 2 vertebre, ribs, & blew out all lumbar discs). Only have 1 lung now & am on an inhalor, because it's shot, I could never do the walking required, I run out of breath just going out to feed the dogs & clean the kennels, but ty for the offer, wish we'd talked pre 1999 when I got hurt & got lung cancer.

Used to bird hunt nearly every day, maybe only for 1/2 to 1 hour a day & on my days off, from early morning to dark, had 13 German Shorthairs back then. just buried my last 1.

I daam sure want pix of that buffalo hunt, and as Ed said, let the kids & grandkids make their own money, it'll be good for them.........spend their inheritance. Live your dreams bud, He only gives us 1 go round in life.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I am going, but it would have been nice to have you along. I am no spring chicken either, as I have hypotheroidism, and am still getting over the side effects of the medication. They tell me I will get used to it, but I don't see how spending 1/2 a day sick and goofy is getting over anything.

Well, when I go, I will send you pictures every day. I keep looking at the price of the trip and it is just staggering, at least to me it is. I'll cut every frill out. Pick me up at the airport and take me to the bush and let's hunt for buffalo, but I suspect it is more involved than that. Let's see, do I have any rich friends?

jt

[da gimp]

Buy a Powerball ticket & remember, it ain't bad for the kids to make their own money, if you leave zero inheritance & your bills are paid, the kids & grandkids will be fine. But you'll always have the memories of looking down the barrel of a daam fine rifle YOU built & taking down an old dugga boy, on His turf.........and that my bro is fine living..............

[Liam]

This thread is a good read. This, along with this month's Rifle magazine, has my Mauser interest reinvigorated. The recent Rifle magazine is an issue completely dedicated to Mausers - Swedes, German wartime & peacetime, BRNO offerings, Oberndorf actions, et al. Even a Gibbs 505 is featured. Lots of minutiae to include the various magazine profiles to accept the larger (sometimes rimmed) calibers. Very interesting! Your efforts are enjoyed by many. Can't wait for the checkering pics. But, remember to convoy to the slowest vehicle!

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Liam, you old dog. How are you? I just got the pictures back from the trip to Stoney Point. I have a great picture of Maj Land, SSgt Flores, and myself. You remember Jim Land, no? I hope you are doing well.

Jim

[Liam]

Jim - I do fondly remember meeting he and you at the Dulles Expo in Chantilly, VA. Sometimes I feel like dropping in on the NRA in Fairfax, VA just to see if Maj. Land is sporting one of my M1903 t-shirts! If he is, I'm going to hit him up for a job. Again, great thread!

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

If the job required you to work as hard as Jim Land, you don't want it.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I made the half-moon cut to clear a loaded round upon extraction, and as expected, it was a very small cut indeed. Old Rosey will now load, feed, and extract factory 410 gr solids rounds as well as 350 gr cast rounds without hesitation. It feeds, chambers, and extracts very smoothly, and much better than I originally expected. Loading is best done from the top by inserting the round nose first into the chamber area and the popping the tail down into the magazine in one smooth motion. Unloading is as easy as pressing the release button on the homemade hinged floorplate.

Today I am rust bluing the receiver. I start by polishing the receiver with wet or dry sandpaper, starting with 240 grit and ending with 400 grit. I then buff the bejezez out of it. The higher the polish, the faster and better the job will be. It takes me one day to rust blue the receiver. The pictures go from polished to the first application, to the second application, and to the fifth. The darkest picture of the receiver is the fifth coat, spaced about 1 hour apart. I do not boil or heat the receiver during this period.

Note the bolt handle, that is the second coat, and for some reason, the bolt handle will require twice as many coats as the receiver, probably due to being a different metal composition. Mauser receivers are easy to rust blue, and they take to it like a duck to water.

Throughout today, I will give another coat every hour or so, and card just before I apply another coat. I card 100% of the loose rust off before application. You should see an instant darkening upon application of solution, depending on your solution (the real secret of the process). My method is a technique that Neidner used, slightly modified. The very last thing I do will be to dip the receiver into boiling water on the stove for 15 minutes and then apply RLO while it is still at max temperature (but dry). The receiver will dry within seconds of removal from the boiling water, and you will see a loose film of brown rust that needs to be carded off. I use a carding brush I bought from Brownells and 0000 steel wool washed in acetone first.

Any questions? If you are thinking this process is faster than hot tank bluing, you and I are on the same page. It is a way more durable blue that will stand up to a powered wire brush. The job will last a lifetime and look as good on day 10,000 as it did on day 1. Touchup is simple, fast, and you get an exact match. Old methods are good methods, and nothing beats a good rust blued finish.

jt

[Tom]

I want very little drop to make the recoiling rifle come straight back. Those Weatherby style stocks tend to make the barrel rise which creates greater felt recoil. I will install some kind of compensator in the stock to further reduce felt recoil. I am also going to epoxy a steel pin through the wrist and add a weight in the buttstock. I am going to stick with the iron sights, as a scope into the brow with a 416 Rigby is one chance I don't want to take. I ordered some bullets last night for test firing. I am trying to decide if I want to Blue Pill the puppy, and if so, what Blue Pill to use. The only real issues I have are the right side cut into the front receiver ring, and making the box magazine that will hold three rounds and still feed properly. I was making some preliminary measurements last night, and it appears I have to extend the box back AND forward, and most likely make a longer follower. I will probably weld the floorplate onto the box. I will only get one shot at those rails, so I want everything mechanically completed prior to starting that job.

P.S.Jim, I like to see the blackest, shiniest,deep bluing on this rifle because it is not mil. You can always tone-it-down with something when hunting. In nam we had some spray primer or something,that would wash-off later with bore cleaner. I know thats your territory also.

jt

JIM,
Very interesting, I missed this whole thread because I only read 1903 threads. I wish I knew how to copy this to 1903 also because it is universal info.
Anyhow, I'm confused about wanting recoil to come straight back. I thought the reason for pistol grips, etc. on a rifle (for instance) was to get recoil going down and away from the face. Now Sniper want's it going straight back. I'm probably way off, he's the expert. But- Being practical I imagine that the recoil goes in a straight line,and all the "fancy wood" does-not detract it. Even when recoil reaches the wrist area it tries to stay on that line. In-other-words it goes straightback to the butt pad "using the closest wooden curves", to that end..- I imagine the "felt recoil" must be felt after shock absorbing butt pads etc. But!! the last inch of wood ,regardless of shape, will get the recoil one way or another.
Yes, I realize a pistol kicks up and not back, but that is because there is no butt at the shoulder.If the pistol grip was behind the pistol it would kick back.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Big bore rifles, putting out tons of energy, impart a lot of energy to the shooter, and you want to manage that energy to lessen what is called "felt recoil", which in my mind can be different for different shooters. I want the recoil to come back as straight as possible to minimize muzzle rise, and I want that recoil to be distributed evenly as possible across a large recoil absorber to minimize lbs/in2 on my shoulder, and I want the recoil directed slightly to the right to pull the rifle away from my cheek just a smidge to prevent cheek skid marks that might detract from my natural good looks. You don't want your face to look like the inside of Bwana Jim's drawers after only two weeks of heavy hunting in the bush.:icon_redface:

The closer the centerline of the recoil pad to the centerline of the barrel, the less the muzzle rise during recoil (less moment). Cutting the stock with a slight butt offset (a few degrees to the right) not only puts your sighting eye closer to the centerline of the barrel, it will save that cheek by directing recoil away from your face. In addition, you want the angle of that cheek rest to be such that in recoil, every part of that rest is going away from your face (no cups). You want at least 3 to 4 fingers between your right thumb and your nose when the rifle is at your shoulder to prevent an unsightly bloody nose when your right thumb knocks the crap out of your nose in full recoil, so LOP may be slightly more than normal as it is in my case (1" extra).:icon_study:

I start by cutting the butt of the stock square with the bore. Without the recoil pad, Old Rosey will stand straight up if placed butt down on the floor. For some reason I don't fully comprehend, cant can lessen felt recoil. Everyone has a natural "V" when the hunch their outer shoulder forward to cup a rifle butt. I like my butt to fit that valley exactly, regardless of the angle, and regardless of who says what. So my own shoulder determines the cant of the rifle. So I make my stocks such that they fit me perfectly, while directing recoil away from my face, and acting straight back against my shoulder which is my best avenue for not having to search for my rifle in the bush. Last, but not least, I use a recoil compensator (Pachmayr 550) that does not give that bucking sucker a run at my shoulder.:headbang:

The grip for me is a strange factor. I like pistol grips that do not look as they have been flattened for aesthetic reasons, and cut the stock such that I have both a pistol grip that places my finger tip on the trigger while maintaining that closeness of butt centerline and bore centerline. I get my nice looks and still adhere to the plan.:eusa_dance:

There is one other huge factor, and that is rifle weight. Ideally, you want a lot of rifle weight to lessen felt recoil. The heavier the rifle, the more force it requires to get it moving. I wanted form over weight, so my rifle will be around 9+ lbs fully loaded. I don't mind the extra punch.:evil6:

Poor recoil management can make a rifle unbearable. To give you some idea, I once owned a Rem 700 in 300 Rem Mag. That rifle would put me on my knees when I fired it. I hated that rifle, and once tried to give it away at the range and had no takers as they had all seen me rolling on the ground crying like a little girl every time I pulled the trigger. That rifle put me on track to figure out how to reduce MY felt recoil. I read a lot of books, including Jim Howe's and some stuff by Alvin Linden. Using that info, I made a new stock for that Remington, and the difference was night and day, although at that time I was using the old "X" recoil pads, which isn't a good idea on a heavy recoiling rifle (collapses too soon). I carried that rifle until some SOB stole it out of my truck.:eusa_wall:

OK, those are all my ideas of how to tame a big bad bodacious bucker. You can put mercury absorbers in the butt, cut muzzle breaks, and other neat stuff, but all have down sides to me. Fire a 460 Weatherby and try to carry on a conversation afterwards. Over 8,000 lb-lbs of energy and a huge amount of that muzzle blast is coming back at you. You won't be wearing hearing protection in the bush. If you and your guide are close together when the charge comes, your ears are going to take a beating, as he (and you hopefully) quits shooting when the monster is dead on the ground, then he puts in another shot.:eek:

Everyone has their own ideas about recoil taming. Old Rosey is fun to shoot, and muzzle rise is only about 3". I do get a nasty rap on the knuckle from the trigger guard, but I will put a small pad there to take care of that problem. I fire Old Rosey wearing nothing but a tee shirt, and I get no bruising, no pain, and no discomfort other than that knuckle thingee I mentioned. My ideas work for me, and not one of those ideas is original. Good stock makers who liked to write books paved the way for all of us.

Sweet dreams, Alvin.

jt

[da gimp]

2 points,

1) make sure there is NO FIGURE in the wood of the pistol grip area, as this weakens it. On a lesser recoiling round, say .243Win, .358Win, .35 Whelan this is no big deal, but on a big medium bore or large bore, it could be disastorous.

2) not sure that I'd want a mag floorplate release on this heavy a kicking gun either, know of several that dumped the mag when fired, keep it in mind, inspect for movement after firing.......

Now go out & enjoy the hell outta it, using her for what she was intended for.......... a big old nasty Dugga Boy........

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Very valid points, gimp. I guess I forgot to mention I epoxied a steel rod through the grip from rear of receiver tang to the back of the grip cap. She isn't going to break - ever. She might bend!

The floor plate hasn't come open yet, but I still intend to put a stronger spring behind the release lever. I made the floorplate hinge setup, so I have a lot of confidence in it. I had a 1909 Argentine hinged floorplate/magazine, but I knew I was going to do some serious cutting on whatever I used, and chose to use an altered military floorplate.

jt

[sdkrag]

What is the solution that you apply to the reciever?

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Basically it is an acid solution with solvents and other secret stuff added. If you want to try rust bluing, I strongly recommend Pilkingtons' stuff. You can't go wrong with that brand.

If you aren't a chemist, it is difficult, or impossible, to buy the chemicals to mix your own (nitric acid, mercury, etc.). I got my mercury from an old mercury switch. Mercury is a federally controlled substance and very expensive.

I was going to post pictures of the finished job, but I was using a power carder and I let my hand slip. Now I have to blend in a repair - aarghh!! I will post pictures tomorrow.

jt

[older than dirt]

Yo Sniper, good reading on the stock & recoil thing. I have an Interarms Mark X with a Mannlicher style stock & although it`s only in 270w cal, the top of the butt pad is in line with the barrel & the butt stock is off set too. It also weighs a hefty 8 1/2lbs & no real noticeable recoil. Very good artical as always from you.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Thank you for the kind words. I have enjoyed the process, and now all I have to do is figure out a cheap way to get to Africa. Airfare, round trip, is less than $1K. Maybe I could show up at the airport and hitchhike to the bush with Old Rosey and find some guide who would have mercy on me. Doubtful that. I am saving all my pocket change.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I finished fixing the glitch, and this is the finished product (pictures). I forgot the bolt stop , so I am doing it now. Even though I did the job in stages, it all matches perfectly. One cannot beat rust bluing for looks and longevity.:eusa_dance:

I still have a few coats to go on the stock, as I am still filling the pores. I apply a thin coat, let it dry for 12 hours, and wipe all the finish I can off the stock. I will eventually get to a point that when I apply that thin coat, the stock will look like a mirror. After that I apply two more coats and the job is done unless I want to kill the shine, in which case I rub down the stock with 0000 steel wool (no acetone wash).:eusa_shhh:

Now I do the cosmetic work on the floorplate and install the rear sling swivel and I am finished except for checkering, which is always last.:eusa_wall:

jt:1948:

[older than dirt]

Yo Sniper, when you do the checkering, do you just cut over the finish, or do you sand it first or what? I thought you did the checkering before finishing.? Seeing how you named it Rosie, it can be called a very purdy rifle. LOL Really, it`s one fine looking custom.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

By now, everyone should realize that a checkering master I am not. The finish is super thin, as I go for penetration over a built-up coat. Cutting through the finish is no big deal, and the finish shows the initial cuts better for me to see, as I am old and my eyesight sucks. I can't hold a glass of water very long, or it will fall from my hand (I suffer from hypothyroidism). I work in spurts. I was given some very good checkering advice by Darreld Walton in another thread and I intend to follow his advice to the letter. I have seen pictures of Darreld's checkering work and I was impressed. Checkering is my weakness, and I am naturally a little apprehensive in doing the job myself; but when I started this project, my intent was to demonstrate to others that a nice rifle can be built using tools anyone would have or could buy locally. If I don't do 100% of the work, I would fail in my original intent. I have been doing little jobs, like polishing the shroud, striker, and safety lever last night, to avoid the commitment, but I am staring the job in the eye now.:icon_lol:

Thanks for the compliment. I like the little jewel myself. She came out way better than I had hoped. One thing that helped was planning. The order in which I did the work helped immensely. I had to alter a lot of parts to make it all work, and that required every part to be completed when needed to make alterations for feeding the rounds or altering the next part. For instance, the follower was drastically altered to allow the last round to release from the magazine, although one might never notice it from the pictures. If one removes too much metal, that part is history. Therefore the alteration of the follower actually took place over several days and required several hours of work in total. I moved the back wall of the magazine back, which required moving the back of the magazine opening in the receiver back, as well as altering the bolt stop to allow the bolt to retract further back, and it all had to match exactly with the back wall of the magazine. It was a lot of work, but this alteration minimized the amount of metal removed from the feed ramp up front, and made the little half-moon cut in the receiver ring very small indeed.:1948:

One thing I did not really mention previously was the balance of the rifle. I wanted the rifle to balance on the front receiver screw, and low and behold it balances exactly on the front receiver screw. It seems to be an insignificant point, but when you throw a rifle up to your shoulder and the balance is correct, it just naturally lands in position ready to fire with zip effort without the shooter straining some distinct muscle over the others. The rifle balances in two directions. Without its recoil pad, it will stand on it's butt with no teetering, and it will balance on the front receiver screw. Old Rosey swings up and sets on the shoulder in one smooth effortless swing. I like that in a rifle.:)

The only items I had to purchase to build the rifle was the barrel sling swivel and the recoil compensator. I had all the other stuff lying around in my parts bins. Old Rosey has a stock that fits me perfectly, a Pachmayr recoil compensator, a barrel band front sling swivel, a wonderful Timney trigger, express sights, she will hold 3-rounds, one in the chamber and two in the magazine, glass bedded from receiver to tip, two glass bedded recoil shoulders, steel reinforced grip, Cape Buffalo horn tip, the bolt is smooth as butter, and it has a (now) smooth as glass safety that is on the right side (your left thumb releases the safety as you naturally grip the rifle in one smooth motion, something you cannot do with a Model 70, Remington, etc.). Considering the original cost of all parts used in construction, I have a total of $299 plus my time invested in Old Rosey.:eusa_dance:

VZ 24 98 Mauser Receiver - $75
CZ 550 Magnum 416 Rigby Barrel - $80 (never fired take off)
Stock - $15 (eBay)
Timney trigger - $45 (eBay)
Recoil compensator - $40 (Midwest)
Barrel sling swivel - $29 (Midwest)
Bedding kit - $15 (eBay)

The least expensive commercial 416 Rigby I know of is the CZ 550 American Safari Magnum, which sells for $1,800 plus tax and shipping. I think I did pretty well, as my rifle fits me, and a new CZ 550 doesn't. Custom rifles that fit you perfectly do not have to be expensive, but they can be fun. I highly recommend building one.:headbang:

jt

[da gimp]

Ed's guide/PH is here in town right now. Saw Ed @ the store yest, he said if you want his phone #, to send it to you & Ed'll talk to you about your hunt. He's hunted all over the world from a coupla times in Africa to Siberia & daam near every point in between.

Ed recommends the guy 100% on dangerous game.

Might not hurt to talk to him Jimmy, from advice on rifle cases, vacinations, gear'll you'll need etc.

As it is obvious to us all, you really mighta muffed that one up, being the good hearted, kind, modest gent that I am, I'd be willing to take that poor thing off your hands.......................... In other words....... Daam it looks sweet, congrats.

[Larry C.]

Do you experience deformed bullets in the magazine when you shoot? On my .416 Rem the nose of the bullets slam against the front of the magazine when fired, flattening the tip of the bullet. Not so much as to make them unshootable, but enough to impact accuracy. I have installed metal shims inside the magazine that sit on each side and center on the shoulder of the case. This has helped somewhat, prevents the bullet from being pushed back into the case, but the tips still get deformed.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

The two bullets I have used to date are a 350 Linotype flat nose bullet and the Woodleigh 410 gr solid that Kynoch loads. Neither deform in the magazine. I have the 350 gr loaded to about 34,000 psi to keep velocity reasonable for a cast bullet (2300 fps), which helps. I do get deformation of the cast bullet when I seat them in the case, as I get a distinct ring around the nose. I assume that is from a seater cup that is too small in diameter. I may open it up to see if that solves the problem.

You might want to place an 1/8" thick plastic shim in the front of the magazine, but if those are spire points, I think there is little you can do to prevent deformation. These rifles do set back pretty hard, but with their excellent sectional densities and ballistic coefficients, accuracy shouldn't be an issue, and penetration should be awesome. I have a downed oak tree from the hurricane, and I shot the tree at a point where it is about 18" in diameter, and the Kynoch solid penetrated the entire tree and continued it's southerly journey. I still need to sit down at the bench and check accuracy, and I may do that today. I am having no problems with offhand recoil, but from a bench I may experience something different.

What bullet/load are you using?

jt

[Larry C.]

I loaded up some 400 gr. Hawk spire points and do get the deformation on the nose. But they still shoot, and even with the soft nose will go through a 12" tree. I have some 300 gr. x bullets and these are the ones I try for long range accuracy. It is probably a case of using the rifle for something other than what it is intended for, and expecting too much from the bullet.

[PeteDavis]

Jim!

This project is completely amazing. You obviously bring a lifetime of acquired skill to the bench, along with some pretty canny instinct. This is a fine weapon regardless of the thrift factor. I hope I can fire this beauty one day both to do it, and to be able to say I did!

Awed-PD

[buttebob]

Amazing!! I read the whole post tonight, and to see where you started and where you ended is simply amazing. I am envious of your skill and talent. Thanks for sharing.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Jim!

This project is completely amazing. You obviously bring a lifetime of acquired skill to the bench, along with some pretty canny instinct. This is a fine weapon regardless of the thrift factor. I hope I can fire this beauty one day both to do it, and to be able to say I did!

Awed-PD

Now you know how I feel when I see your stone work. Didn't come easy, did it?

I may be in your area in the next few months, and if so, I will bring old Rosey and a hand full of ammo. Be prepared for the muzzle blast of your life.

I am taking some new medication for my hypothyroidism (dessicated porcine thyroid), and I feel great for the first time in years. I can go all day without passing out, and it has been a very long time since I could say that in honesty. I can work all day now, and most of the pain is gone. I can also drive more than 15 miles now. I have a new lease on life!

Jim

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Amazing!! I read the whole post tonight, and to see where you started and where you ended is simply amazing. I am envious of your skill and talent. Thanks for sharing.

Bear in mind I learned from many others way more skilled than I.

Thanks.

Jim

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I just weighed Old Rosey on a very accurate scale, and she weighs 6.16 lbs empty. I thought she was setting back pretty hard. Next time I will add 2 lbs of weights in the stock. Tomorrow we go to the range and sight her in from the bench. It should be an interesting day in more ways than one.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

This was a non-hunting day in NC, so we took Old Rosey to the range with a pocket full of 410 gr Kynoch solids. Those Kynoch loads make my handloads look like wimps, and had a nice flat primer. First round and the fore end came out of my grasp and headed skyward. The good news is that Old Rosy will shoot MOA with no sweat (3 shot groups). I also was somewhat curious as to how much penetration I could get out of those solids. We located a living oak tree with the top blown out, and marked a spot on the trunk where the diameter was about 18". I backed off about 40 yards and let one of those beast busters loose, centered the spot, and completely penetrated the tree and went points south.

All in all, it was a fun day. Shooting Old Rosey is something of an enigma, if you know what I mean.

Jim

[da gimp]

nice shootin, always figured that medium/heavy bores like Rosie & such oughta weigh 9- 9 1/2 lbs in fightin trim. Have several of the old Win 86's in heavy calibres, never understood why they ever put crescent buttplates on em........

[scottw9120]

can you open bolt face for similar project for me?

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I would like to hear about your project - send me an email with your phone number and I will call you.

Jim

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I found a picture of Harry Selby's original Rigby built 416 Rigby in AR. This is the original Selby rifle built on a standard length 98 Mauser action. Comparing mine to his original, some features of mine I prefer, but his has all the glory.:eusa_dance:

Jim

[da gimp]

both are damm nice rifles Jimmy, glad you shared building it with us........now I need a pix of it leaning against an old Dugga boy, with you smiling from ear to ear,behind him.

[NorthernHunter]

Marine A5 Sniper. Thank you for taking the time to publish this comprehensive post. I am envious of your skill and knowledge. I have always wanted a .416 on a standard Mauser 98 action. Most factory .416 Rigby loads are 3.625" OAL or less and fit in the mag of my FN Browning Safari .375 H&H.
I would like to build a rifle with a 3.625 mag ( a full 1/8" shorter than the 3.75 British specs, 3.72 + clearance) . My .375 has the rear wall of the mag thinned out. Removing the full thickness of this wall ( as you did) would allow for even less metal removal from the feed ramp. A stronger bottom recoil lug shoulder and the lower ( than H&H) cartridge pressure of .416 Rigby factory loads or equivalent handloads would make me feel more comfortable. I will try to have one built.
How did you time the barrel ? How did you adjust headspace? Could the .050 spacer have been made the same diameter as the barrel instead of receiver? Are you confident that the barrel threads have sufficient contact?
Any chance you would share your rust blue secret? Thanks again. You can be proud of Rosey.

[Hagar]

Marine,

Go for it! I will enjoy watching your progress.

Hagar

[Hagar]

Marine,

I hope that you're still with us and got your Cape Buff hunt in!

I didn't look at the date on your post and assumed that it was current. I've just finished reading through your entire series of posts and am extremely impressed with your machining, woodworking and problem-solving skills!!! I learned a great deal just in the hour or so of reading your posts and have emerged with a new resolve to take my rust bluing skills to acceptable levels.

Thank you very much for taking the massive amount of time needed for the photography and writing needed to document your work. You are a gifted writer with a great sense of humor.

I sure hope that you got your "bucket list" hunt in. If you did, I'm positive that your rifle performed brilliantly. What a joy to hold that rifle and have all the memories of the monumental "build" run through your mind.

Your admirer,

Hagar

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Marine A5 Sniper. How did you time the barrel ?

Very slowly with a small mill bastard file.


How did you adjust headspace?I got very lucky as the headspace was spot on the first try.


Could the .050 spacer have been made the same diameter as the barrel instead of receiver?Absolutely, and I wish I had done so now for aesthetic reasons.


Are you confident that the barrel threads have sufficient contact?Yes, more than sufficient for the job, and maybe more than a standard match. This rifle has had a lot of rounds through it now, as everyone wants to fire it at least once.


Any chance you would share your rust blue secret?What? I can't hear you. Did you say something? Seriously, I got the idea from how A. O. Neidner did his jobs.

jt

[Mike D]

Jim - An excellent read, and nice rifle, to say the least! I am indeed, jealous of your skills! Thank-you for making the six pack, I just drank while reading the entire thread, such an enjoyment.

You've given me a well needed kick in the ass, to dabble with rust bluing.

Mike

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Thanks, Mike. I missed your post at the time. I have put 117 rounds through it to date, and all I can say is, it is a bear to shoot from the bench. I have yet to checker it, sadly. It is very accurate, but by the time you get to shot number 4, you are lucky if you can hit the backboard due to flinching. I usually shoot cast handloads due to cost of factory solid rounds ($110/20), but I blast a solid through it on occasion. The factory rounds have way more oomph than my handloads. It is one of my favorites now. If you want to have fun, grab a handfull of 416 Rigby.

Jim

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

My old buddy, Gimp, is currently in bad shape. Gimp contributed a lot to this project, and to honor him as best I know how, I am changing the name of this rifle from "Rosey" to "The Gimp". Hang on Gimp. The world wouldn't be the same without you, your wit, and your knowledge. I hope someday to be as tough a man as you.

Jim

[barretcreek]

My old buddy, Gimp, is currently in bad shape. Gimp contributed a lot to this project, and to honor him as best I know how, I am changing the name of this rifle from "Rosey" to "The Gimp". Hang on Gimp. The world wouldn't be the same without you, your wit, and your knowledge. I hope someday to be as tough a man as you.


Jim

+1 to our good friend.

Saw this thread and thought back to when I posted on another site my desire to snag a Remington Model 30 off the rack at a store down the road. Guy chimed in and sold me his CZ Rigby at a steal. Love it, but the stock is too much of a club. Need to get an MPI, their dimensions are ideal.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

I was recently given a friendly reminder that I never finished this thread. I will endeavor to do so in the coming weeks of continued isolation. The floorplate needs finishing, and I need to add weight to the stock. This puppy climbs like an F16 fighter. I will make weights of lead and install. I may try videos this time.