Reproducing Harry Selby's 416 Rigby

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Glassbedding

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. 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. 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

[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]

Test Fired, Recoil Pad Installation, and Stock Re-Shaping

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, but I had her tied to the shooting bench and was pulling the trigger with a looonnnng string from behind a big pine tree. 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! 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.

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.

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. 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

[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]

Forearm Tip Installation & Shaping

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.

jt

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

More Pictures

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

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]

Thanks

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 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. 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.

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.


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 !!