Reproducing Harry Selby's 416 Rigby

[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]

Rust Bluing Receiver

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]

Never Saw This Thread.

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]

My Ideas On Recoil Management (right hand shooters)

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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]

Rust Blued Receiver

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.

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).

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.

jt

[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]

Checkering

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.