Well I just finished my ultimate old mans African rifle...I am going to call it the "Walk About" after my Aussie friends that never learned to talk Texan, but can drink me under the table!!

It is a 10.75x68, slim as a toothpick with its Holland ans Holland stock pattern. weighs 8 Lbs.with a Williams ghost peep...A beatifu piece of inexpensive Turkish walnut, FN action, and will toss a .423 cal., 350 gr. Bridger flat nose solid at a good 2375 FPS, and a 400 gr. Woodleigh soft at 2132 FPS, so that should surfice...

I will also looking to Mike Brady for one of his beatiful and functional cup points in about 350 grs. or less, that would be my choice as a soft or would even surfice as a solid...

I test fired it prior to bluing and stock finishing and it stuck 5 in the 3" bull at 50 yards off hand...so I bet it will shoot an inch off the bench with a scope...

UNless I sell it, I intend to stick a big old buff or 6 with it next year. If I sell it, then I will make another..

I want this type of rifle for walking behind clients and PH while they do their business, I seldom will need it when doing this but when the time comes I will be prepared...

Its good to have a gun handy when someone else is hunting dangerous game, and I have needed to use one on about 4 or 5 ocassions of the most critical kind...

I can't post but would be glad to send photos to any of you that want to see it...Its neat adn pretty and a bit different than the usual big bore...BTW the recoil is about like a 9.3x62 or a light loaded .375 H&H, as close as I can tell...

Ray
Please, send me a photo of your new baby.
My mail is: hcroveda@fibertel.com.ar
Thanks in advance.
Hector

Jeez Louise, there you go bragging again, Old Guy.

I'll post some pictures if you email them to me. I think you have my email address, but it is also in my profile. I want to see this one.

Ray,

That sounds like a really neat rifle..

Congratulations.

I wish you were coming out to the double gun competition next week so I could show you my new "top secret" .404 I'm having a friend of ours build for me.

What scope are you going to puton that old girl?

Greg

475Guy

How in the hell did I get involved with Ray's gun????

Mr. Atkinson,

I'd love to see your new creation as well. Please send me some photos.

Also, if you'd like to, I could upload them and post them here to save you from having to email bunches of photos out.

Thanks,

Tex
jlmauser@earthlink.net

ray....that rifle sounds perfect. please send pictures. but be prepared...my wife will hate you for starting me on a new "copy-cat" project!!(i'll use a different cartridge(9.3x62???) for texan applications

bud

Charley Helm kindly offered to post the pics on here and I forwarded the pictures to him just now..Thanks Charley...

Thanks for the offer Tex but I already sent them to charley...

I forgot to add it has a Limb Saver recoil pad..

Here it is:





Very nice!

Damn I hate it when something like this one is posted! A beauty for sure ... but way beyond the kinda thing that'll come my way.

Congratulations Ray. You do really, really nice work!

Pretty awesome Ray,..when it comes time to shoot it, I hope its all you had hoped for.

BigBullet

Ray... now I dont want that rifle showing up on my porch in 2 weeks just for me to take it off your hands... give this one a chance

Very nice! Just don't trade it for a horse before you shoot a buff with it!

Ray,

Congratulations and here's hoping that this achievement brings a membership in the ACGG!

One of the most beautiful rifles whose pictures I have seen. Good hunting with it!

Very nice indeed. I love the checkering pattern.

Nice Ray.....hope you use it on your terms and not on the terms of some cranky old SOB.

Wow!

Old Guy

I didn't know there was an "Old Guy" registered here. You know what I meant. When referring to Ray, I'll just say old guy from now on.

Ray,

I've never seen a Limbsaver pad that appears to be that thick. How thick is it, what stock #, and where did you get it from?

Thanks Ray and she's a beauty.

DB

Dungbeetle,
It just a 1" thick std. limb saver pad from Brownells....maybe the picture is a little out of spec, I dunno...

Paladin,
Definately depends on the horse, it will certainly have a new home if the horse is right or the price is right..I can build another.

That is a peice of my $250 turkish and it didn't look that good in blank form..All those blanks take on a presense of their own when turned, in other words the strips get wider and the wood comes into its own. I think I have one or two of them left.

Ray

Why not make the 10.75x73 instead? Just load it to pre WWI levels. You can still end up with an 8 pound rifle that is more versatile. Just something different?

It is a very nice looking rifle.

Shoots good. Looks good. Perfect. Nice work Ray.

Dave

Thx, Ray.

DB

Ray,

I don't post often, but that is just about the perfect vision I've had for years of a "working rifle" or any rifle. I don't think it could of been a better concieved or executed project. Damn goood job Ray, Congratulations.

Ray,



Really nifty looking rifle! The Turksih walnut looks super with all the nice touches like the pad, pistol grip, sight, barrel contour, etc. I bet there's a neat barrel band front sight that is just out of the picture, too?

Someone who knows how to stock a rifle without it looking like a Wyerhauser advertisement - just the right amount of wood on that stock, not too clubby, nice short forearm, ect. - Ecellent!

Exact same concept I used on my 9.3x62, now I just need to talk myself into another rifle in .40 caliber!

Hi Ray
I have owned a fair few rifles in my life and sold and traded most of them.
There are 2 that I regret ever selling.
The first is a 10.75x68 and the other a genuine Rigby .416.
The 10.75 was a sweet rifle but a handful.
I think Taylor's comments influenced me to sell it about 20 + years ago when good projectiles were just starting to surface in our own backyard couresty of Woodleigh.
Mine was a Jp Sauer & Sohn on a M98 action with double set triggers; mannlicher stock; octagonal barrel with full length integral rib; lever floorplate and weighed around 7lb wringing wet as I recall. What a carry all day rifle! about like carying a M92 Winchester!
Had two acorn type teardrops on the foreend along with a superbly fitted buffalo horn tip to the stock. The saddle type sling swivel screw took a piece out of my left thumb [I am right handed] on the first big boar I shot with this rifle. Might have had something to do with the sale as well! Still got the scar to remember it. sure do miss it though - beautiful little carbine with heaps of grunt for the weight.
Only rifle I owned that kicked worse was another lightweight - a Farquarson which I rebarrelled to an easy reloading option in those days - a 7lb 45/70 shooting 350gr at 2000fps and STEEL buttplate. Plus these old rifles always had a lot of drop at heel and thin stocks.
Anyways - agree with your choice. an easily overlooked caliber.
BTW congrats on your stockbuilding there.
APB

Awesome Ray

That is a beautiful rifle!

Dang thats a pretty little rifle. Its to nice for me to hunt with!

Gerry,
Rifle has no swivels...I never use a sling anyway and I made it light enough to carry and in dangerous game country its best to have it in your hands was my thinking.

I have in my day pack a leather Galazons sling that has loops on both ends, one around the grip and the other around the barrel, I have packed it around for 30 years and never used it but once when I had to pack an Impala about 200 yards...

quote:

I have in my day pack a leather Galazons sling that has loops on both ends, one around the grip and the other around the barrel, I have packed it around for 30 years and never used it but once when I had to pack an Impala about 200 yards...

Ray, I can not even fathom that. I was in the Mountains hunting sheep a couple of weeks ago, and there were several times all four apendages were needed. I would suspect the danger involved in not using a sling in that particular situation would outweigh running into some killer buffalo.

Chuck

10.75

Go over that with your rifle at port arms.

You also won't back the jeep up to your game here eigther.

Chuck

Ray!

Reeeeaaly nice!

465H&H

quote:

Originally posted by Chuck Nelson:


Go over that with your rifle at port arms.

You also won't back the jeep up to your game here eigther.

Chuck

Chuck

See many Cape Buffalo when you were there?

What do you think.

What in the world a Cape Buffalo has to do with using a sling once in 30yrs is well beyond me. And this dangerous game bull shit is wearing a little thin.

Chuck

Ray,

very nice rifle, thats about as good of 250 dollar walnut as I've seen, it does have good lines in it.

thanks, billy

quote:

Originally posted by Chuck Nelson:


Go over that with your rifle at port arms.

You also won't back the jeep up to your game here eigther.

Chuck

I wish that was my backyard...I'd give it a try to carry Ray's rifle over that!