my rifle has served me well , i have had it for around 15 years and have carried it through every kind of weather for over 3000 hunting days ..

the "gouges" in the stock came from a time it was send to me in northern mozambique and in the same case was put my cleaning rod ...with the handle at the same end of the stock ...thats what resulted in the similar sized dents there ..

chris sells at heym tells me that they will be able to get all that out for me which is great ..

the action is still in excellent shape as is the bore , i cleaned it with jb rubbing paste every time i shot it for at least the first 100 rounds , thats served me well ...

i am in two minds as to if i want the blueing redone ...i think i will though ..

apart from some small rust pits near the end of the rifle , the wear is pretty superficial... a great tribute to heym as that rifle has seen some rough times.

well i will look and see if i can get some pics of it and then will post some before and after once they are done with it ..

not sure these photos have enough detail , tried to make them big so you could see , both taken this last 2009 season

Ivan: Which rifle is which? Is the older one in the last picture, or either of them for that matter, your "Zambezi River" miracle rifle?

the right hand one with the buff is my rifle and the one on the ele tusk , yes both the same rifle and yes thats the one that sent me for a swim !

It wears it's battles much more proudly when seen in person up close.

The cartridge may be more battle-scarred than the rifle.

Above, from ForrestB, is pictured Barney Fife of the Bushveld:

A proud game scout with his 404 Jeffery rifle and his solitary 404 Jeffery cartridge, his entire supply of ammo.
Both have stood him in good stead for many years.
He usually keeps the cartridge in his pants pocket for speedy access.

Letter Rip

While this has never been to Africa yet, that might be just the excuse needed for the next safari. This was my Grandfather's Mod 54 in -06. The serial number indicates it was mfg in 1931 and I know he bought it new. He hunted with it until his eyes would not allow him to use iron sights, then he quit hunting. That was about 1970 (he was born in 1896). I spent many hours in my youth sitting in the back of his 1949 Chevy pickup (which I also am lucky enough to have) with him on deer stands when he hunted with this old warhorse. As you can see, there very little blue left and the checkering is worn smooth. If only she could talk.

Outstanding! My dad's pre-64 Model 70 had the checkering worn smooth and the blueing nearly gone as well, when he turned it over to me. I love the sling on Blacktailer's and the sling swivels. Look at them closely.