Hey Dan, thanks for the ideas. I hope to build another big one next year but for today I am concentrating on the 450 Alaskan and the 550 Express.
Jeffrey, I hope you are enjoying the new rifle. I am very interested in how your stock works out for you. I really like my laminate in my 338UM as the extra little weight does quite a bit in calming the thing down.
I had split the stock of my 416 when I first got it- something like the 4th shot so I am curious as to how yours holds up when you get into full-house loads.
You did a very nice job with it. I would also like to see additional photos if you could.
Thanks,
Frank

Jeff. Watch it now, that tig is gonna take up all your time and I need you working on the vz situation with the 550 express.

Frank,
I found an old london guns dropbox today... it's going to need to be tig'ed and redrilled.... the price was right..

dang glad I found one... of EACH

jeffe

Well here she is, my new 416 Taylor. Here's the specs. Mauser 98 action, Shilen #5 1-14" twist barrel cut to 23", Talley barrel band front sling swivel, NECG Masterpiece front sight, Dakota rear island express sight with 1 leaf, Timney trigger, PME 2-position Win 70 type safety,Boyd's JRS pepper laminate stock with 2 cross bolts and steel bedded. The gun will have a scope as soon as I figure out what I want. She was built as a no non-sense working rifle to be used mostly for moose and bears.



Craig







I know, my picture taking has alot to be desired but you get the picture

Craig,
looks like a serious duty work of FUN!!!

good job, and enjoy shooting it.

may I suggest a leupold 1x4 vxII

jeffe

like this one
http://www.accuratereloading.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=655236&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=2&fpart=1#Post655635

Good looking rifle Craig. I like your choice of #5 23"bbl. It reminds me of....me. I think you'll like the Leup. 1.5x5 on it, lever mounts of course.

How much does she weigh?

Craig, hey you ought to be a proud papa with that new rifle, congrats. Should make a good woods rifle all around.

Fred and Jeffe,

Thanks for the suggestions on scopes. Actaully I had thought about both of those you mentioned. Like I said, I just can't make up my mind. I think I'm going to use Talley fixed bases and rings. The rifle as she sits in the pic is just a hair under 9lbs.


Craig

Nice rifle, you should be a proud papa and show us more pictures.

How does she shoot and what's the recoil like?

Rick

Nice looking rig, Craig--you're gonna love it! Of all the 416's I've had, I miss the Taylor the most....

Craig, show us some more pics, that came our real nice, I would like to see the sight etc.

Nice shooter

Good looking rifle Craig, I've got a similar one in 458 on a Daly mauser action, Douglas 25" #5 contour barrel and very similar sights. Same stock with a slightly different finish. I wound up using a Leupold 2-7 scope on mine and I'm very satisfied with it. Some didn't think the VX1 would hold up but after 5-6 boxes of 350 gr. and 500 gr. loads it's still hanging on.

You should have fun with it, the JRS stock really seems to help control recoil, the 458 was my first big bore and I was a little worried about that.

CraigP-Thats one nice looking working rifle For some reason,practical rifles like yours appeal to me more than one of those fancy safe "Queens".

Hi CraigP,
You have a very nice Moose and Bear rifle there. I also have a 416 Taylor and it is devestation on Moose. I put the 2.5 to 8 Leupold on mine and it's just perfect for my usage. I hope you have a great time and some awesome trips with it.
Take good care,
Dave

Great job Craig. Let me know how that stock works out. I am looking at laminates for a future project.
Your photograph looks fine. At least you got posted. I have had no luck in figuring out how to get images from there to here.
Frank

Very nice, Craig!

Let us know how it shoots!

George

Looks great, how about some more pictures!

Red

I second the commendation on bbl length and contour.
Has a serious look to it.
Love the sights, stock, chambering....
Just a perfect example of a real, American big bore.

Nice work!! I like it a lot, especially the stock! Did you do any mods to the magazine? How many will it hold down? I'm pondering a project very similar to this, and wonder if an unmodified mag box will still hold 4 down.

congrats again, maxman

Max,
unmodified, it's generally 3 down on mags.

jeffe

Thanks Jeffe. I was hoping that the original 5 rounds would be reduced by only 1, but forgot that the width is probably the culprit rather than the depth. Which is more desireable/easier/cheaper/reliable/etc: making the mag box wider or deeper to allow 4 down? Or is it better to do some of each? maxman

How about welding 2 mag boxes together vertically to get it to hold 5 down plus one in the chamber? Just imagine a perch belly look...

Very nice! We need more pics.

Dan, A while back I had a machinist make a new box for me out of my old one. He re-used the feed ramp and made it a tad wider and he re-used the rear piece to fit back into the action then he made two new side from 458 to Lott length
and a tad deeper. the four pieces were riveted back and then welded, filed and even blued. It cost less than buying one (which I could not find anyway- on a p-14). Maybe there would have been an after market or a cheaper way to go but it worked out well for me.
Frank

I am workign this issue with the 550 express, actually... trying to out think generations of better gunsmiths than me.

right now, I am looking at something like a bad hybrid of an enfield potbelly/dropbox... yeah, it's as ugly in my mind as it sounds... the idea may get scraped, but when you look at the cost of a purpose built....

the problem is WIDTH more than height, although it's about 75/25 split in the problem.. when you go wide enough, it impacts required heights... but the mauser can't go REALLY wide, as I see it....

I am still processing that
jeffe

How about making the box narrower so that it single stacks the rounds 3 or 4 deep in the box? Maybe 4 would be too much but 3 should be doable. Then step the rails so that the rounds pop out and up under the extractor when they come forward 1/3 of the way to the chamber. Just an idea...

500gr..
thats an idea too... I've thought about that one.. but I have done the wider one before.. so it's more or less plan B

i might jsut try both... did i mention i just got a new tig welder?

jeffe

What did you get? Tigrunner?

HEY!!

don't tell everyone the 500 jeffe-ry trick on the enfield mag!! yes, that works pretty well,,, a new mag is easier to make!!


i got, get this, a Thermal Arc ultra flex 350 pulse, and NOT the one on ebay, but a better deal... and NIB

jeffe

awsome looking rifle well done...I like either a leupold 1-4 or 2.5x compact on a rifle like that.

Nice rifle
I like the stock shape and tone

Cheers,

Andr�