Working guns

13 January 2009, 05:01

jeffeosso

Working guns

i just threw up in my mouth a little

quote:
Originally posted by RIP:
Ah, I see serious competition from gumboot458!

I have not revealed my first ever forray into "semi-custom" rifles.

My first visit to Willis Fowler of Anchorage, Alaska, January 1986:

Willis did not do stock work. Said he was allergic to epoxy.
So I became a self-taught glass bedder.
This is my first ever job.
A bare fiberglass Brown Precision stock,
some Acraglass gobbed on the grip panels and textured with a pointy stick.
The rest of the bare fiberglass was subdued with black Krylon.

This rifle started off as a Whitworth .375 H&H.
It was rechambered to .375 Wby with the 1945-spec reamer of Willis Fowler.
This cartridge was the first ever .375 H&H improved. All others are imitators.
The 2001-spec reamer is the same, with a better throat.
It has had me and several gunsmiths besides Willis Fowler work on it since 1986,
so you can't blame Willis Fowler for all the ugly.

This rifle has a 2.5X Leupold scout scope to go on the Ruger quarter rib with Ruger rings,
a 4X Leupold in 3 Weaver rings,
a Redfield pop-up peep,
Lyman and Williams receiver sights,
a fold-down rear sight,
a big bead front sight:
5 different sighting systems, always carrying 2 scopes and 2 iron sight systems afield:

Fold-down peep on the back of the Weaver base. Also drilled and tapped for Lyman or Williams receiver sight.

I have killed several Kodiaks with it, deer that is,
and I got within 300 yards of King Kong of Kodiak while carrying this.
That bear must have got our wind and hightailed it as I and a buddy approached from 2 miles away.
We glassed him from 2 miles away,
as he was lying on a hillside looking at two bowhunters in their deer camp,
like a big dog with his head on his paws, waiting to make his move,
just 50 yards above them, I swear to God.

King Kong looked like a 13-footer as he ran off.

The bowhunters had a single 300WinMag in camp as their backup for deer hunting
in Jap Bay of Kodiak.
Fall of 1987, my resident drawing permit for Kodiak brown bear.

I went ugly early!
My first "serious rifle" and still seriously ugly.
"Grunhilda" is her name.

About her elegant metal finish:
She was blasted and brushed, then parkerized, and then blued,
and it still did not hide the Whitworth purple.

13 January 2009, 05:27

Enigma

WIN M70 Stainless, 375 H&H, Accurate Innovations laminated stock, Weaver Bases, Leupold steel rings, Bushnell Elite 3200 2-7 scope. It is the only rifle I own. I use it for deer, moose. I will bring it out for black bear next year. She loves 270 Gr Barnes TSX...!

13 January 2009, 05:32

mstarling

Enigma,

That one is WAY too pretty to be included in THIS thread

Congratulations on a nice one!

13 January 2009, 06:45

RIP

El Jeffeosso Ugliosso Virtuosso:

I am very pleased to reciprocate, at least once, for the many times your work has done the same for me.

You are welcome.

What are we? Are we men or are we sheep?
Do we grasp our rifles and our handshakes firmly, or to we keep our pinky fingers extended?

quote:
Originally posted by jeffeosso:
i just threw up in my mouth a little

quote:
Originally posted by RIP:
Ah, I see serious competition from gumboot458!

I have not revealed my first ever forray into "semi-custom" rifles.

My first visit to Willis Fowler of Anchorage, Alaska, January 1986:

Willis did not do stock work. Said he was allergic to epoxy.
So I became a self-taught glass bedder.
This is my first ever job.
A bare fiberglass Brown Precision stock,
some Acraglass gobbed on the grip panels and textured with a pointy stick.
The rest of the bare fiberglass was subdued with black Krylon.

This rifle started off as a Whitworth .375 H&H.
It was rechambered to .375 Wby with the 1945-spec reamer of Willis Fowler.
This cartridge was the first ever .375 H&H improved. All others are imitators.
The 2001-spec reamer is the same, with a better throat.
It has had me and several gunsmiths besides Willis Fowler work on it since 1986,
so you can't blame Willis Fowler for all the ugly.

This rifle has a 2.5X Leupold scout scope to go on the Ruger quarter rib with Ruger rings,
a 4X Leupold in 3 Weaver rings,
a Redfield pop-up peep,
Lyman and Williams receiver sights,
a fold-down rear sight,
a big bead front sight:
5 different sighting systems, always carrying 2 scopes and 2 iron sight systems afield:

Fold-down peep on the back of the Weaver base. Also drilled and tapped for Lyman or Williams receiver sight.

I have killed several Kodiaks with it, deer that is,
and I got within 300 yards of King Kong of Kodiak while carrying this.
That bear must have got our wind and hightailed it as I and a buddy approached from 2 miles away.
We glassed him from 2 miles away,
as he was lying on a hillside looking at two bowhunters in their deer camp,
like a big dog with his head on his paws, waiting to make his move,
just 50 yards above them, I swear to God.

King Kong looked like a 13-footer as he ran off.

The bowhunters had a single 300WinMag in camp as their backup for deer hunting
in Jap Bay of Kodiak.
Fall of 1987, my resident drawing permit for Kodiak brown bear.

I went ugly early!
My first "serious rifle" and still seriously ugly.
"Grunhilda" is her name.

About her elegant metal finish:
She was blasted and brushed, then parkerized, and then blued,
and it still did not hide the Whitworth purple.

13 January 2009, 07:02

DWright

Great thread. Nothing like a good 'working gun' for sure. Wish I had a camera to get ya'll a pic. However, so far I think Gumboot has everyone beat for the Phugly gun. Great gun though Gumboot, and in a great hard working caliber. I like it a lot!

13 January 2009, 07:08

jeffeosso

Ron
fair enough

13 January 2009, 07:20

A7Dave

This is my VZ24 300 Win Mag. I'm going to gussy it up later and put it in a synthetic stock. Planning on either parkerizing the action and barrel (it is just a chrome-moly in the white at the moment). Even on the cut up military stock it is shooting nice 1" groups.

14 January 2009, 05:55

Pegleg

Rip- Did you get that third ring from Shootaway?

14 January 2009, 06:00

shootaway

a thread for garbage collectors

14 January 2009, 07:01

RIP

quote:
Originally posted by Pegleg:
Rip- Did you get that third ring from Shootaway?

No, I got the third ring while shootaway was still wearing infant-sized diapers. He wears adult diapers now.

Thanks for allowing me to explain that shootaway's one-ring scope mounting technique has nothing to do with my three-ring method.

I will admit that shootaway is a one-boy-three-ring circus, but that is just a figure of speech. He can be entertaining, in a retarded sort of way, especially when he wears his shooting helmet to the range.

14 January 2009, 07:10

JBrown

quote:
Originally posted by shootaway:
a thread for garbage collectors

Coming form a guy who thinks his CZ is the cream of the crop.

Jason

"You're not hard-core, unless you live hard-core."
_______________________

Hunting in Africa is an adventure. The number of variables involved preclude the possibility of a perfect hunt. Some problems will arise. How you decide to handle them will determine how much you enjoy your hunt.

Just tell yourself, "it's all part of the adventure." Remember, if Robert Ruark had gotten upset every time problems with Harry
Selby's flat bed truck delayed the safari, Horn of the Hunter would have read like an indictment of Selby. But Ruark rolled with the punches, poured some gin, and enjoyed the adventure.

-Jason Brown

14 January 2009, 23:06

D B Cooper

quote:
Originally posted by shootaway:
a thread for garbage collectors

To quote a friend of mine in regard to a $40 Mossberg .22 that out shot a $900 .22 Target Rifle. "Just 'cause you paid a lot of money for it, don't mean that it will shoot".

The point is to get the bullet on the target.

Having a shit load of expensive wall hangers doesn't mean squat. Just means that you've got money to piss away on wall hangers to brag about.

Know a guy who wanted me to photograph him firing about 25 hot loaded .45-70s out of a Marlin Guide Rifle, at nothing in general, just so he could print them off to brag about the muzzle flash.

Bragging doesn't put meat on the table. I have a semi-sporterized Yugo'98 Mauser in 8x57 that will.

15 January 2009, 02:08

tiggertate

quote:
Originally posted by RIP:

Fold-down peep on the back of the Weaver base. Also drilled and tapped for Lyman or Williams receiver sight.

The gold filler screws juxtaposed with the Whitworth royal purple is pure inspiration, RIP!

15 January 2009, 02:18

boom stick

Maybe a later thread on some of these ducklings turning into swan songs...

Bubba guns do have their own charm though.

15 January 2009, 04:37

cmfic1

[/QUOTE]I will admit that shootaway is a one-boy-three-ring circus, but that is just a figure of speech. He can be entertaining, in a retarded sort of way, especially when he wears his shooting helmet to the range.

[/QUOTE]

Thats some funny stuff there

15 January 2009, 08:23

RIP

cmfic1,
Thanks. Glad you get it. Ugly Gun Building and Ownership certainly does not preclude humor, even at shootaway's expense!

Tiggertate,
I told you I was an Artiste. Purple and yellow are complimentary colors. It was a natural choice to accent the Ugly!

What? No comment on the perfect timing of those two brass filler screws?
Precision straight-up ugly!

Also note that the rings and central portion of the scope tube are precision speckle-painted with flat black Krylon.
The scope is also glued into the rings with silicone sealant.
The scope bases are epoxied onto the action with JB Weld and 8x40 screws replaced the original 6x48.
Building Ugly Guns is an Art of great cultural heritage importance, we must not lose it ... pass it on!

quote:
Originally posted by tiggertate:
quote:
Originally posted by RIP:

Fold-down peep on the back of the Weaver base. Also drilled and tapped for Lyman or Williams receiver sight.

The gold filler screws juxtaposed with the Whitworth royal purple is pure inspiration, RIP!

15 January 2009, 08:52

Macifej

quote:
Purple and yellow are complimentary colors

Mardi Gras colors .....does that there rifle come with a drink holder ....??

15 January 2009, 16:54

jro45

My Favorate Rifle is my CZ Model 550 458 Lott
the stock is lamanated it is beatiful. And it doesn't kick bad either. I can't post pictures or I'd post this rifle.

15 January 2009, 21:54

gumboot458

.... Rip,s Grunhilda is one of the best setup,s a guy could hope for up here ... Decisive power .flat trajectory , unaffected by rain , wet , dry , ect .. 87 was just prior to the stainless revolution ........ That is how the Spruce King got started , as a stainless Ruger 338 ...........

Not to offend any one but if you took a Styer, or Sako , or Savage , or Remington , or even a push feed tang saftey Ruger , and do with it what the Spruce King has done and where it has been and endured thru ... you would need several of them and you would spend alot of time with a broke down gun ........... Pretty hard to put venison on the table or keep a bear out of your face 50 miles from town with a broke down rifle .........

15 January 2009, 21:57

gumboot458

quote:
Originally posted by Enigma:

WIN M70 Stainless, 375 H&H, Accurate Innovations laminated stock, Weaver Bases, Leupold steel rings, Bushnell Elite 3200 2-7 scope. It is the only rifle I own. I use it for deer, moose. I will bring it out for black bear next year. She loves 270 Gr Barnes TSX...!

... Very Nice . Very nice indeed ..... Now you just need a spare ...

15 January 2009, 22:08

gumboot458

.. Another thing about really ugly rifles .. you can leave them in plane sight and they seldom grow legs ..

15 January 2009, 22:43

Michael Robinson

Emetic anyone?

The only way to fix that thing is with a blow torch.

16 January 2009, 03:58

shootaway

quote:
Originally posted by JBrown:
quote:
Originally posted by shootaway:
a thread for garbage collectors

Coming form a guy who thinks his CZ is the cream of the crop.

I am still searching for that perfect rifle.I thought of a way to take care of that problem.In my third life,I will be a gunsmith(going to be a caribou in my second).

16 January 2009, 04:21

RIP

Thank you MR.
Did you choke on your own vomit?
Should have chewed that hotdog better!
Good teaching point:
That is universal sign language for "Give me the Heimlich Maneuver please!"

You don't need any emetics, just stare at Grunhilda until you vomit.

I was a USAF Captain on a low budget with two babies and a wife to feed, when Grunhilda was born. I think of her as a daughter. She has protected and served me well, and still does. That was the start of my Ugly Rifle collection.
I have about 85 more ugly rifles since her, and a few rifles that "the squeamish" like to look at too.

As much play as Grunhilda is getting here does me proud.

quote:
Originally posted by mrlexma:

Emetic anyone?

The only way to fix that thing is with a blow torch.

16 January 2009, 05:56

Michael Robinson

Sorry, RIP, but poverty is no excuse for an ugly rifle - same as jail time is no excuse for a bad tattoo.

16 January 2009, 06:55

RIP

MR,
Your supercilious puffery just bores the hell out of me. Please try to do better.
Try not to sprain that extended pinky finger when next you type.
BTW, I do leathercraft too.

16 January 2009, 06:59

Michael Robinson

Always glad to be of service.

Seriously, though, to call that lead pipe and plastic thing ugly is to insult the truly disfigured.

Although I might use it to pound nails.

But seeing as how you are bored, I will spare you further opprobrium and waste not further my time.

16 January 2009, 07:18

Macifej

RIP - MR's probably one of them thar pompous lobster heads from Neweengwand ... he Party's with the Kerry's and the Kennedy's ... he drives a Volvo Wagon ... his ancestors probably fought with the British and he's just got him a bad case of gun envy ...

Pay him no mind ... that's a beautifully ugly gun you have ...

16 January 2009, 08:08

RIP

Mac,
My ancestor on Pop's side arrived in Virginia in 1587, with an ugly arquebuse. His descendant was a Captain in the Revolution and carried an ugly flintlock rifle to whip the British, and get a 10,000 acre land grant in what would become Kentucky.

Same Revolutionary Captaincy and land grant on my mother's side too, DAR.

I suspect MR's relatives were caressing their pieces in Europe until my family paved their way over here ... with ugly guns!

Ugly guns in America go back 431 years, and that started with my family tradition!

Lessee if this puts a knot in his pinky!

Captain Ron