I've finally finished the big bore project that started with a blank piece of Turkish Circassian walnut and a Bruno 602 action. It's been a very enjoyable project and I think well rewarded.

This is the finished rifle chambered for the 470 Mbogo. The action is a 602 Bruno with a custom bolt, quarter rib with Ashley peep, PME three position safety, NECG Masterpiece fiber optic front sight with hood, Pac-Nor 23 inch barrel, custom grip cap, sling swivel and barrel band.

This shows the forward mounted peep and the custom checkering job by Steve Markin


This shows the pistol grip, custom bolt knob and checkering work


The custom wrap around checkering with ribbons


The overall project. The blueing done by Bill Leeper is absolutely awesome. It's raining outside so all the photos are flash photos and don't do the rifle justice. Come on sunshine.


Can't wait to get to the range on Sunday.
Take good care,
470 Mbogo

[ 04-15-2003, 19:19: Message edited by: 470 Mbogo ]

Beautiful!

The scale of the stock is perfection, itself.
I love the checkering pattern.
A well thought out and executed project.
My Congratulations, Dave!

What Bob said!!

Mike

470---

Nice job. Please be more specific on who did the work. Your post was a little foggy.

You been snortin' the Hoppe's again?

470Mbogo,

Beautiful rifle. If it shoots even half as good as it looks you have a real winner there .

Jim

Hi JBelk,
The checkering was done by Steve Markin of Weber and Markin in Kelowna B.C., Bill Leeper did the Bead Blast and Blue finish which included the polishing, I did the stock work other than the checkering including the flush sling swivel,ebony forend,recoil pad etc, I polished the action and Bill Leeper sent out the bolt to be nitrated. I hand filed the quarter rib to fit and Bill did the attaching as well as the front sight. The custom grip cap was supplied by Dressel's as well as the stock blank. I also did the cross bolts and finish fitting of the barreled action. Bill did the final glass bedding. I glassed in pillar beds and Rob Garnick made a second recoil lug for me which worked out perfectly. I tried to do as much as I could myself as that was the idea when I started but I do not have the proper equipment to do some of the metal work requirements. All of those involved did awesome work. Bill also fit the three position safety after someone in Vancouver screwed it up along with the crowning. The crowning job Bill did is excellent. The stock is my own design and really works on the big bores.
Take care,
470 Mbogo

470
A great looking rifle. Do you have anymore closeups?

Enjoy the range work.

Roger

Hi Scrollcutter,
Any specific part. I just bought a digital camera this morning so I could post pictures of interest for any members on the forum without the big delay. It's kind of nice and I should have done it long ago. The custom bolt handle was also done by Weber and Markin.

Take care,
470 Mbogo

470,

NICE rifle. I'd like to see a close-up of that nitrided bolt, if possible.

Best,
Joe

Beautiful gun with classic lines. Two thumbs up!

That's a mighty fine looking rifle. Thanks for giving us all goals on what we should aim for.

--QD

Dave,
You are da man! The rifle seems to be beautifully executed. The stock just looks awesome. Got to love that forward mounted peep sight. It should work perferctly for me the way it's mounted. That elegant quarter rib looks tastefully done. Did you get the quarter rib from Brownells to start with or you made it from scratch? Those two crossbolts in the stock are good to have. That rubber pad needs to be solid my friend. Hope it will be a shooter. Please keep us posted. Thanks.

Hi Ming,
The pad stays The quarter rib is a Dakota from Brownells. Pac-Nor said they would contour the barrel to the quarter rib and they did except that the quarter rib was 1/2 inch shy of the receiver ring so I had to re-contour the rib and fit it to the receiver ring. The gun shoots real well. I did shoot it while it was in the white and the forward peep works great. The gun weighs 10.25 lbs without the scope and 1 lb heavier with the scope and mounts. It balances over the front action screw and feels about 8 lbs. when you shoulder it.

Take care,
470 Mbogo

470

Aren't the digital cameras fantastic. I hope you enjoy it.

I would like to see a close-up of the bottom metal area. A close-up of the left side of the action area. And, a close-up of the bolt handle.

It looks like the knob is checkered. If so, who did it. Have you already answered that question?

Roger

Hi Scrollcutter,
I haven't quite figured out the macro portion of the camera yet but here are a few more pictures that I took.
The forend detail

Another forend picture

The left side view

The bottom metal. I did hand file the bottom floor plate with the intension of creating a larger surface area for some engraving. But I'll see how that turns out.

This is the custom bolt handle in the white

Take good care,
470 Mbogo

[ 04-15-2003, 08:26: Message edited by: 470 Mbogo ]

470
Thanks for the photos. Good looking rifle. How do you test loads/sight in your rifle. In regards to recoil that is. I have a 505 that I am going to test soon.

Looks like you have a pretty good handle on the photo thing.

R.Kehr

Awesome, Dave! It is a real beauty. Can't wait to see it in person.

Canuck

That is one great looking hunting rig you got there! You obviously have good taste in guns.

470,
just AWESOME!!! I love the forearm groove,and I knew I would after you told me about in Houston.

the rib and sight would look great on my 376, too!!!

Mike's 470, now with from recoil lug (even I can learn) is ready to be beded. he came over sunday, and I did the final feeding, stock work for fitting him, front lug, and pad. he's just about ready to start burning powder!!!

jeffe

That is a beautiful rifle,the stock and checkering are absolutley gorgeous! Congrats on the new rifle!

Dave- Very very nice job! I really like the bolt knob, and the long Ebony foreend! Nice touches. The checkering really does it for me though. I'll bet that job cost you some cash!!! Fantastic effect! I'll bet it shoots as good as it looks. Nice approach to put that peep sight on the Dakota rib. I've been toying with doing something similar.
I've just modified my stock design a little bit to add some relief to the foreward part of the stock just above the floorplate. It gives it that real African drop box belly look. I'll send you some pics. Where does it balance? That F990 Pad is there for more than looks, solid pads are for amateurs!-Rob

Hi Rob,
It balances over the front action screw and feels like an 8 lb rifle when shouldered. I'll be looking forward to seeing your pictures. I just heard from another fellow that is building a 470 Mbogo that his brass was shipped yesterday.
Take good care,
470 Mbogo

Dave- Did you have the rear bridge ejector port opened up? I can't see from the pictures. I've found that this really helps ejection on the 470 MBOGO using a CZ550 action. How did you get the rear crossbolt so high?. Looks almost in line with the front crossbolt. Did you use an aftermarket trigger?-Rob

Hi Rob,
No I didn't have the port opened. I've never had a problem with ejection. I'm usually trying to figure out where the hell the brass landed when doing a rapid fire session. My magazine box is 1/4 inch deeper than the standard box and holds four cartridges down so I'm not sure that this is the reason or not that the bolt appears higher. There appeared to be lots of material in the position so I set it in at that location.
Take care,
Dave

rats, tried linking video from Imagestation....didn't work.

[ 04-16-2003, 04:33: Message edited by: Canuck ]

Hi Canuck,
I'll bring up the new 470 when I head for Grand Prairie. I made it to the range today and it shot five of the Bridger bullets into a 2 inch group. When I went to take the scope off to shoot with the peep I found the scope mounting screws were loose big time. Obviously it's back to the range to tighten that group up. Isn't that the first thing your supposed to check? The twenty three inch barrel still produced 2400fps.
The links you put up popped up as not found.
Take good care,
Dave

Thanks to everyone for the kind remarks about my new 470. It was a true labor of love and a chance to have one really nice rifle just the way I wanted it. Hopefully it will find it's way to Africa in 2004 with me attached,

Take care,
Dave

beautiful looking rifle

Hi Dave:

That is one GREAT LOOKING RIFLE..... Geez just what I need, more ideas for my custom rifle. Ohhh Ed.... dou you do custom peep sights....LOL

I really like that Peep set up...

Good Luck breaking it in, it is one hell of a rifle!!

Regards... Jim P.

Looks like a real beauty Dad.

I'm going to have to swing by and try it out sometime. That and your spiffy new digital camera.

[ 04-16-2003, 06:49: Message edited by: TheTurtleMoves ]

Dave
A beautiful rifle. Hopefully I will get my PAL soon and can bring a couple of SxS up for a shoot. Great looking job. How does that front peep work? Does it pop right up for you or do you have to search abit for the correct line?

Dave,
That is a gorgeous and well thought out work of firearms art! Form follows function in this field, and you are outstanding in your field, and I don't mean farming! I got my 470 Mbogo brass last week and thanked Peter Cardona at Quality Cartridge for getting it done. You have arrived.

My rifle is a beater compared to yours: laminate stock, Pac Nor stainless barrel (1:16" twist, 6 groove, 25" long, no. 6 contour sporter) BBK-02 action, Dakota single standing rear, NECG banded front, Gentry barrel band.

I still need to have the action milled for scope bases, and put the finishing touches on the stock: lightning bolt checkering pattern down each side of the forearm, with an "ebony" inlay of Mbogo's skull and horns sillohuette, sort of like the A-Square logo on steroids, in the right side lightening bolt.

Actually my "ebony" is just smooth black epoxy and the Mbogo logo will cover a defect in my checkering, first hand, self taught.

Yep, mine's a beater, compared to yours. Mine will weigh 10.75 lbs. empty, with all the steel that is buried in the laminate stock. I am making do with a 1" thick Decelerator, amateur that I am.

Hi Mickey,
The peep is up and inline as soon as you shoulder the gun.You don't have to look for it at all. Please come by and do some shooting any chance you get. I would love to shoot one of those doubles one day.
Take care

Hi Ron,
I'm glad that you've got your brass and your rifle is near completion. Please post some pictures when you get a chance and let me know when you've been to the range to play. I'm going to take those 540 grain Bridger bullets to the range again tommorow with tight scope bases. The 23 inch barrel chronographed the same velocities as the 24 in barrel I tested the load with.

Take care,
Dave

Fantastic looking rifle, what brans scope mounts are you using ??

Hi PC,
They are the standard Bruno mounts. They are built very tough. They have the bottom tab on the rear mount to lock into the recess on the action and then tighten into the dovetail with a single screw. My intension is to have a wrench similar to the old roller skate keys or basically a T wrench but very short made up to fit the screws. I'm going to take this wrench and mount it on one of those retractable clips that I use for fly fishing so it's clipped to my vest when I'm out hunting. I think most of those retractable reels extend 2 feet. I really like the Bruno mounts and they are sturdy.
Take care,
Dave