I have been talking with D'Arcy for approximately 1 year regarding my new big bore and after much discussion I decided to go ahead with the project late last summer. After far too much red tape from the state department my action has arrived and it's time to let the fun begin!!!!!!!

Action: Hartmann & Weiss double square bridge magnum Mauser action. When completed the rifle will have the front bridge rounded as I do not intend to scope the rifle.
Capacity: 3 down and 1 in the spout. Note: The H&W mag. was not up to D'Arcy's standard so the mag will be made by BurgessBarrel: 24" Krieger barrel with a 1 in 14 twist
Front Sight: Burgess pop up blade
Rear Sight: Ghost ring peep mounted on the rear bridge
Wood: English Walnut
Weight loaded: ~11 lbs
Engraver: Lisa Tomlin

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It's a login to your account

Sorry about the confusion. See 500Grains post for the photo's

FANTASTIC!!! Can't get any better than that, the builder or the parts. Very exciting. Please keep us appraised on it.

Are you also having D'Arcy do the stock work? If I had cash and my druthers I'd have him stock my 458 when it gets finished. I picked up one of his rifles in front of him at SCI and he told me right off why I was having trouble with most stock designs, has to do with my face shape (not the ugly part, the shape of the cheeks/cheekbones) and could tell right off what my LOP was. His legend stocks have the cast off built into them, I can only imagine what a custom wood stock rifle made for the shooter would be like.

I'm green now.

Red

Dago Red,

Thanks! Yes D'Arcy will do the stock. I have two Legends with synthetic stock so I'm excited to have him work with the wood. He also helped choose the wood blank, which was an education in itself. I am impressed with his critical eye and he clearly see things most people don't.

Bryan

Does D'Arcy Echols have a website?

Not yet, I know he has been working on one. I believe a poster on this forum is working on it with him.

Bryan,

That is going to be one hell of a rifle when it's completed! All the components are first rate and that blank is just beautiful.

I spoke to D'Arcy quite a bit at the SCI show and as you said it's an education picking his brain on all things rifle. He is an incredible craftsman and certainly has an "eye" for such projects.

Keep us posted as things move along.

What hunts are you planning to break in this beauty?

Regards,
Dave

Thats very impressive for sure !!

Dave,

I plan on having Lisa Tomlin engrave an Elephant on the floor plate, so it would be a shame not to hunt Ele. with the gun. A couple of buffalo would also be great.

Did you order a gun from D'Arcy?

Bryan

Bryan,

I did not order a Legend....yet.

I have my heart set on one in .300 win mag and will go that way once I sort a few things out. I got a chance to see Allen Day's .338 win and David Morris'(Whitetail Deer Author) .300 win as well as a few others and I was thoroughly impressed with both the rifles and the man.

To cut to the chase I work in the high tech field and held back on placing an order with D'Arcy because in general things have been none to secure these last 4 years (I have been on 5 separate lay off lists since 2001 and was able to dodge them all) and much more to the point I knew "somthing" was brewing AGAIN before I went to SCI this past January. Boy I was right. About 6 weeks after the convention the company I work for(who shall remain nameless) started disbanding groups left and right and send dozens of jobs over seas. Well about a month or so ago they made it official regarding my group.....we're gone to! To add insult to injury... before I hit the road I get to train the individuals (foreigners) who are taking over my job!!! You have got to love the arrogance of big business!

I am not 100% out the door yet...I get the opportuniy to interview internally for other positions.

I after 9 years in high tech I am so burnt out and utterly disgusted with the field as a whole I think its time to go out and reinvent myself. I really regret spending so much time and energy in this field....

With any luck I'll be able to start my own business in a couple years and do all the better financially...

Sorry, for the rant but, needed to get that off my chest....

Regards,
Dave

quote:

Originally posted by DavidC:
before I hit the road I get to train the individuals (foreigners) who are taking over my job!!!

I would quit before someone forced me to do that.

Or I would train all the new replacements on the wrong way of doing everything and fuck everybody up.

Loyalty is dead.

quote:

Originally posted by Bryan W:
Note: The H&W mag. was not up to D'Arcy's standard so the mag will be made by Burgess

Somehow I think you're getting ripped. I fail to see how H&W's work can be improved.

H.P. Shooter, from your comment, making a leap to a conclusion that might be unwarranted Can we assume that you have enough H & W actioned rifles that you can state That the interior Geometry of the box AND the exterior for this .505 are dead nuts on for this particular job? It is a pain in the fanny to make a box from billet steel and a bit too late for the if only rant.

How do you do that? Oh here we go.

Chuck

D'Arcy has a single, great, true best-quality riflebuilder's philosophy, and that is to make the very, very best product possible out of the very best materials available, and to build a COMPLETE rifle that not only looks good, but more importantly, FUNCTIONS perfectly, and without the slightest compromise.

So if an action part, for example (in this case, a magazine box), can be replaced with something better to improve precision, durability, and function, that part will indeed be replaced with a better unit. If no aftermarket parts are available that would serve, then new ones are made from scratch, as with what Tom is doing to fabricate this magazine system.

It's called no-compromise, 100%, literal bet-your-life-on-it riflebuilding. It goes way beyond nickle & dime money considerations, and way, way beyond the philosophy of "good enough". For D'Arcy and his clients, "good enough" is never good enough, not as long as there's a better way of doing things, not as long as there are better options on the table, or that can be conceptualized and realized from scratch.

This is the sort of riflemaking I get enthusiastic about, and after messing with this stuff for thirty years, it's the only sort of riflemaking I'm interested in. That's why I own several Echols rifles and won't hunt with anything else anymore, and that's also why I trust my life to D'Arcy's product. One of his .338s and one of his .416s will be going with me to Tanzania this year and Zimbabwe next year for buffalo, plainsgame, etc., and one thing's for certain: While many things have the potential to turn ugly on these safaris, I won't be worrying about the function or durability of those rifles. That sort of confidence is hard to put a price tag on.........

Bryan, your .505 is going to be an AWESOME rifle! Your family will have it for generations........

AD

Congrats.

Since Mr. Burgess is going to be doing a mag for that rifle you might enquire about having him, or D'Arcy add a new bolt handle. That one looks to short to me.

Sounds like a great project that will be a fine rifle. Please post pics when it's done.

Believe me, Echols won't keep that bolt handle or safety any more than he'd inlet the metal into the stock without shaping, finishing, and checkering the blank of wood.

Like that stockblank, the action is only the beginning, only the basic foundation. It gets extensively reworked from that point forward......

AD

Great action, great wood and the resulting rifle will no doubt a great too!

I look forward to seeing pictures when the rifle is finished.

Thanks for the kind words!

Allen is correct with the bolt handle and safety, they will be replaced. Tom Burgess will be doing the safety also.

Have you seen the Burgess front sight system?? I don't have a JPEG of the sight, but it also is a thing of beauty. I am thrilled to have two of the best gunsmiths in the world working on this rifle!

I sure hope my 14 month old son grows up to love the outdoors and guns as much as I do, because I intend this rifle to be in the family for generations.

Yeah, I just got a new trigger for my CZ550 Safari from Mr. Burgess this weekend. Gone is that overly complicated abomination it came with. The replacement is a real work of art. He also replaced the sorry excuse of a handle that come with the CZ. I couldn't be happier.

Like you. I am hoping my two boys, 3 yr's & 4 mo's respectively, will enjoy my guns as much as I am enjoying them.

I think that I posted some pics of the sights before, when the talk was going on of the sights on the 416 that Echols and Burgess built. Here is one of them. (if somebody looks up the other thread they probably can see the other pics).



Red

I have heard nothing but good about Mr. Echol's work. But I have always wondered why he keeps extensively reworking 3rd party actions.

Does anyone know why he does not make his own action for his rifles? I would have thought that it would be a logical step for him to take with his desire for making the best rifle that he can.

I don't know if this is the reason, but would be willing to bet a case of beer it is close.

The number of clients he gets is too small in relation to how many actions he would have to sell to make it worth the design, tooling and manufacture of his own. Better by far from a small custom shop perspective to buy from others and then put the finishing touches on it.

manufacturing actions is not a little thing. if you are new to the site you don't remember the montana rifle actions when they were going through the starting process and were selling the first xxx number of actions at big discount to raise the sales enough to finance the first run. Theirs are cast and it was real costly, I'm betting D'Arcy would want his milled, even more money.

Red

Dago Red,

yes, that is the Burgess site. The rifle was at SCI. The site will be modified slightly to have a duck bill ramp up to the site.

Bryan

quote:

Originally posted by allen day:
Believe me, Echols won't keep that bolt handle or safety

I certainly would. There is nothing better in my book than an Obendorf-style bolt handle and a 3 pos military flag safety for an iron sighted Mauser action rifle. Remember, swept back bolt handles are a negative on heavy recoiling rifles (i.e., .50 cal and above).

Seems at some point one is paying the price for infinately diminishing returns.

Bryan,

Congratulations with your masterpiece in the make.

Enjoy,

Roland

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:

I certainly would. There is nothing better in my book than an Obendorf-style bolt handle and a 3 pos military flag safety for an iron sighted Mauser action rifle. Remember, swept back bolt handles are a negative on heavy recoiling rifles (i.e., .50 cal and above).

500grains
Agree with you, I would also save the front square bridge.

Cheers
/ JOHAN

Johan,

D'Arcy and I discussed the front bridge, and we referenced some early Mauser actioned rifles and the removal of the front bridge is not uncommon.

The final decision was then based on two points. First, I don't intend on scoping the rifle therefor the front bridge is not necessary. Secondly, the design or lines of the rifle will be more pleasing without the front bridge IMHO.

Bryan

Bryan, I think you guys are taking this project in the best possible direction. I've learned to trust D'Arcy's judgement. He's an excllent rifle architect, and he absolutely knows what he's doing.

Maybe I missed this part, but are you going with a straight, checkered bolt handle, uncheckered, and/or one that's swept back?

I can agree with 500 grs. about the value of a straight-down bolt handle, especially on a .505 Gibbs.

AD

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:

quote:

Originally posted by allen day:
Believe me, Echols won't keep that bolt handle or safety

I certainly would. There is nothing better in my book than an Obendorf-style bolt handle and a 3 pos military flag safety for an iron sighted Mauser action rifle. Remember, swept back bolt handles are a negative on heavy recoiling rifles (i.e., .50 cal and above).

Who the heck said anything about a swept back handle???? I just said it looked too short. I agree the Oberndorf handles were very nice it just appears, from the pic anyway, that this particular one is too short.

I agree that the current handle is too short, but a new one from Echols will improve looks and function considerably.

I don't see any value in keeping the Mauser wing safety, either. To me, they're slow and awkward compared to a Model 70-type, even with just open sights, and they're not as clean looking or attractive, either.

AD

Actually the plan is to have a swept back bolt handle. D'Arcy has not had a problem on his .458 Lotts with the swept back handle, and probably more important his trigger assembly will be approximately 3/8" further back than the H&W trigger assembly shown. Having said that if it bites the hand of the maker it will be converted to a straight bolt handle.

The bolt handle will be sent to Lisa Tomlin in a week or two to start engraving.

Bryan W,

You really have a winner in the making there.

But I must say, why wait for bloody knuckles to change your mind on the bolt handle?

I'm surprised by the initial choice of a swept back style on a Mauser action, especially on a big kicker like the Gibbs. Besides the kick and knicked knuckles issue, an Oberndorf Mauser styled, straight bolt handle is simply THE classic way to go.

First of all good choice on D'arcy echols to build you a .505 Gibbs. It probably will feed properly. most don't! I saw a fantastic H&W action in Zim last year owned by some German who beat it to hell. Interestingly he had it color case hardened and the effect was really beautifull. I would STRONGLY suggest you don't have the bolt swept back on a .505 Gibbs. You will bleed if you do assuming your right handed. If your a lefty no problem. Nice stock too.-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:

I'm surprised by the initial choice of a swept back style on a Mauser action, especially on a big kicker like the Gibbs. Besides the kick and knicked knuckles issue, an Oberndorf Mauser styled, straight bolt handle is simply THE classic way to go.

Ditto.

A straight bolt handle is much more classy than a swept one IMO.