In December 2014 I posted this:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...rums/a/tpc/f/9411043
m/1891092602?r=1891092602#1891092602

I wrote about a project I’d been kicking around for some time. It began with a JC Higgins Model 50 in 30-06, which had been purchased new from Sears by my father in 1956. This was a few years before I was born and he paid a little less than $100. He and I put the old girl to good use back in Hawaii shooting feral pigs, goats, and sheep; and in fact I killed my first pig with this rifle. This project is special to me for a handful of reasons. First, it is important because of my Dad’s and my shared history with the gun. Next, because the stock blank was cut from koa, a tree which is native to my home state, and it came from a tree harvested in an area where I used to hunt years ago. Next, a valued friend of 30 years built the stock, assembled the rifle, and worked up the loads. Fourth, because throughout the building process I was fortunate enough to have been able to correspond or talk with; and even meet some fellow AR members along the way; a couple of whom performed work on this rifle. Finally, and most importantly, this project is special to me because my daughter and I took the rifle out on its first hunt after its rebuild. She made the first shot on a beautiful buck antelope and killed it cleanly. Later that afternoon I was able to take my buck at 400 yards the same way. We made some great memories that day!

I’ve enjoyed looking over many customs in these pages and was inspired to create one for myself. Mike McCabe (zlr) cleaned up the Higgins action; cut, threaded, chambered and installed a new barrel in 260 Remington, and worked his magic to get the Higgins to feed the shorter cartridge. Paul Kossman (ramrod340) babysat my koa stock blank for a bit while my friend and stock guy worked some things out. Paul also took the time to share thoughts & ideas with me at length. Dave Wesbrook called me and was very generous with his time as well. Shane Thompson got the nod to duplicate my koa stock from a pattern painstakingly crafted by my good friend, who used my original stock as a starting point. I opted to use Shane’s 1:1 duplication process, which was nothing short of phenomenal! Final stock shaping & fitting was done here in Jackson; and my metalwork was caustic blued just over the hill from here in Victor, Idaho. Mike & Shane spent a lot of time helping me to understand the ins and outs of what I was hoping to accomplish and I feel like I’ve made some good friends along the way… Thank you all!

Here’s a list of the parts used for my project.

• Benchmark Barrel: CM, 1:8, Lilja #4, finished at 24 inches with a recessed crown.
• Scope Bases: Warne Maxima 2 piece steel. M831 Rear & M902 Front, both with .860 spacing.
• Zeiss Conquest 3 x 9 scope.
• Burris Zee 1 Inch Rings
• Trigger: Timney Mauser Sportsman M98 FN #101.
• Red Butt Pad: Ordered from Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company/Galazan. 1/2 inch total thickness.
• Jerry Fisher Steel Grip Cap & Talley European Steel Sling Swivel Base Set purchased from Midway.

• Initial Hunting Load For This Rifle:
42.5 grains IMR 4350
140 Grain Hornady Amax
Max Length Case Head to Ogive - 2.770
.010 Off Lands or Case Head to Ogive - 2.760

I hope you enjoy the pictures almost as much as I did watching it come together; and of course hunting with it.

A few magazine ads describing Sears’ latest rifle offering in the late 50s.







A few pretty rough pictures of the Higgins as it looked when carried in Hawaii!









Koa stock blank & me… It begins!



A few teasers that Shane sent me.







Work in progress by my long-time friend and stock maker!





Here we go…











































Things I might have done differently…

The first thing I might’ve done would have been to give the 6.5 x 55 or 6.5 x 06 a little more consideration. While this gun was coming together a couple of friends and I built a, “black plastic rifle with a spotting scope mounted on top”, chambered in 260 Remington. I was so hot to trot for that chambering, that I had to have one NOW! That particular rifle shoots nice little half inch groups at 200 yards.

The only other thing I might have done was to save up for a little longer and have the sling swivel bases, bottom metal, bolt shroud and scope rings color case hardened. I really wanted to hunt this rifle THIS season and I just didn’t have the money for those touches.

Some things I would like to pass, just because!

The little thingamajig attached to my trigger allows me to activate the trigger a lot like I used to before my accident. A dear friend of mine, who is no longer with us, designed and built this adaptive trigger to fit on almost any firearm.

The shooting table, attached to my chair, is in its 3rd or 4th incarnation right now, but it’s solid enough that, under the right conditions, I feel confident squeezing off a shot at 400 yards and beyond.

Why am I mentioning these things you ask? I fell off a dirt bike almost 23 years ago and broke my neck. My accident left me paralyzed from the chest down with limited use of my hands and fingers. Hunting & shooting had claimed every free moment of my life up to the time of my wreck and I wasn’t about to let that change. There are ways to adapt almost any piece of equipment so as to allow folks with disabilities or other infirmities to do whatever they want; and the adaptations don’t need to cost a lot of money. Creativity is the key. The other reason I’m sitting up here on my soap box is to talk about Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado. I went there after my accident for 6 months of rehab. That place rocks & their Therapeutic Recreation Department can get anybody doing anything they want with a little or a lot of problem-solving. I’m only one guy who, with a lot of support, is able to continue doing what I love. I’d be happy to share what I know with anybody who is interested. While I’m not associated with Craig in any way, I cannot recommend them highly enough. If you have a friend or loved one that suffers a spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury, GET THEM OUT of your local hospital to a place that specializes in helping folks maximize their lives after a traumatic injury. Okay, I’m done now.

Great looking rifle. Thanks for sharing your rebuild. I just had a JC Higgins Model 50 in .30-06 rebored to .338-06. Installed a Timney trigger and have been playing around with loads for it the last couple of weeks. Suffice it to say, mine pales in comparison to yours in the looks department. Well executed.

Beautiful.

Your smile says it all!

Awesome and you made my day!

Nice rifle and you used some very talented people.

Well done all around. Congratulations.

Simply inspiring..!!

A cool Higgins reborn!

I see a great number of achievements here!
Keep shooting!

hnts4fun (aka Matt),

I remember our phone conversations and the several emails I sent to you. I was impressed and inspired by you then and I still am. Your rifle came out great.

My phone is always open to you and I'll PM my number to you.

Best Regards,

Dave Wesbrook

Super report. I've redone many Higgins & other house brand FNs myself, usually I just reshape the factory stocks, add FE tips, grip caps, glass bed, etc.

Thank you for sharing your story and your rifle's story. Very inspirational. May you and your fine rifle have many great hunts together.

First off, thank you for the post. And I am sincere with that statement.

Gorgeous rifle, and that smile is priceless. I am gratified by the way you addressed your physical challenges and found ways to overcome them. I shall try to remember you and your struggles if/as my personal health issues change.

A sincere tip of my Texas cap to you, sir. Keep up the fine work.

Congrats on your new rifle and hunt success. I love Koa, and have owned several guitars made from it. I have never seen a rifle stock made from it. If that blank was big enough for a guitar it would have been worth at least $2,000, if not more. Fiddleback in Koa is not super prevalent, and quilted Koa is even more rare.

Not what I expected when I followed a link to this thread.

Beautiful rifle.

You have also brought back great memories of my friend Bill Wise. Like yourself, he had an accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. He went on to be the only author published by Surfer Magazine& The Double Gun Journal.

Perseverance is grand to witness.

As Bill would have ended this post. "All Good"

Wow, what a transformation!

quote:

Originally posted by Grenadier:
Wow, what a transformation!

In more ways than one!

What a great looking rifle and a inspiration to us all! I'm currently having a Sako L57 re done in 7MM08 it was a .243 my dad bought in 1956 from Montgomery Wards for 100 bucks! We actually looked at the Sears Model 50 but chose the "Monkey Wards" because the .243 was kinda new at the time. Enjoy the Speed Goat hunting. Bill

Beautiful rifle! I would not change a thing! Put it to good use and do your best to wear it out! God bless

Thanks to all of you for your kind words. I found the entire process of this rifle coming together very satisfying. BUT I've rarely read one of these show and tell posts without someone posting a, "not my cup of tea" or a critical observation post. Feel free to post those as well! Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by hnts4fun:
BUT I've rarely read one of these show and tell posts without someone posting a, "not my cup of tea" or a critical observation post. Feel free to post those as well! Thanks.

Well, okay, you asked for it. If it was my project I would have had it made with a tighter choke and a second bead.

By the way, I really like koa wood and I had a rifle stocked in koa many years ago. The highlights show up much better in real life than they do in photos. So, I know your stock must really be something.

Atta boy!!
I'm partial to a second bead as well. Koa just seems so alive...lots of different facets the camera didn't catch...Thanks

beautiful rifle and great work. enjoy it. I really like the Koa

A touching story. Thanks for sharing!!!

That in my opinion is a very Nice lookin and Great Shooting Rifle.

Nice rifle and congrats on your successful hunts, that stock must come alive in sunlight.

amazing build and great story. I second the comment that the smile says it all.

quote:

Originally posted by hnts4fun:
Thanks to all of you for your kind words. I found the entire process of this rifle coming together very satisfying. BUT I've rarely read one of these show and tell posts without someone posting a, "not my cup of tea" or a critical observation post. Feel free to post those as well! Thanks.

The one thing I can't stand is forend tips that are not rounded - that slope toward the muzzle. A slope toward the ground (like a snowplow) is okay, but I MUCH prefer a rounded look like your rifle.

And I love the wood too.

Thank you for sharing your hard fought story. A rifle that means something is the best kind of rifle.

very nice!! i am old enough to remember when sears jc penneys and other dept stores sold quite a few guns..... seems like a whole other lifetime ago but it did happen..... i think even the old holiday station stores had a gun rack in them.................

When I was a young man "many years ago" I managed a couple Western Auto Stores. We sold a lot of weapons and ammo. "Revelation"

Re-rounded forend tip. Not long ago there was a thread in this forum that asked members essentially whether they liked forend add-ons or preferred their rifles without. It forced me to work through that question while my stock was still a work in progress. I compromised in several areas of this build with one eye on what works for me now and the other eye on what might work for my daughter when I pass this on to her(hopefully a ways down the road) I didn't want to make the length of pull so short that no one else could use the rifle; so instead I went with a thin pad, 12 3/4 LOP, and an extended adapted trigger. The rifle is also a little thicker in the forend than I would have liked to carry; but in its current format, it stays put in my shooting set up or off bags. It wouldn't be a big deal for its next owner to thin it down quite a bit for quicker handling. I used the same rationale on my barrel length. It would be an easy matter to shorten the barrel by 2 or more inches for its next owner.

Dad had a couple of Enfield's that he had bought for $5 apiece through the NRA back when. I believe he was able to receive this Higgins directly from Sears without going through an FFL. I'm not certain of that though because Hawaii had and still has stringent pre-purchase requirements.

When I was a kid going into our Western Auto and later JC Penny's I would always beeline straight for the firearm section while my parents did their shopping. I always managed to talk them into at least one box of 22 long rifle shells which went for a bit over $.50 a box.

Ahhh... Memory lane

quote:

Originally posted by hnts4fun:

When I was a kid going into our Western Auto and later JC Penny's I would always beeline straight for the firearm section while my parents did their shopping. I always managed to talk them into at least one box of 22 long rifle shells which went for a bit over $.50 a box.

Ahhh... Memory lane

I often think of the summer of '75 when we moved from Illinois to west of the Twin Cities MN. At age 15, I was finally allowed to have a rifle. I remember lazy summer days playing baseball and shooting tin cans. Fortin Hardware in Hamel, MN supplied .22 shells for about 70 cents a box and while the supply of baseball bats was modest, we managed to make do.