A few weeks ago we attended a nearby gun show... anything to get out of the house in mid-winter in Michigan.

As I was wandering down an aisle I noticed a pre-carved stock on a table that looked very familiar... it had an ugly knot in the fore end that I seemed to remember. I picked it up and squeezed it for a bit...

Next to the pre-carve was a rather nice blank of English walnut which I also picked up... Imagine my surprise when the blank had my name written on it! The blank looked kinda familiar too...

I talked to the young fellers at the table... it turned out their father had passed away and they were selling his stuff. He was an old friend of mine from years ago, Bill Reinke of Midland, MI. He and I had done some swapping way back when.

The American walnut pre-carve had been done for me by Jerry Fisher back when Jerry did things like that. It was unmistakeable because of the knot and another flaw in the wood. It was inletted for a pre-war M-70 action.

They wanted $200.00 for the blank and $40.00 for the pre-carve. Money changed hands. The wood was mine again.

What are the chances?

The English blank that I owned years ago.

The other side of the blank.

The rest of the story...

When I got home from the gun show I called a friend... "You ain't gonna believe this"...

My buddy got kinda excited and said... "I'll get a CZ. You are going to make two CZ spotters instead of one and we are going to use this blank. How much do you want?"

He bought two CZ 452 Americans (just to make sure) just like mine in 17 HMR. The blank is now out at Charlie Grace's awaiting pre-carving to my pattern. This will be a sister rifle to the one covered in my post "My new project".

Since my pattern stock is quite small, we are going to turn the blank upside-down when it is machined.

Should make an interesting rifle.

Whoodaa thunk?

As Yogi said, "It's deja vous all over again" :-)

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
As Yogi said, "It's deja vous all over again" :-)

Biebs, that would be "déjà vu". You are forgiven however.

This is how the blank came out after Charlie Grace carved it on his machine. He used the pattern I made for the rifle featured on "My new project".

really nice open grip pattern. great story as well.

quote:

Originally posted by Dick Wright:


This is how the blank came out after Charlie Grace carved it on his machine. He used the pattern I made for the rifle featured on "My new project".

Pretty wood

You weren't kidding when you said the you were going to turn the blank upside down.