Here are some progress photos of a custom project that started a couple years ago. It's about half way there.

I had a friend who bought one of these wwhile we were in high school and had a varmint weight 22 Varminter barrel installed. (This was before there was officially a 22-250.) We shot tons of groundhogs with it while in high school. It would shoot consistently into 1/2".

In the early 80's, Interarms made a nice MkX copy. I bought an action right before they stopped making them. I don't know how many they made, but my late model has a 3 digit serial number. I had a no 6 Douglas barrel installed. With the factory trigger and a glass stock, it shot .25-.3" groups right out of the box. It is in 6x284. I have recently moved it to a laminated stock, but it is still shooting similar groups. (I have swapped to a varmint weight trigger.)

I noticed you have a blind magazine type bottom end. I know Roy's FN and my Interarms both came with a solid 1 piece floorplate which is very stiff. This is a very stiff action form, and I always thought adding the solid floor plate helped to further stiffen it. Was yours originally different, or did you change it?

I sold one of those a couple years ago on gunbroker. New in a Stoeger box.

Same one? Looking good!

quote:

Originally posted by slancey:
Here are some progress photos of a custom project that started a couple years ago. It's about half way there.

Progress Photos

The work looks very nice! Did you do the grinding, bolt handle? If not, who?

I bought the complete rifle and sold everything but the action. It had been used as a target rifle. The action has no serial number, one of many that were sold to the gunsmiths for customization back in the 50's and 60's.
Mark Penrod did the metalwork. The rifle will have no blind magazine or floorplate, as the action has no magazine well opening. The trigger and trigger guard are Blackburn, the bolt handle is Mark's design, and the safety is a two-position Chapman using an original Mauser bolt shroud. The barrel is a Krieger 1-12" twist to shoot the 55 grain Hornady V-Max.

Those are cool actions, looking good!

Here's a project I started decades ago, just about the time the local benchrest shooting interest died down. It is an FN single shot action with a Canjar single set trigger, fitted with a stainless steel Hart barrel in caliber .219 Donaldson Wasp. To avoid altering the .30-'06 extractor, the rims on the cases were turned to .225 Winchester diameter, so the barrel can readily be rechambered to a whole gamut of cartridges based on the .30-'06 case head. It is professionally glass bedded in an unfinished Fajan "Hunter-Target stock. It has scarcely been fired.



Some enterprising person needs to take this off my hands and use it for the super varmint/benchrest rifle it was intended as.

Very, very nice. Dio you have a stock in mind yet?

I have purchased a thin-shelled walnut blank and a scope. The scope is a Leica 3.5-14x42 ER and the blank and barrelled action are at James Tucker's shop awaiting completion. I was out in Oregon for a fitting last year so James could take the stock measurements using his try gun.

Here is the blank I'm using. James has traced a line on both sides of the blank showing the layout he will use.

Some years ago, I sold a #7 FN single shot gun to a friend. He has always refused to sell it back to me. However, it has been a while. It has a nice nameless laminated stock and a #6 Douglas .22 Varminter barrel and has shot very nice groups in early BR competition. It appears very low mileage. I would like to have it back for a project. What should I offer, considering I only really need the action for my project? Does the whole package have more value than the parts?

Superb blank slancey.

lowgun,
It depends on your project. As you can see, I started mine from scratch. Everything but the bolt and action are new. If you like the caliber and barrel contour, then keep it intact. I think xusa posted above that his FN pictured is for sale as well.
My 22-250 barrel is about halfway between a Krieger #5 and #6.
I added the bolt shroud safety with the larger flange for better gas protection, as the action has no magazine well to vent gasses in the event of a rupture. These are the kind of things you'll want to think about with your project before you buy a gun just for the action.

Thanks for the advice.

Back in the 1970's a retired Marine team shooter sold me his match rifles, including a .300 Winchester Magnum built for 1000 yard competition by the Marine Marksmanship Unit armorers on an FN single shot action, using a Dunlap style stock. It came with Redfield International sights and set up for a Unertl scope. It is another of my rifles which needs a new home.

More progress photos:

Elegant!

Thanks for the photos and what a neat project...I like that blank!

Enjoy!

That rifle is absolutely beautiful. The metal work is so clean and crisp. And the wood is what a consider perfect for a stock.

With it being a single shot and caliber choice what is your intent with the rifle? I envision this as a perfect light walking varmint rifle.

Congratulations to you and the craftsmen who have done such a great job. It is projects like this that keep me coming back to AR for my "gun porn" fix.

quote:

Originally posted by M1Tanker:
That rifle is absolutely beautiful. The metal work is so clean and crisp.

Mark Penrod's work(from everything I have seen) is the epitome of "clean and crisp".

Here is a Ruger he did:

quote:

With it being a single shot and caliber choice what is your intent with the rifle? I envision this as a perfect light walking varmint rifle.

It will be exactly that. It's intended to be a medium-range varmint rifle. I won't be walking very far, as I like to set up in a strategic location and snipe at prairie dogs or woodchucks, and also call in coyotes.

Oh wow. That is nice, putting it lightly.

Beautiful checkering Slancey, is that whats called a mullered border ?
Thanks,
Bob

Yes, those are mullered borders on point pattern checkering, about 26 lines per inch if I remember correctly.

Slancey,
WOW!!!! That checkering is exceptional!!! I am looking forward to seeing the completed rifle. Thanks for sharing.

Yeah! "WOW", is right!!!

Keep those photos coming, please!

I second all of the previous compliments, but would like to add: Great photography!

The finished project:

really nice boom stick!

Very nice. James Tucker did a great job for you. Please post some group pics after you get the loads worked up.

Thank for the follow up shots...Nicely done!

ENJOY!

Very nice work. I wish my mannlicher Schoenauer project comes out like that!

I have picked up a few tips on shaping the pancake cheek piece & pistol grip. That should improve on my last project by a big marging!

Could you please tell me how you inletted the trigger guard and tang area of the action so accurately?

In the original picture series, the fifth picture down, what are you grinding there? I looks like the wheel will take out the recoil lug. Or is that only for showing your setup.

Nice looking project overall.

Jim

Mark Penrod did the metal work.
James Tucker did the wood work.
I have no idea how either works their magic, but it is very special.

What a beautiful rifle!

Thanks for all the kind responses. It was a fun project, and even more fun sharing it with you all. It's been a good 10 year run on AR. Tempus fugit!
slancey out.