Thought I might post this link to a .30-06 Mr Hughes finished for me this year, best, Mike

http://s222.photobucket.com/al...agn%20Dodd%20Hughes/

review on http://www.chuckhawks.com/hughes-hagn_rifle.htm

Absolutely beautiful work. Congratulations to all involved. SDH's work is flawless.

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
SDH's work is flawless.

Isn't it though? Great job. Beautiful rifle.

Wow. I have Ralf building me a .300 H&H right now and I hope it turns out that nice.

Beautiful is an understatement.

quote:

Originally posted by WBT:
Wow. I have Ralf building me a .300 H&H right now and I hope it turns out that nice.

It will - Ralf is as good as they come. I really love these Hagn single shot rifles!!

Superlative!

Best

GWB

Love the rifle,
and Love the scope selection
just not together.

that's a Haiku.

The dovetail in the front receiver ring is shallow....... but, why do I want to organize a lynch mob? Hate them in Mausers, really hate it in a Hagn, no matter if it's that strong. Otherwise a beautiful rifle.

Met Steve in Livingston a few years back. Gave me a tour of his shop and showed me a lot of pictures of his work, then we went for lunch. Very nice guy, and he does do extremely nice work. - dan

Always like seeing more of this rifle, Mike. Have you taken it hunting yet?

quote:

Originally posted by stocker:
The dovetail in the front receiver ring is shallow....... but, why do I want to organize a lynch mob? Hate them in Mausers, really hate it in a Hagn, no matter if it's that strong. Otherwise a beautiful rifle.

Me too. The dovetail along with the scope really takes a lot away from the rest of that superb rifle IMO.

But that's why they make chocolate and vanilla and Neopolitan, and that's what keeps custom smiths in groceries!

Next time I'd suggest losing the dovetail and big honkin' scope. If I had to have a peep then I'd go with a removable one kept stored under the trap-door buttplate, along with some sort of daintier scope that would better match the svelte lines of the rest of the rifle.

JMO and please don't take this as a flame, it's just meant as constructive criticism of an otherwise beautiful and superbly-made rifle. Wish it was mine!
Regards, Joe

Perhaps Mike was thinking like I was when I had my rifle built. That is, primary sights are iron and the scope is secondary and for long shots. Iron is great for anything within 100 yards. For longer shots a scope of decent magnification that gathers a lot of light is appropriate. Building just for looks is one thing but building for functionality is another. Mike has posted several examples of his nice rifles being used under field conditions to take game. I am just making a guess but that would be my way of thinking.

quote:

Originally posted by Grenadier:
For longer shots a scope of decent magnification that gathers a lot of light is appropriate. Building just for looks is one thing but building for functionality is another.

I agree totally! But...

Scope has no large light-gathering objective but DOES have a large & very ugly eyepiece with dangerously-short eye relief. May be the cat's pajamas in Europe but not in my book and ESPECIALLY not for any mountain hunting.

Functionality doesn't hafta be ugly, that's why we have custom smiths! IMO a better albeit not perfect alternative would have been to incorporate a Talley peep on the rear scope base or else built into the rifle somehow, without the dovetail in the receiver ring.

IMO the top of the ring of a custom rifle should be reserved for some nice engraving or an extension of the rib's sighting plane or, in some unfortunate cases, the rear scope base. JMO.

Like I said, I'd love to own the rifle! But the very first thing I'd do would be to lose that ugly trot-line-sinker scope! I've never figured out why the Euros don't give enough eye relief in their scopes these days; my older Kahles, Zeiss and Hensoldt scopes are fine but I wouldn't walk across the atreet for any of the new ones.

At least not for a REAL 'using' rifle. A steep uphill or quick snap shot is guaranteed to cause shooter hate & discontent sooner rather than later!

And if the scope is supposed to be only for those leisurely longer-range shots as you say, then how come you guys don't carry the scope in your handy-dandy leather scope case on your belt so it would be handy when wanted, instead of mounted on the rifle? I'm wonderin' but think I know the answer....
Regards, Joe

quote:

Originally posted by J.D.Steele:
And if the scope is supposed to be only for those leisurely longer-range shots as you say, then how come you guys don't carry the scope in your handy-dandy leather scope case on your belt so it would be handy when wanted, instead of mounted on the rifle? I'm wonderin' but think I know the answer....
Regards, Joe

I would love to find a nice leather case for my scope. I usually take the scope with me but the terrain and expected shooting conditions dictate whether it is mounted or not. For example, hogs over bait no scope till the light started to go in the evening, no scope for bear over bait and behind dogs in Idaho, and scope mounted for a recent antelope hunt (320yd shot). Joe, some of us actually do shoot our rifles with iron sights.

Regardless of aesthetics, the closer to the eye the aperture of a peep sight is the better. I don't know how SDH could have gotten Mike Bailey's peep sight any further back without mounting it on the tang.

quote:

Originally posted by Grenadier:
Joe, some of us actually do shoot our rifles with iron sights.

All of my rifles (other than 2 intended for strictly target or varmint shooting, and even including all the RFs) have iron sights, AND the sights are zeroed and used often. And so of course all of them including the RFs also have QD/QC mounts of several types. Some have the Lyman 48 slide stored under the trap butt while one uses a Talley QC peep and still others have folding tang sights mounted. I like irons and consider most rifles without them to be shall we say somewhat lacking (!) in practical field usage under adverse circumstances.

And please don't dismiss the tang-mounted diopter, most of the early Euro bolt rifles had them or had them offered as an option. Most folks today don't know how to use a diopter but it's remarkable how much it sharpens the sight picture!

BTW any saddlemaker can easily make you a custom-fitted and hard-sided scope carry case. In the early days these were frequently supplied by the scopemakers or folks like G&H and I've even owned one made for my Lyman 5A.
Regards, Joe

Grenadier, I am on a monteria on the 30th Nov over here, will be taking the .375 and the SDH .30-06, there are no eye relief issues as I went for the scope with the longest eye relief in the industry. When you do a Monteria you draw lots to find your "peg". You might end up in a forest opening where your longest shot will be 40 yards, in which case I will take the scope off the .375 and use that....on the other hand you might end up on one side of a valley in open terrain with a 100-200 yd shot. I can´t in all honesty now use iron sights much past 75 yards so if I get a valley peg I´ll be using the .30-06, here is a link to the first Monteria I went on over here and first blood for the .375

http://s222.photobucket.com/al...363/Monteria%202009/

JD, we use rifles with quite a lot longer LOP than you chaps, this one is 14 1/2 ", my doubles are 14 7/8", same as my shotguns, best, Mike

I'm 6'-4" (lost 2" to old age) and all my rifles have pulls longer than 14", one is actually 15". I was looking at the 'scope pull', the dimension from the trigger to the back end of the eyepiece, and it's far too long for me to feel comfortable. If that scope REALLY has the longest eye relief in the industry (?!?!) then where is it?

Maybe you guys over there have shorter necks...

Anyway IMO it's a truly wonderful rifle with an ugly dangerous scope and an unfortunate dovetail, but still a wonderful rifle.
Regards, Joe

JD, I was intrigued by your comment and just checked, when shouldered the distance between my eye and the scope is exactly 4". I think that is safe enough on a .30-06, best, Mike

Mike, you're undoubtedly correct that you have enough eye relief and so I withdraw my 'unsafe' comment in your case. I was judging by my assessment that my own eye relief would be more on the order of 2"-2.5" with that particular mounting. I like a grip pull of ~ 3 7/8" - 4" and a right-angle scope pull of 2" or less while your rifle appears to have a grip pull of more than 4" and a scope pull of at least 3". I like your grip pull but I'm afraid that scope would probably give me a headache on an upward shot.

Undoubtedly my neck is longer than yours and that fits in perfectly with the fact that I need VERY LITTLE drop in my shotgun stocks.
Regards, Joe

Mike, Thanks for posting, I sure took a lot of pics, eh?
I like your monteria pics, that stag of yours is magnificent, great crown! I'll be looking forward to pics after the hunt...

Here are snap shots over my desk in my office of a just assembled Hagn .280 that sat in my safe for nearly three years waiting for engraving (client's medical issues), recently completed English rose & Scroll by Diane Scalese. Ready to go to the range with my sidelever. We will be deer hunting on the Musselshell Thanksgiving week.

Thanks to all for the nice comments!

Your rifle will be going to a finca on the 30th Nov where the King of Spain shoots, it will be a BIG day, best, Mike p.s. I´ll post some pics

Grenadier, send me a message with your address, all the gun shops here have leather scope cases, I´ll post you one, best, Mike

There is nothing that looks nicer than rifles displayed on a wall next to trophies.

Very nice SDH!! Any chance of some close up pics of the action on the 280 to see the engraving? Is that a French Grey finish?

i wish someone would delete this thread, every time i look at it is short out another keyboard with drool

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Bailey:
Grenadier, send me a message with your address, all the gun shops here have leather scope cases, I´ll post you one, best, Mike

Thanks, Mike. PM sent.

Love the sidelever.

Grenadier, did you get my PM ? best, Mike

I have been a longtime follower of SDH work and can not get enough of it.Keep it up sir.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Bailey:
Grenadier, did you get my PM ? best, Mike

Yes. Responded.

Such exquisite torture looking at such beautiful rifles.
Looks better without the scope mounted. Distracts too much from such gracefulness.

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
Such exquisite torture looking at such beautiful rifles.
Looks better without the scope mounted. Distracts too much from such gracefulness.

Steve is getting a bit long in the tooth to use iron sights any more :

Haven't been around here in a Loooong time, requested engraving pics, yes the .280 is French Gray.



And a bonus pic of SDH and Jerry Fisher Deer hunting, Roundup,MT ~ 10/12

Jerry's 7mm Mag.

quote:

And a bonus pic of SDH and Jerry Fisher Deer hunting, Roundup,MT ~ 10/12

Jerry's 7mm Mag.

Now those photos should be shown in the "who hunts with a custom rifle " thread.
Thanks Steve

With all the dislike & criticism that some folk have for the 7mmMag,
why has Mr.Fisher ignored it and continued to hunt with it for all these yrs?.....

Anymore details about Mr.Fisher's rifle? Looks like maybe a Remington 30S?

quote:

Steve is getting a bit long in the tooth to use iron sights any more

Hey Phil, ask Tia if you can borrow her mirror for a minute :-)

quote:

Originally posted by Fal Grunt:
Anymore details about Mr.Fisher's rifle? Looks like maybe a Remington 30S?

It's a "Model 70 barreled action" in a custom stock Jerry made in the 60s. IIRC, David E. Petzal noted that the rifle had been rebarreled, so I don't know that it would be correct to call it a "Model 70 barreled action."

Check it out HERE.