This is another one of the 6 "rescue" rifles I've bought over time here on AR. This one was a pre-64 Model 70 in 458 Win Mag that had a broken stock. I sent it down to Mike at Bijou Creek along with one of the many stock blanks I had bought from Singleshotguy. Mike dolled it up to match the other 5 rifles, with a quarter rib, NECG Masterpiece Express sights, short forend, forend tip, barrel band swivel mount, and red recoil pad. He also converted the chamber to 458 Lott.

One more to go...a 404 Jeffery on a Model 70 Classic RUM action.

Very nice.
I'm more than partial to dolls like that !

Biebs, You did very well. A nice rifle!

Fine rescue for sure!
Zeke

Great job. Bringing it to Zambia?

Andrew, I'm just along for the ride this time to check out a camp with a booking agent. Friends want to take Buff and Sable. I'll just bring my Blaser in 375. I'll bring it when I make it over your way for Buff...or maybe its big brother in 505!

A beauty.

Looks like new bottom metal as well.

What is the drop at the heel on that stock?

Very nice indeed!

Whose bottom metal?

I believe it's the original, but not 100% positive.

Nice looking rifle...Enjoy!

Nice!

Another beauty Biebs. Hope you get to use it to down something.

"I believe it's the original, but not 100% positive."

Its either Blackburn (Now made by Swift Bullets Company) or Wiebe. That one appears to be a Blackburn.

Whichever it is, Whoever did the work did a beautiful job of mating the curve of the trigger with the inside curve of the rear of the trigger guard.

Thanks!

Very nice , especially the guarter rib with express sights ! You say you have six that match this style ? Wow , Impressive collection !

505 Gibbs, 458 Lott, 404 Jeffery, 338 Win Mag, 300 H&H, 7mm Mauser :-)

The Lott and the .338 are two fairly non-traditional, recent, cartridges amongst an traditional line up.

Can I ask what made you decide on your cartridge selections.

Are these just your favorites on their specific catagories ?, or was it more dictated by the action lengths being used ?

Paul, these were actions or, in the case of the 338 and 458 Lott, barreled actions I bought here on AR. I left the chamberings as they were.

Another GREAT looking rifle Biebs!!

great looking rifle. Overall nicely balanced.

quote:

Another GREAT looking rifle Biebs!!

Another one of your stock blanks put to use!

quote:

I'll just bring my Blaser in 375

here you go and get a nice rifle built and then take a blaser

I couldn't get my Mossberg to shoot better than 12" at 50 yards. Go figure! :-)

Biebs,

This is another rescue job, albeit a very old one. Back in about 1971 or 2, I bought a pre-64 Model 70 from a fellow patron of the same gunsmith I used. It was marked .375 H&H, but had been rechambered by the owner, who fancied himself something of an amateur gunsmith, to .375 Ackley Improved. The result was .021" excessive headspace. Moreover, the rifle had been fitted with an Apex side mount and a Lyman Alaskan scope.

I soon discovered that the side mount was a joke. Because the rings had been unable to grip the scope enough to prevent it sliding under recoil, they had been drilled and tapped and a groove had been filed in the scope tube to accept the set screws, which were supposed to solve the problem. I decided that drastic action was called for.

I shipped the rifle back to Winchester with the request that they replace barrel and receiver and return the old barrel and receiver to me. In those days, Winchester was still willing and able to meet such requests, and in due course the rifle returned. I now had a spare, somewhat mutilated Model 70 magnum receiver, what to do with it?

I was able to cannibalize another Model 70 for parts to reassemble an action on the receiver. The cannibalized rifle was sent to Winchester and returned with new parts installed.

The rescued receiver was rebarreled in .450 Watts Magnum, the predecessor of your Lott, and was fitted with a Griffin and Howe side mount, using the holes previously used by the Apex mount. The Lyman Alaskan scope was returned to Lyman, who completely rebuilt it, using a new tube in the process, and changed the reticle to a post and cross wire. The completed barreled action was sent to Reinhard Fajan to have a stock fitted, using "semi-fancy" wood.

The resulting rifle was entirely satisfactory, and accompanied me to Africa on my next trip, in 1975. It still occupies a place of honor in my gun room.

It is entirely utilitarian, making no claim to the elegance your rifle displays, but is one I would not hesitate to take with me under the most adverse of circumstances, a true "working rifle".

Great save! A pre-64 in 375 is a jewel.

Biebs,
That is a great 404, love the stock deminsions. that's the way a DG rifle should be, and it will still work with a scope and QD mounts such as a Griffen and Howe or Talley..Ive shot low combs with a scope for years and never noticed any perceived problems that crop up on these blogs..Again a super nice DG rifle, you done did go!

Thanks you sir! This one is the 458 Lott, but the 404J is coming right behind it, with a nicer stick of wood.

BTW, here's the matching 505 Gibbs.

was the rib added or was it rebarreled with a new barrel with integral rib?

Not sure...I let Mike do his thing.