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Finally finished .. Custom Model 70 ..
22 June 2015, 00:20
Allen MartinFinally finished .. Custom Model 70 ..
After a few years of screwing around , I finally finished this pre-64 in a 300 Winchester Mag.
New Williams bottom metal , Douglas barrel .. bolt handle ..
The stock shaped from a blank of curly Myrtle ... all stock work done by me ..
Enjoy ..
22 June 2015, 00:53
jimatcatvery nice!!!
go big or go home ........
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22 June 2015, 00:56
Idaho SharpshooterWOW!!!
That is one piece of gorgeous wood.
You seldom see Myrtle that well figured.
Congratulations on a fine job...
Rich
22 June 2015, 01:35
Allen MartinHey thanks guys ...
I have been meaning to post another rifle earlier but time has a way of slipping by !!
My son likes to snap photos do perhaps we'll be sharing more in the future !!
This stick of wood worked really nice , great curl/figure but when the checkering tools come out , it felt fuzzy or perhaps a bit soft .
For a bolt rifle , I still prefer to use good ol English walnut !!
Later .....
22 June 2015, 02:11
Magnum Hunter1That is one fine looking shooting iron. May you wear it out on big game.
22 June 2015, 03:15
Dulltool17Very beautiful!
Doug Wilhelmi
NRA Life Member
22 June 2015, 04:24
shootawayNice!
22 June 2015, 05:12
surefire7Gorgeous rifle!
I really admire all of the handywork of which AR members are capable.
This is just yet another example.
22 June 2015, 06:30
npd345very well done!!
22 June 2015, 07:42
craigsterMyrtle and maple stocks have never tripped my trigger. Yours is an exception to the rule. Very, very nice!
22 June 2015, 16:58
ColoradoMattIs that barrel 28"?
Matt
Matt
FISH!!
Heed the words of Winston Smith in Orwell's 1984:
"Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right."
22 June 2015, 17:43
fla3006Great work! Nice choice of wood.
NRA Life Member, Band of Bubbas Charter Member, PGCA, DRSS.
Shoot & hunt with vintage classics.
22 June 2015, 18:12
Glen71Graceful lines. Great job.
22 June 2015, 19:53
lindy2I like the crispness of it. Very nice indeed.
was any other work done to the action besides the new bolt handle?
Stunning! Is that multiple coats of oil as a finish? Looks like glass :-)
22 June 2015, 21:13
customboltThanks for the pictures Allen. Very well done. I can't wait to see the next one.
Ray
Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can.
22 June 2015, 22:08
mlfgunsElegant
23 June 2015, 02:31
srtraxI like that...nice job. I have a piece of Myrtle for a two piece I want to get around to using some day.
_____________________
Steve Traxson
23 June 2015, 02:43
pagosawingnutIt appears that you have succeeded in doing a magnificent job! Very nice!
24 June 2015, 02:25
dogcatWell done. I like it.
24 June 2015, 04:19
bwanamrmExcellent work! Love the wood.
On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died.
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch...
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
- Rudyard Kipling
Life grows grim without senseless indulgence.
24 June 2015, 05:55
Savage_99That stock is exquisite!

Had the pre 64 the bolt handle been damaged?
24 June 2015, 06:22
SnellstromExtremely nice looking piece of wood, very well done!
24 June 2015, 22:53
Allen MartinThanks for all the comments and compliments . I'll try and do better from now on !!
I replaced the original bolt handle just because I never cared for the swept back knuckle buster model 70 handles . I like the straight down appearance .
The barrel measures 25" . I need to get her to the range so the chap I built it for can swing by and pick-er-up !!
I have another rifle that my son took some nice photos of ... I'll post these soon , but now i need to get back to work on another fancy long barrel flinter ...
ciao ..
Beautiful rifle, bolt handle and all!
--------------------------------------------
Well, other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?
25 June 2015, 03:39
customboltDitto.
Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can.
25 June 2015, 08:14
Use Enough Gun
nice craftsmanship, and some really pretty wood.
Elton
27 June 2015, 21:27
Michael RobinsonBeautifully conceived and executed, both. Congratulations!
Mike
Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer.
28 June 2015, 17:55
KenatiI never cared for maple stocks because of the light colored stsin typically used. However, this color is great! Beautiful work!! Amazing piece of wood.
02 July 2015, 08:40
DavidCLove the rifle Allen.....
Well done!

06 July 2015, 02:41
mightymouseVery nice work and an amazing piece of wood. Congrats!
12 July 2015, 06:44
dwheelsIf you don't mind, what stain/finish combination did you use. All the Myrtle I have seen with that type of figure, fiddle back, has be yellow even brassy. The color you have ended up with is pleasing to the eye. It's not as harsh as the yellow is or bleached out white. DW
12 July 2015, 17:38
Allen MartinDW
Lighter colored gunstocks like maple and this myrtle are nice to build on because you can see your pencil lines and so on but finishing sorta sucks .
This stock didn't checker very nicely .. is was a but fuzzy ..
I build quite a few Flintlock rifles each year on sugar & Red maple . I used the same method on this gun as those .
Coloring is no big deal , using mostly water based Anilin dyes as my first app. getting a base color .
I find that Alcohol based dyes will fade quicker over time and I see no advantage .I do however use these dyes from time to time to add a tint after sealing ..
After my base color is achieved , I then seal the wood with Chem-Pak from Brownells which is a tung oil-urathane mix (good stuff)... is soaks in and seals the wood nicely . Water-Lox is another finish that makes a great sealer .
I then apply spar varnish as my main finish , perhaps finishing off with a spray Chem-pak in satin .
With muzzleloader stocks , I'm looking for a 3D color , blending from a honey golden in the high wear areas to reddish brown to a almost black on certain guns simulating wear over the years .
As with a bolt rifle like this , wear is a no no .. so carding between coats is tough to do because of breaking through the edges ..
So I'll use a liquid dye called Trans Tint an it comes in many different colors . I dribble some onto a paper towel , adding a bit of denatured alcohol and caressing the stock , adding a fresh color between coats of finish ... it's real pain and I think from now on in modern bolt rifles I'll stick with English Walnut type of woods ... period !!
Thanks for all the compliments ...
01 August 2015, 17:59
RastamanAwesome! I'll take it. Now go build yourself one.