A little while back there was a discussion here of takedown rifles. Here are a few photos of some Duane Wiebe has recently built.

First is a 500 Jeffrey built on a Selous action. This rifle is written up in the current issue of Rifle magazine.



Next is a 30-06 built on a BRNO commercial squarebridge action.




Last is a 6.5X55 mannlicher stocked rifle on a Czech intermediate length mauser.

VERY nice indeed! Thanks for posting them.

Forrest,
Duane does such incredible work, that full length take down gives me goose bumps. The guy is such a magnificent craftsman.

Chic

Forrest B,
Thanks for the pictures - they are really wonderful. Even if my chances of ever owning anything like the guns shown here are less than zero, I think I can be a good sport and congratulate the owner of these rifles for having worked hard to earn enough to buy them, a testimony to his taste as well as to his effort!
I just have a question regarding the Selous action - does the company still exist? The website has closed down and the domain is on sale. I hope they haven't, since it always hurts when a gunmaker closes down!

Mehul-

I don't know the status of Selous. It has been problematic from the beginning sourcing these actions in the U.S. 9/11 only made it worse. Someone else here may know the whole story. There is a gentleman in Alaska who represented Selous in the U.S. market - maybe someone here knows him.

ForestB
These are truly some beautiful rifles.
Take down Rifles are the way to go if you fly.
My question to you is? Do you or anyone have pictures or descriptions of how Mr Wiebe fastens his forends and take down releases to the barrel.Any information would be greatly appreciated.
James

JBennet-

Each of these three has a little different approach to attaching the fore-end and latch to the barrel.

The full stocked version is mine, so I'll tell you how that one is done. The rear sight base is banded and has, in effect, a recoil lug on the botttom. This sight base is heated and tapped into place on the barrel, as it cools it "shrinks" a little and gets a very tight fit on the barrel. Additionally, set-screws are used to lock the band in place. I believe two set-screws are used in the dovetail on top and two through the recoil lug underneath.

The "crossbolt" visible on the side of the fore-end is the primary connection between the latching mechanism and the barrel. This bolt attaches the latch to the recoil lug fixed on the barrel.

Additionally, the front sling swivel has a female dovetail that fits around a male dovetail cut into a small block that is on a band around the barrel. This allows the fore-end to expand and contract as full-stocked rifles are prone to do.

Finally, the banded ramped front sight and fore-end cap are integral and are attached to the barrel the same way the rear sight band is attached. This foreend cap also serves to keep the fore-end attached to the barrel.

Normally, these sight bases, etc. would be screwed and soldered, but Duane wants to allow for the possibility of some thread wear and the need to allow the barrel an extra eighth or quarter turn sometime in the next fifty years or so. I'll leave it to my future grandkids to worry about finding a gunsmith to loosen and reattach everything so that the sights line up on top of the barrel again, if the need arises.

I hope some of this makes sense, but it doesn't explain the locking mechanism itself - which I won't embarrass myself by trying to explain in print. I will say though it involves the odd use of a Greener safety on the forend. It's a sturdy, mechanically simple system that I've found to be quite reliable.

As I've said before, I've disassembled the rifle and removed the scope between shots and still turned in a five shot group measuring about 1.3".

[ 08-28-2002, 19:17: Message edited by: ForrestB ]

Forrest,
Do you mean to tell me that you own the full lenght stock G33/40 you posted earlier this year, AND that takedown model?????

Life is just not fair at times. Have you ever considered adoption. I may even be older than you but I won't mind. Dad, how is your health? Would you like a mule deer shot with one of those in Idaho? Dad, huh? You aren't listening !!! You always like the other kids better than me (Russel in particular, lol).

[ 08-29-2002, 01:34: Message edited by: Customstox ]

ForestB
Thank you for your reply.
Most of the descpiption that you gave me I have already picked up off the net and magazine articles. Although,I have not seen a full stocked rifle like yours and I thank you four your description. It is truly a work of art and something special to treasure and pass on to your grandkids. The take down on it seems to be like the 500 Jeffrey.The 30-06 seems to have a sliding forearm take down similar to a Browning Superposed. I have done some take down work befor.
With the requests I have received for this type rifle, I want to come up with a base on which to standardize my work.Some of the designs are way to elaborate / cumbersom and not as good as some of the simpler designs.I like different things from Mr. Wiebe and Rigbys designs the best.Befor going any further I need to contact Mr. Wiebe and check on patent rights etc. If you come by any more pictures I would love to see them.
Thanks again.
James

Chic-
Sorry I can't take you on right now. I did just adopt Russell and its taking all my resources trying to get him straighted out. Note he's been absent for awhile - no computers for the first eight weeks of therapy.
However, if you can arrange for an ID mule deer tag for me, I'll bring both rifles and you can take your pick for a loaner. If you like these full-stocked rifles, why don't you build one for yourself?

J Bennett-
Nothing on any of these guns is patent protected. Go for it.
I don't know how you can tell by the photos but I think the 30-06 is built on the same principle as the superposed. You're good!
Duane has told me that, although he has made quite a few take-downs, he's still not settled on a particular mechanism. He said me he really likes what he did on mine but it is very time consuming to build. He's tried to explain the differences to me but I'd have to see them all side by side to really understand. You're obviously ahead of me in this game, you ought to give Duane a call. He'd probably be happy to answer a few questions. You might wait a few days though, I have him pressed to finish up something for me and I don't want him distracted for a week or so.

ForestB
No Worry!
I do all of my research work during the months of Feb. and March. Most everybody is busy this time of year and dont have a lot of time to talk. I may send him a letter asking for any literature that he may have.
I thank you for your compliment.
I have been studying Take down design for Several years. Pictures of the actual mechanism is very hard to find. This is the reason I welcome all material and information on the subject.I have printed the above pictures and information and filed it away.Thanks again.
James