Just wondering if anyone else ever saw one of these. In the early 1980's I was working for a distributer and one of our stores returned a CVA kit using a Santa Barbara barreled action in .30-06 and a birch stock. These were packaged like the black powder kits that were so popular at the time.

This particular kit was missing the trigger and the action bolts, so I asked the manager how much he wanted for it. $20.00 later I waltzed home with my first "project gun".

I've never seen another and would snatch it up in a heart beat if i found it.

I own just such a rifle. It came as a 308Win. I opened it up to a 30-06 with a match reamer. Wow, does it ever shoot. I replaced the birch stock with a Sile black and white laminate purchased from Brownells for around $85. Not the best stock I've seen but it sure did dress up the Santa Barbera. Brownells dropped the stock from their inventory. It does shoot great with a tight chamber and makes a wonderful field gun. I suppose I could go thrue the action and polish it up and smooth it a bit. But it's a utilitarian rifle and does one hell of a job. Nice kit to work with. You should be ashamed of yourself for stealing the kit from the uninformed dude. I'd give you $100 for it just to help ease your concience.

olcrip,

I was beginning to wonder if I got the only one!

No shame in the deal, the manager knew what it was worth and was taking pity on a twenty year old who was making single digit $/hour.

I had mine rebarreled to 9,3x62 two years ago, put a Choate stock on it and took it to RSA in 04.

It'll be the last rifle to ever leave my safe!