Duane built this rifle for me.

I bought that enfield action when I was 15 as a used sporterized .30-06 from Gibsons in Jacksboro in 1978. I even remember the man’s name who sold it to me…Eddie Clay.

I shot it quite a bit as a poor kid even though the best it would ever group with the cheapest factory shells I could buy was about 3 inches and it got worse. Nevertheless I was a proud owner and mounted a cheap Charles Daly scope on it with the cheapest Weaver rings I could find and proceeded to kill many WT deer with it.

As I evolved in my hunting and got enough money to afford a better rifle…it got relegated to the back of the closet…no safes back then and even if there were I couldn’t have afforded one.

Anyway this rifle migrated through life with me as a special place in my heart and I was always going to make it into a .404 Jeffrey…just never got a round to it.

Fast-forward to now. I work with a PH in Zimbabwe (Nigel Theisen) who became in need of a larger stopping rifle (always carried a .416 Rem) due to elephant conservation work he is doing. He wanted something in 50 cal.


Thus, I decided to build this rifle and import to Zimbabwe (legally with permits which the process is currently underway).

Now to the purpose of this thread. The rifle is absolutely stunning in presence. It looks like a purpose built safari rifle to rival anything ever built in London. It’s beautiful!

Duane fretted over feeding so much that it feeds like an automated machine even with flat-nosed brass solids {which he hates but we (anyone who has killed and ele or buff with one) love}.

It carries and points like a fine shotgun and shoots like a dream.

While I am still working up loads for it (not sure what the vel is yet and will chrono to get a load that shoots a consistent ~2150 fps with 570s)…I have shot it quite a bit now with a 100 grs of Reloader 15 under a 570 mono and the recoil is quite manageable and actually surprisingly mild as compared to what I believe it could be like (suspect these are about ~2100 fps).

Anyway Duane gets the shout out for producing a masterpiece in my eyes that exceeded my expectations. He is a true master.

I have some video of me shooting it. Will post if I figure out how.

Thank you kindly Duane!

Pictures would be nice.

Very nice rifle.

Pictures are in his link.
Yes, DW is THE Master craftsman for sure.

Thank you Tom.

and, through the magic of cut and paste

quote:

Originally posted by Duane Wiebe (CG&R):
Kind of new ground for me. Never did an Enfield leaving the bolt handle and safety intact...and always have just completely replaced the tang....but have to admit there's a sort of gnarly quality here.

Had one only integral box bottom metal I did way back. Happened to fit the big A Square perfectly and holds three down. Weight empty is 10 pounds and one ounce.

The tang and bolt release REALLY needed some attention without breaking the bank., photos show my best effort.

This rifle will see heavy lifetime use in Zimbabwe

Outstanding! All around. Great work great story.

Gotta love that dogleg bolt handle baby!

Nice. Looks exactly like what it is, a practical gun built by a master. As you said, I'm sure it functions flawlessly.

Nice rifle but a bit "ouchy" on this 89 near 90 bones! I know now why Bell chose a 7x57, he wasn't great shot just an old hunter!

Appreciate Lane is happy with the result. He was right about my "fretting over" the flat nose/ belt combo that existed on the ammo I received.

For a DGR...just gotta be rioght...sometimes, gunmakers just have to watch the calender instead of the clock.

That's a beautiful rifle and I like the look of the bolt handle. However, last time it came up dudes hereabouts told me the dogleg hammered your trigger finger with big calibres.

I hope that is not true with yours, because it looks really good.

The rifle shoots like a dream but I am used to shooting a .500 NE.

The bolt does NOT disturb my finger at all. My right trigger-finger knuckle is very arthritic and sits right beside the bolt knob. If it impacted at all…it would hurt like hell.

The design of the rifle is so good that recoil seems negligible to me and my right grip remains stable throughout recoil.

If you look at where most bolts sweep back to…the knob resides in pretty much the same spot.

I think this “bolt hitting the hand” thing is an old wives tail or evolved from poorly designed/fitting stocks.

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:
That's a beautiful rifle and I like the look of the bolt handle. However, last time it came up dudes hereabouts told me the dogleg hammered your trigger finger with big calibres.

I hope that is not true with yours, because it looks really good.

I've built some monsters on enfields - many times leaving the bolt handle - it doesn't hit the hand ...

CZ 500 mag in 585 nyati in hogback stock .. i am looking YOU, Rob , now THAT will feel like a ball peen hammer

Original Enfield bolt handles are NOT broken and are in the right place. Neither is cock on closing, which, for some reason I will never understand, all you American shooters want them changed to cock on opening. I always refuse.

quote:

This rifle will see heavy lifetime use in Zimbabwe

I would to see a picture of it in a few years.

I will send pics as I am over regularly. I am going to shoot at least one buffalo with it myself. But its primary purpose is as an elephant back up rifle…for both hunting and conservation.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Original Enfield bolt handles are NOT broken and are in the right place. Neither is cock on closing, which, for some reason I will never understand, all you American shooters want them changed to cock on opening. I always refuse.

Tom...hopefully you won't use that same logic when driving in RSA. Simply...we in the colonies are just plumb used to cock on opening

You Americans are spoiled and untrained on your equipment. I see it daily.
Driving might be another topic.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Original Enfield bolt handles are NOT broken and are in the right place. Neither is cock on closing, which, for some reason I will never understand, all you American shooters want them changed to cock on opening. I always refuse.

Glad to hear it's not a problem after all. I've long toyed with turning a P14 into a 375 mag, so might start looking for an action.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
You Americans are spoiled and untrained on your equipment. I see it daily.
Driving might be another topic.

Hmmmm.... the most famous bolt action on the planet (System 98) was designed by some European genius...think it was...Oh Yes: Mauser!

Darn fool... made it COCK ON OPENING !

From that point on...cock on closing, for the most part is a historical relic.

But who knows...mabye the Brits will. introduce a cock on closing bolt rifle, ...just for old times?

Just an observation from a spoiled, untrained but (proud to be ) American