Folks, When I was down in Washington last week I picked up this 1909 Argentine Mauser barreled action that Ed Lapour recently completed for me. It started off as a very clean DWM 1909 and was originally going to be an iron sight only rifle, but plans changed part way through the process.

Ed did a ton of metal work on this barreled action including: integral rear square bridge base with windage adjustable peep sight, shortened rear tang with blind screw hole, welded up "thumb cut", Talley bolt handle, Lapour three position safety, Blackburn drop box magazine/trigger guard, Krieger barrel with a 24" finished length .650" at muzzle, NECG barrel band fittings taper bored and soldered, and a Blackburn trigger. Ed had the action and bolt heat treated by the same outfit that Tom Burgess uses. The scope bases are set up for Talley rings and I have a 1.5-5X Leupold that will be installed.

I am very happy with Ed's work and it was a pleasure to work with him on this project. He is very professional and easy to talk to and has a very nice shop. He makes the three position safeties there and walked me through the equipment and process he uses to make them. I believe he has pretty much taken over all of that operation from Winser now. Here are some photos...

you know that is pretty sweet! I like what you had in mind on that milsurp Arg. Just for Alaska huh? Got to envy you for sure. I want one. I take that back I have one but still in the makings, a 1909 as well. Have timan aka. Satterlee doing up mine.

Way to go!!

edit: now some nice checkering on that bolt knob would touch it up. When you finish this up post the results. Looking foward to it.

Thanks. Yep, I'm pretty happy with it. This will be my new #1 moose and bear rifle! What are the details on your 1909 project?

I also took some photos of Ed's fixtures and equipment used to make the safeties and will try to post them eventually after I get them uploaded. It's a little grueling to upload them because I'm on painfully slow dial up.

pretty much straight foward as a bush rifle goes. Douglas 26" #3bbl. Blackburn bottom metals, Dakota bolt, BlackB. trigger, NECG Masterpeice barrel band front/NECG Masterpeice adj. rear, either Rust blued or that ceramic kote(tbd) D&T with Talley bases and last but not least chambered in the venerable European metric the 9.3 X 64 Brenneke.

Have not decided on the new McMillan or the Rimrock stock for this. Should be a welcome carry. But them bridges on that 35 Whelen look right classic - nice rifle.

edit: forgot the Wisner 2 pos safety and the Talley bbl band sw.

Outstanding......we've had some beautiful work posted here but this has to be the best or tied for the best.

Mr LaPour is indeed a magnificient craftsman and artist!

that rear peep is well you know---as vapodog metnioned outstanding!!!!

Classy rifle indeed, the 1909's are really nice actions !!

Very, very nice. I just sent Stu a Mex Mauser and really like that rear sight!!!

Absolutely beautiful! A lot of work went into it for sure. I really like how the factory markings were kept on the receiver. That type of action should bear its birthmarks with pride. Nice bbl contour...one could go on and on. Good choices.

What a nice barreled action. Ed does nice work.

Terry

Chisana

Congrats.. That's some seriously nice work.

Rich

Wow ...... Ed does nice work!

What do you have in store for the stock?

Now that is extremely nice. Did he sacrifice another action to get the piece to weld up the thumb cut? I've thought about doing that on a Mexican.

Nice barreled action!!!!

very nice work on your rifle. Who will stock it for you?

Is the front sight the elevation adjustable NECG site, but with a band added to it by Ed?

Very nice crisp clean lines on that one... Nice work! Thanks for sharing.
Jeff P

Holy smokes! From the big idea to the small details, that is some beautiful work. Everything just meshes on that metal work.
Who's going to stock it?

Chisana, a very nice barreled action. LaPour does beautiful work. I found the tang treatment interesting. Since, I am in the process of making a 9.3 x 62 on a VZ 24, by reducing the top of the tang, what do you think that will do the line on the grip of the stock? Do you think that this will make a more pleasant angle?

Boy, I really didn't need to see this as I have a G 33/40 sitting in the safe and Ed's phone number on my desk.

A work of Art for sure.

Thanks for the kind words guys. Stockmaking is still up in the air at this point, but the plan is for a classic style sporter perhaps with a leather covered recoil pad. Will probably go with some moderate engraving as well, perhaps 1/3 scroll coverage and border work. Hopefully I will have the stocking, engraving and finishing sorted out and in the works by this spring. I have seen some very fine examples of both on here recently and they have given me some inspiration!

fla, The thumb cut was welded up using a pice that Ed bench fabricated. I was not originally going to have the modification made, but in the end decided "why not?" Certainly makes a person take a second look at the action.

Marc, The front sight is elevation adjustable, but Ed didn't mention having to add the band. I was under the impression that this was a more or less factory part. Ed does have a neat fixture for holding the barrel band front sights in the lathe and taper boring them to make a light-tight dit on the barrel.

Schrodinger, The tang on a Mauser has to be reduced in some manner or else you will have to cut the stock to clear the cocking piece. Ed's modification reduces the tang depth and gets rid on the screw hole. I suppose the angle of the pistol grip might be straightened out a little by doing this as well.

quote:

Chisana: Ed's modification reduces the tang depth and gets rid on the screw hole. I suppose the angle of the pistol grip might be straightened out a little by doing this as well.

Does this reduce the spacing between the guard screws? Does this mean the bottom metal has to be shortened?

No the screw spacing remains the same. Ed calls this a short tang modification with blind screw hole, but the tang really isn't that much shorter than the original. It appears shorter to me because the groove for the cocking piece is shortened so much, but I think that's mostly an optical illusion. Might have to take some measurements against an unmodified action tonight to satisfy my curiousity.

gorgeous..

and what chisana said on the tang... the blind screw hole makes it look alot shorter, however, the way the slot is blended in looks incredible

jeffe

Chisana,
That is one beautiful barreled action and typical of Ed's work. What I really like and miss on some of my own guns is the original lettering on the front ring that I eliminated by surface grinding. It is a lot more work to clean it up the way Ed did, but the end result is much more pleasing. I really like that sharp radius at the forward end of the cylinder section also. Congratulations on a great piece.

That is outstanding work. I am speechless.

Things are looking very good!

I have a question on the technique used to apply the caliber to the barrel. Is it stamped or engraved?
It looks very clean and I will be needing this type of service.

Congrats on the project and thanks for your help

Steve

Not only is Ed LaPour a master at his craft he is one of the nicest and most accommodating people you will ever do business with.

I have several of his safeties and the workmanship and detail is just incredible. His 1903 Springfield safety with firing pin and cocking piece is a true work of art. The tiny checkering on the cocking knob has to be seen to be fully appreciated.

Very, very nice work. Anyone would be proud to have that rifle in their collection. Thanks for sharing.

Wildlife Artist-

here's some engraved-


http://www.benchrest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38988

Thanks very much guys. I'm very proud of the barreled action and hope to post photos of it laying against a nice bull moose eventually!

The barrel markings were done with a pantograph that Ed has. Basically it is similar to a small milling machine with a tracer that follows a lettering template. The template and tracer arm guide a mill type cutter that does the lettering. Ed has a font that matches the factory markings so it looks very nice. Ed also has templates to duplicate some factory Winchester markings as well. He has some pretty cool machines in his shop.

Thanks for your help.

How can I get in touch with Ed?

very nice Can't wait to see the pictures of the finished rifle.

I shot an old 1909 in 35 Whelen.

I am sure that the customer and probably the gunsmith are now dead.

But that great old rifle still makes the holes touch at 50m.

Chisana,
If you don't mind, are the scope mount's center section a seperate piece that is silver soldered in? I can't see from the pics, how he did that center section the ring would clamp on without making it seperate, sliding it into the dovetail and then soldering it. Very nice work. I bet you are a proud papa.
Greg

Both scope mounts are machined and shaped from blocks of steel and are each a single, solid piece. The rear is welded in place to form a square bridge arrangement, while the front is bolted in place.