Got a call from my smith today who told me my custom pre-64 Win 70 is nearly done. He said he finally got to the range this AM, worked up some loads, shot some groups and sighted in the irons. He said it put 3 shots into slightly under 1/2" at 100 and said he got the irons dead on. Now that he's happy with how it shoots, feeds etc he will do a fine glass bead and caustic blue and paint the stock. (I asked for a dark gray stock) Said I should have it in a week or so.
Some of you may remember I bought a donor rifle from a gun show in June of 06 and got a McMillan custom stock from D'Arcy Echols. I sent it off about 14 months ago to Mark Penrod in Indiana.
We went through several planning ideas but ended up with a .280 Remington. Mark used a Kreiger barrel. We decided to go with Ted Blackburn one piece bottom metal. I decided I wanted irons on this gun since its going to be my very serious rifle designed to go everywhere. Used New England Custom Gun classic rear sight base and same for the front. Mark welded on a beautiful 3 paneled checkered bolt knob. He also made a checkered bolt release. I had him re-shape the tang on the rear of the receiver a little too.
On top of all that he blue-printed the action, hand lapped the bolt raceways and locking lugs, trued up the bolt face and action threads and recut the front of the receiver concentric with the bolt axis. Worked over the very excellent Winchester trigger. Made it so it would feed flawlessly (the shoulder on the 280 is different than the /06 or 270) Once he got that he resurfaced the bottom flats and recoil lug, again indexed to the bolt axis, and resurfaced the contact points on the top of the receiver where the scope mounting bases contact the receiver. After all that he installed Talley bases and rings which will be blued to match the receiver.
I sent him a new Leupold 2.5-8X VX3 about a month ago. I'll post pics when I get it. Just in time for deer season as long as I get it before the end of next week! Can't wait!

Here's a pic of the stock blank in gray above a Sako .243 Mark worked over for me about 5 years ago.




Here are some pics Mark sent me of the receiver in progress... Notice that he welded up the hole for the rear receiver screw to make a "blind" hole and also note how he reshaped the back of the M70 tang . This is a pre-64 M70 receiver made in around 1957.

Have fun when she arrives!
Do you mind enlightening us to what one can expect to pay for such a Penrod rig these days?

I haven't got the final bill yet. But I also don't like quoting other people's prices. Mark is very forthcoming when it comes to his costs and will be happy to work up a quote for you. I supplied the receiver/stock/bottom metal/scope. He supplied the rest.
Lets just say I could have had a nice stainless Rolex Submariner and then some instead...When you figure in the cost of the receiver, bottom metal, scope and stock I could have had the same watch in two tone (Gold and stainless) instead of plain stainless. In other words--more than a Remington 700 ADL and less than a D'Arcy Echols Legend....

Got ya.
I just like to keep abreast of the market without unneccesarily hassling the smith.

Mark sure does nice, clean work on Model 70s. I've wanted to send one his way for some time now.

Mark delivered to me in May 2006 a Remington 700 Titanium Mountain Rifle in 280, chambered with the reamer he used on KY Nimrods rifle.

I reported to Mark that I had developed several loads that gave me outstanding accuracy (.226 with Nosler 140 BT's and .307 with Nosler 160 Partition)

Mark called me recently for the load data to zero the sights on a rifle he was getting ready to finish and deliver.

With a bit of load tweaking, I'll bet KY Nimrod will be thrilled with how well it shoots. It's a given that he will be thrilled with the workmanship

Actually, Mark told me he bought a new .280 reamer for this project. He said the last one he used always cut rings in the chambers (Just kidding).

Actually, he really did buy a new reamer. But for different reasons.

I really like the rear tang treatment.

So it appears he uses a profiled wheel on his surface grinder to finish up to the front receiver ring????

Mark does superb work..always has...Gonna ask a question that you might not choose to answer...but why go to all that trouble with premium metal work and put it in a plastic stock?

quote:

Originally posted by Duane Wiebe:
Mark does superb work..always has...Gonna ask a question that you might not choose to answer...but why go to all that trouble with premium metal work and put it in a plastic stock?

Plastic?!? Did you say plastic?

Duane, I make contemporary flintlock longrifles and fowlers with some of the prettiest curley maple you could ever see. I scrape the wood just like the originals, I carve it with wonderful rococco or baroque scrolls I stain it with homemade Aqua Fortis and finish it with homemade varnish I boiled with some lead, resins and cold pressed raw linseed oil. I even engrave the brass and coin silver inlays/furniture in the style of the old masters. And I hunt and shoot these guns!

If I want pretty wood I can look at my work any day of the week and its MUCH more interesting with incredible variation in architecture and style/schools than any modern wooden rifle stock could ever be.

I must admit I wondered the same thing about wood. My thinking being the wonderfull beauty treatment for the metal on a working rifle. It may just be the best looking rifle in a glass stock........from the waist up.

Well..Mr Nimrod, I THINK you answered my question and I really wasn't trying to be adverserial..just never saw such effort on the metal to be disppointed on choice of plastic....Yes....it's plastic no matt er what polymers, fibreglass or whatever else you want to call it...it all came from dinosaurs! I'd really like you to post some of your work. always was intrigued by the 17/18/19 century guns...but practical considerations of taxes, house payments, three kids led me by the nose into present "slot" no complaints, just fact

Here's a copy of a French "Tulle" Fusil-de-chasse or Hunting gun. It was a type of gun imported into this country for use by French fur traders from about 1720 right up until the F&I war. These were made to spec by the Tulle arsenal under contract form the King of France who made it a law that every ship sailing to the new world had to carry something like 400 arms to support trade with the Indians and exploration.
This gun was made from parts and semi-carved walnut blank--it took quite a bit of inletting and I probably took a 1/4" of wood off in nearly all dimensions. Its pretty close to an original with the minor exception that the originals were mostly 28 guage smoothbores (58 caliber) and this is a 20 guage (.62 caliber) smoothbore. No rear sights. Accurate to minute of pie plate out to about 50-60 yards with a roundball. Death on turkeys inside of 30 yards.
This gun was left in the white as were the originals. Its a fairly plain gun, as were the originals, with iron furniture and little carving. I just happen to have pics of this gun handy as its for sale now.

KY, your pics aren't coming up for me. And I do want to see them.

I have a rifle with Mark's metalwork and it is the best to be found on the planet. But it also features a hand carved English walnut stock, so . . .

KY: Like it...how about the lock...make it? buy it?

The Lock is a reproduction L&R brand "Tulle" lock which I reshaped...as it came it had a bunch of curley Q's and doo dads that made it more Germanic in appearance than French. I also re-cut the octagon to round transition on the barrel and put the 16 band transition between the flats and wedding band. All file work...

To some who may not know, Duane wiebe is one of our nations top rifle makers and fantasic with both metal and wood. Here is a link to some mediocre photos of a rifle by Duane. I'll try to find some better photos.

http://www.riflestockpainting.com/Projects.html

Not my rifle, though before I die, Duane will hopefully build one for me.

JPK

I know I'm a piker when it comes to making long rifles. But I get better with every gun. If you want to see some spectacular work go here:

Allen Martin Rifles

Bill Shipman Muzzleloaders

Mark Silver Gunsmith

I'm taking an engraving class next April from Mark Silver. I just finished a stock carving class to help with my relief carving.

Fine looking rifles all of them...plastic bolt & maple flintlock.

Please keep the pictures coming as work progresses.

Best Regards,
Dave

From Herr Penrod this afternoon...should ship on Monday!

Your Penrodex Subcontinenter is truelly Nice!!
Im guessing you went with std fill weight not Edge?

Wouldn't it be nice if the metal on a M70 came like that from the factory? There's always hope. I'm pulling for the folks in SC.

KY

That is one very good looking rifle.

Mark has done a exquisite job on the metal work. Regardless of the stock composition there is no excuse for cutting corners. As I see it, no corners were cut on this build.
One thing that I would question is the fixed scope rings instead of QDs

James

I don't like QDs. Its no big deal to have a small torx head wrench in your day pack like Talley puts in with his rings. Removal of the scope is a simple task of unscrewing 2 screws. Also, with the Talley screw down rings there is no loss of zero when you take off the scope.
I see no advantage to QDs and frankly there are a couple of disadvantages.

Now I see them.

OK...gotta ask..MrNimrod..what , in your opinion are the disadvantages of a QD? I've installed and used the Suhler claw system for about 30 years and it was in wide use for about 70 yrs prior to that...rest of the world out of step?...and don't need some tool that's gonna be lost

Duane,
You'll get no argument out of me on the claw mounts. I have one on my Drilling that I bought when I was stationed in Germany almost 20 years ago. Even the EAW "schwenk" montage is a decent enough system. Though the claw systems usually require a fair degree of gunsmithing. Even back then I think I probably paid the German smith about $400 to install the mounts. I'd bet its pushing $800 now...hell--its only money. They print buckets of it every day!
I was strictly speaking about the Talleys or Leupold's or the Warne's--the lever QD mounts.
Here's three things I don't like about them: added weight and complexity. The dad gummed levers seem to like to snag on stuff. And I just think they really throw off the symmetry of the gun. I'd say my biggest complaint is they snag on stuff.
Now when we start talking claw mounts thats an entirely different matter.
This was never intended as a DG rifle so I see no reason to resort to the fixed sights unless the scope fails. Then, as I said, its a simple matter to take out the torx head wrench and unscrew two screws and be back in action. The wrench itself takes up less room than a pencil. So its no big deal to have one handy in your pack, pocket, whatever. I actually carry mine in my spare ammo wallet.

Mr Nimrod: I completely agree with the levers..the damn thing are always finding a button bole or snagging on the sling. Did some development for Warne years ago and Greg gave me some rings/mounts...Installed same on my 270...Guiseppi Forte did the engraving and snuck right up to the mounts....I CAN'T change them without completely ruining the engraving concept...been sniveling about them since 1986! By the way, Greg Warne died under suspicious circumstances at Portland Airport a few years ago...heart attack/mugging...don't know...neat guy...I miss him

quote:

Originally posted by JPK:
To some who may not know, Duane wiebe is one of our nations top rifle makers and fantasic with both metal and wood. Here is a link to some mediocre photos of a rifle by Duane. I'll try to find some better photos.

http://www.riflestockpainting.com/Projects.html

Not my rifle, though before I die, Duane will hopefully build one for me.

JPK

And beyond the USA, one of the very best.

Roland

I'm glad to hear another great Mark Penrod story. He did a pair of FN M98s for me in 25-06 and 30-06. They are in the picture to the left.
Both weigh 9 pounds. How much does your M70 weigh?