I recently learned that Falling Block Works is still in buisness and have purchased a Model "L" action. This action is a single shot falling block supposed to be big enough for the .600NE and very modestly priced. I am due to pick it up this week and will post pictures with my opinion of it. Does anyone have any experience with these? From what I have read they are basic but very decent for the price of ~$500.

I had a 22-250 Falling Block Works rifle in the mid 1980s. It was very well built and the action seemed very robust. The action wasn't blued but had a deep plum color that was not unattractive. The extractor would often slip by the rim of the 22-250 cartridge. I don't think a rimmed cartridge would be a problem. The only other thing I didn't like was that it didn't have a safety, just half-cock.

the ones I saw when they were a standard production item back in the mid-nineties were very well made actions. You saw them in Schuetzen matches up til the Miller took over.

There was a write up in Handloader about a gunsmith in CO who built one in .577NE.

Yo Grenadier,

Do you have the H&H book? I bought one at SCI this year.

regards,

Rich

My local gunsmith has one he was given as a gift some years ago. It is octagon barrel w/ some of the nicest walnut I have seen in a long time, tiger stripped from front to back on both pieces and well done with oil finish. It is in 45/70 w/ ladder type rear sight and globe front. First one I had ever seen but it does appear to be very well made. Asked him how it shot and he has never shot it. He has more will power than I do.

Do you have contact info for them? I have been trying for a couple of years to track it down. I keep finding rumors and anecdotes, but no info.

I was just curious to see what you guys were talking about and found this:

Falling Block Works,Inc PO Box 303,Rapid City Mi.49676- This is Leo Fix (231-590-7391)

I did not verify the number...

The above information is correct. I would like to add the address to send order to is Falling Block Works, inc. 6186 Rapid City Rd NW Rapid City, MI 49676. Email Lfix@torchlake.com, I emailed Mr. Fix and he mailed me some information on his actions. I am due to pick it up tomorrow so look for pictures soon.

Please do post pics and impressions. I am also interested in the FBW actions. Saw them in Frank DeHaas book, tracked down Leo's info, got the brochure, but still haven't ordered one.

Impressions of my Model "L" Express:

Big, STRONG, basic, simple, rough in spots internally, but externally a nice dark gloss blue finish. Overall an excellent value for the money! The action has no safety, only half cock.

The Ruger #1 is a more elegant action, but I am in no way speaking badly of the model "L". The Ruger is also several hundred dollars more. the Model "L" barrel shank is 1.1"+ making it more suitable for very large cases then the #1.

I will post pics as soon as I find my camera.

Here are the pictures of my action with a 700NE, 600NE, and 577NE for reference.









I don't know that the action is large enough for the .700NE, the pics are here just for size comparison.

Nice looking. Looks like they left plenty of metal on the ejector to work with!!!

Very interesting. It does look pretty basic, but theres nothing wrong with that. Seems to have a fairly beefy receiver ring. Let us know more as you build it up.

What do you think is the largest case/cartridge this action would handle?

I was told a .600NE.

Hey, thanks for sharing the pictures. Very nice. You probably already know, but the CPA folks (singleshotrifles.com) make 2 piece stocks for the FBW actions.

What caliber are you thinking? Whose barrel? Octagon or round?

Thanks for the stock tip, I did know that but it was good to post here for others. I am planning on a .600 Nitro Express. I figure if you are going to do something go all the way!

Barrel wise I am thinking PACNOR, probably 26-27", round straight taper custom contour (as heavy as I can get it with the muzzle being 1-1.2". If they still have the 3-groove button I will order if rifle with that to keep pressure down.

My target weight is 16lbs.+ as this rifle is for fun and not for any field use. I have always wanted a .600NE and think I may have found a way to afford one.

I will update here as the build comes along but my timeline is about 12 - 18 months as I have a lot of other projects going on and the economy sucks.

Here's a picture of the other end of the scale. I just recieved two of the model K's. They are the smallest ones, built for small rimmed cartridges. I am going to build one in 222 Rimmed, and the other into a lightweight 25-35 which can be loaded up a little and shoot spitzers.

I laid the actions down beside a Martini Cadet in the Bee to show the size. They are almost the same in every dimension except length. The outlines are different due to the hammer.



I also laid the action on the martini to compare the stocks. Roughly, it looks like they would take the same stock. I think a Cadet turned blank could be made to fit with little work, or would be a good starting place. The wrist would need to be cut back slightly for the FBW. I am going to pull the stocks off a cadet to see how well they line up.

Did he say how light the trigger pull could be made safely?

Those actions have a typical plum color and they will become more and more purple over time. It would probably look very good with a browned barrel though I have never seen one finished like that.

Just received my flyer from them in the past couple of weeks.

Think I need to build something on a K action to start. My biggest worry was stock fitment, Art may have settled me down somewhat on that objection with his post above.

Maybe a rimmed 300 AAC or Gremlin.

quote:

Originally posted by fireball168

Maybe a rimmed 300 AAC or Gremlin.

Have you considered .327 Federal?

I spent a little time on these toay. I have the 22 barrel in and chambered. I just need to fit the extractor.

i dug through a pile of old stocks and found an old Springfield 03 stock with a shadow line heekpiece that would match up. I laid the barreled action on it, marked index lines for the drawbolt and rear action, and checked the comb height and LOP. I then bandsawed off the rear part of the stock at the grip and drilled for the drawbolt, followed by bandsawing off the pistol grip. A little sanding, and I had a pleasing looking stock that will fit perfectly. I am oing to hit it with a rasp in a few spots and fill the hole where the rear of the trigger guard fit, and it will be ready to put in the duplicator. The forearm will be simple. These look to be easy actions to stock. I am going to duplicat the grips full size for the action and cut the individual plugs on the turned stock to simplify the duplicating. I have several nice high quality mauser semi-inlets that look like you could simply cut them off at the rear tang and be made to work, but I didn;t want to do that since they were already turned. I'll try and post a picture when I turn the stocks.

quote:

Originally posted by Grenadier:
Have you considered .327 Federal?

I've almost talked myself into doing a 357 Maximum.

Art's getting me worked up again - any plans on selling any?

The .327 Fed would give you a lot in a little package. It is closer to 22 Hornet in case size but operates at higher pressures than the 357 Max.

Rim diameters
22 Hornet: .350"
327 Fed: .375"
357 Max: .440"


SAAMI pressure
22 Hornet: 25,000psi
327 Fed: 45,000psi
357 Max: 35,000psi

I would think 327 Fed in a small, Hornet sized, falling block action with a well proportioned 18"-20" barrel would make a great miniature rifle (4-1/2 lbs?). Using factory 100gr 327 Fed loads you should be able to get over 2200fps and around 1100ft/lbs of muzzle energy from a 20" barrel ( http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/327mag.html ).

A local fellow had made a few casting sets of a very close copy of the FBW actions but a little cleaner. I built this on the small action in 218 Bee.


The stock was from CPA using my wood. It is a neat little gun, about 7# with scope.

I also built a 327 Magnum in a break action. It is a very accurate, flat shooting round which offers a lot of flexibility for the reloader.

Well, I spent yesterday (Saturday) making stocks. I duplicated the cut off Springfield for the 25-35, and decided to use a turned 16 ga Ithaca 37 buttstock for the 222 Rimmed. I wanted a pistol grip for it since it has a heavier barrel profile and a heavier barrel.

I used a piece of light Circassian I had for the 25-35. It doesn't show up well in the pictures, but it has a lot of glassy tight fiddleback. The black walnut on the 222 is a shell grained piece. The stocks are headed up and bolted on, so I just need to finish the shaping and add the buttplates.

Two of the pictures include the pieces I am making the fore ends from. The 222 will have a beefier fore end. I am trying for a 50's varminter look. The 25-35 will have a trim, maybe schnaeble, fore end with Marble sights and a 2.5X or 3X scope. I am really at a loss as to barrel length. The tube I am using is 32", but that seems too long for a light barrel. I can't make the fore end first and measure for the right look, because part of the length must come off the rear. I am leaning toward 25" to 28". Any opinions?











Should mention that I didn't include another gun for comparison. By themselves they look like the stocks have a lot of drop, due to the small size of the actions and the 7/8" barrel shanks. They are both less than 2" drop at the comb, and are just about ideal for a low to medium scope without a huge objective.

Have you any other info on these actions ? sizes ,prices ? are they investment cast ? i looked for website some time ago ,but found none ,would be in his interests if he had one,which gave info on what he makes, could be the answer [economical single shot for alot of people ] thanks[looked on ASSRA but couldnt find anything

Tankhunter

The contact info is in the thread above. Just call and he will send a brochure.

No website. I suspect he has only a limited number left and sees no reason to push. It is my understanding that there is no new manufacture, just assembling existing inventory. He sells four different actions (three sizes plus a rimless version) and spare parts. I bought some extra firing pins and extractors, as they were cheap. Should probably order some new springs too.

Thanks Art S.,sent him an email ,just bought a 310 so fiddling with it at the moment
Cheers thanks again

Hi Art, I just received a J and a K action from Mr. Fix.

On my K action the breech block face looks like it's screwed in with a spanner wrench and then center punched to keep it from unscrewing. Are yours made like this. The J action isn't like that.

If you could post a picture of your breech face, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks, Roger

Yeah, both mine are like that. I don't have them in front of me, but I think I remember they erer staked (punched) at two spots on the edge of the firing pin retainer. I thought when I first saw them it was likel due to the breech block and plug being so small that there might not be enough thread area to lock them in as tightly as desired with just friction.

Thanks Art, I didn't think it would be a problem. It was just that since the J action wasn't like that, I thought that maybe it was a repaired breech block. Looks like a 222R is in my future.

Art, have you made any more progress on your two projects?

I got the forearms made, and the sights and scope bases mounted. I need to cut the extractors and put in the forearm mounts and I will be ready to test fire. I haven't been able to work on them for a while, since my daughetr just got here PhD from Vanderbilt and we have been moving her to DC. We are now in the middle of getting her condo ready for sale, so most of my time has been on the road lately. Probably be ater Christmas before I can clean them up and try them out.

Great! Looking forward to some pics.

Well, it's the end of the year, but I made some progress. Here are the stocks on the two rifles. The 222R is at the top, and the 25-35 at the bottom.









There is still quite a bit to do. I haven't cut the ejector notches, since I want to test fire first in case I would need to do some barrel work. The forearms are also just snapped on by friction. I need to put on some kind of hanger. Probably just a block for a screw. I then need to clean up the buttpads and final polish the stock. The 222R will be blued. It has an old Weaver K-10, which I thought was in keeping with the style. I'm not sure what the style of the 25-35 is, but I put a 2.5X scope in 3/8" dovetail mounts on it, along with Lyman Bullseye sights. The front sight is not tall enough, and will need to be swapped out. I will probably have the barrel, lever and hammer blued with the action case colored.

I also got the stocks fitted up on the 450-400 Ruger No 1 I am doing. I am using a nice Franquette blank. I will post some pictures when I get it sanded.

Holy smokes those are looking nice. I would be proud to carry either one of those. I have something to aspire to with mine now.

BTW if you don't mind me asking, what make barrels are you using?

Thanks for the pics!

The 22 is a Green Mountain they used to make. The 25 is a Montana rifleman a guy was selling one at a time on Gunbroker. He had quite a few different ones listed at one time, but I haven't seen any more 25's listed lately. It was a light weight octagon and was 32" long when I bought it. The 25 weighs about 1-1/2 pounds less than the 222. I cut it to 28-29" (don't remember exactly). Still a light weight rifle, but balances well and steady to hold with the long barrel. The 222R is 26.5".

I am anxious to finish the 25-35. I think the long barrel, coupled with good pointy bullets and the ability to up the pressure a little over factory ammo will put it in a completely different league. It should be a really good light rifle for women or kids.

THought I would post a note and mention that I have completed and fired the two rifles above. THe only thing left is to break them down for the metal finish. I am planning right now on b;lueing the barrels and levers, and case coloring the actions.

I might mention that I chronographed some loads in the 25-35. I always thought the round would be nice in a single shot where it could be loaded hotter than the lever guns. I saw that Hogdon had released their new LVR powder that is supposedly used in the new high performance lever gun loadings. They show a compressed load of 34 gr that yields 2992 fps with a 75 gr bullet in a 24" barrel, with a pressure of 33,100 CUP. I found that with new cases, I could get 35 gr right to the mouth of the case. I dropped the powder, tapped the cases to settle it some, and seated a 75 gr Sierra HP with a slight crimp. With my 29" barrel, I got velocities from 3165 to 3182. With a little work, I think I can get in just a tiny bit more and reach 3300 fps. This puts the old cartridge in a whole other class.This is better than the 250 Savage in a 24" barrel. The gun as finished only weighs 5-1/2 pounds and is a joy to carry. The long barrel makes it balance beautifully. I would like to work up a 100 gr load with a high performance bullet, and use it for deer.