jC_Soroka_5126 by soroka07, on Flickr

jC_Soroka_5179 by soroka07, on Flickr

I just wanted to publically thank those of you that have sent the supportive PM's/emails over the last while. I certainly has helped endure what has been quite a forgettable part of this journey. Here's a copy of one of many I have received. Its seems some are happy to have this addition to their list of dreams. I hope the author doesn't mind me sharing this post anonymously, but it is appropriate that others read it.

"Good Evening Sir,
I hope you don't mind the PM as I just want to say Thank-you for sharing with us those wonderful pictures of your flawless work.
That rifle is to die for, absolutely beautiful.
Also I want to apologize for the ignorant participants who tried to de-rail that fine thread with their vulgar ignorance.
Please keep up the good work as my 65 year old eyes enjoy every bit of it.
Hopefully one day soon I may be able to afford one, that is before I am too old to use it".

Heres a pic of another rifle in the rack of first Whitey I shot in the U.S. (unguided)

Hello ISS

How many orders I have received as a result of this very heated thread is private information. My discretion is worth a little more than USD $10.00.

However I am happy to answer your question given that you have fianlly asked the question directly.
The part that I take in making these rifles follows.
I designed the internals of my action entirely myself, completely, other than copying the existing Gibbs styled extractor, which I knew to be a very good and reliable design. I had modelled and then remodelled the lines of this action to get it exactly how I wanted it to look. This cost many more thousands of dollars to get it just right for my eye.
I source and purchase all the materials required for manufacture of the rifles,springs, including wood, barrels etc. I QC the machined components
I designed the stock pattern myself and shaped the original patterns. The quarter rib is also completely my design.
To be clear there is no aspect of my rifle that has been designed by another.

In terms of actual fit, finish and assembly I have filed and linished every single part of the these rifles. Not all the parts for all the rifles, it was shared betwen myself and another, for many months. The hardest and most demanding filing job is the hand fitting of the trigger plate into the recess in the bottom of the receiver. I did fit everyone of those, as "the apprentice" wasn't capable. If you ever have another one of my rifles in your hands you will see they are acceptable. In conjunction with the apprentice, I hand filed and polished all the actions.
I have shaped all the stocks bar one, the one you see in the picture on Hagn's table. There are other rifles that are being built that the public are yet to see. I have also finished those stocks.
Martin Hagn was contracted to hand fit all the quarter ribs and fit open sights, and some inletting work. He is a Master gunsmith.

Final fit finish and assembly has been done by me. I know this action inside out back to front, obviously, and if there is a problem then I can find it very quickly. When working with Martin Hagn last year, I had an action that was sticking and needed to fix it, which took me a couple of hours to sort out. I asked him if he ever had an issue with one of his actions that he struggled to resolve and he said "No, not really". As fate would have it a day or so later when he was assembling some actions he had one in particular that was sticking and it took him over five hours to resolve. People think that CNC parts just fit together like clockwork straight off the machine. From what I know to-date this isn't true. Martin has been making his actions since 1974 and still has to contend with the odd action that doesn't work as it should.

Martin Hagn, also being one of the few men living that I am aware of that has actually designed and manufactured his own design of falling block action (Hall is another), will attest to the fact that designing actions and being a gunsmith are two completely different skills.

Engraving and metal finish are outsourced.

As a parting comment I would say this: there are some 'smiths that have the most incredible skill and dexterity with their hands and make the most accurate and almost perfectly fitted and finshed rifles but they don't have "the eye". The execution of the work is extraordinary but the lines aren't right. There are those that have "the eye", but they don't have the ability or patience to get all the components to look like they "grew out" of each other. And then there are a rare few that have both, "the eye" and the dexterity, and those are the people that can charge like wounded bulls for their work. They are the true masters and it is they that charge very serious money for what they do, for they can clearly "see" what they are creating in relation to others. Likewise, there are some customers that can see the difference and those that can't.

I am happy for the public to judge what they see when they a rifle of mine in their hands. This post has been made purely to clarify what part I have had in the creation of what you see in the pictures above for reasons that are apparent.

I hope to have some pictures of rifle engraved by Lee Griffiths soon, with rather stunning wood. Another peach in the making.

Cheers

Glenn

quote:

Originally posted by soroka:
Likewise, there are some customers that can see the difference and those that cant.

Glenn

And that is true of anything at the upper end.

.

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
glenn,


Betcha ten USD none of those rabid supporters enclosed a check for a deposit on a rifle though, did they?


regards,

Rcih

I'll "betcha" ten of my Canadian dollars that I will in the future.... and they are worth more than yours..

Glenn, you are a true gentleman.

quote:

Originally posted by kevan:

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
glenn,

Betcha ten USD none of those rabid supporters enclosed a check for a deposit on a rifle though, did they?
regards,

Rcih

I'll "betcha" ten of my Canadian dollars that I will in the future.... and they are worth more than yours..

Everything is worth more than a US$ at the moment.

(and don't forget that China could own the US if it wanted to,
as much as the Americans don't like to admit it)

.

When is Potato Bluntshooter going to post the single shot rifles he has made, that cost half the price of these master pieces ?we are all waiting hmmmm ,''people in glass houses''

quote:

Originally posted by tankhunter:
When is Potato Bluntshooter going to post the single shot rifles he has made, that cost half the price of these master pieces ?we are all waiting hmmmm ,''people in glass houses''

Hold on, this thread is about Soroka, NOT Ruger No 1's


ISS would have to outsource everything so he'd post a pic of a Ruger.

.

ISS thinks that high priced SS rifles are more or less a waste of money and an inferior hunting tool.
I believe "Pondoro" Taylor had an 350Rigby single shot, that was one of his favourite lion rigs.
Unfortunately ISS was not around to advise him...

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Apples and Oranges.

The thread here is focused on hunting rifles.

A double rifle has twice the firepower, in most eyes is the single most elegant firearm ever commissioned, and is simply the superior tool. Once you get past a price point of $2000 you are buying esthetics.

If you are buying functionality, the single shot rifle is the least effective tool for hunting. Even the esteemed Col B considers them a bit of an affectation unless you have a repeater in waiting.

I suggest, again, that you are not getting value for your dollar here....

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Apples and Oranges.

The thread here is focused on hunting rifles.

A double rifle has twice the firepower, in most eyes is the single most elegant firearm ever commissioned, and is simply the superior tool. Once you get past a price point of $2000 you are buying esthetics.

If you are buying functionality, the single shot rifle is the least effective tool for hunting. Even the esteemed Col B considers them a bit of an affectation unless you have a repeater in waiting.

I suggest, again, that you are not getting value for your dollar here....

"Once you get past a price point of $2000 you are buying esthetics."

In reagrds to Double Rifle's, Not quite ISS.


et's look at what has come out in the last 5 years.

1. Baikal, Remington or whatever you want to call it. "Adjustable" regulation that didn't really work. Low quality, no rib, in brief, you got what you paid for. As someone said, it doesn't matter if it cost $1 or $10,000, if it doesn't shoot it's worthless.


2. Sabatti. Aaaaaahhhhh, Sabatti, everyone's hope of a cheaper DR. Except for a few of us who said, uh oh, somethings not quite right here. End result, factory cut corners as we had said, little or no regulation, some guns with metal ground from muzzle. As someone said, it doesn't matter if it cost $1 or $10,000, if it doesn't shoot it's worthless.


So we still have to step up to Chapuis, Merkel, Searcy, all above $5000 etc etc to guarantee we get more than just Aesthetics.

(Oh, please note the spelling of Aesthetics. If you are going to use big words, get them right).


.

Well there has been some funny posts here thanks in part or most part,to self appointed Knowall ''Captain Potatoe ''![who has never made any rifle evidently, since we have NOT seen his guns, or his back yard workshop with hand files and foot powered cave man lathes,and Provenance on a Fred Flintstone slab ] like they say, ANY publicity is good publicity with nearly 10,000 views ! on both Soroka Posts ! i just want to know how to get a POS Ruger No1 to shoot minute of ''Idaho Potataoe'' ? and how i can flog it off as a H and H for $40,000 ? when after all its just a POS Ruger ? with the letters H and H stamped on it !!!!!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by tankhunter:
i just want to know how to get a POS Ruger No1 to shoot minute of ''Idaho Potataoe'' ?

Frank de Haas shows 2, count 'em, 2, methods of attaining less than MOA accuracy with the Ruger. Both are easily doable by a competent smith if he follows the instructions. In addition, there are at least 2 other ways not shown by Frank. All it takes is a decent barrel and a competent smith.

Why do you say that the Ruger is a POS? Is it only your personal opinion of the aesthetics? (BTW there are several equally-acceptable spellings of this word, grin). Or do you have some specific and readily-verifiable additional reason for your opinion?

Please be specific, I'm very interested in the actual facts of the matter as you see them.
Regards, Joe

quote:

Originally posted by siberia:
ISS

Being a "potty mouth" isn't limited to the potential vulgarities of words themselves, you dim witted FW.

How about the vulgarity with which you exist on this planet. The way you conduct yourself.

That is quite simply the essence of vulgarity. And is definitely to be found in "the shitter".
I really meant to say "potty".

What a troll!
Regards, Joe

"thanks for the spelling correction. Webster spells it the same way I do.

You have to allow a certain amount of leeway from people who drive on the wrong side of the road.

I think we can safely assume that this thread is more about me than soroka now.

I expect that is because I have provenance, and a planned future in my field."



Rich

The American way of spelling was introduced to the US in the late 1940's - early 1950's, probably due the falling standards of education and the consequent inability of some people to comprehend the grammatical nuances of correct English. This is not your fault. You are merely another victim of state sponsored brainwashing. It is a shame because I generally like Americans, and I admire their performance as soldiers in WW2 when my father served with them in the Pacific in the NZ Engineers attached to the USMC. My own experience with US soldiers was many years ago but I found them to be poorly educated and poorly trained, although not lacking in courage. The system was churning out 'cannon fodder' rather than trained soldiers, not helped by conscription. I do hope that those currently serving are getting better support.

As to driving on the 'wrong' side of the road, I am afraid that it is you who drive on the wrong side! Men always travelled on the left side of the road so they could defend themselves and their families with their right (sword) hand against oncoming threats. That is why they sheke hands with their right hands to show they are intending no threat. It was the French who starting driving on the right, probably to show they are different to the British! Their military history would have played no part in it!!

Rich, I would suggest that you 'up your game' or you will continue to dig yourself deeper into the mire by your thoughtless rants.

quote:

Originally posted by tankhunter:
... i just want to know how to get a POS Ruger No1 to shoot minute of ''Idaho Potataoe'' ? and how i can flog it off as a H and H for $40,000 ? when after all its just a POS Ruger ? with the letters H and H stamped on it !!!!!!!!!

...what you would have Sir, is an agricultural $2k SS, with $38k worth of H&H holy grail" provenance" ...

For sure Sir !!!!! provided the POS has 100 years of Provenance !!! i will pay any amount even for an investment cast sloppy action piece of crap so long as it has H and H on it, H,a H, A

Apparently Trax and Tankhunter either A)don't read or B)don't know any competent smiths.

It's fairly simple to get any Ruger down under 1 MOA accuracy, how come they don't know this? It ain't rocket science, I and plenty of others have been doing it since the middle/late '60s.

Maybe it's our poor education(grin).

I'm still waiting for their explanation of why they think the Ruger is so inferior. No glittering generalities or opinions please, just facts.
Regards, Joe

quote:

Originally posted by Gundoc:
The American way of spelling was introduced to the US in the late 1940's - early 1950's, probably due the falling standards of education and the consequent inability of some people to comprehend the grammatical nuances of correct English. This is not your fault. You are merely another victim of state sponsored brainwashing. It is a shame because I generally like Americans, and I admire their performance as soldiers in WW2 when my father served with them in the Pacific in the NZ Engineers attached to the USMC. My own experience with US soldiers was many years ago but I found them to be poorly educated and poorly trained, although not lacking in courage.

I generally like folks from Down Under too, but I found their relative lack of good manners and sophistication to be of the crudest. Kiwis are different from Aussies, they appear to be more civilised but I don't think you qualify.

(how's THAT for puerile, inflammatory & condescending rhetoric?)

English, unlike Latin, is a living language and as such is constantly changing. If you'll consult your latest copy of the OED and compare it to your previous one, you'll find that some new words have been added and the spelling of some old words has been modified. Happens every single year.

What's that you say, you don't have a copy of the OED? Well, Trax can copy it from the net for you, he seems to be an expert at copying photos.

If you're gonna talk about poor education then you need to begin with the man in the mirror. Have you ever even SEEN an OED? I kinda doubt it, the several dozen volumes take up a lot of space.

Been a long time since I've used a sword. Wonder why almost all of the WORLD drives on the right? Maybe they're not mired in the past like some folks.....
Regards, Joe

Hmmm, my roughly 60 years of experience with "Diggers", certainly differs from that and has been and is very enriching and enjoyable. My nephew just returned from two years working in "Oz" and brought a gorgeous Aussie lass home with him as his fiance; they plan on a year here in BC and marriage at Banff, in "the blue Canadian Rockies" and then to return "down undah" permanently.

Another nephew, upon receiving his Bsc. in Biology at Vancouver Island University, was offered a scholarship at "The University of Queensland", finished his Phd. there and is now teaching and conducting research at "The University of Melbourne". He married an Aussie girl and has a little girl.

My famliy has a long connection with Australia, my late mother's fiance was a fighter pilot with the RAAF, killed in Italy and my youngest brother visits there often, has friends there who visit him in Nelson, BC, our home town and I am VERY "pro" Aussie and "Old Commonwealth" in general. I find them to be great people and much like real Canadians.

I am sitting about four feet from my O.E.D., the third set I have owned, it is the "Compact" version and I am very familiar with the multi-volume set and may well buy one when we move back to the Kootenays. Joe is correct here, there are about a dozen volumes in the O.E.D.

However, while English is a fluid tongue, there ARE standards and rules which govern it's usage and it is not correct to assume that any form of the "vulgate" is proper or will supplant traditional modes as codified in "Fowler's", et. al.

Most of the world drives on the right due to American influence and volume of vehicle sales; I would prefer to drive on the right for bush driving with our current road-traffic structures, but, I don't lose a lot of sleep worrying about this issue.........

Swords are good, I need to get a good traditional Viking sword and a "Clayhmore" as many problems with various assholes can be more quietly resolved with on than with a noisy gun!

Dewey,


A sword? There is a large dojo near here. They offer courses in the many arts a Samurai trained in. Come down, I'll take you over for a class in Taia use. Prepare to be beaten to a pulp, even wearing the padded practice clothing. The splintered bamboo training Katanas still pack a wallop.

take care,

Rich

Dewey, I guess I shoulda been more specific. I was using a too-broad brush to paint a portrait of how arrogant and egotistical the guy sounded when he was bashing the US. Puerile, condescending and inflammatory.

Around these parts you hafta go to one of the more-advanced universities to find the OED full set. Last time I checked it had 27 big volumes but that was a LONG time ago (grin). My Brother wanted a set as a parental gift for his first college graduation but Our Daddy pointed out that he simply didn't have enough ROOM in his new apartment! The Old Man was pretty slick, the compact edition is a LOT cheaper and actually almost as good in all but a VERY few cases.

It lives right next to the EncyclopAEdia Britannica and in the same shelf unit as all the OTHER encyclopEdias(grin).
Regards, Joe

It is strange how we are so similar in some respects! We are the same size and have martial arts training (I have a 3rd degree Black Belt also instruct).

As to swords, I find the training is good for my right arm. I am an active pistol shooter with a bit of international experience.

I do have two copies of the Concise OED (earlier and later editions) as well as Collins and Chambers. The Concise OED is a standard text book that all NZ schools pupils are expected to have.

As a footnote, any anti-gunners reading this forum would be beside themselves with glee to see shooters squabbling amongst themselves. I will therefore refrain from any more posts in this vein, but will be happy to contribute to meaningful discussions on firearms.

All I posted were my sizes in response to your comments about others here being ...little... and this entire issue is not really relevant to the thread.

If, as you state, you would like to be friends, then let's all of us drop the whole thing, forget the personal comments and start over as fellow gun enthusiasts, works for me.

Whew! I was afraid to check back in and find dick measurments being posted next.

tb40,

I am NOT going there!

cheers,

Rich

to: Glenn Soroka and the rest of the membership.

This is by way of a formal apology to Glenn Soroka for my comments about his excellent Farky.

I am now aware of the process involved in production of this beautiful single shot rifle.

Glenn has put a lot of himself into the design and execution of this rifle.

I would love to own one. That said, at my age there are too many things ahead of it on my "Bucket List" for me to likely purchase one. To those who do, I envy you.

My apologies as well to those of you here. Some misconstrued my comments, others...

regards to all,

Rich

Rich,
Thank you. Apology accepted. Onwards and upwards. Here's a pic taken by Ron Spommer of my rifle when he had it for review. Apologies to all the traditionalists for the stainless tube. I have yet to have it satin black chromed, which will make indistinguishable from a satin blue finish. It rains a bit down here and CM barrels have a propensity to rust a little quicker. Especially if you are stuck in a small alpine tent above the bushline for a week in a bad weather. Everything stays soaked untill you can have a big "dry out".


Soroka 07 by soroka07, on Flickr

Good to see the man himself here. Your rifles are stunning.
Rich deserves some commission here
Again I learned a lot from this thread.

I met Glen briefly at SCI Reno. We only had time to talk for a few short minutes about his single shot rifle. I didn't get a chance to review his rifle properly.

As a twist of fate I happened to bump into Glen here in South Dakota. I invited Glen to stop by my shop where we could sit down for a good chat about various aspects of rifle projects.
Glen was happy to share with me a techincal design drawing of the internal workings of his '07. From a technical standpoint it is awesome.

It is inline striker fired. Again, awesome.

The Soroka '07 exudes technical prowess.

In the past 23 years I've built and worked on many, many bolt guns as well as singles.
My personal rifles list is short. I like it that way. Keep it simple.
I've added a Soroka '07 as a must have to my short list of personal rifles in either 270 or 30-06 something mild mannered something that is ejoyable to shoot,........A LOT.

At this point in my life it takes one hell of a rifle to make me feel this way.

Let's add up the attributes.
1. Good modern steel (handles high pressure)
2. Powerfull and fast inline striker design.
3. Wonderfull line and form of a Farqy.
4. excellant execution of work.

It takes guts and perseverance to do this work in this day and age.
It's your time to shine Glen. My hat is off to you for desiging and building a winner.

Stuart Satterlee

I sincerely hope you do get one...

Soroka i went to your links and looked at your photos, no photos on the second one btw.
i would like to comment on the wood you use. i have no way of knowing where you get it but i have a good idea who it is and they are the best...period!!
what ever source you have is the cream of the crop.
i have purchased a lot of wood in my days and i know how hard it is to get quality wood in quantity and you must have the best source on the globe.
kudos to you and your source.
beautiful rifles with a HIGH quality of lumber second to no english gunmaker. them over priced gunmakers in england could all take a lesson from you on providing what people want in a rifle.
that is quality is ALL aspects at a fair price.

Hi Guntoter,
Thanks. I get most of my wood from Luxus in Ohio. The guys there look after me well and they are really friends now after so many years (and dollars)It has always puzzled me to say the least as to why or how some of the elitist Englishmakers can use such cheap shitty wood on such pofoundly expensive rifles. And there are people who will actually buy them. My worst wood is generally better than their best.
The orders are comimg through the door and I guess that says something for what people see and desire. I have been in the US for a couple of months now- getting a shop set up in South Dakota to simplify production (in a dry environment to minimise wood shrinkage) and be alot closer to a bunch of excellent engravers. Not too many of those in New Zealand.

There are a few other exciting deveolpments which will be made public in a short while re the Soroka Rifle Co. Exciting times indeed.

Cheers for now - Glenn