Michael's resurrected post below on his Sharps Borchardt reminded me that I have almost the same project in pieces. I bought a Borchardt action from Al Story (Borchardt Rifle Co) a year or two ago. I found NOS Axtell Sharps windgage front sight soon afterwards and the tang sight staff came from Buffalo arms. This action already has a removable upper tang to replace for the integral sight base. The circassian walnut stock came from hunterbid.com. Now I need a barrel, time and more money ... ughh ...


What are you working on ?

... Joe

I'm working on a 318 Westley Richards built on a 1909 Argentine action. It's a direct copy of the classic Rigby medium bores of the 20's and 30's.

well, I tend to work on projects in parallel so that nothing gets done. But this is the latest project acquisition. Probably not the best buy of my life. I bid on the following from
an Amoskeag silent auction.

"1487. U.S MODEL 1903 SPRINGFIELD SPORTERIZED BOLT ACTION RIFLE serial #865566, 30-06, 26" barrel with an excellent
bore. The Johnson Automatics tapered barrel with muzzle brake, receiver and magazine floorplate retain about 85-90% blue finish and
show light to moderate scattered oxidation on the balance. The extractor is devoid of finish and also exhibits oxidation. The bolt assembly
retains 85-90% of an armory applied parkerized finish. The sporterized smooth pistolgrip American black walnut stock rates very good plus.
The buttstock features a cheekpiece, a Monte Carlo comb and ebony grip and forend cap and black plastic buttplate. Rifle comes equipped
with a Swift Yukon 3-9X32 scope and leather sling. Rifle will need mechanical attention as the striker will not drop (gun doesn’t fire)(for
“Garand man”). (25485-9)"



Johnson Automatics 1903

Well the description was a bit misleading, on the bright side it is a Johnson Automatic 1903 sporter. At some point, someone must have
removed the earlier model Lyman 48 on it, which leaves a big gap, and they must have lost the bolt on it and replaced it with a military
surplus bolt. And the grip cap and forend tip are plastic and not ebony. But I scrubbed the rust off and have another bolt that
I picked up on gunbroker years ago that looks good with the rifle and headspaces correctly and the striker will fall when the trigger is pulled.
I've got a Lyman 48 base without any innards (Thanks Gary), so now I have a challenge to make the innards for the base and just use a slide blank. Oh, well, I will have a nice
sense of satisfaction when I bring this rifle back to life.

As always my project list is long.

At the head of the list is a High-Wall I need to put a Smith .32-caliber barrel on and have stocked. Building another bench-rest .32-40.

Two Borchardts

Three four 1903's that need conservation-restoration

These are the ones that just come to mind, there are more.

As you can easily see by the following, I like projects. In my case:

actions hanging on the wall - 3 1903s, 2 Mausers, 1 high wall, 1 low wall, 1 trapdoor

shooting but not completed - 1 Martini Cadet, 1 low wall, 1 high wall, 2 Mausers, 1 Krag, 1 1886 Win, 2 1903s, 1 1897 Marlin, 1 1888 Commission

Have all major parts but need action: 2 Martini Cadets, 1 high wall

Needing TLC and minor restoration - 1 1903, 1 1897 Win

BTW I could be talked out of about half this jun....er uh, about half these jewels (grin), especially the parts needing actions. PM if interested, thanks.
Regards, Joe

Putting my recently purchased, circa 1930 Springfield Armory 1922 M1 .22 Hornet back into a proper original stock and hardware.

Putting my recently purchased , National Match star gauged barreled action into a period Pre war classic style sporter stock.

Finish up the conversion and restock of a Stevens 45 to a 52,,at least I think it's a 52..DST, loop lever, #4 BP,,

A Ross 280 Sporter needing a couple of small parts to hold the floor plate on. Other than that it's probably better left as-is than re-doing anything. The War-time steel penney cut in half and used as a front sight blade is quaint.

1910 M/S full stock rifle. Claw mounts missing from ring and rear recvr. Very early rifle w/ full length rib bbl. Barella/Berlin marked
Probably just fill the voids and leave it iron sighted.

Winchester 92 SRC pistol grip 44wcf. Finish up the restock & checker.

S&W 38-44 HD rebored to 44sp.
S&W Triple Lock 44sp w/ bbl cut to 4 1/4". Great condition except for the hacksaw job. It'll go to 3 1/2"

Aug. Jung SxS D/R 9.3x72r needs metal restored, have it partially done. Has claw mounts & rings. Came with Lyman Alaskan scope installed.

A german sidelock D/R that I can't even remember the maker of now. 9.3x74R. Needed left firing pin repaired and new pad.
BBl should be redone as someone from the Fred Flintstone school of gunsmithing adjusted the front claw mount with what appears to be a small rock at one time.
Came with it's rings and German 'scope.

Remington Model 8 'C' grade to restore.

Colt Bisley restoration
A 'baby' Luger project (maybe),,or maybe it'll just remain as a parts slug.

.. 6 or 7 muzzle loader rifle projects

and on and on,,,,


Is this what retirement is supposed to be for?

It beats three things:
1. being underfoot around the house
2. working
3. breathing dirt

After I sold my triple-lock I always thought that if I found one with a bad or cut off barrel I would fix it up. Tell me more, is it a target model?

Well my main project seems to be to outfit my son and grandkids and assorted relatives. My 7x57 mauser and Mod70 featherweight and Dad's Bernadelli Gamecock have moved as have a couple of .22s and the pre64 270 featherweight is going to a nephew as a present for completing his surgery residency.

There is a 30-06 Griffen and Howe style Springfield in the works by a board member that is going to be my rifle and only my rifle (hah) but it isn't ready yet. It is going to be beautiful. I recently acquired a service grade M1 Garand from the CMP and it has been fun cleaning up the old soldier and shooting in local matches. I've become quite fond of it and suspect it is my deer rifle this year. The only other current project is a .44 Magnum Ruger Flattop that needs to be worked over and converted to .45 Colt.

This one is a fixed sighted model. Maybe it had a bulged bbl or some such damage. Someone just took a hacksaw and cut the bbl off. Did nothing more to it. The cut is still ragged and uneven. No front sight, ect.
FWIW it's been cut to just under 4",,not just over 4" as I originally posted. I figured a 3 1/2" bbl would be nice. I almost bought a NOS 6 1/2" 44sp T/L bbl for it a while back.
That seemed too easy I guess.

I do have a target sighted T/L in 44Sp that's an all gray gun and has wrench marks/flats on the sides of the frame where the bbl screws into. That a 6 1/2" bbl of course.
....Yet another project you've reminded me of...thank you so much!

Currently I have the better part of two Low Walls, a 7x57 Rolling Block, and a 7X57 Mauser on my work bench.....the worse part is I have no definite plans for any of them!!!

Not much of real (physical) work but I would like to find some information on a double barrel 16 bore shotgun that my grand father brought home from Germany after WWII. It is what is referred to as a cross-over style (I think). Fired from the right shoulder. Looks like someone tried to wrap it around a tree, however it appears to have been made that way originally as it's not just the stock that's shaped that way.
The upper tang and lower tang, trigger guard, trigger plate, safety button, even the triggers are made at a sweeping curve. The barrel release lever is also made with a sweeping curve. It has selective ejectors and cocking indicators which protrude upward behind the standing breech. Very delicate engraving full coverage on the boxlock action. Fitted with sling swivels and a cheek piece on the butt stock. As soon as I can get some photo's of it (barrel flats and water table) showing the proof marks and such I will post them and maybe some knowledgeable people on the forum can shine some light on it for me.

Vern

What you're describing, Vern, is the so-called "cross-eyed gun". These are almost always custom jobs made for an individual who has either lost the use of an eye or hand, or where their dominant eye is on the side opposite their dominant hand and so strongly that they need this sort of gun. One of those, a custom Parker, is on display at LL Bean's main store in Freeport. It belonged to the late LL Bean and was made for him when he lost the use of his dominant eye and had to shoot using the other.

It'll be interesting to see the pictures.

I have studied this gun quite a bit and can find no makers name on it. It was a very well made gun from the start. Maybe not a Purdey or Holland&Holland, but very well made. It is still as tight and on-face as when new. Also has side clips (I think that's what their called) and has a horn butt plate. The story that I got from my grand father is that it came from a very prominent estate in Germany, but that may be just the story that he got. I have to go over to my son's house and have him take the photo's (I don't have a camera. digital that is) and have him E-mail them to me. Then if I can talk some one here to post them for me I can E-mail the photo's to them. That's the problem when one has a analog mind in a digital world.

Vern

Well, I've been on a bit of a Winchester kick for the last year or so...built low walls in .25-20 and .22 RF, and a Model 92 in .32-20.

Next up is a Winder musket low wall conversion to center fire, to be barreled up in .218 Mashburn Bee. I have the barrel and reamer in-hand, and have just started the blueprint on the action. Might have the barreled action shootable by the New Year.

Then there's a commercial Swedish rolling block that needs to be turned into something, and possibly another 92 Winchester...

Greg

A couple of projects are making slooooow progress:

A) M1896 Krag-Jörgensen, patterned after a G&H sporter I'm still kicking myself for letting get away. New 22" barrel, NOS M1898 bolt, NOS Lyman 48, G&H-style wood w/ ebony tip and Niedner-style plate/cap and pancake cheekpiece. All parts on hand, and fitting/finishing has begun. I devised a Unertl-style block for the front sight onto which either a globe target sight or hunting sight can be installed, depending on the use at the moment.

B) M1899H Savage takedown rifle, with three (possibly four) interchangeable barrels. New wood, tang sight, etc. Rust blued. Calibers: .22HP, .25/35 AI, .30/30. Another barrel is pleading to be included, and if so will be bored out to .35 and chambered for a .35-.303 Savage wildcat. The fly in that barrel's ointment is it is a barrel from a M1899 Short Rifle and hence bigger in diameter than the carbine barrels for the other three, which will necessitate a second fore arm, and which will necessitate a bigger fitted cherry wood case than what I have planned.

C) Yet another Mauser hiding in the shadows, which I picked up because I have an orphan G&H QD mount w/ Lyman Alakan scope that needs a home...

If and when my hand will work with running the lathe and mill again. smile
#1 And soon to be a barreld action a 1876 WR single shot.
#2 A Siamese Mauser take down with 2 barrels a 30-40 Krag and
a 25 Krag
#3 A shortned Mauser action to be a 222 mannlicher
#4 A 256 Newton
#5 A 22 VT Newton.
#6 a SS Krag in 2-R Lovell
When you get old and senile you have to have things to think about. Smile Whitey

I have trouble distinguishing between actual projects and things which have just taken up residence. There are many more of the latter!

Here are some actual projects in order of importance to me:

1) Putting a better stock on my Eric Johnson .22LR Ballard Pacific rifle. I have the wood, the question is how "schuetzen" to go. I don't like the more extreme offhand styles and am leaning towards something more like an early Marlin factory target rifle. Pictures of rifles like that would be appreciated.

2) I have a NOS 1980's Parker Hale target rifle stock purchased from The Navy Arm's guys son. It looks like the Model 85 sniper rifle stock but single shot. While a two lug 98 is hardly a top level Palma rifle action, I would like to build a casual target rifle in either 6.5x47 or .308. I have not found a single shot FN action, and the PH actions are suspect, but I do have a new standard FN action from the H&R bankruptcy sale and a Sears rifle with a good commercial FN donor action as well. Either one of those actions could work with some sort of fabricated bedding block/loading tray underneath. I also bought a Speedlock Systems aluminum firing pin to try and help with the lock time a bit.

Some years ago GPC sold some new Swedish Mauser receivers and I bought one. Since then I have found a NOS barrel for the Model 38 short rifle, a new turned down bolt and most of the small parts for a barreled action either new or in really nice shape. Apparently the Swede's made lots of spares for these rifles. I have no idea what to do with it, but the idea of a "new" 70 year old rifle intrigued me and I like the 6.5's.

I should sell some other stuff and get these done.

Or else add a few more to the mix! I dread the day that all my projects are done and there is nothing left to do. It would probably mean it's time to shuffle off to the Golden Years Nursing Home.

Have the barrel and cylinder for a .44 Russian saa and not likely to find a good correct frame.

What vintage are the cylinder & barrel?

I think it was off a 220000 something serial without digging it out. Have had if for over 30 years.

Thanks, I 'll keep that in mind I run across a lot of different things so who knows.

Many years ago at an estate auction I bought a wooden Blazo box that had several boxes of shotgun shells on top. When I got it home it had over twenty full boxes of .44-Russian ammo underneath. So I bought a S&W break-open double action and shot a box of ammo through it before I notice that one of the cylinders had a crack through it. I sold, traded and gave away the rest.

I had assembled all the piece-parts to build another sporter Martini Cadet but in a moment of weakness I let one of my friends have the action. So now I have this really fine but orphan set of juglans regia wood with ebony tip and steel buttplate, with an orphan takeoff Ruger #3 Hornet bbl threaded & fitted but not chambered yet, with choice of Ruger scope bases or quarter rib in addition to the irons. I built one of these a few years ago and it turned out really well, the #3 iron sights went nicely with the quarter rib.

But now I have no action. And even if I had an action, I already have custom Cadets in several 22CF chamberings.

So who out there wants such a project? Anyone? I'll accept trades of lots of different stuff (but sorry no children, grin, they cost too much!). PM for details and pics please.
Regards, Joe

Joe, I might be interested, depending on what we could trade out. I'll drop you an email. I also am ready to proceed with my other Martini project that we corrresponded back and forth about perhaps a year ago, I have everything together here now and can proceed. I'll refresh your memory on that correspondence in the same emal.

Larry