doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com .400 Whelen rifle build

I photographed this rifle about 6 years ago. It is a very fine rifle in a client's collection. There are more pics in the Owen thread and I probably have a few more that are not accessible at the moment.
I'm no Springfield expert and can't remember more than what is seen in the pics. I think the cut-off reshape a nice touch. Just looking, it would be a bit tricky to file-up especially with a case hardened action.
This is the only other pic I have at hand.

Jerry,
I'm with you on the housing and will leave it as is.

I helped Michael move boxes of books in early September and was forced to look at and feign interest in his Springfields before he allowed me to leave. I was nearly finished with my .404 Jeffery project and looking for another and this sparked my interest in building a Springfield.

Through Michael's generosity I again had a chance to handle and study details of a wide array of makers. By this time I had settled on the .400 Whelen for the chambering and I was settling on the Surkamer as the primary stock profile. Then he started handing me rifle after rifle pointing out things and I left in total confusion. Following another visit several weeks later I decided to incorporate features that I liked from a number of the rifles.

Two more settled details:
No cylindrical barrel section just forward of the action; and; Surkamer stock profile.

Here is the rifle I started with.


Here is the wood, nothing fancy but quite adequate.

Nothing wrong with that wood. I think wood can be too fancy for a shooting rifle and that is just about right. Nice well defined and contrasting streaking and color with good flow through the wrist and forend. It'll make a very handsome stock for your rifle. Blue steel, fine wood, and simple design with clean, uncluttered lines, well executed makes the most handsome rifle.

Jerry Liles

Some weeks ago I measured the barrel diameters at one inch intervals of Michael Petrov's .30-06 Surkamer and his .400 Whelen G&H with the idea that I would use a profile for my .400 that was somewhat in keeping with an original rifle. I think these early profiles were a bit more robust than what is typically used today.

Michael's rifles show a range of artistic treatment of barrel profiles. Some have a short cylindrical section just forward of the action. Depending on the gun maker a short radius or a long radius was then applied that reached some point forward where a straight taper was applied to the muzzle.

To remove evidence of the rear sight spline, some of the barrels were turned just forward of the action and a collar was fitted that snugged up flush with the straight front ring of the action.

Some, like the Surkamer, had a moderate radius without the cylinder and that is what I decided to use. The Surkamer has a muzzle diameter of .606" and this was increased to .660" so that I could use the early Redfield banded ramp that came with the rifle.

Morris Melani created two profiles in MasterCam from which templates would be machined. The first was a true recreation of the Surmaker .30-06 and the second a modified Surkamer for the .400 Whelen that would be sent to the barrel maker for tracing on the new barrel.

Here are the templates:


Documentation was engraved on each of the 23.25" steel bar stock templates.

My Krieger barrel for this project is scheduled for delivery within a month so I am thinking about the next steps.

I had not intended to put a scope on it but have two nice Hensoldt 22mm Klein-Dialyt 2 3/4x scopes and if I can find a G & H side mount I will scope the rifle.

If you have a mount with rings or know of a set that might be available I'd appreciate a heads up.
Thanks,
Dennis

Doesn't seem possible it's two years down the road since this project started. I expect to have the barreled action back from G&H where a single lever G&H sidemount is getting installed.

The trigger guard is in the blank and the final profile is roughed in so can get right to work when the barreled action is back.


I don't know who the lucky person is that acquired the Surkamer rifle in the Amoskeag auction but I am hoping they watch this forum and that I might be able to get a photo of the bottom of the schnabel fore end.

After seeing the quality and attention to detail that you put into the Martini project, I can't wait to see this one come to life. Thank you for posting.

John

I test fired the rifle in January and Morris Melani's chamber work was excellent. I have to modify the feed rails since it has issues from both the right and left.

G&H installed the scope base early in the winter and just a bit of metal removal from the bolt handle gave me clearance with the Hensoldt scope. Otherwise, moving on with the project at my usual relaxed pace.

Dennis, You do amazing work! I'm envious. I really like the wood and the grain layout is perfect. The shape has very nice lines too. I saw that knot earlier and was hoping that it would work out and it did. It's going to make a very nice rifle.

Thanks, Bob.

Always a nice surprise to see the knots fade into something acceptable. There was a pin knot that ran through the grip of my Martini project and its edge is visible as a light streak where the grain turned. That one I thought was going to ruin the blank but fortunately didn't.