doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com What project do you have in the works?

It is mighty slow around here and I am hamstrung to contribute for the time being by being the worst photographer on earth. What projects do you have in the works? I have the .276 Dubiel project going which involves three rifles, load development, etc. and I hope to post update soon. I also have a very early "unknown" with a bad barrel that I am contemplating what direction to go. A pretty nice custom Krag carbine that needs the metal work finished polished and rust blued. That is what is in the works then there is the stuff in the corner!!

Hi Gary,
I picked up a Krag a while back that had been converted to 22-3000 lovell. Found it at a local auction for $150. The stock is the original that was very poorly modified with pieces of wood glued on in various places, but the bore is like new. I have slowly as time permits, been adding wood and bondo and rasping away at the stock and it is starting to look presentable. I also had an opportunity to pick up a stock duplicator last year. When I got the stock where I want it I plan to use it as a pattern and try my hand at duplicating. Not much spare time, so it might be a while before it gets done.

John

I just did final assembly on this High Wall 7x65R. The cartridge is essentially a rimmed .280, potent and accurate.

The project was begun nearly 12 years(?) ago but unfortunately the fellow's wife died and he lost interest. The rifle was stocked and ready to test fire and another client purchased it but it was put to the back of the line.

Some more work was done then that fellow, in real estate, succumbed to economic woes and the project went back up for sale. The original client recovered from his grief and bought it back, and it went to the back of the line. I got back to work on it a few months ago and here it is.

The good news is that I still like it, it shoots very well and functions perfectly.
Ralf Martini contoured the octagon barrel with integral quarter-rib, full length rib and front sight base. He fit and chambered the barrel and also converted the breech block and small diameter firing pin in the Mann-Niedner manner.

That said, I will never do another High Wall with a modern scope as there are too many considerations that became complications. Notice the two different height scope rings, the front scope base mounted on the receiver ring and the fixed power 6x scope. Eye relief, scope height and hammer clearance are all problems as are comb height, comb nose placement and drop at heel.

The major parts are rust blued, the trigger and lever case colored and screws and small parts nitre blued. Trim engraving is by Gordon Alcorn and nicely complements the utility of his hunting rifle.

The rifle is just 43' overall with a 25" barrel and weighs 7lb. 14oz. as you see it with the scope mounted in Talley lever detachable rings. The standing leaf is sighted spot on at 50 yards and the folding at 100. The stock is quarter sawn California English with some reddish staining with an ebony tip. Test firing some 30+ round virtually no recoil was felt shooting 160 and 175 grain bullets. Several sub-minute of angle groups were shot with custom loaded and S&B factory ammo.

The comb height is just right for the scope and as you can see the iron sight line is not far below and takes just a bit more "cheek". Length of pull is 14".

While this rifle manages to overcome the issues, it was a stretch to get there and the simple reality is that the High Wall Winchester action with a modern scope is really not a great idea.
As is often the case, after so-called final assembly I realized the lever pin was not blued, so it will come apart once again.

Very nicely done.

To me, the effort it took to make a modern scope work on a high wall was well worth it.

It looks right & IMO the rifle is a lot more useful with a low mounted modern scope & stocked as you have done. I really like the shape of the comb nose & grip.

A very handsome High Wall.

You've already seen the Krag carbine I'm having built by Steve Durren but what hasn't been shown is the '03 Springfield that he has finished. Maybe he'll post a picture. Steve does very good work but just doesn't show it often enough.

The rifle is based on the Griffen & Howe Springfield sporters of the 30s, much like the rifles that Michael collected. I have it with a Lyman 48 since I like shooting with iron sights but I had a Jaeger sidemount with a Leupold fitted mainly because I'm 67 and the eyes aren't what they used to be. There is a trap butt plate to hold the sight staff when the scope is mounted. California English walnut (about the only worthwhile thing coming out of California these days) stock with point checkering. The trigger is a modified stock military for a decent pull weight with a bit of two stage pull retained. I'm an old soldier and rather like a double stage trigger. Except for the sidemount it is a simple rifle with no extraneous bits. After I finish paying for the tornado damage we suffered a couple of weeks ago I can finsh paying for this rifle and finally get to shoot it.

Jerry Liles
Jerry Liles

I picked up a coil-spring Low Wall that had been turned into a Hornet on the cheap, tangs bent like a banana peel, SST innards removed, barrel & forearm from a Stevens 22 RF. Stock looked awful but fit me. Now has a half-round #3 Douglas barrel with a false muzzle, 28-30 Stevens, Redfield Olympic iron sights, scope blocks for Unertl. Awful stock now has a large Swiss buttplate.

This is strictly a 200-yard offhand rifle. Not beautiful, just my toy.

All - Thanks for sharing I know I learn a lot from the experiences that you all share.

Steven - The narrative of the Hi-Wall build is really informative and makes total sense as you play "follow along".
It really turned out greater than the sum of its parts, I think that really takes something good to great.

Thanks all!

Still hanging fire on two projects: the G&H-style Krag sporter for which all the metal work is done (new Criterion barrel cut to 24", Lyman 48, etc.), stock work moving forward with steel grip cap and butt plate acquired from Michael's estate. Savage 1899 takedown with multi barrel setup is lagging behind though. I switched horses mid-stream and went with a pre-WWI style perch belly pistol grip stock and crescent steel buttplate, with rounded ebony grip cap- which slowed things down a bit. Another roadblock was the decision to include a heavier longer barrel along with the other 20" long takedown barrels, which necessitates a separate fore end with takedown latch. 24" .30-30 barrel, with .22 HiPower and .25-35 20" barrels. Multiple magazine rotors (which are cartridge specific) compound the issue of switching barrels, too, which means a minor PIA when changing over. One Lyman #30� tang sight to service all barrels.

Having gone without a paycheck these last two months due to hip replacement+recovery is the main culprit. Back in the game though and these two projects are getting new life breathed into them- completion (and pics) soon, hopefully!

I just finished re-assembling a Meriden Model 15 pump .22 that I upgraded w/some engraving & slow rust blued the metal. The rifle has a nice deluxe (?)checkered butt stock on it that I left as-is other than a light cleaning and wipe down. Forend is original but plain grooved type,,not checkered.

It had a Lyman tang and early Lyman 17 front site on it.The metal had all been horribly buffed and hot re-blued, the wood left alone,, thankfully.
Bought as a parts gun, dis-assembled and in a box. It was all there in the end. But I took a chance buying it not really knowing if in fact all the necessary parts were. I figured the sights alone were worth what the asking price was at the time, so another project was added to the shelf.
Then I misplaced the butt stock for several years,,delaying any work on it that much longer!

They take a long time to get to it seems but semi-retirement helps now.
I'll try and get some pics posted,,but no promises. No techy for sure.

A Savage 1899 'C'grade, a couple of S&W projects, a Rigby 500x3 DR restoration, a first year Remington Model 1894 D grade restoration,,,, and on and on it goes.
Probably not enough time left to do them all.

That's a nice High Wall in a great cartridge. My "projects" aren't nearly so involved because I lack the skills.....and the change. I just finished up load development for a Franz Jaeger, 16 X 16 over 9 X 57R. There's a bit of rear sight work to do on the drilling, which is about the extent of my abilities.

I have on the way a Koerner drilling in 16 X 16 over some 11 mm cartridge. Determining the cartridge will be the first order of business, then actual bore size and on to reloading dies and bullet molds. If it is indeed a 11.15 X 60R I'm pretty well set up already, depending on bore diameter. From the pictures the shotgun barrels appear to be beautiful Damascus and the drilling is not Nitro proofed so my favorite propellant, black powder, will be where I start load development. Those aren't a lot when compared to the wonderful sounding projects in the thread but it keeps me occupied and out of the bars....as if I went to a bar anyway...lol