doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Dakota model 10s?

CJF: Completely understandable! I own two DAKOTA 76's myself, one a 1986 vintage 30/06 fully loaded with extras that I even steven traded DON ALLEN for who I knew personally, a cased Parker I picked up in Florida FOR A DARN GOOD PRICE. Also a 2nd one, 1993 vintage .280 REM. standard configuration with xxxx wood and a straddle-in the bow, floorplate release but topped with a Leupold LPS 4.5-14 $1200 SCOPE. It had been hunted once by an insurance executive who only "wanted the best" but decided he didn't like sitting in the cold, waiting foe something to show up! He decided he NEEDED a Corvette and told me he had the rifle, scope with 6 boxes of Federal Premium Ammo, a Boyt SLING AND CASE, all of which he had paid $4875 and "he had to have $2000 out of it!". I looked offended but told him I understood his "need for speed" and wrote him a check for the outrageous amount he was asking! He walked off chuckling at the country bumpking I was. When I looked in the gun case later, I found out he forgot to mention, a receipt that showed he paid a top gunsmith in Atlanta to do a further tuneup of the trigger and sight it in for him, for another $250. I went to the range and noticed 6 cartridges missing from one of the ammo boxes and thought "WON'T BE SIGHTED IN VERY GOOD" First 3 shots from a clean barrel at 100 yds. went in .453 ins., the next 3 .389. The moral of the story CAVEAT EMPTOR ...LET THE BUYER BEWARE...BUT NOT AT RETAIL! Jerry

The Dakota #10 is a fine rifle. When creating a custom with I have found a variety of alterations I think add to the functionality and esthetic including a new trigger guard that I have had cast in my mold, new trigger that I manufacture, etc, etc. I also reshaped the actions.

The company provided two sets of parts including new breechblocks with the new style less breakable firing pins. They were doing factory conversions at that time.
There are pictures of two or three custom jobs. on my web site.

I've done four complete custom jobs on Dakota #10, one is pictured on the cover and with multiple photos in Custom Rifles in Black & White
(My Ruger 30-400 and a 7X65R )...


.257 Roberts

Your D10 modifications are a distinct improvement on the original. I never liked the original underlever - it looked like an afterthought they just threw on. That sidelever is sweet. What did the factory think of them?

I got to thinking about the ideal small-medium single shot caliber, and every one I dreamed up had already been invented. I thought I had invented the .303 necked down to 6mm, only to discover it was already called the 6mm Musgrave.

(Plain old .30-30 wouldn't be bad - you could really punch it up in a strong action and use some of those modern pointy bullets.)

I've owned two, currently only one and they are wonderful and highly accurate, perhaps the most accurate single shots I've ever owned. My only complaint is somewhat heavy trigger, although crisp, and the relative difficulty with adjustment.

FYI they currently are owned by Remington/ Cerburus Capitol although it seems allowing operations to continue without interference.

I have found the 303 case just necked down to a 22 or an improved 6mm very accurate in a single shot.

The rifle arrived today at my local shop and it's sitting here at home now. I'm very happy with the wood and build quality. Barrel is 28" to breach block. Hooded front sight, express rib, quick detach rings and a 1.5-4.5 scope. Weight is 9 pounds with the scope.

I have not tried the trigger yet as I do not have snap caps yet for the 45-70 round.

The rear sight is missing from the rib, but from talking with Dakota today, that would not be a problem and I knew it was missing beforehand.

I have two concerns that I would welcome any thoughts on. First is about how deeply the block falls within its mortise when the lever is fully forward. The block's top surface is roughly 1/8" below the channel cut for feeding the cartridges to the chamber, and I'm worried extracted cases will hang up here on the back edge of the block mortise.

This picture shows the block retracted.
[img:left][/img]

The second concern is about how much resistance the lever gives when starting and completing the open/close arc. This seems much different than the few I had handled in the past. Can this be adjusted by Dakota?

[img:left][URL=http://s376.photobucket.com/user/returnspring/media/Dakota%20Model%2010%20in%2045-70/DSC_04271.jpg.html][/URL[/img]

A few more pics

[img:left][/img]

[img:left][/img]

I believe if you check (what we call today) the .25-Krag you will find it and .257 Roberts both hold about the same grains of water.

The first .25-Krag (different name back then) that used factory bullets and a normal chamber was made for Ned Roberts in 1910. Niedner and Mann were using the Krag necked down to take the .25 caliber Base-Band bullets. This was expensive for all the tools, Roberts wanted to use factory bullets.

See what I mean? I can't invent anything!

Sounds like a wonderful little cartridge - would be slick in a Low Wall or maybe a Maynard set up for deer hunting...

CJF - congratulations on your new rifle. That's a beautiful stock - is it original Dakota work? If not, who stocked it? Who did the case colors?

Mentioning the 1/8" lip, I imagine that a quick flick to the right would throw the extracted case free of the action, much the same as with extractor doubles. If needed, picking the casing out should become instinctive after a few rounds. The big rim on a 45-70 will make an easy grab handle.

28" barrel? That's amazingly long on a drop block - I'd love to see a full length photo of it.