| Project by Texasgaloot | posted 88 days ago | 233 views | 0 times favorited | 10 comments | ![]() |
Many years ago I had a neighbor who had purchased this old Chliean Mauser from our Government, and purchased a stock blank from Herter’s back when it was in business (the 1960’s.) His intention was to sporterize a high-quality rifle without needing to pay for a big name. He didn’t move very quickly on the project, because all he had accomplished was having a gunsmith weld on a new bolt handle, bob about 4” off the barrel, and to rout an overly-huge channel for the barrel and receiver. He got discouraged, let it set until he was too old to work on it again, and then sold it to me. I shaped the stock, added the maple embellishments, butt pad, and sling swivels, and reworked the wood-to-metal fit. The receiver is Acra-glassed into the stock. The only thing I used my table saw for was to get a clean, square cut for the butt pad and forend cap. Note the undercut cheekrest—I think I was trying to make it look a little more European at the time. It turns out that it’s a pretty good shooter, if I do my part! The stock itself is a wonderful piece of highly figured walnut and the forend cap and pistol grip caps are both maple. Finish is multiple (30+ coats of tung oil/varnish.)
-- There's no tool like an old tool...
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10 comments so far
trifern
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2171 posts in 168 days
posted 88 days ago
Excellent attention to details. I love the contrasting woods.
-- Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit.
GaryK
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8243 posts in 389 days
posted 88 days ago
Very nice looking job! I have a fantastic looking walnut stock I have been working on to replace the plastic
one on my Weatherby. I’ll get it done one of these days.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
jockmike2
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3833 posts in 647 days
posted 88 days ago
I’m redoing an old Steven 30-30 and a A-K 47, so it does’nt look so scary to people. Actually that AK is pretty accurate, you’d be surprised. If you get one of the pre bans without the chrome barrels they’re pretty good rifles. Thats a great job of redoing an old gun. What’s the caliber? mike
-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com
pappyjohn
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138 posts in 114 days
posted 88 days ago
Lovely Stock, nice touch with the maple for the highlights, the cheekrest looks fantastic. One question though whats ACRA-glassed, I was going to ask if you had routed the insides out for the receiver, or how you did it. We’ll both have to wait to see Gary’s stock, he does exceptional work also. Well Tex take care and keep them projects coming.
-- Your Brother in WoodWorking John, Pittsburgh , PA.
Texasgaloot
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200 posts in 101 days
posted 88 days ago
Jockmike2: This one is in 7mm Mauser, as it was made originally for the Chilean Army. That makes it a model 95, with the smaller receiver rings, and predecessor to the ‘98, many of which were in 8mm Mauser but are often found rebarreled into .30-06. I don’t care to work that hard to absorb that kind of punishment, personally. The older AK’s can be great rifles—dandy on, say, a Texas ranch such as where I live taking care of the daggone wild hogs that pull fences and calves alike down.
Pappyjohn: Acra-glassing is sort of a “kleenex” brand name for a poly-resin product and process. When I obtained the stock, it had been over-hogged and the let-in, as gunsmiths call it, was far too loose of a fit. The Acra-glass kit comes with a release agent, which you paint on the metal parts you don’t wish to make a permanent fixture of the stock, including and especially the stock screws, the stock is hogged out sufficiently to ensure that no receiver metal will touch wood except in perhaps two spots (front and rear) which sort of define the receiver’s elevation within the wood, and then resin is “buttered” into the stock. The barrelled receiver is then squished in to it’s future final resting place, the resin is allowed to dry, the barrelled receiver is removed and the release agent cleaned from it, and the barrelled receiver can then be replaced in the stock. Bob’s your uncle, as they say. You end up with a rifle that is in fact more accurate and more pleasant overall than you started with. WWW.Brownells.com.
You all are very kind, and are certainly feeding my eccentricities and idiosyncracies!
Mack
-- There's no tool like an old tool...
ChicoWoodnut
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416 posts in 216 days
posted 88 days ago
That’s really nice. Looks a lot like my 8mm. These are really nice rifles.
-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net
GaryK
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8243 posts in 389 days
posted 88 days ago
Well you got me going here. It took me a while but I finally found my stock. I lost it during my move
a couple of years ago. It’s already glass bedded with a floating barrel. I just need to do the final sanding
and finish. I’ll post it when I get it done.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
Texasgaloot
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200 posts in 101 days
posted 87 days ago
Cool, GaryK. I’m anxious to see it!
-- There's no tool like an old tool...
Douglas Bordner
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2286 posts in 464 days
posted 86 days ago
That’s a handsome long arm you’ve got there. Nice work.
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.
mikebremner
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4 posts in 66 days
posted 62 days ago
A really nice piece of work – its great to see people doing something different with woodwork (the gun laws here in the UK mean this kind of thing doesnt happen over here).
-- Mike, Hawick-Scotland, www.mikebremner.com