BRNO Fox Model 2 .222 refurb!

bewsher500

Well-Known Member
I have done it again! bought a rifle and couldnt help myself but strip it and refurb it!

I decided I needed a dedicated foxing calibre.
Criteria were:
1) Centrefire (have been shooting most of my foxes with a variety of rimfire rounds at short range but am running out of stupid foxes)
2) less than .243 (already have one and apart from the noise I need something a little lighter in all respects as I shoot a lot of urban areas)
3) magazine fed
4) quiet as possible preferably already screwcut in 1/2UNF

I decided a .222 fed on 50gr VMax would be just the ticket
after much searching and taking advice on those who know more I plumped on a BRNO Fox Model 2, 5 shot mag, enclosed receiver, double set trigger, walnut stock etc etc

had a few to choose from but found 2 over in Ayrshire.
I picked the one with the youngest date stamp, smoothest cycling, best wood and nicer bolt handle style. It had a problem with the set trigger in the shop and was marked down as a result. even came with a decent Tasco scope.

005-10.jpg


006-7.jpg


007-5.jpg


first things first.
2.5" barrel chop, 1/2" UNF screw cut and new 11deg crown courtesy of J Russell (F/A) Ltd Whitburn
next day service and a fine job.
probably could have gone to 3-3.5" CHOP if I had thought about it as I want something pointable.

014-3.jpg


next I decided that I didnt like the profile of the agricultural bolt handle so it met with the bench grinder and lots of sandpaper:

before:

018-4.jpg


020-3.jpg



after:

021-1.jpg


022.jpg


next all parts stripped to components, polished and degreased ready for hot caustic bluing:

023.jpg


after:

030.jpg


027.jpg


026-1.jpg


I need a new extractor collar but have sourced one new from Edgar Brothers as they are identical to the CZ527!
£10 it will be here tomorrow!

The barrel went in the bluing tank tonight (after rather irritatingly dinging the new crown on the very outer edge!)

This is what a screwcut barrel and thread protector looks like after going through a hot caustic bluing tank!
Can you see the deliberate mistake!?

036-2.jpg


apparently the thread protector was aluminium.....was being the operative word!

It is a bit short in the LOP for my Orang Utan arms so I removed the nasty plastic butt plate and ground a 1" block of rubber to fit and contoured it slightly. I now mounts perfectly. The solid rubber was a little heavy so I drilled some "vents" in it which made a bit of difference to the balance.

before:
001-8.jpg


002-11.jpg


I stripped the lacquer off the wood, sanded it down with increasingly fine paper down to 1200 grit.
Preferring darker wood I stained it rather than Alaknet'd it and then sanded down again.
about 10 coats of Phillips Walnut Oil preparation later and it looks like this:

039.jpg


042.jpg


040.jpg


041-1.jpg


A dab of "Raven Red Revlon nail varnish" to replace the "Fire" indicator and its nearly there!!

043.jpg
 
Nice refurb. Going by the photos, I'm not quite so sure about the rubberwork but the bluing looks really good.

I've a Sako trigger guard/mag floorplate that need re-done. Are you taking in work by any chance?
 
Nice work, do you do your own bluing? Ive had a go on an old shotgun barell that I did with the cold stuff. It came out ok but I would like to learn more about the Hot method.
 
ha ha, not sure about the rubber work myself!
needed the length and couldnt fine a recoil pad thick enough

I thought about leaving it flat as a spacer and refitting the plastic factory plate, but it is such a nasty bit of plastic I left the rubber.
The holes were function over form but I have another piece that I am working on in the meantime.

do my own bluing now, not as tricky as it sounds and the chemicals are easy to get hold of.
lots of recipes on the web but to be honest I have no idea what proportion mine is now as it has been topped up and added to over the last few times.

had a bugger of a time finding rings for a 30mm tube and a 15/16mm BRNO rail
 
Nice work, do you do your own bluing? Ive had a go on an old shotgun barell that I did with the cold stuff. It came out ok but I would like to learn more about the Hot method.

Have sent you a link that I gave Ed to start him on the road regarding home bluing/blacking
 
If it shoots as good as it looks your onto a winner ! bewsher smart look'n wee rifle.

A handy tip (revlon to highlight the safety)

Rgds, Buck.
 
Mate that looks like a Sweet Rig.
I am also have long Neanderthal Arms and have done the solid rubber But plate. Whilst not the most attractive they provide a solid non slip mount in the shoulder. Recently I have used a $1 rubber Thong, the black single plugger comes with a built in White line spacer. Less dense rubber and work well. I have that pad on my 1710 Anshutz
I used to have a Brno Mod 2 Fox K Hornet. The one with the ball bolt handle as opposed to the spoon. Great rifle but the barrel was a bit pitted and I went to Madco to put a 20 Cal barrel on it and make a 20 K Hornet. This was in 2004 and Madco were not yet making 20 Cal Barrels.
Great work and beautiful bluing on the bolt handle. If you grind it down even more you can mount the scope even lower.
 
well I christened it yesterday.

WOW!
its quieter than a supersonic rimfire! I shot a .22WMR last night using the same moderator and it is definitely noisier than the .222.

I was just zeroing it but it shot a very tight group off the bipod with some Privi factory 50gr SP's before I discovered a scope mount issue. I ran out of elevation adjustment! Not sure why but once that is fettled I will move on to the VMax "roll-your-owns"
 
Nicely done. I'd have been tempted to put a ball or something on the bolt handle. Bluing looks nice.
 
Nicely done. I'd have been tempted to put a ball or something on the bolt handle. Bluing looks nice.

just drill and tab to fit a new bolt knob or weld a new one on and file to fit a smoot transition. should be easy enough to do.
 
actually though about that but quite like the profile now.
its almost a "rimfire" cycle to eject, no effort or leverage required
 
i had the very same model shoots a dream with 50gr speer sp and 19.6 grains of reloader 7. only a few down sides to the brono fox 222 the trigger its fu--ing dangerous i only had to touch the front blade when it was set and bang it would go off did try to adjust it not much luck there. and also the mag catch yes the strip of steel has a habit of falling out but boy did i love that rifle shoot a lot of things on four legs with it and no runners . ps i am still sorting your cases
 
its my first double set trigger but I have to say I quite like it.
played around polishing and cleaning it.

Screw adjuster is now much easier to tweak, goes from a true hair trigger which I dont doubt would be lethal if left like that cocked.
to a nice light trigger pull like a single stage.
other option is just to use front trigger as single stage which is firm but still less than most factory triggers.


the lethal bit IMO is if the bolt is lifted half way (so it is up but cant slide back) and the trigger pulled it will snap the bolt forward/down and fire.

I have considered making mine so it can be locked to safe and allow the bolt to be opened.
(i.e safe can be left on at all times)
easy to do and safer IMO
 
Back
Top