Lockdown Project

[Heym SR20]

First the Inspiration:



The base rifle is a Remington 700 SPS varmint in 223. It will be a gentrified 1960s Varmint / Sniper rifle - if you like an Officers Sniper Rifle.

 

[Heym SR20]

 

[Outback]

Very rewarding project .

 

[Heym SR20]

And after lots of looking at the blank given to me by a good friend, some sharp gouges

 

[Heym SR20]

Using smoky candle and time to let in the action and magazine box

 

[takbok]

That's looking great. Keep up the good work.

Looking forward to seeing it finished.

 

[Heym SR20]

Have chosen to use a blind magazine so its nice and rounded through the whole stock especially at point of balance.

And definately not using the original bottom plastic - no not really metal - something cheap and nasty.

So a bit of scrounging Edinburgh Rifles gave me a scrap bottom metal off an old Mauser. It had been cannibalised for its floor plate and catch.

After a bit of cutting, welding and filing latet

 

[VSS]

Great stuff!
Going to start something similar myself soon, so please keep the photos coming a few steps ahead of me!

 

[Heym SR20]

And now the hard part cutting out the dtock shape. I went in from top of blank so if i messed it up i could slice the top of and start again.

 

[Heym SR20]

So to making it work - inletting the trigger system. - slow and irritating.

Also cleaned up barrel chanel so its free floating. Useing a scraper gets a really good finish. Woodcis wonderful colour.

Just need to inlet trigger guard and make an escutcheon/ pillar for for front screw, and then some filing. Oh and use a bit of bedding compound around the action. Then go and plink some gongs or take a Roe buck.

And thanks to all those who have given advice and help.

 

[Mike L]

Following with much interest and baited breath !!

 

[User00040]

Did you find a vintage scope and mounts?

 

[Donnachaidh]

That is some task you've taken on, but it's looking good already....I shudder to think what the result would be if I tried to restock one of mine. I'll be following this thread with interest and admiration.

 

[Heym SR20]

It’s been a while since I have had time to do much. Life has been getting in the way. Not always to the good.

But over last few days have made substantial progress. I wasn’t quite happy at the original depth of the inletting. Looked at lots pictures and a few rifles. mine looked OK - but it really needed to go down another 1.5mm. The lettering was a bit high above the wood.

here is the before



and then after quite a bit of reworking including dropping the magazine box

 

[Heym SR20]

I needed to seat the trigger guard a little deeper as well. And then for the front escutcheon. It is a simple little metal socket. Would take less an hour on a lathe. I know people with lathes but they are all many hours drive away. Or are running them professionally. I tried but failed with empty cartridge cases.

Then i was looking at an old rivetting dolly from my tool box. My grandfather made this 70 odd years ago for seating copper roves on copper rivets to hold planking of boats together. I still use it when redoing rivets on my boat.


I could see an escutcheon in their somewhere. It’s always been a little long. So with the hand drill bored hole diameter of the screw head about 5mm deep. And then from the centre lengthed the hole till it was about 12mm deep.

The outside diameter was still far too large. A bit of exercise with the large bastard cut file I had the reduced down to rough size, albeit in a multifaced fashion. Cut it off with a hacksaw. With a countersunk headed machine screw and nut as a mounting - counter sink will always centre, chucked it in the drill clamped in the vice and turned it up with aid of a file, finished with 200 grit emery paper.

Action is now secure in place. I will put some pillars in later, but first want to do the rough shaping.

 

[takbok]

Looks great! Shout if you need pillars, epoxy for bedding or anything else - I've got a nice lathe sitting idle here.

 

[Heym SR20]

Looks great! Shout if you need pillars, epoxy for bedding or anything else - I've got a nice lathe sitting idle here.

Thanks for the offer. Would love a little lathe, but don’t have anywhere for one. Must admit I always surprise myself with what you can do with good files and a bit of elbow grease. Hardly surprising though when you think that in the old days guns were made from rough forgings and then filing. And if you look at a clock from the 1600 or 1700s all the cogs etc were done by hand.

 

[Heym SR20]

I found this little film very useful - all the secrets of draw filing. Saves a huge amount of time getting a decent and accurate fit and finish

 

[takbok]

Thanks for the offer. Would love a little lathe, but don’t have anywhere for one. Must admit I always surprise myself with what you can do with good files and a bit of elbow grease. Hardly surprising though when you think that in the old days guns were made from rough forgings and then filing. And if you look at a clock from the 1600 or 1700s all the cogs etc were done by hand.

Yes, can't beat a bit of hacksawing and fettling by hand! Very rewarding. I've been draw filing a hefty little EN19T part recently to remove the tool marks which is so satisfying.

Combined with a small milling attachment and lots of free time it's amazing what you can do with a lathe though.

 

[JockStalk]

Fantastic work - pretty daunting task to take on!
Something wrong with your bolt though. Best sort that before you get too far