.458 winchester silk purse from a sows ear project

[CZDiesel]

Very nice work! Definitely looks better with the restain

 

[ChrisG]

Very nice work! Definitely looks better with the restain

Thanks! It actually wasn't a restain. The color becomes more vibrant as the oil is built up on the surface and polished!

 

[CZDiesel]

Well it definitely looks great! Beautiful work!

 

[ChrisG]

HERE SHE IS! 2 YEARS!!!! Finally, all done!! I still have to get my Talley's in and mount a Leupold VXIII 1.5-5 on it, but it is shootable just the way it is. Maybe I'll add a NECG peep sight and call it good. I'll take some pics shooting it if the rain ever stops here... Thank you, everyone, for all the helpful comments and encouragement! For the first time in probably 35 years, this rifle finally looks as close to an english heavy bolt gun as I can make it!

 

[cash_tx]

Congratulations, and she looks fantastic! You should be very proud.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Congrats! It looks like a fine vintage magazine rifle. The checkering turned out great.

 

[DieJager]

Beautiful, thanks for letting us go with you on the journey

 

[ChrisG]

Congrats! It looks like a fine vintage magazine rifle. The checkering turned out great.

I get better at it the more I do it, that's for sure! I finished last night, oiled the checkering, and just sat there holding it for a while. It definitely isn't a London's best, but I am very excited to finally have a reasonable facsimile of a big bore with English contours! I would love a real antique Rigby someday with some history, but for now, I am going to use this to get some game!

 

[Altitude sickness]

Doing your own less than perfect.

is better than buying someone else’s perfect

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I get better at it the more I do it, that's for sure! I finished last night, oiled the checkering, and just sat there holding it for a while. It definitely isn't a London's best, but I am very excited to finally have a reasonable facsimile of a big bore with English contours! I would love a real antique Rigby someday with some history, but for now, I am going to use this to get some game!

@ChrisG It may not be a Rigby with some history.

To me it is better. YOU did the work and made what You wanted. Now you can make your own history with it and be able to tell that history first hand. Doing something yourself gives more satisfaction than owning something someone else has made memorable things with.
You have done a great job now go and make your own history with that lovely rifle then tell the kids and grandchildren about YOUR adventures.
Bob

 

[ChrisG]

@ChrisG It may not be a Rigby with some history.

To me it is better. YOU did the work and made what You wanted. Now you can make your own history with it and be able to tell that history first hand. Doing something yourself gives more satisfaction than owning something someone else has made memorable things with.
You have done a great job now go and make your own history with that lovely rifle then tell the kids and grandchildren about YOUR adventures.
Bob

... plus, it isn't as disheartening when I scratch it because I know how to repair it!

 

[F. Vaccaro]

Beautiful rifle enjoy!

 

[ChrisG]

Beautiful rifle enjoy!

Thank you! It's the end of bear season here, so I might just have to knock a couple of coyotes down with it just so it gets some use

 

[Henry McCann]

Just read this thread...I'll just add to the chorus of beautiful and congratulations! You persevered while building a house, (I've built a house it was long and at times arduous), and all of life's other ups and downs and ending up with a remarkable rifle.

 

[6.5 wildcatter]

Fantastic work! Really like your taste in classical rifles and the fact that you’ll hunt with your own handiwork. Can’t beat that. Kudos!!

 

[Aaron N]

Factories hot blue their parts using a caustic nitrate bath at around 300°F. I don't have that setup ( it is wayyy too dangerous and caustic for a "home hobby"). But it does blue almost any ferrous metal. I am using the rust blue method which is a much higher end finish on gunmetal, but it can be finicky. My issue is that I hacked the bolt handle off the Whitworth and TIG welded on a turned bolt knob... likely of different metal, and it isn't taking a blue. I did about 12 coats on it and, while it will get a darker tint, it rubs right off with your fingers after a few bolt cycles.

I read somewhere that this TIG rod takes bluing

Tartan TIG Alloy - Rockmount Research and Alloys

For mild and medium alloy steels. Tartan TIG may be used for a wide variety of mild to medium alloy carbon steels, producing sound porosity-free welds. With Tartan TIG , X-ray quality welds are readily obtained without extraordinary techniques even on difficult to weld steels. Tartan TIG...

rockmountwelding.com