A 1916 Erfurt Small Ring project

[enysse]

The wood is going to look very pretty!

 

[nztimb]

I just got an email from the GS tyo check before he welded the trigger parts and to say he re ground the action bridge before D&T for the bases as it had not been ground concentric to the bore line but while he didn't mention having done the barrel etc I would have to think that would be done before any of the ancilliary parts would be looked at.
In my dreams I see it being done in this comming week. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[nztimb]

Home from the gunsmith with the bits done that needed to be done so I can finish the stockwork. It will go back afterward for the polish and blue and the cartridge engraved on the barrel. Very pleased with it and couldn;t help but to sit it into the wood as far as no barrel channel would allow just to see it in one piece---sort of.

 

[nztimb]

It was a very heavy frost this morning and really a bit cold to be in the unheated shed but having waited to get the B/A back I was anxious to get the barrel inlet done so after a quick breakfast I made a start.
A preliminary track was made so I could sit the B/A in place and mark the lines in

And half the barrel dia marked n the end to get the depth of the inlet at this point


So with a bit of smoke to guide me I made a start. Having said that this piece of wood has fiddleback so I couldn't use a chisel accross the grain and waves along the chanel so I couldn't use gouges or even my barrel end scrapers along the channel without it chipping the grain out (you can see this in the previous two pics) so it was a case of 60 grip emery round various round dowels to remove the wood without damage to the finish lines I neede to keep sharp.

It took 6 hours to get it done but eventually it all settled into place

After that I got the piece of horn doweled into place and cramped up for the night.

 

[nztimb]

Got the horn tip inlet this morning and have run the forend through the bandsaw so it is ready for the shaping process now. This was a piece of horn I didn't think I would be able to use because of the slight curve and the end of the interior hollow of the horn which made it necessary to set it to one side that in itself threatened the runout through the curve. The interior hole was larger than the barrel diameters I had been using on other rifles but this one is just slightly heavier at the point where it meets the tip and I also shortened the wood part by another 1/4 inch so that with carefull placement it was able to be used.

 

[nztimb]

Have finished for the day and will not be ble to get back to it for a few days now but quite pleased with how it has shaped up. It has fulfilled the original design concept I had and at 6lb 9oz with the Talley aperture sight installed but without ammo it is going to be a nice fast handling hill rifle. The balance pount is a 1/4 in behind the front action screw so it will be very pointable with a very quick mount. The stock wood has more than lived up to what it promised in the blank with really nice colours with the marble cake and fiddleback really showing through now.
Using a length of 60 grit emery strap and a showshine action (after I have run the corners off with the hand plane (equal number of strokes at the same angle on each side till it is somewhat rough shaped) is the most effective and accurate way to get the underside of the forestock nicely rounded. When the shoeshine takes it back to there being no flat on the underside it will be nearly perfectly rounded. Then the top edge and side face can be gently radiused so it gives a slightly radiused side to the stock and in to about a 1/16 of wood left along the barrel channel edge.

 

[stug]

Lookin very nice!

 

[DM Shooting]

Looking good and very good write up.

 

[nztimb]

The last few days have seen the stock refined and reshaped a couple of times. It has been sanded through 100, 150, 220, and 360 grits then wetted and 360 sanded twice and the same with 600 grit paper so it is ready for the finish now and that will start with about 4-5 coats of 75/25 turps/spar varnish and then a couple of 50/50 coats (sanded with 600grit paper between coats) to seal the surface from the inside. The finish will be straight tung oil for as many coats as it takes to get it right then a rub off with rottenstone and it should be good to go.

I am waiting for a new extended left side flag safety to arrive so all the metalwork can go back to the GS fitting, getting the cartridge engraved on the barrel and the blueing done. Fortunately we are in mid winter and while I look forward to having it completed, the weather is not condusive to extended testing of loads etc. I will probably get the brass fireformed and leave the load testing for better conditions, besides which the high country I like to hunt is not excessible till about november anyway so I have time to find a load it likes with a 139gn privi partisan and the 120gn TTSX. QL is telling me I can run the 139gn bullet to 2800fps (H4350) and the 120gn to 2950fps (H414) with a 57k psi redline so ther is plenty of performance to tap into.

 

[nztimb]

I have the rifle at a state where I can get some pics with the intention of showing just how nice this piece of wood really is. Still in the white and will be till the extended flag safety and the Talley qd rings arrive then it can go back to the GS for polish and blue.By then the canvas sling on order from South Africa should be here and the rifle will be ready for some amunition trials.
It is near mid winter here and so these pics had to be taken on the porch with the weak sunlight offering little in the way of good light (along with my old cell ph). Whern it is all finished I will get a friend with a decent camera to try for better pics but in the meantime this is what I can post.

 

[nztimb]

 

[stug]

Beautiful!! The only problem for you now is deciding whether to take the 7x57 or 6.5x57.

 

[nztimb]

Hah, be no contest for the first couple of trips as this one really deserves to be blooded

 

[Clayton]

Beautiful. Your workmanship and that piece of wood belong together. Again, beautiful.

 

[rookhawk]

@Von Gruff I've really enjoyed your progress. I have a question, won't the flag safety interfere with your aspirations for a scope mount system using Talley rings unless you do very high rings?

Why'd you decide with an extended flag in lieu of a Winchester 70 style safety? Just curious as to your answer because as a traditionalist I'd prefer a flag on my guns but thought it would be impossible with a scope?

 

[Therack]

I have enjoyed following the progress. Nicely done, sir.

 

[nztimb]

@Von Gruff I've really enjoyed your progress. I have a question, won't the flag safety interfere with your aspirations for a scope mount system using Talley rings unless you do very high rings?

Why'd you decide with an extended flag in lieu of a Winchester 70 style safety? Just curious as to your answer because as a traditionalist I'd prefer a flag on my guns but thought it would be impossible with a scope?

The extended flag safety is designed to work with a scope and I have one on my 7x57 as well although the bolt handle on this rifle has neccessitated a higher ring height than I would have liked although it is still not overly high


This is the bolt handle on my 7x57 with quite a long root to it before the handle was welded on.


For the 6.5x57 I asked the GS to shorten the bolt root so as the meeting point of the bolt root and the handle would be at the edge of the bridge and this will allow for the low Talleys that I have ordered.


You can see from this angle that the bolt when it is sliding back is lower than the bases so the .3 height (lowest) of the Talleys is going to give me over an 1/8 in clearance on the scope as I set it up on blocks before I ordered the rings to check which height I would need.

 

[DM Shooting]

That looking very nice now, I like the blind magazine it allows a much more pleasing stock shape.

Interested to see what chequering pattern you go for.

 

[nztimb]

There wont be any checkering on this one as it is something I cant do and the expense of getting it done outweighs the practical aspect of it and while the visual is enhanced I have never yet found any uncheckered stock to be any hinderence to good handling, even in extreme heat. With this though is the proviso that the stock is made to suit my hands and ashooting style.
Having said that if I was able to justify the cost of getting it done it would very traditional like this 350 Rigby but maybe with it being square fronted as it came up against the forend tip

 

[DM Shooting]

If you can shape that stock you can teach you self the chequer it's not over complicated just attention to detail.