Dumoulin Centurion

[VertigoBE]

In order to have my messages on this exquisite rifle no longer muddle the good gun deals thread, I created this new thread.

Just some pictures to get started

 

[VertigoBE]

Hello @Red Leg, @rookhawk, all,

(I've put questions in italic, the information is normal font)

Now that we moved to the new house and there are no more inlaws around, I finally got around to weighing the rifle:

Rifle, unloaded, no scope, no sling: 3.95Kg or 8.64 pounds
Rifle, unloaded, with scope, no sling: 4.43Kg or 9.76 pounds
Rifle, unloaded, with scope, with sling: 4.67Kg or 10.3 pounds

Together with @rookhawk we determined it is a cock on open mauser action. It is very stiff to cock and operate. I will have a gunsmith take a look, if this can be in any way lightened or smoothened.

The bolt handle, due to the way it is bent, and being relatively short, means there is not much space between it and the rear-bell of the optic. Together with the very stiff cocking, this means that fast cycling is not going to be possible for the moment, for a quick second shot.

It does look like a bespoke Dumoulin Centurion, however I do not believe it to be a 'best' gun, as the wood to metal inletting is not always superb.

I have noticed that the forearm is touching the barrel lightly on the left side, with a slightly larger gap on the right side. It could be that the wood fore-end warped a bit after being in typical Belgian weather. Something for the gunsmith to take a look at. In any case, this will be a dry weather rifle only. There is too much moisture in the air here.

The claw mount seems to have a burr inside of some sorts, causing it to sometimes be impossible to remove it. I'll have the gunsmith take a look at that too.

There are some dents, dings, scratches in the wood. @rookhawk suggested to have the finish removed and layer up with rotten stone, slacum and oil. But best done by a professional I believe.

As I cycle the rifle unloaded, to get a feel for it (honestly, just enjoying handling this new rifle), I notice that the bolt hits the magazine follower each time, is this normal?

From the proofmarks, which were not stamped very clearly on one side, I believe there is a letter "H", which would make this a 1992 rifle. (so 29-30yo)

The ammunition I purchased for it, are two boxes of twenty rounds from the same lot of RWS 7x64 KS.

Overall, extremely happy with this rifle. The engraving is far more exquisite than the pictures first did justice. And the sight alignment with my right eye is something to try to be believed. Look at the target, bring the gun up and the cross hairs are exactly on target. Zero adjustment of the head necessary. It points better than my Beretta Silver Pigeon.

If you would like any other specific pictures, let me know! (No shooting yet though, as I first want to have it checked out in a proper gunstore).

Usually hunting rifles around here are zeroed for about 5cm/2inch high at 100m, so they are on the money at 200m and a few cm/inches low at 300m. However I'm wondering if with such a 1.5-4.5x18 straight tube Zeiss Diavari-C it would be perhaps better to have it shooting flat at 150m (i'm unlikely to ever attempt a 200m shot with it) and thus be a bit closer to zero on the 50 and 100m.

Cheers !

So before going on a 2-day wild boar hunt this weekend (unsuccessfully however, but I had a great time) I went by the gun store, and had the Dumoulin looked over. The owner (trained at the Liège gun school) was quite impressed, and wanted to look the rifle over personally. Not one of his many employees.

He took the barrel+action out of the wood stock and sanded lightly the fore-end in order to not have it touching the barrel anymore. It was actually touching in three different places, all on the left side. You can barely notice the work he did on it, very minor. I wish I could have taken pictures of their "atelier", very impressive. There were two working on finishing actions for small bore sxs shot guns.

The hard lock on the optic, he told me there is not much you can do. I might insist a bit more the next time I pass by , as it currently is fully locked up again. Oh well.

For the wood, he advised Balistöl, just spray some one, rub open with your hands and then remove excess/buff it up with an old t-shirt. So that's what I'll do.

After a light cleaning, putting the rifle back together, I had it shot in, in their underground shooting range. 2.5cm (1 inch) high at 100m, wich should make it spot on at 200m, and only 1-1.5cm high at 50m.

Funny thing is that despite it being fed perhaps a new type of ammo, and numerous times the optic was put on and taken off, the very first shot was on the money already. I took the second shot, and had touching holes. So that's one excuse I will not be able to use in the future The rifle shoots.

I did not take it on the hunt however, but used my Mauser M03. The only reason is optics. Wild boar hunting over here, happens from 1hr before sunrise, until 1hr after sunset. That first and last hour are usually the moment when wild boar are seen, so a large light gathering objective is needed. (It is not allowed to use night vision devices - idiot belgian politicians) The straight tube on the Dumoulin is clearly not a good option. Another optic would be needed.

Thanks to all who have provided their knowledge and wisdom on this rifle already!

 

[VertigoBE]

Something I forgot to add.

The gunsmith is swearing by Ballistol as an oil for the wood and metal parts. So I'll be using that to layer back up the oil on the wood. @rookhawk and @Red Leg and @VonGruff (for my knives too) and any others of course. Would you have any remarks on that? Good to go? Or should I look for an alternative oil instead?

 

[Frederik]

Wow I must have missed some post tell me more about this beaut what calibre?

 

[Red Leg]

Something I forgot to add.

The gunsmith is swearing by Ballistol as an oil for the wood and metal parts. So I'll be using that to layer back up the oil on the wood. @rookhawk and @Red Leg and @VonGruff (for my knives too) and any others of course. Would you have any remarks on that? Good to go? Or should I look for an alternative oil instead?

Balistol is a great product for cleaning and protecting the rifle. Wipe wood and metal down lightly before heading out and upon return. I also use it as my bore cleaner. However, it is not the type of oil that Is used to actually finish or repair the finish of a stock. It will not build up.

i can’t tell from the photos if your rifle has an English or Continental finish to the wood. The former is a smooth, deep, low luster surface like a fine piece of antique furniture. The latter can be almost a matte surface. It is common on many German rifles. The first can be buffed and repaired with rotten stone and slakum stock oils. The latter can not, and should only be wiped down.

 

[Jörg Krüger]

Ballistoloel is very good stuff. We use is on wood and metal as well. It has even been used to treat sores in the mouth. Does not taste great ,but it works.

 

[CJW]

That is a very classy rifle. Congrats.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

After discovering Ballistol several years ago I have not bought another gun oil or wood dressing since. I have sprayed it on cuts and sores seems to do a good job of healing?

 

[VertigoBE]

Wow I must have missed some post tell me more about this beaut what calibre?

it is in 7x64 . I had proposed it in the thread "Good Gun Deals This Week" and @Red Leg and @rookhawk were both very enthusiastic about it, so I went to pick it up.

 

[VertigoBE]

Balistol is a great product for cleaning and protecting the rifle. Wipe wood and metal down lightly before heading out and upon return. I also use it as my bore cleaner. However, it is not the type of oil that Is used to actually finish or repair the finish of a stock. It will not build up.

i can’t tell from the photos if your rifle has an English or Continental finish to the wood. The former is a smooth, deep, low luster surface like a fine piece of antique furniture. The latter can be almost a matte surface. It is common on many German rifles. The first can be buffed and repaired with rotten stone and slakum stock oils. The latter can not, and should only be wiped down.

Hello @Red Leg , Thanks for this information. However I have no idea which one of the two proposed finishes it would be. It looks very smooth, a bit shiny (but not varnished). When holding the rifle in certain angles, I do see some small open pores in some spots. (don't know if that helps) Any blemishes on the wood I find, look more like indentations, rather than scratches.

I assume that either way, using the Ballistol is not going to damage the wood? It will just not build up any layers of oil on the rifle?

 

[VertigoBE]

Ballistoloel is very good stuff. We use is on wood and metal as well. It has even been used to treat sores in the mouth. Does not taste great ,but it works.

I'm not sure I'll try that on mouth sores!

seems almost like Ballistol is a miracle product, between your sores, and @Tokoloshe Safaris wounds!

The WD40 of the gun world?

 

[PARA45]

Thank you gents, I learned something new today about the good use of Ballistol.

 

[Jörg Krüger]

I'm not sure I'll try that on mouth sores!

seems almost like Ballistol is a miracle product, between your sores, and @Tokoloshe Safaris wounds!

The WD40 of the gun world?

For all you know it might work better than Pfizer or these other crap vaccines

 

[RobBrown505]

Here is a link to a pretty good analytical comparison of various CLP type products. Key tests included metal friction/wear, rust prevention and carbon removal. it is a mix of quantitative and qualitative results but I found it very informative.

 

[Red Leg]

This is an English kit that contains the three primary products to repair an actual oil finish stock.

CCL Traditional Gunstock Oil Finishing Kit | Greenfield Gunmakers

Give your gun's woodwork a traditional oil finish at home.

www.greenfieldguns.com

I buy the same kit here in the States through an advertiser associated with the "Double Gun Journal." It seems awfully small, but for repairing scratches on stocks it will last for many years.

 

[VertigoBE]

This is an English kit that contains the three primary products to repair an actual oil finish stock.

CCL Traditional Gunstock Oil Finishing Kit | Greenfield Gunmakers

Give your gun's woodwork a traditional oil finish at home.

www.greenfieldguns.com

I buy the same kit here in the States through an advertiser associated with the "Double Gun Journal." It seems awfully small, but for repairing scratches on stocks it will last for many years.

Thanks! Found it on Amazon.de as well.

 

[rookhawk]

Thanks! Found it on Amazon.de as well.

The tricky party is you'll need to wipe sparingly (swiftly?) with mineral spirits to get 30 years of grease and petrochemicals off the stock before you lay up more oil finish. Rub too hard, you'll strip the gun. Fail to degrease with mineral sprits, nothing will stick.

Once over that hurdle, you can add a few drops of oil finish like the one above to the gun every year or two and build up the grain fill that is thinning out in some areas based on the photos.

Beautiful gun.

P.S. - Ballistol is a great do-all lubricant and protector for guns. It is not similar nor sufficient for a job that requires Kroil. Both have very important uses in the gun world and both are the best at what they do.

 

[VertigoBE]

The tricky party is you'll need to wipe sparingly (swiftly?) with mineral spirits to get 30 years of grease and petrochemicals off the stock before you lay up more oil finish. Rub too hard, you'll strip the gun. Fail to degrease with mineral sprits, nothing will stick.

Once over that hurdle, you can add a few drops of oil finish like the one above to the gun every year or two and build up the grain fill that is thinning out in some areas based on the photos.

Beautiful gun.

P.S. - Ballistol is a great do-all lubricant and protector for guns. It is not similar nor sufficient for a job that requires Kroil. Both have very important uses in the gun world and both are the best at what they do.

This part really stresses me out. Using a stripping agent on the stock, not knowing how or until when, then putting these layers of oil back on.

I'm not sure I have the cojones to try this on the Dumoulin...

 

[Red Leg]

This part really stresses me out. Using a stripping agent on the stock, not knowing how or until when, then putting these layers of oil back on.

I'm not sure I have the cojones to try this on the Dumoulin...

Mineral spirits are the traditional degreasing agent for stocks. However, acetone works just about as well, and because of its extremely rapid evaporation, it remains on the stock much less time to cause any potential damage.

 

[rookhawk]

Mineral spirits are the traditional degreasing agent for stocks. However, acetone works just about as well, and because of its extremely rapid evaporation, it remains on the stock much less time to cause any potential damage.

@Red Leg has a great tip.

You may think you lack the cajones to do this, but it takes more cajones to carry that gun around with thinning finish. Right now, it needs top coat built back up and it’s mint. A few more hunts and you’ll be through the oil finish completely, rubbing off stain. At that point, it will never look right again unless sanded down and starting over.

The gun needs a bit of know-how, some past due maintenance, and €50 in supplies right now. In a year, it will need €1000 wood restore.

Once you learn this, you will never cry again when your best guns get a scratch while hunting in Europe and Africa. You can buff out almost anything and just keep adding a drop or two of finish every six months for the rest of your life and your heirs will get that gun in the same condition as you did

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! You own the Ferrari, now you need to change your own oil!