I always wanted a Big Bore by Sterling Davenport - a 500 Jeffery custom

[buckstix]

I always wanted a Big Bore by Sterling Davenport - a 500 Jeffery custom

The rifle has been purchased, by its not yet in hand. I can hardly wait. A Sterling Davenport Custom has been on my want-list radar for many, many years. And finding one in classic 500 Jeffery caliber is wonderful. Here's the early specs - more info to follow when I get it in hand. This will be my second 500 Jeffery. You may recall my post earlier this year about my Custom AHR 500 Jeffery.

.500 Jeffery

@CTDolan you describe the situation exactly. I understand it and my rifle was worked on to Improve it... it may not be perfect yet but it is servicable. With brass cases. This is the first I've heard of issues with plated cases (Matt's post regarding his new AHR 505 and they not providing a...

www.africahunting.com

http://www.buckstix.com/buckpics/sterling-000.jpg

 

[rifletuner]

That is a very nice looking rifle and the build looks very practical. The magazine box seems like it will hold a few rounds. which is often the short coming of large bore bolt action rifles. Not keen on the magnaporting, but I guess I would live with it under the circumstances.

 

[Green Chile]

I sold my Davenport 500J here last year. Great rifle. Here's a little more Davenport history for you...

Sterling Davenport retired from the US Navy after 20 years’ service in 1975 at the age of 40. During his stint in the Navy, he was trained as an aviation metal smith and while stationed at Pearl Harbor, he did light gunsmith work for Honolulu Sporting Guns. Finding his work well accepted, when he retired he attended the 10-month gunsmith program at the Colorado School of Trades for Gunsmiths, graduating with a job as a gunsmith with Harry Lawson Custom Gunmaker in Arizona. During his next 20 years, Sterling showed his own work in shows such as the Safari Club and others where the talents of the American Gunmakers Guild members were displayed. It was at one of these shows that Paul Roberts of Rigby examined Davenport’s work and hired him to build bolt rifles for Rigby under the Rigby name. Sterling said that Roberts would supply the barreled actions and the wood and Davenport would take it from there. His first firearm finished for Rigby had such exquisite and fine checkering, that Roberts complained that it was not of the Rigby style. From then on, Sterling finished the stocks and sent them to London for Rigby’s checkerers to finish, which used smaller patterns with coarser checkering than the work that Davenport did. For Rigby, Sterling used BRNO actions for the magnum action and either FN or Pre-64 Model 70 actions for the standard length cartridges. He said, “The BNRO forged Magnum action was as good as it gets… the more renown Oberndorf Mauser Magnum action is really no better, just more in demand and short in supply.”

Davenport figures he only made about 60 rifles under his own name; this is truly a rare masterpiece in one of the most sought-after calibers for the magnum actions.

 

[baxterb]

I sold my Davenport 500J here last year. Great rifle. Here's a little more Davenport history for you...

Sterling Davenport retired from the US Navy after 20 years’ service in 1975 at the age of 40. During his stint in the Navy, he was trained as an aviation metal smith and while stationed at Pearl Harbor, he did light gunsmith work for Honolulu Sporting Guns. Finding his work well accepted, when he retired he attended the 10-month gunsmith program at the Colorado School of Trades for Gunsmiths, graduating with a job as a gunsmith with Harry Lawson Custom Gunmaker in Arizona. During his next 20 years, Sterling showed his own work in shows such as the Safari Club and others where the talents of the American Gunmakers Guild members were displayed. It was at one of these shows that Paul Roberts of Rigby examined Davenport’s work and hired him to build bolt rifles for Rigby under the Rigby name. Sterling said that Roberts would supply the barreled actions and the wood and Davenport would take it from there. His first firearm finished for Rigby had such exquisite and fine checkering, that Roberts complained that it was not of the Rigby style. From then on, Sterling finished the stocks and sent them to London for Rigby’s checkerers to finish, which used smaller patterns with coarser checkering than the work that Davenport did. For Rigby, Sterling used BRNO actions for the magnum action and either FN or Pre-64 Model 70 actions for the standard length cartridges. He said, “The BNRO forged Magnum action was as good as it gets… the more renown Oberndorf Mauser Magnum action is really no better, just more in demand and short in supply.”

Davenport figures he only made about 60 rifles under his own name; this is truly a rare masterpiece in one of the most sought-after calibers for the magnum actions.

That's really interesting... I bet he made Luke Samaras' 416 Rigby, as it's built on a BRNO

 

[uplander01]

I owned the 500 J Green Chile had, Mr Davenport was a masterful builder, did things no one else could. It will not disappoint. Congrats and welcome to the 500 Jeffery Club

 

[Luvthunt]

Never understand the aversion to mag n porting as it function as a reducer in muzzle lift significantly. Perhaps the o muzzle brake hat carries over into there.
Does help in reducing muzzle rise therefore helps in lowering recycle time.
Quite obvious that the smith understood the need of reducing lift in a hefty cartridge.
Beautiful rifle.

 

[buckstix]

I agree. I have several Big Bore rifles that are ported. A real advantage to reduce muzzle lift for faster followup shots.

 

[buckstix]

I just learned that this rifle was the very last rifle built by Sterling Davenport before he retired. In addition it was "built for - and hunted by" Michael Fell, the well known East African Professional Hunter. I am hoping to get some photos from Michael that show him using this rifle on one of his hunts.

 

[Daniel Cary]

I've seen it "sold" on the MNR Vault ..

 

[buckstix]

yes, sir.

 

[Beck]

I always wanted a Big Bore by Sterling Davenport - a 500 Jeffery custom

The rifle has been purchased, by its not yet in hand. I can hardly wait. A Sterling Davenport Custom has been on my want-list radar for many, many years. And finding one in classic 500 Jeffery caliber is wonderful. Here's the early specs - more info to follow when I get it in hand. This will be my second 500 Jeffery. You may recall my post earlier this year about my Custom AHR 500 Jeffery.

.500 Jeffery

@CTDolan you describe the situation exactly. I understand it and my rifle was worked on to Improve it... it may not be perfect yet but it is servicable. With brass cases. This is the first I've heard of issues with plated cases (Matt's post regarding his new AHR 505 and they not providing a...

www.africahunting.com

http://www.buckstix.com/buckpics/sterling-000.jpg

View attachment 621741

My Ph was eyeing this gun while I was in Africa last month, nice buy.

 

[buckstix]

I'm glad he was just eyeing it, and not buying it. Its going to the head of my big game rifle collection. I will be picking it up today.

 

[AZDAVE]

I am the current caretaker of the 500 that @Green Chile and @uplander01 owned. Mr Davenport made a fine rifle!!!

 

[steve white]

Semi-OT but when I decided to cut walnut for stock blanks years ago, I first called Sterling Davenport and asked how HE preferred a blank to be laid out. I just picked his name from an advertisement.

 

[Altitude sickness]

That is a very special rifle Dave

 

[buckstix]

*** UPDATE ***

I got the rifle in hand today, and its even better than I expected. The rifle is virtually mint with only a very few handling marks showing that is was used in the field. I added a bunch of pictures showing all the features. Notice that I removed the un-necessary scope bases. The only features not pictured are the Timney Trigger and the large forward recoil lug added to the bottom of the barrel, with the entire action and barrel being glass-bedded. It is very interesting that Sterling built this rifle with a unique designed internal vertical stack magazine with special feed-lips to guide the cartridge into the chamber. Another unique feature of this rifle is that the magazine is intended to be loaded from the bottom - not from the top. The rifle holds 1-up and 3-down for a total of 4 shots. This design feeds 100% flawless. To load, you drop a round into the chamber, close the bolt, and open the floor plate, and drop 3 cartridges into the action, and close the floor plate. The 3-position safety keeps everything safe while loading. I have owned other 500 Jeffery rifles that had standard staggered magazines that would fail to feed reliably. Such a feed-failure can be a life-threatening draw-back when hunting dangerous game. Only my AHR 500 Jeffery also feeds reliably from its vertical stack magazine. I'll be adding field test data and targets next week.

http://www.buckstix.com/buckpi...terling-features.jpg

 

[grand veneur]

Good work, this is how it has to be done when you built a rifle caliber 500 Jeffery with a Mauser 98 system. Nevertheless, I prefer a Mauser Magnum system for this cartridge.

 

[Green Chile]

That's how my Davenport 500J was with the magazine. That's one of the benefits of using his build. They just feed correctly and the 500J isn't simple in that regard.

 

[grand veneur]

Even with a Mauser Magnum system there can be problems by feeding the cartridges. Nevertheless, I prefer to load a magazine quickly from the top, because with 4 shots not all problems can always be solved.

 

[buckstix]

Even with a Mauser Magnum system there can be problems by feeding the cartridges. Nevertheless, I prefer to load a magazine quickly from the top, because with 4 shots not all problems can always be solved.

With Sterling's system you can always flip an extra round into the chamber and close the bolt. because the extractor snaps into the cartridge's extractor groove.