Just finished anglophiling my Ruger M77!

[Spooksar]

Looks good, have you thought of doing a pistol grip cap in the same wood as the forearm cap. I've seen this on a couple of rifles and when done right looks every nice.

 

[ChrisG]

I have a couple of observation that may not exactly please, but in the main, the Rigby forend would be quite a bit shorter (from 7 to 8 in from the front of the reciever ring) and with more taper on the underside. One little trick I use to get the proportion "about right" is to come back an inch from the end of the forend tip and have it about 1/8 in deeper at this point than the dia of the barrel. The curve up to the end (and recurve back over the barrel channel) starts from this point. This seems to keep thing in a visual balance especially if I am looking to achieve the style of the early English gunmakers.
I do hope that dosent cause offence as I am quite aware of how our pride in the work we have done on our rifles can be dented by unkind words and that is certainy not my intention. Doing any alteration to an existing stock and being pleased with it is an achievment that not many acomplish and your desire for the fine proportions of these preeminent gunmakers is a credit to your sense of style. I do aplaud the results you have achieved.

Hi VonGruff,

Thank you for your pointers and tips! This is the first gun of my own that I have done and was a little reluctant to change the factory dimensions too much... That is why my post stated it was "lightly" Rigby inspired lol. I am sort of a purist... Like I stated before I used to work for a luthier and I think that is where I get that from... All these people trying to reinvent the violin with weird shapes to engineer the best or loudest sound, but the master luthier always used to say: "No matter what anyone does, you DON'T try to make something new... you ALWAYS honor the masters, but change what you can change. There are things set in stone which do not get modified however... In the end it should be the same as a Stradivarius, with your own personal flare." Then he went on to cite how all the greats from the late Renaissance, did just that, a Goffriller looks like a Strad, but it has Goffriller's own unique traits.

I feel it is the same with rifles, and as such, I wouldn't try to fully make a Ruger into a Rigby. I am inspired by your projects! They are some of my favorite posts, where you show the progression through pictures of a new rifle taking shape. As AZDAVE suggested, if I were to try to make a Rigby clone, it would HAVE to start life as a Mauser or at least a Granite Mountain Mauser clone. Those guys have the same appreciation for honoring the masters. There is no deviating from that. It would need the straight bolt handle, not the swept back and it would need to be a traditional caliber.

I don't want you to think that I would be offended by your comments, I really REALLY appreciate the advise of those who have years of experience, and more skilled hands than I do. Building a violin is one thing. Melding steel and wood together into a classic hunting rifle is something else altogether, and something I have little experience with. So advise is always welcome!

 

[ChrisG]

Looks good, have you thought of doing a pistol grip cap in the same wood as the forearm cap. I've seen this on a couple of rifles and when done right looks every nice.

I actually considered doing a metal cap but I think it will ultimately be rounded and the checkering cut to match. I don't want to go nuts on it as it is only just a Ruger. If it was a Paule Mauser Waffenfabrik, I would probably got all out on it. I am still working on my checkering skill so I don't want to do too much too soon. I live near the Adirondacks in New York State, so if anyone knows a good checkerer up here that I can go pick their brain, that would be immensly helpful. I still have a ways to go and I don't want to make any mistakes when cutting the checkering on a custom rifle so I practice a good deal before doing anything to an actual rifle. It took me a dozen or so tries to figure out how I was going to even get that barrel band on there straight without heating the barrel