biggyfries
Member
I aquired a Rem 1917 full custom rifle that was obviously done by a craftsman--I bought it from a young guy at a gun show who knew almost nothing about it, not even what it was or the caliber. But for $200 I took the plunge.
After getting it home I separated the action from the wood and found the markings "Shevill 300 WBY" under the wood where it couldn't be seen. I found an old gunsmith by the name of Arthur Shevill in Los Angeles--his heyday was in the '60's, and he died in 1989, that's about all I have on him. The rifle has many beautiful custom features, it had a custom-handled bolt at one time, but it was lost somewhere along the way, the bolt in it is just a G.I. bolt, and didn't fit the receiver or the wood well at all, it was very rough feeling. With a lot of trimming and fileing I have it feeling very slick and happy, and now the bolt fits.
I put a .300 Weatherby Mag. cartridge down the chamber, and it dropped in easily. But when I looked to see if it fit the bolt face it was not a good fit: the bolt face accomodates a .30-06 perfectly, but the magnum brass is too big. I obviously need to get the bolt face made larger. Question: can I modify the standard extractor to fit the magnum brass or must I get a special extractor?
I am a fairly knowlegable amateur, but I have never built a custom rifle. I would appreciate any advice or comments you may have to get my rifle perking. I hope it will not be so expensive it won't be worth the effort.
After getting it home I separated the action from the wood and found the markings "Shevill 300 WBY" under the wood where it couldn't be seen. I found an old gunsmith by the name of Arthur Shevill in Los Angeles--his heyday was in the '60's, and he died in 1989, that's about all I have on him. The rifle has many beautiful custom features, it had a custom-handled bolt at one time, but it was lost somewhere along the way, the bolt in it is just a G.I. bolt, and didn't fit the receiver or the wood well at all, it was very rough feeling. With a lot of trimming and fileing I have it feeling very slick and happy, and now the bolt fits.
I put a .300 Weatherby Mag. cartridge down the chamber, and it dropped in easily. But when I looked to see if it fit the bolt face it was not a good fit: the bolt face accomodates a .30-06 perfectly, but the magnum brass is too big. I obviously need to get the bolt face made larger. Question: can I modify the standard extractor to fit the magnum brass or must I get a special extractor?
I am a fairly knowlegable amateur, but I have never built a custom rifle. I would appreciate any advice or comments you may have to get my rifle perking. I hope it will not be so expensive it won't be worth the effort.
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