velocette
Member
And a long story.
When I retired, some 15 years ago, I recreated a rifle that I built in my last year in service to our country. 1967, in Minot NoDak.
It was a 1917 Eddystone Enfield. U.S. Rifle of 1917. It was built / sporterized over the winter using shop facilities on the air base. (Things were different then.)
Then I got out after my 4 years, went to school on the GI bill and part time work. Broke and hungry too, so the ’17 Enfield went to buy dinner and not many of them either.
OK, Retired some 40 years later. My first project was to re-create that rifle that I allowed to escape.
I found a basic rifle that had been aggressively Bubba’d.
It would never be an original US rifle again. But that is not what I wanted.
Over two years with NO power tools, just files, hacksaws, sandpaper, wood rasps, more sandpaper, and a “drop in” (NO NO not even close”) high quality stock from a west coast company and more sandpaper, I had a nice rifle. Innumerable coats of Minwax Antique Oil finish & many packs of 000 steel wool. Then I sent the stock off to a wonderful woman in Oregon to do the checkering and was rewarded with nice clean and proper checkering.
Okay, now I have a nice pretty rifle with its GI barrel with its flaming bomb on it and it shoots fairly well. About 2 inches at 100 or a little less if I do my job. Finished it 8 year ago.
SO! My shootin buddy laid down a challenge to me. We normally, once a month shoot at Manatee’s 600 yard range. He sez, “Take that old warbird out and hit the steel gongs at 600.
(But that thing kicks this 76 YO man like a mule.) No mercy, Never any mercy. So now I am working up loads with Sierra 175 TMKs or 168 SMKs to bang the gong. I insist upon using the shoulder protector (P- - -y pad he calls it) Theoretically, it should be fairly simple. We shall see.
When I retired, some 15 years ago, I recreated a rifle that I built in my last year in service to our country. 1967, in Minot NoDak.
It was a 1917 Eddystone Enfield. U.S. Rifle of 1917. It was built / sporterized over the winter using shop facilities on the air base. (Things were different then.)
Then I got out after my 4 years, went to school on the GI bill and part time work. Broke and hungry too, so the ’17 Enfield went to buy dinner and not many of them either.
OK, Retired some 40 years later. My first project was to re-create that rifle that I allowed to escape.
I found a basic rifle that had been aggressively Bubba’d.
It would never be an original US rifle again. But that is not what I wanted.
Over two years with NO power tools, just files, hacksaws, sandpaper, wood rasps, more sandpaper, and a “drop in” (NO NO not even close”) high quality stock from a west coast company and more sandpaper, I had a nice rifle. Innumerable coats of Minwax Antique Oil finish & many packs of 000 steel wool. Then I sent the stock off to a wonderful woman in Oregon to do the checkering and was rewarded with nice clean and proper checkering.
Okay, now I have a nice pretty rifle with its GI barrel with its flaming bomb on it and it shoots fairly well. About 2 inches at 100 or a little less if I do my job. Finished it 8 year ago.
SO! My shootin buddy laid down a challenge to me. We normally, once a month shoot at Manatee’s 600 yard range. He sez, “Take that old warbird out and hit the steel gongs at 600.
(But that thing kicks this 76 YO man like a mule.) No mercy, Never any mercy. So now I am working up loads with Sierra 175 TMKs or 168 SMKs to bang the gong. I insist upon using the shoulder protector (P- - -y pad he calls it) Theoretically, it should be fairly simple. We shall see.
. 
. 
