Custom Built Rifle

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mr.natural

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Dec 4, 2008
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In the woods in the hills of Arkansas
Have any of you older guys (like me) ever heard of
"Cleveland Custom Gun Shop"? I just recently acquired
an "elephant gun" because it was just too pretty and the
price was too good to pass it up. Anyway, I did my research
and they were in Cleveland, Ohio (of course) from about 1950
until they closed up in 1990. The rifle I got is a .300 Win Mag
(anybody wanna go rhino hunting in Africa?) It appears to have been built
on a 1893 Mauser receiver (with extensive work done), but the bolt
appears to have been made in shop. The stock is a very nice walnut burl.
There is a womans name engraved very small on the barrel.
(I'm guessing she is the customer the rifle was built for) I took it all
apart this morning for a thorough cleaning and it was not very dirty and
appears to not have had many rounds through it.

If anybody can tell me anything about the gun maker, I would
like to know.. and I need to figure out how to post a picture of it here
for you all to see......
Thanks, Mr. Natural
 
Ask someone to help you post pictures. They make such a topic so much more interesting. I like rifles with nice wood.

I have not heard of that shop.

Are you sure its a 1893 Mauser?

Why do you call it an elephant gun?
 
I wish i could help you out. But that is a beauty! You going to hunt with it? I'm actually in the process of building a semi-custom myself. It can definitely get spendy which makes me believe your rifle has decent value. I guess the first place I'd start is Google but I'm sure you already tried that. Good luck!
 
Here are two more pictures.
I plan to mount an old 3-14X 40mm scope tommorrow and
take it out back to get it sighted in.

I'm still trying to figure out its age, between 1950 and 1990.
Don't expect I'll hunt with it here in Arkansas. It's way too big for whitetail.
Next time I visit my sister in N. Colorado I'll take it for mule deer or elk.

I gave $375 for it, so I don't think I did too bad..
 

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Looks like what one would expect from a US-built custom rifle of the 1950's. Sorry but the .300 Winchester Magnum is NOT a dangerous game cartridge. Deer, elk and moose is more like it and NO ethical hunter shoots at game at 1000yds.
 
Dangerous game big bores usually (not always) have open express sights because 1) shots are usually at VERY close range especially if the animal is charging and 2) keeps down on the number of black eyes when the scope hits the shooter on recoil.

But i do seem to remember most of them were based on the mauser to handle the overgrown cartridges like 416, 450, etc

Nice score btw. I am jealous.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk when i should have been doing something useful
 
I got to agree it is a bit light for African dangerous game but it will do for anything in North or South America or in Europe. I fail to see why you wouldn't use it on whitetail...I have heard the term overkill before but I have never seen anything overdead. with a slightly downloaded 200-220 grain it would be light kicking and would great on any deer.

At any rate sounds like you got a deal...enjoy!
 
CraigC said:
Looks like what one would expect from a US-built custom rifle of the 1950's. Sorry but the .300 Winchester Magnum is NOT a dangerous game cartridge. Deer, elk and moose is more like it and NO ethical hunter shoots at game at 1000yds.
Click to expand...
Without getting into a pi$$ing contest, one of the fastest growing segments of shooting is indeed long-range hunting. With today's rifles, high BC bullets, and optics, the long range hunting group is definitely expanding, and fast. One just has to catch a single episode of "Extreme Outer Limits", or take a ride to Len Backus' Long Range Hunting Magazine website to see what guys are doing today. With that being said, I have not taken a shot at a deer over 300yds in the 20+yrs I've been hunting. But that doesn't mean properly geared, experienced, and highly skilled guys aren't doing it every day.
 
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451 Detonics said:
I got to agree it is a bit light for African dangerous game but it will do for anything in North or South America or in Europe. I fail to see why you wouldn't use it on whitetail...I have heard the term overkill before but I have never seen anything overdead. with a slightly downloaded 200-220 grain it would be light kicking and would great on any deer.

At any rate sounds like you got a deal...enjoy!
Click to expand...
Exactly... To me at least, there isn't so much overkill as underkill. The .300WM can go as light as 150gr (factory ammo) and I've seen the ladies shooting the Remington Managed Recoil 150gr loads and have been absolutely devastating on deer sized game. The Hornady 150gr SST knocks em flat as well...
 
Without getting into a pi$$ing contest...
Click to expand...
There won't be one. Sorry but shooting inanimate objects is one thing but shooting game at 1000yds with an old Mauser rebuilt into a .300Mag 30-50yrs ago is stupid beyond measure. Even for the expert. It should be obvious to anyone reading this thread that the OP is far from an expert.

Shooting game at long range, ain't hunting.
 
CraigC said:
Shooting game at long range, ain't hunting.
Click to expand...
Well you see it one way, I (and a ton of others) see it another.

CraigC said:
There won't be one. Sorry but shooting inanimate objects is one thing but shooting game at 1000yds with an old Mauser rebuilt into a .300Mag 30-50yrs ago is stupid beyond measure.
Click to expand...
You generalized your statement by saying "NO ethical hunter" but specified later "with an old Mauser rebuilt...30-50yrs ago" Is the OP and his choice of weapon an ideal candidate for LR hunting, no. But that does mean with the right equipment and training, NO ONE can do it?
 
I also think a 300 WM is just fine for deer. I have shot 2 deer with mine using factory 150 grain Winchester PHP (protected hollow point) bullets and there isn't any more damage than a 30-06
 
Well, I sure didn't think I was going to be called "stupid beyond measure".
I don't intend to hunt at 1000 yards, but the rifle is capable of it.
Also, this is NOT just any old "sporterized Mauser".
The gun is extremely well built and I was just hoping someone could
tell me more about the custom shop that built it.
 
Mr Natural...Have you done a Google search on "Cleveland Custom Gun Shop" ? Try it. Lots of links pop up some even of CCGS guns being sold at auction.

Here's a link to a picture.

http://images.ulib.csuohio.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/press&CISOPTR=6991&CISOBOX=1&REC=8

Nicely figured wood in your rifle's stock! I've never seen a comb so high in a stock but there's lots I've not seen yet in my 68 years.

For the record, add me to the guys that feel 1000 yard "hunting" ain't hunting regardless of how accurate a rifle might be. Too much room for human error. Ever seen a deer walking around with it's nose and upper/lower jaws shot off? I have. I'm not implying that someone attempted a humane 1000 yard shot...might have been 20 yards. Regardless, human error was responsible.

Thanks for posting pics of your rifle!
 
A Model 95 made into a 300 Magnum? I wouldn't shoot that thing on a bet. Much too powerful for the strength of the action. How much metal had to be cut away to allow the 300 cartridge to fit?

A 300 for rhino? First of all, rhino are on the brink of extinction and are protected. Secondly, shooting a rhino with a 300 may lead to his death... eventually... but it will not stop him from grinding you into dust while he waits for the infection to set in.
 
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