Billy,
Your quite welcome my friend
Sorry about the keyboard
I gather due to your handicap and the comment about "MAKE BELIEVE HUNTING RIFLES" that you cannot hunt. Sorry but I cannot imagine how that would feel
Your dedication in making up these rifles speak volumes on courage. If only I lived nearer you would be most welcome to see, feel and even try out my classics. I do try to shoot them ever now and then.
One day I hope to make areturn trip to the US to hunt with a friend and his brothers again. Last time I used a fairly modern rifle, a BSA CF2 in 7x57mm which was made in 1986, however I am feeling more and more the need to get back to using a classic rifle with iron sights. Starting gently by using a sporting aperture sight as I have a couple of rifles with them fitted plus a BSA Sportsman Five .22R/F which is also similarly equiped.
Now the downside with having rifles like this is that once one has handled them and shot them it's very difficult to accept the short cuts which are obvious in most modern production rifles. I suppose spolit is a good word for this
As for projects........................... well I have a restoration one on-going. At a show I saw and brought a Mannlicher Schoenauer Model 1903 which had been heavily altered for either a small women or child. the butt is seriously shortened and in doing so they removed the pistol grip and chequred it Rigby style. At some time in it's life the barrel had been relined and as it turned out the chamber was out of round and wrecked cases
. After having it laying about and even putting it up for sale I enquired with Ron Wharton of Rigbys' as to what cartridge it could be re-barreled. After a while he contacted me and asked if I would like a brand new Steyr made barrel chambered for the 6.5x54MS cartridge.
Well I brought the barrel and waited but Ron was far too busy building custom Rigby style rifles for his wealthy clients and so the work was farmed out to another smith whom Ron recommended. The new barrel was fitted and the whole rifle re-blacked now I am waiting until I can afford to get a new stock made up. What started out as a cheap Schoenauer now is an expensive one .................................. but it does have a spanking new bore so I will one day get a nicely figured piece of walnut semi inletted and then have it fitted in the traditional way and ave a nice custom Mannlicher. It's much to altered to try and pass it for a std mannlicher so I may as well as one built for me