Hey all,
After 11 months of waiting on this idea of a rifle, everything finally came together today, and she is finished
The saga behind this rifle has been quite the event, and as such I figured it needed telling.
A year ago, I had a bubba'd FN Browning rifle that had been rebarreled to 7mm. I had often thought of turning it into a custom rifle, so posted the question to the forum as to what sort of cartridges a guy could use in this action. Long story short, I was looking at a 358 Norma mag, when SuperCub suggested the 375 Chatfield-Taylor. I looked up the specs and was instantly sold.
I put in an order for a Pac Nor barrel, #4 contour and pre-threaded to large-ring mauser specs. It was a chrome-moly, 24" barrel, as I have always been a blued-steel-and-walnut fan. The guys at Pac Nor were amazing to deal with, and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a barrel.
The stock also has a bit of a story behind it. Originally I had ordered a walnut stock from Great American Gunstock Company (full story here. Page #2 http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=184779&page=2) That turned into a fiasco, and after posting about the experience, "Why not?" got in touch with me, saying he had an old stock kicking around that just might work for my "project", and if I would be interested. At this point I figured "May as well try", and asked if I could get some pictures.
Turns out this "old stock" was probably one of the most beautiful pieces of wood I've ever seen! Granted it's not triple X grade fancy walnut, but that being said, the grain in it is perfect for a high recoiling rifle like a 375, not to mention it had two cross-bolt lugs already installed (Plus I don't have $2000+ for a piece of fancy lumber either...) Top that off with the fiddleback figure throughout, and the fact that it was already finished in the same colour I was planning on finishing it in anyway, I was certainly a very lucky guy. (Thanks again Ted!)
Next I got in touch with Dennis Sorensen, aka Guntech. I had heard many good things about him regarding his gunsmithing work on other peoples' projects, and felt I would like to have him work on my project as well. I got in touch, and while Dennis was busy at the time, he offered to take on the project in another month or so. True to his word, I got in touch with Dennis another month later, and he said to ship the action, barrel, and sights on out to him. Fast forward another month, and MANY pm's later (I'm sure I drove Dennis crazy) and I had the metal-work shipped back to me.
And today, after spending all afternoon inletting and tinkering to make the stock and metal mesh up nicely, I now have this beautiful rifle. Like I said, I am a walnut and blued steel type, so nothing could be prettier in my eyes. The 24" barrel I feel is very aesthetically pleasing, and that is why I chose that length. I'm not sure how much she weighs at this point, but I would wager close to 10lbs.
So that is the story behind my rifle. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me out on this project, as it would never have been finished without the support and connections of the good people on this forum. Thanks very much for putting up with me and my silly questions, constant PM's, and crazy work schedule. I think about the only thing left to say is take a good look at this beauty, as this rifle is going to be going with me guiding, and I'm not sure if she will ever look this pretty again! Thanks guys -Cameron
Specs:
FN/Browning CRF action
PacNor 24" Chromemoly Barrel
Marbles Rear sight/front ramp
Leupold Vari X III 3.5x10
A "Why not? Special" Walnut Stock with rosewood grip cap/end tip
Pachmyr Decelerator recoil pad
Browning Safari Grade floorplate
After 11 months of waiting on this idea of a rifle, everything finally came together today, and she is finished
The saga behind this rifle has been quite the event, and as such I figured it needed telling.
A year ago, I had a bubba'd FN Browning rifle that had been rebarreled to 7mm. I had often thought of turning it into a custom rifle, so posted the question to the forum as to what sort of cartridges a guy could use in this action. Long story short, I was looking at a 358 Norma mag, when SuperCub suggested the 375 Chatfield-Taylor. I looked up the specs and was instantly sold.
I put in an order for a Pac Nor barrel, #4 contour and pre-threaded to large-ring mauser specs. It was a chrome-moly, 24" barrel, as I have always been a blued-steel-and-walnut fan. The guys at Pac Nor were amazing to deal with, and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a barrel.
The stock also has a bit of a story behind it. Originally I had ordered a walnut stock from Great American Gunstock Company (full story here. Page #2 http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=184779&page=2) That turned into a fiasco, and after posting about the experience, "Why not?" got in touch with me, saying he had an old stock kicking around that just might work for my "project", and if I would be interested. At this point I figured "May as well try", and asked if I could get some pictures.
Turns out this "old stock" was probably one of the most beautiful pieces of wood I've ever seen! Granted it's not triple X grade fancy walnut, but that being said, the grain in it is perfect for a high recoiling rifle like a 375, not to mention it had two cross-bolt lugs already installed (Plus I don't have $2000+ for a piece of fancy lumber either...) Top that off with the fiddleback figure throughout, and the fact that it was already finished in the same colour I was planning on finishing it in anyway, I was certainly a very lucky guy. (Thanks again Ted!)
Next I got in touch with Dennis Sorensen, aka Guntech. I had heard many good things about him regarding his gunsmithing work on other peoples' projects, and felt I would like to have him work on my project as well. I got in touch, and while Dennis was busy at the time, he offered to take on the project in another month or so. True to his word, I got in touch with Dennis another month later, and he said to ship the action, barrel, and sights on out to him. Fast forward another month, and MANY pm's later (I'm sure I drove Dennis crazy) and I had the metal-work shipped back to me.
And today, after spending all afternoon inletting and tinkering to make the stock and metal mesh up nicely, I now have this beautiful rifle. Like I said, I am a walnut and blued steel type, so nothing could be prettier in my eyes. The 24" barrel I feel is very aesthetically pleasing, and that is why I chose that length. I'm not sure how much she weighs at this point, but I would wager close to 10lbs.
So that is the story behind my rifle. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me out on this project, as it would never have been finished without the support and connections of the good people on this forum. Thanks very much for putting up with me and my silly questions, constant PM's, and crazy work schedule. I think about the only thing left to say is take a good look at this beauty, as this rifle is going to be going with me guiding, and I'm not sure if she will ever look this pretty again! Thanks guys -Cameron
Specs:
FN/Browning CRF action
PacNor 24" Chromemoly Barrel
Marbles Rear sight/front ramp
Leupold Vari X III 3.5x10
A "Why not? Special" Walnut Stock with rosewood grip cap/end tip
Pachmyr Decelerator recoil pad
Browning Safari Grade floorplate
Last edited:
