A 375 H & H Ackley Improved

guntech

guntech

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What a great Calgary gun show. I saw a rifle I built about 1970 or so... I often wondered about it, I never did have a good picture of it..

A Ranger action from Texas and a Shilen barrel. I believe Champlain Arms used those actions, I am not sure. I did the stock from a blank.

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Nice work Dennis!

Hard to imagine that was 36 years ago!.....Man you really are getting old!:D

I remember the owner of Gordons Sporting Goods had a similar action....Think it was called a Texas Magnum?
 
and I remember seeing that rifle there......very nice.

That is a beautiful rifle......what would it have cost the customer in 1970..?

It was a good show actually, if I had been in the market for anything there actually were some decent deals there....I had to stop going back to the table with the Pre'64 Model 70 257 Roberts......and the table with the Sako AV in 7x64........
 
That is the kind of wood that I can appreciate.;)

It's interesting to see "styles" of rifles and how they change. One look at that and I figured "70's" but I think it woudl be equally at home in the 60's or early 80's:p

While I woudl prefer a less glossy finish on the stock, the rest of it is very well done, looks like painstaking checkering...
 
If I were to do that today I think about the only change would be to do the bluing and the stock finish in a more subdued tone...

The checkering took a lot of work... I didn't get a good picture of the other side but it was a neat non symmetrical pattern I drew up and over the top of the grip. Look hard to find a crooked line or run over... :D

I think without the scope it was less than $2000 back then. It was offered at $3000 with the Leupold on it at the show on the weekend.
 
guntech said:
I think without the scope it was less than $2000 back then. It was offered at $3000 with the Leupold on it at the show on the weekend.
Click to expand...

What would be the cost to build that rifle today? Certainly more than the $3000 asking price?! :D
 
The Texas Magnum action was , I believe, made by Wichita Engineering before they made their own Target actions. If one wanted an action like that today, it would probably cost about a thousand dollars.
That piece of wood would likely run about 300.00
Barrel 250
Labor on the metal (barrel fitting, polishing and bluing) is worth 400.00
That leaves just over a thousand dollars for labor to make the stock and finish it. Even for pretty accomplished guys, that's two weeks work. Now, y'all might think a gunsmith should work for 500 bucks a week but I think he would be crazy to do so.
Dennis,
Thinking back to when you made that rifle and what you charged at the time and the hours you spent, do think you;
(a) Made out like a bandit.
(b) Made a good labourer's wage or
(c) Lost your ass!
Regards, Bill.
 
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