Am I crazy? Bottomless pit of spending

Hey Boomer, I poorly communicated... I had three different barrels installed over the years, it's not a takedown rifle. However, you just gave me a great idea! :) Kidding. Actually, if I ever re-barrel it again in the future, I will be sticking with 6.5x55... best of the lot for my needs.
 
Relax. You're good.
A hobby you really care about can be expensive, but so are Hookers and Blow.
Compared to that scenario, you're 'Aces'.

I've spent a beautiful house and several lavish trips abroad on motorsports and been left with nothing more than an empty, dusty wallet.
I don't regret a penny.

Check your bank balance, take a deep breath and dive back in!
 
I've buried a few friends over the years--all met untimely deaths... it changed me. Now, I live. You can't take the coin with you... and your kids need to learn the value of hard work :) (though they'll still get a decent inheritance). :)
 
The Kurgan said:
Hey Boomer, I poorly communicated... I had three different barrels installed over the years, it's not a takedown rifle. However, you just gave me a great idea! :) Kidding. Actually, if I ever re-barrel it again in the future, I will be sticking with 6.5x55... best of the lot for my needs.
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The 6.5X55 and other 6.5 bore cartridges of similar capacity, IMHO delineates the demarcation between varmint/deer cartridges and general purpose big game cartridges, although the .25/06 and the .257 Weatherby blurs the line. The availability of game bullets from 120 to 160 grs, means there isn't much you can't do with a 6.5.
 
The Kurgan said:
I have a custom M98 that is on its 4th wood stock (3 walnut, 1 birch laminate) in 6 different finishes from shellac to poly to oil, 3 barrels, 2 safeties, 2 sets of iron sights, 3 metal finishes, 2 sets of bottom metal / trigger guards, 3 triggers, and 3 bolts. It's been tweaked to fire 3 calibres: 8x57, 7x57, and now 6.5x55.
I keep spending money on it like its the black hole of Calcutta, but still, I keep tweaking it. I could have bought 4 Sakos for what I've spent on it to date.
Do I need to get my head examined?
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The question is, are you having fun doing it. If yes, let the good times roll.

If not, I can order up a CT Head for you.
 
Hi guys; my custom 6.5x55 small-ring 98 mauser is with a master stock maker. He's taking a walnut Boyd's stock and using it as a "blank"--as there's tonnes of material to remove and it has very nice grain. He will re-shape it into a work of art. I am certain it will be a few months before it's completed. He's also re-coating all the colour case hardened metal and possibly having my stainless Pac-Nor barrel blackened. I can't wait. :)
 
Stock has been "rough filed" and is starting to take shape. Bedding will have to be removed and redone to allow the barreled-action to sit deeper.
Hard to believe this was once a Boyd's stock. :) Grain is very nice. I can see it really standing out after oil finishing.

I am also getting the scope bases 'notched' by about 2mm to allow better visibility of sights without having to raise them. I will be using a scope mainly, but I want effective back-up sights just in case.

The rifle weighed in at 8.8 lbs with the unaltered Boyd's stock and a Leupold VX-2 1-4x20 attached. I am hoping when all is said and done, it will be sub-8lbs. Not bad for a M98 (small-ring) action, bolt, and bottom metal, vintage Redfield bases, and iron sights. The barrel is a medium-contour sporter profle (no. 4) Pac Nor.

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This is after further "rough filing". At this stage, the barreled-action was lowered further into the stock and re-bedded. Subsequently, most of the tang area "hump" was able to be removed. I can now avoid diamond filing the colour case hardened tang area. It's really coming along! After final sanding, the stock will be oiled over a period of one month using pure tung oil (my preference). During this time, I am having a few other things done:

--vintage Redfield scope bases are getting a ~2mm notch cut down the middle of them to aid in use of iron sights. I want to keep the sights as low to the barrel as possible. This job will initially require a diamond file as the colour case hardening is SUPER BLOODY HARD.

then all metal parts are getting an acetone soak to remove all traces of the current lacquer coat, and then properly re-lacquered.

finally, the stainless Pac Nor barrel will be "blackened" -- I cannot live with a silver barrel with the rest of the package.

Oh, and I'm getting minimal checkering... just two sections/blocks on either side of the pistol grip (no wrap around) and a small strip on either side of the forestock. I prefer to keep things simple and elegant.

sorry about the photo quality. Once the gun is back in my hands I will take some proper, high resolution photos.

btw, this will be the nicest Boyd's stock in the world when done! :p

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