Custom Ruger No.1 takedown with some pretty nice walnut in progress

Ardent

Ardent

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Northern BC, Coastal BC, or Africa. Depends on the
Thought I'd share this, it will likely be a .300 H&H with a Krieger 29" barrel, may do a .375 H&H yet, Express sights. It is a takedown, of a system I'll keep close to the vest until it's complete, could be a year so don't wait for it. :) Stainless No.1 magnum extractor/ejector, presentation grade Oregon black walnut after 10hrs of hand sanding to final shape (factory, but thinner), and first coat of slurry sanded tung oil.

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Wow. Just wow.

Are you going to have one of those tapered old-school fore-ends with an ebony tip? Or maybe buffalo horn tip and cap? Or skeletonized butt-plate and cap?
 
Won't talk about the butt just yet as I'll be giving away all the secrets, which probably says enough already. Forend is here roughed, will be a slim English style as you mention, haven't decided whether to tip it or not, if I do it will be horn, I did ebony on the last one and it's very hard to secure properly and keep a finish stuck to. Just didn't enjoy working with it. The other chamberings I've thought about are .303 and 7x57R, as I have barrel blanks for those on the shelf here, and I can make that rim work with the extractor / ejector in this action.
 
Very, very nice! Beautiful piece of wood there... Ebony can be a beetch to finish, if you are going gloss other woods are less problematic... It will take a rich satin finish though... Consider cocobolo for your tipping... It would look incredible against that wood... It is very durable and takes a nice finish (with more work that Rosewood or walnut). Looking forward to your finished unit... .300 H&H is a great way to go... So would be .308 NM.
 
Ebony finishes better I you use acetone on the surface to push the natural oils back. Don't over do it though or you'll royally screw up the grain and it'll look mottled.
Same trick for plugging and epoxying it to the forend.
Dark Cocobolo or Zebra wood would look great as well.
 
rem338win said:
Ebony finishes better I you use acetone on the surface to push the natural oils back. Don't over do it though or you'll royally screw up the grain and it'll look mottled.
Same trick for plugging and epoxying it to the forend.
Dark Cocobolo or Zebra wood would look great as well.
Click to expand...

Zebrawood is a little softer with coarser grain... Cocobolo would be stunning... Agreed. Angus, now I see why the RSI .243 went down the road!
 
Thanks guys, my last one the ebony also shrunk, not kidding. I epoxied with a dowel in place, sanded to perfect seamless transition, and months later it had shrunk all the way around about a full 1/32nd of an inch leaving a slight ridge. It was in a humidity controlled environment and the walnut was extremely stabilized to the same, so it wasn't the walnut swelling. My RSM also had flaking finish on its ebony tip, I just see it as more trouble than its worth and don't really feel like making it work.
 
Yeah... in addition, ebony would be "underwhelming" on that walnut... you need the right color and grain, to complement without distracting from the grain of that fabulous piece you have there.
 
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