Ross MkIII restoration project

I replaced a stock on a ross I got from a fellow member just awhile ago and it had this cap on it. is it of use for a project? my full size gun I am trying to replicate a sniper so I don't need this.

just thought of something. what do you think would cost more? making a full military ross or a sniper ross?

 
That's the holy grail right there JTF. I'd give my left you know what for one right about now!

It's had the bayonet lug removed but that could be fixed with some fancy work. If you don't have need of it, please please let me know. I'm sure it could be restored and used as an example to get copies made from.

As for the sniper replica, a few guys have been doing them. Paul Brenan in the UK just had me do a cut off stock and handguard set for his. I believe he had a custom mount made for a W &S scope. Not sure but it may have been a scope meant for a Springfield he used. From my understanding, the rifles made up on Winchester A5s are a bit better as functional pieces, the W&S scopes are quite brittle and can't really be repaired. The rifle he is doing is meant to be a display and is deactivated.
 
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Quick update with the stock re finiished.

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JTF wound up selling me the cap. I'm going to restore it and use it on this rifle. It needs a bunch of work though. I'm also looking for a nice fancy walnut blank for this one still. Must be 50"long.
 
Keep in mind that there are two styles of Front Bands for the Ross MkIII. The one pictured in JTF's post is the early narrow pattern "Stamped" style. The later style was the Forged pattern which had a thicker walls and is also wider in cross section. I'm not sure exactly when the changeover occurred, but after viewing unmolested examples of both early and late production rifles, I can say that the stock on the "narrow" front band rifle was slimmer between the middle band and the front band, than the later stocks that used the forged front band. The later style forged front band is open in the front as well, so it would be the easier to reproduce of the two.

BTW, for those who might be restoring a MKIII with the later Forged front band, the stock width between the mid band and front band on my rifle measured 1.250"
 
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Jakester, thanks for that. I maybe had better not use this band for fitting customers stocks then. I will use it on this rifle however. The search is still on for a late type band then!
 
I will try and take some pics from various angles and get them posted as soon as I can locate my camera. The Forged type band looks as though it could be done fairly easily on a good CNC Mill. It might also be done as an investment casting, although the initial mold work would be quite time consuming.
 
jakester said:
I will try and take some pics from various angles and get them posted as soon as I can locate my camera. The Forged type band looks as though it could be done fairly easily on a good CNC Mill. It might also be done as an investment casting, although the initial mold work would be quite time consuming.
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People have been given prices for nosecaps...like $250 each and need to order a bunch of them. It always ends there.
 
It may wind up having to be another investment on my part down the road. I already have close to $5,000 in equipment and master stocks for making Ross stocks. People are less likely to buy stocks if they can't get nose caps.

A fellow in Australia is making reproduction sight hoods for us and the first reports I've heard on them say they are excellent.
 
Here's an update on the MkIII: Bubba In Redcliff loaned me a horribly sanded MkIII stock, full length. The plan is to put some time in and use this stock to create a new master out of something really solid to try and alleviate flex in the duplicator during milling. I'll make the new master suitably oversized on the outside and 1:1 on the inside but much more solid than the current bass master. However, for the time being, I will be using this one on this MkIII as my personal MkIII shooter.

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If anyone has a forged nosecap they will loan me or rent to me, I know a retired machinist / foundry man who says he can probably investment cast them for around $100 a piece. I would be happy to provide reasonable security if you a worried you may not get it back ;)
 
The problem, one of many, is that the front sight base has to be pulled off the barrel in order to get the nosecap off. If someone has a nice, pristine rifle, probably wouldn't be crazy about scratching it up. Not to mention the risk of losing the cap and having it damaged or marked up. Only Flying Pig and Tiriaq have the proper puller setups.

If I had one I'd go for that, but I don't.
 
Well, surely if there is the demand, someone will come up with a pattern. I've pulled those ramps off before, but don't remember them being that difficult. I've seen quite a few haggard looking full stocked mk III over the years, who has one? Fess up!
 
One needs to determine if they have an early or late version mk3 for restoration purposes, since there were two models of Front bands. The early mk3's including most Home Guard marked rifles appear to have used the early stamped style Front Band where the end is closed. The later Forged Front Band was visibly thicker and open ended.

I can't help with the early stamped Front Band, but at some point in the future I'll get around to removing the Forged Band from my rifle and draw it up.
 
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