Ross Rifle Stock Replacement

[artygnr]

I ended up getting a Ross Rifle at a gun auction about 5 years ago. I haven't cleaned it (other then a quick pull thru) and havent fired it as the straight bolt confuses me slightly. I do want to replace the stock on it as the one that's on it seems to short to me. Is there any stock that I could use with some minor modifications or if this would even be feasible.

I dont know how to add a picture but its a Ross 1910 stamped 303 Ross E

 

[smellie]

Friend, if your rifle is marked ".303 ROSS" on the barrel, it is in all likelihood a COMMERCIAL SPORTING RIFLE.

Quite scarce, they were out numbered about 20 to 1 by the military models.

Most likely it will have rather a slender 26- or 28-inch barrel and a rear sight exactly like on a '94 Winchester (Ross bought their commercial sights from Winchester).

NO other stock will fit a 1910 Ross and there have been no stocks made in Canada since 1917, so they are 95 years out of production.

On the other hand, the Butt CAN be extended with a carefully-fitted Recoil Pad. This will give you over an inch of extension, which is enough for ALMOST anyone. You will need a GOOD gunsmith to fit this Recoil Pad, as you don't just want the back end of the Butt sawn-off! You want the new pad FITTED ad the original Butt profile PRESERVED and you KEEP the Ross buttplate and store it CAREFULLY.

There is a Sticky on posting photos. Most people use a Photobucket account for this. Works.

It would be really good to see several full-length and close-up photos of this rifle.

BTW, the SERIAL NUMBER will be stamped on the LEFT side of the CHAMBER, just above the Stock, in very tiny numbers. Mine is in the 11 thousand range.

VERY Nice Toy!

 

[artygnr]

 

[cantom]

You have a factory sporter, an E-10. A rare bird. An expensive, high end gun.

Rear sight is a barrel mounted 3 leaf express sight.

It's seen better days but still...you have something special there.

98% of what you see in Rosses these days are cut down military guns. Yours left the factory looking like it does now.

The stock is fine as is, it has not been cut down. Checkering is factory.

Is it wildly valuable in it's current condition? No.

 

[artygnr]

Ya it needs some bluing on it and a good cleaning. Barrel looks really good comparded to other historical guns. Kinda bummed it's not a old Ross rifle military one but kinda glad because it has t been hacked up. Time to clean it up and go hunting. Thanks guys for your help

 

[buffdog]

.
I have seen them worse. With some CAREFUL and patient work, you might be surprised how good the old girl will look. The condition of the barrel is the important thing so if the bore is in reasonable shape, then it is definitely worth restoring.

I would give the bore a good cleaning, then try firing it to see what you have. If it shoots reasonably well at 100 yards, then it is worth keeping.

Pay particular attention to the "Sticky" on bolt disassembly/assembly and especially the pictures on the assembled bolt and how to check it for proper functioning and locking.

Any alterations such as a new stock, re-bluing the barrel, sanding the finish, etc., will detract from the value of your rifle. If the stock is too short, try a slip on recoil pad to lengthen it out a bit. Better still, if it is intended as a hunting rifle, put your HUNTING clothes on, heavy clothing, Parka, etc., then try bringing the rifle to your shoulder. Chances are that the heavy clothing will make the stock feel all right.
.

 

[smellie]

BUFFDOG has it right, of course, but he has MUCH more experience hunting than I have. Unless you are a Gorilla or an Orang-Utan it is doubtful than you can use more than an inch of butt extension. You SHOULD get this from your sweater, hunting parka and vest..... and still have the rifle come quickly to shoulder.

CANTOM has it right also: this is a very nice high-end factory rifle which would have set the original owner back more than a MONTH's gross pay.

.303 ROSS is interchangeable with .303" BRITISH, but the Ross action can handle VASTLY higher pressures. Ross barrels were supposed to be able to outlast a regular Mauser-type barrel about 3 to 1 because of the special rifling form.

BEFORE you start tinkering, READ THE STICKY ON BOLT ASSEMBLY. Your rifle will NOT have been PINNED, so you NEED TO KNOW about that Bolt!!!!!!!!!!

A Super Nice Toy!

Hope this helps.

 

[collector67]

Very nice find, an E10 is much harder to find than a full military MK III as Smellie has mentioned. If she were mine, I think I would just give her an extensive cleaning job, and maybe a coat or two of TruOil.

 

[tiriaq]

TruOil is basically a varnish. I wouldn't do it. Clean the stock, perhaps rub it down with microcrystalline conservator's wax.

 

[artygnr]

Thanks all. Right now she's looking at getting a good strip down and may take it out to see how it shoots here in the next few weeks.
As for the stock being to short the butt of the rifle is ok and feels good when you bring it up for a shot. It just seemed like the fore end of the stock is shorter then normal and lots of barrel hanging over

BTW, the SERIAL NUMBER will be stamped on the LEFT side of the CHAMBER, just above the Stock, in very tiny numbers. Mine is in the 11 thousand range.

This one is in the 8500 range

 

[buffdog]

.
That forestock was made that way. It was the style back then, and if you look at some of the higher quality English and German hunting rifles, you will see a similarity. In fact, take a look at some of the early Savage 99 lever actions, and you will really see splinter forestocks.

Over the years, rifle stocks have evolved to a more fuller forestock. Your stock is correct the way it is.
.

 

[RRCo.]

If you want to clean it up, take the rifle out of the stock, strip the parts off and spray it all down with Easy Off Oven Cleaner in the bathtub. Get into the breech threads with a tooth brush and get all the crap out of there. Let soak for 20-30 minutes, wash off with very hot water, blow off with compressed air if available and finish with hair dryer, heat gun, whatever. Spray down with your favourite gun treatment (G96?), reassemble and wipe down. Wear eye protection, caustic soda in your eyes is not nice.

The bolt should be stripped and cleaned the same way, and I recommend you get some "Superlube" which is a teflon based grease and lubricate the inside of the bolt with that. You'll notice a big difference in the smoothness and ease of operation after you do this.

You will destroy a lot of the collector value if you strip the stock, don't do it. Just wipe down with a bit of Windex or Green Power or something on a rag to get the dirt off, follow with just a wet rag, let dry for a day, then rub in some boiled, not raw, linseed oil, and not too much as it takes a long time to dry if you over do it.

As has been said, the 1910-E is not a common rifle in any condition. Don't treat it like a sporterized milsurp, it isn't one. If the barrel is not excellent and you want a Ross rifle for hunting or plinking, I have a cut down milsurp here with an excellent barrel we could deal for.

 

[Lionel]

Be careful with the easyoff oven cleaner in the bathtub. You'll strip the finish out of the enamel if you've got a metal tub. I have no idea what it would do to an acrylic tub. Probably not something the better half would approve of. Especially if you have a newer bathroom. I would suggest outside and stand upwind of the easyoff. As I recall that stuff has nasty, nasty fumes. (Been years since I stripped a stock with that stuff)

 

[flying pig]

I personally wouldn't do either. My rifles get a very gentle bone dry rub with 0000 steel wool in a circular shoe polishing motion on both metal and wood. I then clean the metal with brakleen. I get the metal pretty wet with gun oil then wipe, don't rub, dry. To oil the stock I bath them in a warm RAW linseed bath. Military stocks get rubbed dry with a piece of denim. Sporters get rubbed dry followed by two wiped on coats of BLO to gain a hint of glimmer. I let the BLO sit 45min between coats then buff with a piece of denim.

If you'd like a simple recipe for a RLO dunk tank pm me.

 

[artygnr]

I used some of that Nitro Bore cleaner and Good old CLP with a bit of stainless steel-wool and elbow grease to clean it up. I did notice that the front sight has been replaced with a penny

 

[RRCo.]

The enamel on my bathtub seems to be similar to the enamel on my stove top.

The oven cleaner won't harm the bluing and it will get the old congealed crap out of all the recesses and the finish. It's amazing how good old bluing looks sometimes after you get the dirt out of it.

Definitely not something to use anywhere near the wood work, and yes, the fumes are pretty nasty: open the bathroom window and turn the fan on!

Flying Pig, why RAW linseed oil? That stuff takes forever to dry doesn't it? I've always used BLO as it dries better, and have never read any suggestions to use RLO. I'd be interested if RLO works well though, because I have quite a bit of it.

Don't steel wool the stock, it ruins the patina.