"Project" Ideas

[JackEllis]

Last week a fellow shooting next to me showed me a family heirloom Garand he had "rebuilt". It looked like most of the work involved refinishing the stock. today another fellow showed me what he said was a WWII sniper rifle in .30-06 (another Garand?) These two casual encounters got me thinking about taking on a project to keep me out of trouble during snow season.

My current crop of rifles are for hunting and include a .22lr, a .223 a .243 and a .30-06. I'm not a collector and I have no interest in messing up an expensive rifle but I would be willing to buy a relatively inexpensive rifle, especially in one of the calibers I already own, and see if I can "add some value" to it.

I'd be interested in other peoples thoughts regarding specific makes and models, and whether the idea even makes any sense.

[TMB 1]

Muzzleloader kit, you get to do the final fit and finish.

[Tampa Dude]

Get a Savage Axis or Ruger American and teach yourself how to make a wooden stock. OR!!! Build an AR10 in .243. Or maybe a Mosin Scout rifle!!!!!

[Sutcliffe]

Savage is really easy to swap barrels

Tons of aftermarket stuff too and the rifles are inexpensive.

[JackEllis]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm gravitating toward a used Marlin 60 that'll also scratch the itch for a semiauto .22 I can use on varmints. If I can get it fixed up, then perhaps the next project would be a wooden stock for my Savage MKii

[Jimmy's]

Take a milsurp rifle and make it worth owning. Sporterize it.

[NorCalFocus]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm gravitating toward a used Marlin 60 that'll also scratch the itch for a semiauto .22 I can use on varmints. If I can get it fixed up, then perhaps the next project would be a wooden stock for my Savage MKii

Inletting a wood stock on a MKII would be horrible. Savage has so much crap on the bottom of the action.

[sigstroker]

Tons of aftermarket stuff too and the rifles are inexpensive.

Yes on Savage. They have rebates going on now where you can get your base rifle really cheap. Plus great youtube projects to show the way from Vaughn Precision and Social Regressive.

[LynnJr]

Get a Richards MicroFit stock for one of your current rifles and finish it.

[JackEllis]

Get a Richards MicroFit stock for one of your current rifles and finish it.

That's an interesting thought. Thanks for the idea.

[Varg Vikernes]

Mine is rebuilding a Mauser reciver into something. Waiting on barrels from Rhineland Arms to come in stock.

[Whiterabbit]

Your limitations are your budget and your imagination.

You can modify an existing rifle
You can buy an action and barrel and stock it
You can buy a cheap rifle and rebuild

For mods,
you can do bolt-ons
you can spin on a barrel you have made
you can cut your own barrel if you have the tooling. Or even just part.
you can stock from a pre fitted stock. wood, plastic, mannlicher, etc
you can drill and tap whatever wherever
you can add iron sights of any type

List is endless.

You mention considering maintaining your current caliber (cartridge?) list, so with that in mind, if your rifles are all hunting, I'd consider building a rifle for target work. Any cartridge you shoot would be great for this. Donor could be anything. Have a heavy barrel fit, select your stock, and build based on how you plan to shoot.

Another idea would be to make a super-shorty ultra-light fun gun for short range steels/hunting. if you had a pre-existing gun in your cartridge, hacksaw and crown at 16 inches (or whatever tools you got, if you have the right tooling), D&T or solder on non adjustable irons, file them to be on target at 100 yards, and let it be a beater gun for plinking.

Another idea for maintaining your cartridge list, is if you also own pistols, build a rifle in one of your pistol cartridges. single shot or double or bolt action or whatever. Bonus that you can bring that to your indoor range for fun too.

Yet another idea if you reload is a 300blk gun (bolt?), and combine your 223 stuff and your 30-06 stuff for fun.

Since you get to define what "value" is, adding value is a fun prospect.

[Whiterabbit]

Some projects to give you ideas (and everyone likes pics)

Replaced a Harton bearcat front sight with a dovetail



in-progress of a handi rifle, 357 mag. Barrel cut to 16 3/8, D&T for sights, stock stripped and refinished, and rechambered to 357 maximum. Shot 250 grain bullets to 1700 fps.


My safari rifle. Bought a 416 Rigby CZ550 donor. Had pacnor cut me a barrel in 510 wells express (I guess 416Rigby wasn't big enough?), then I soldered on proper NECG sights, replaced the stock with a european style, full barrel bedded, Mercury recoil reducers, fitted a limbsaver, and rust blued the whole rifle


This one was a tired Vaquero that got a total refresh. short barrel, new everything in and out, all slop removed, new gripframe, homemade panels, rust blued, and most important, Turnbull CCH.


Your imagination is your limit. Whatever you don't know, the information is out there, as well as tooling.

[JackEllis]

Your limitations are your budget and your imagination.

I have a bunch of walnut just sitting around gathering dust along with a bunch of woodworking tools and machines. I just purchased a used Winchester 190 that probably has the original birch stock and a new Marlin 60 with who knows what stock. It'll still be snowing when I finish making up .223 for squirrel season and I've already been looking at some YouTube videos.

[Whiterabbit]

Sounds like a winner to me!