Thread: Walnut and blued steel,

Finally some pics of my old girl. 416 rem max, loopy 1.5x5 with old Warne premier QD rings and bases circa 98'
Got it back a couple of weeks ago.
Mushroomed projectile is one mate and I dug out of a ring of pinus firewood after doing some mythbusters testing. Actually it was the second ring from memory, it split the first one. Barnes 350gr x point. Only shot 3 things with it and only recovered the one projectile. Lost it from a hole in my pocket which was very disappointing @kotuku this is the one I was gonna bring out to you for a squiz and maybe a shot.

holy shit moses-matei had enough fun and a shoulderto prove it after 50 odd rds of 36gm 2/3/4 steel at GSPFs&my clay session the other day!
however
amongst the treasure trove sweetpea i haves me a pkt of solway 50gm 3"no2 steel ,fancy firing em .me meh -stick the escort hard up against a suitable strainer post -attach a bloody long lanyard and just wait for the first very large moa to hove in sight-a quick tug(on the string that is)and well how does moa salami sound old chap?
anything smaller -asmy esteemd friend mr gadget would attest-it may well end up dead fucked plucked and composted before ones salivary glands even became slightly moist!.
putting that in gadgetese _"shot 2 bringing home 1 1/2 -one should with a push make the ompost heap.mallard hen euthanised -3"eley no3 at less than 6'range by yours sincerely!
Very astute observer of life is that gadgetman!

@kotuku I've used 1 7/8" 3 incc magnums on geese before in the old Mossberg pump. they are quite stout. Not as robust as the 416 but I've fired more in one go with them than the remmy.

Model 70 458 winmag
Shoots 1” at 50m off the Ute bonnet with 510gn Winchester white box. Quite possibly my favourite rifle. Especially after adding a limbsaver!

Originally Posted by Tuckerbox

Model 70 458 winmag
Shoots 1” at 50m off the Ute bonnet with 510gn Winchester white box. Quite possibly my favourite rifle. Especially after adding a limbsaver!

Just reading the word “510gr” made me wince! Nice figure to the wood on that.

This is what a Model 70 butt plate should look like !


Just fitted to a current new stock build the will appear in walnut and blued steel as soon as its finished.

But seriously. I am glad to see it has a very generous sort butt pad on board !

Yeah I really like it! Apart from the safe rash from the previous owner... bonus of course is that I don’t end up babying it when I want to go for a shoot. Feels like a real working rifle, perfectly balanced and comes to the eye like magic. She may not be a pre 64 but it’s certainly still a rifleman’s rifle.
In regards to recoil, yes it’s there but if you sling wrap it’s quite manageable. My mate shot it and remarked that he should have kept his mouth firmly shut before pulling the trigger. His teeth didn’t hurt too long.
With any luck I’ll bring it to the Toby shoot. Any of you gents are welcome to have a hoon if you’re keen.

Originally Posted by Tuckerbox

Yeah I really like it! Apart from the safe rash from the previous owner... bonus of course is that I don’t end up babying it when I want to go for a shoot. Feels like a real working rifle, perfectly balanced and comes to the eye like magic. She may not be a pre 64 but it’s certainly still a rifleman’s rifle.
In regards to recoil, yes it’s there but if you sling wrap it’s quite manageable. My mate shot it and remarked that he should have kept his mouth firmly shut before pulling the trigger. His teeth didn’t hurt too long.
With any luck I’ll bring it to the Toby shoot. Any of you gents are welcome to have a hoon if you’re keen.

if you ever sell it give me a bell...

I had a pre-64 .458 African back in the 1970's which I got from the Boeing rep who was in Ch-Ch for a couple of years selling planes to Air NZ. He was keen big game hunter and the rifle had 3 of the big 5 to its credit before I got it (he had more game, including several elephants and buffs, to his original .505 Gibbs but he wouldn't part with that). I found the .458 quite pleasant to shoot (standing) and I took it hunting a couple of times but never saw anything. Like most of my nice guns, it eventually got sold to finance some other treasure!

Originally Posted by gundoc

I had a pre-64 .458 African back in the 1970's which I got from the Boeing rep who was in Ch-Ch for a couple of years selling planes to Air NZ. He was keen big game hunter and the rifle had 3 of the big 5 to its credit before I got it (he had more game, including several elephants and buffs, to his original .505 Gibbs but he wouldn't part with that). I found the .458 quite pleasant to shoot (standing) and I took it hunting a couple of times but never saw anything. Like most of my nice guns, it eventually got sold to finance some other treasure!

I hope you got a good price for it. I’ve just been browsing guns international and I almost cried at the pre 64 prices. Especially those in the DG cals.

Originally Posted by Tuckerbox

I hope you got a good price for it. I’ve just been browsing guns international and I almost cried at the pre 64 prices. Especially those in the DG cals.

It was in the late '70s when I sold it, somewhere around $600 from memory which was a fair price back then.

@Tuckerbox At least you have a limbsaver. I never paid much attention to the recoil pad on mine but when I got it back recently I had a look. It might be 25mm thick but I reckon its as hard as my 4x4 tyres. Wouldn't be doing much at all.
Nice piece BTW @gundoc I got the 416 back in the late 90's. 800ish from memory. Cost me more for the scope and ring/bases than the rifle.
Cheapest ammo I could get back then was 400gr roundnose at 180 a packet. next cheapest was 400gr federal at 150 a packet but I had to buy 5 at once.
yeah nah.
Got some reloaded then made some of my own after buying some dies.
I am under no illusion that there are a lot more expensive calibres out there but its funny that the ammo is almost cheaper now than back then and considering its 20 years later-omparatively it is way cheaper.

Better put this up here as a thanks to all those guys who help others out . . . this is a work in progress, I'd like to get nicer rings and a more appropiate scope at some stage. It will also possibly require bedding to shoot well (the inlet has been "hacked" at some stage)

Brno Model 21 action (proofed 1956) and stock with double set triggers

Kettner 1/2 octagonal to round barrel with full integral rib, low profile open sights, provisionally proofed in 1926 (Suhl) and reproofed 1955 (UK)

8x57I but will shoot 8x57 JS without issues (probly best not to load to high pressures though)

@Tentman that's a nice looking rig.

And it shoots just fine, 170gn SST's .323 boat-tails @2680 fps (through a long throated .320 barrel) are just plunking into nice consistent 3 shot groups 30-35mm at 100M - for me thats minute of Tahr to my maximum comfortable range of 350M. Its pretty light though and has a fairly sharp recoil impulse at the bench!!