british style big bore project

[dirtyjim]

the jackrabbits in texas keep getting bigger so i've decided to build me a pre-war british style mauser in 375 H&H.
the action is a rail marked oberndorf, bottom metal & bolt handle are from sound metal products. stock is from great american. front sight is from necg. i still have to make the banded rerar sight base for a necg one standing two folding rear sight. there are still a few things i'm undecided on such as adding a single rear square bridge.

pic of the action, bottom metal & bolt handle.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/dirtyjim/big bore/375hhbottommetal.jpg

pic after i threaded and chambered the barrel.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/dirtyjim/big bore/375HHproject3.jpg

i need a bigger lathe
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/dirtyjim/big bore/375barrelinlathe.jpg

a couple of pics of the SMP bottom metal next to 1909 argie bottom metal for comparison
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/dirtyjim/big bore/375hhbottommetal1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/dirtyjim/big bore/375hhbottommetal3.jpg
another pic when i was gathering parts
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/dirtyjim/big bore/375HHproject2.jpg

i've started inletting the action & bottom metal into the stock and should finish this week end if the mosquitoes don't eat me alive

 

[Andrew Homan]

Very nice! I love the .375 H&H it will be my next rifle purchase.

 

[1MITCH1]

So ..... you're shooting rabbits w/ a .375 H&H?????

 

[dirtyjim]

andrew, twice a year we have a big bore shoot at bayou rifles in juliff just south of houston. the shoots are usually in april & october, you should come to the october shoot.
here is a link to some pictures of last octobers shoot. i was one of the three in attendance who had the nads to shoot the 4-bore double rifle.

here is a link to last aprils shoot, pictures start on the second page

mitch, of course we shoot texas jackrabbits with a 375 h&h. those things are 6 feet tall, have teeth like a sabertooth tiger & have developed a taste for blood.
it will actually be used to roll hogs and a buffalo when i finaly save up enough for a trip to africa.

 

[Andrew Homan]

Jim I'll take you up on that! Looks like a blast (no pun intended). Plus I would like to pick your brain on big bore stuff. I know very little about it but love them.

 

[mastercamper]

Where did you get the stock?

 

[roverMc]

Very nice work. 375's are fun to shoot. Not too big, not too small.

 

[KevinNY]

How are opening up the action to fit the 375? Slim that forend WAY down to make it look nice and proper.

 

[dirtyjim]

masercamper, the stock is a british express rifle classic from great american gunstocks.

kevin, to open up the action i scribe a line around the inside of the magwell then take a carbide burr and open it up to the scribed line. the tweak the feedrails and feedramp as needed.it would be easier with a mill but i don't have one yet.

my bottom metal & follower is made for the 375 H&H so it makes it a lot easier than trying to convert military bottom metal.

its inletted into the stock now, i'm going to order most of the parts to finish it next week. i still need to order the rear sight, front sight insert, banded sling swivel, silvers pad & a grip cap. i also need to get the dimensions for my banded rear sight base to the guy thats making it for me.

the stock has a lot of mineral streaks that should come out when i finish it. right now the forearm is 7 1/2 inches long in the short british style. it may end up being just a tad longer when i install the ebony tip. the exact lenght of the forearm depends on the rear sight base that i haven't had made yet.

a pic of both sides of the rifle inletted into the stock.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/dirtyjim/big bore/375HHproject5.jpg

a pic of the right side of the action, i still need to sand out the file marks on the bolt handle.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/dirtyjim/big bore/375HHproject6.jpg

pic of the bottom metal inletted into the stock
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/dirtyjim/big bore/375HHproject7.jpg

 

[Rugbier]

That stock looks like my sporterized 1903

 

[dirtyjim]

That stock looks like my sporterized 1903

except for the swept back grip, longer wrist, oval cheeckpiece, longer length of pull, no comb, different shaping at the rear action area, & infront of the bottom metal, but they are both wood so i guess they have that it common.

that 03 does have potential, but if it were mine i would have to cut that angled forend tip off & then take a wood rasp to the rest of the stock. sweep the grip back as far as the stocks diminsions will allow then fit a metal grip cap, rasp the comb off(i hate high combs and rollovers are hideous), reshape the cheeckpiece to an oval shadown line style then fit a nice black pachmayer old english pad to it , refinish the stocl with blo & alkanet root and rust blue the metal.

 

[dirtyjim]

i finaly got it to the range this week to regulate the sights. the sights are a necg caterpillar front and necg one standing two folding rear express sight. i still have to rust blue the metal and add the ebony tip to the stock then finish it with redoil but at least its shooting now. so far i have right at $1100 tied up in it & almost half of that is in the bottom metal & sights.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/dirtyjim/big bore/375HHproject8.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/dirtyjim/big bore/375HHproject9.jpg

 

[SGaynor]

...but at least its shooting now. so far i have right at $1100 tied up in it & almost half of that is in the bottom metal & sights.

blah, blah...that's nice and all, but how does it shoot?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Edit: BTW, where do you shoot? Greenwood? I'm moving back down to Brazoria Cty/Fort Bend this fall/winter. I lived in Lake Jackson for 2 years, 2000-2002.

 

[dirtyjim]

so far its shooting pretty good but i've only ran one load through it.
i've only shot it at the 25yard range and it was holding about 1 1/4" at 25 yards from a standing rest. it will mostly be shot offhand & from a standing rest so thats how i regulated the sights. i would put three rounds onto the target the file the sights. while i was letting it cool i would put a few rounds down range with my 10,75x68 so my shoulder wasn't to happy with me.


i shoot at bayou rifles in juliff right off 288 on county road 57.
when you get down here let me know & i'll take you to bayou rifles as my guest.
its $140 a year for a membership but its a very nice range. the pistol range is 3, 7, 15 & 25yrds. their is also a combination 25 & 50yards rifle & pistol range with movable wooden benches. a 75 & 100 yard range with concrete benches, 200, 300, 600 & 1000yard rifle ranges with pits and cantilever targets. all the ranges are covered & have electrical boxes too