MS in 280 -from Darwinmauser
Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 2:53 pm
Hello all ,
I could not wait to show off my Mannlicher Schoenauer ,this rifle is in the process of being rebuilt at the moment , the stock work should be complete by the end of January , it still requires final finishing and checkering .It will then have to be reblued with the slow rust bluing method.
The rifle was built in 1958 as a model MC in 280 Remington for the American market, it was imported there by Stoeger's where it had a scope mount fitted and subsequently made it's way to Australia. It remained in the original owners hands until he passed away some 3 years ago .I bought the rifle over the internet through one of the gun trading web sites and had it shipped to me via Australia Post , it's all good ,or so you would think . Despite 5 layers of bubble wrap Australia Post broke the stock ,they then refused my damage claim because of insufficient packaging !!
So, I have a MS with a broken stock, I checked all the known quality stockmakers in Australia as to how much work they had on and what sort of time frame could be expected ....about 5 years was the average,I also looked at the American stock makers such as Richards microfit and Boyds but none offered what I wanted ,finally as I was reading a thread about someone else's custom rifle on Australian Hunting Net a new name popped up ,He is Gordon C ,he has posted on IFG and other forums as Juglansregia ,I contacted Gordon and was pleasantly surprised ,6 months to carve and finish the stock ,Gordon also welded up the holes from the scope mount which i had removed, and replaced the bolt handle as the swept back design is impractical . He is a true Stock Maker / Gunsmith.
The first problem was finding a suitable stock blank , not so easy with a full length Mannlicher , most blanks are cut at 33 - 36 inches , we needed 41, eventually we found a very nice piece of New Zealand Walnut with just the right amount of color and figure for my taste , It is also not as dense as the Australian grown Walnut which made it perfect for this project , Mannlichers being a light weight rifle are very nice to carry when out hunting on foot.
There are a lot of decisions to be made when making a new stock , length of pull , the amount of cast , what kind of butt plate and grip cap , the style and size of the cheek piece , what style and pattern for the checkering and finally what finish . Decisions ,decisions, Gordon must be a very patient man! he guided me through most of these decisions and with the help of photo's borrowed from the forums to illustrate what I liked or wanted the rifle has taken it's final form . hope you like it .
cheers
I could not wait to show off my Mannlicher Schoenauer ,this rifle is in the process of being rebuilt at the moment , the stock work should be complete by the end of January , it still requires final finishing and checkering .It will then have to be reblued with the slow rust bluing method.
The rifle was built in 1958 as a model MC in 280 Remington for the American market, it was imported there by Stoeger's where it had a scope mount fitted and subsequently made it's way to Australia. It remained in the original owners hands until he passed away some 3 years ago .I bought the rifle over the internet through one of the gun trading web sites and had it shipped to me via Australia Post , it's all good ,or so you would think . Despite 5 layers of bubble wrap Australia Post broke the stock ,they then refused my damage claim because of insufficient packaging !!
So, I have a MS with a broken stock, I checked all the known quality stockmakers in Australia as to how much work they had on and what sort of time frame could be expected ....about 5 years was the average,I also looked at the American stock makers such as Richards microfit and Boyds but none offered what I wanted ,finally as I was reading a thread about someone else's custom rifle on Australian Hunting Net a new name popped up ,He is Gordon C ,he has posted on IFG and other forums as Juglansregia ,I contacted Gordon and was pleasantly surprised ,6 months to carve and finish the stock ,Gordon also welded up the holes from the scope mount which i had removed, and replaced the bolt handle as the swept back design is impractical . He is a true Stock Maker / Gunsmith.
The first problem was finding a suitable stock blank , not so easy with a full length Mannlicher , most blanks are cut at 33 - 36 inches , we needed 41, eventually we found a very nice piece of New Zealand Walnut with just the right amount of color and figure for my taste , It is also not as dense as the Australian grown Walnut which made it perfect for this project , Mannlichers being a light weight rifle are very nice to carry when out hunting on foot.
There are a lot of decisions to be made when making a new stock , length of pull , the amount of cast , what kind of butt plate and grip cap , the style and size of the cheek piece , what style and pattern for the checkering and finally what finish . Decisions ,decisions, Gordon must be a very patient man! he guided me through most of these decisions and with the help of photo's borrowed from the forums to illustrate what I liked or wanted the rifle has taken it's final form . hope you like it .
cheers
