Got a couple of new rifles coming.....

by Otony, Wednesday, February 07, 2018, 17:50 (2418 days ago)
edited by Otony, Wednesday, February 07, 2018, 18:06

A good friend of mine is an amazingly talented builder of flintlocks, having apprenticed under Steven Dodd Hughes, but he has never done very much work for sale. He primarily makes guns for himself and family.

One reason is that he has a small amount of time to devote to what is primarily a hobby, being focused on his family and job. He also beat a bout of cancer that set him back quite a bit.

Years ago he agreed to build me a .58 caliber Jaeger, with the agreement that I wouldn't bug him about delivery. I have to say, I've kept my end of the bargain, as it has been in the process since before we moved from California to Washington! That move was in March of 2009, btw.

He recently called to say ta-daa, it's froo, tum and det it! Needless to say that came as a bit of a surprise, but it should be a winner. We based it on a super short original depicted in one of Shumway's books. I special ordered the barrel from Getz, the lock was built from a blank plate Siler, so it is a bit larger than usual and has a Germanic look that is earlier in style than your typical Siler.

It is iron mounted, and stocked in a good piece of Oregon harvested English walnut. A bit of simple carving, along with a sliding wood patch box. Not fancy walnut, but quite dark and dense. The idea was to build a stylish work horse, and from what I've seen of it over the years, it should be just that.

The second rifle is about as far removed as is possible from a flintlock Jaeger. I've pre-ordered a new Tikka T1x .22 to use in our recently proposed Gentlemen's Rimfire Benchrest League. Yes, we are aware G.R.B.L. is probably an unfortunate acronym, and a search is on for a more suitable moniker than the Gerbils.

Our proposed game is a 50 yard benchrest shoot for tightest group, shot with your choice of .22 rifle. No classes or restrictions yet, until we see how things shake out.

The idea is that you pick up your offically issued target (12 bulls, 2 for sighters, and 10 for possible record) at the beginning of each month, and toss 5 bucks in the kitty. At some point during the month you fire for your best group, either 3 or 5 shots, we have yet to decide. Your witness should be another Gerbil (sigh) who is also shooting his or her record groups.

At the end of the month, we meet at a local pizza parlor, digital calipers in hand, and owner of the best group wins the kitty. The idea is to promote competition and camaraderie, as well as get our aging butts out of doors on a regular basis.

To that end I've been practicing with my CZ 452 and a Tasco 2.5-10x AO, but the equipment race is already on. I've sold four of the new Ruger Precision Rimfires through the shop recently, and two are already being seasoned with high magnification Vortex variable scopes and Harris bipods. Not to mention a certain bullet caster from Kennewick who has promised to use a Winchester 52C with Unertl scope! (Glen! )

That being the case, it behooved me to upgrade the arrows in my quiver, so the new Tikka will be my hopeful entry. A new scope will accompany it, more than likely a Clearidge Ultra XP 6-20x40. Iffen you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Otony