If its not going to be a offhand rifle and weight isn't an issue why not go for the largest size that you can go. most barrel makers blanks are large enough to get a #4 barrel out of.

40 Rod

"good balance for an offhand rifle" ... "probably won't be a Schuetzen"

Let's consider it a classically styled custom plinker. 12 lbs or so is a good weight for me.

One other issue I forgot to mention, is the area of the barrel shoulder. Probably not large enough with a 1.050 octagon and a 1" thread. I have a CPA with a #4 and it's too heavy to use without a hooked butt and palm rest. I don't see how this would be any different.

I've never been a big fan of the tulip breech, but may be forced to go that way in order to get the barrel weight down. The picture further down, of Ken Hurst's rifle (?), sure is inspiring. Beautiful piece of work.

SSM, I've got 5 #3's and 2 #1's. One of the #1's, a 7mm Mag, is as you describe. Nothing I've done to it has made it shoot as well as an average '94 Winchester with an aperture sight. The other is a .218 Bee. It's a pretty solid 1/2" rifle out of the box, but it's more consistent and holds a zero better after floating the forearm. I do have an issue with zeroing it though, which I have to sort out. The new scope I put on it, Leu 3x9 AO, doesn't have enough windage adjustment. It came off the 7mm, where it was fine. I also have an M-77 that required regrinding the receiver to get the bases and rings straight. So yeah, I know how frustrating some of these things can be.

This particular #3, a .223, is a 3/4" rifle with nothing but the barrel band removed. The only other of the 5 I've shot is a .22 Hornet. It does OK, 1" to 1-1/4". The Hornet isn't easy to get to shoot to begin with, and I haven't done much work with it. Again, all I've done to it is remove the barrel band. So 3 out of 4 ain't bad, but maybe I've just been lucky so far.

wesg,

  I also had a #3 converted over to .32/40 many years ago, by a well known bench rest smith. But this was long before some smiths had figured out how to tune the #1 & #3 actions so it didn't shoot any better than some old originals I had at the time. Sold it!

  Since then there are several smiths who specialize in tuning these guns so if you do convert it over and it doesn't shoot well there are people that know what to do. From reading up on them a lot of the problem has to do with the coil springs vibrating on release. There seem to be a coupla other things that need looking at to but this seems to be the big problem.

  Always wanted to get another #3 and look into the "cures" a bit more, so I wish you luck with your project.

  By the way..... I don't know how the barrel on your gun will be to get off but mine was factory sealed on with lock-tite, or equivalent, and it was a b---h to get off.

PETE

It's good to hear that people are happy with what they've done.

Pete, pulled the barrel tonight. Had to make some sleeves with a tapered bore to grab it in front of the hanger. Came off no problem. No Loctite in the threads, just rust. Obviously, they blued it after the barrel was installed. I might turn up a dummy barrel stub this weekend if I have time, to check out the alignment of it.

Interesting idea, to float the hanger. I may try that at some point on the .218 Bee. Another mod I've heard of is to convert them to a flat spring, but I don't think I want to go that far on this one.

So here I am thinking I've lost my mind. Where did I see the picture of the #3 with the Schuetzen butt and Pope lever? I think it had an octagon barrel with tulip breech, still in the white?

I went through every forum here, and every thread that looked promising, and couldn't find it again. Might have been posted by firstshirt?

Yep, guilty as charged...I posted that picture for Ken several months ago...but I don't remember which forum either!  I think I still may have it on the hard drive, somewhere.  If I find it, I'll repost it here.

Greg
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Here ya go!

The rail has gone by-by.