I suspected the bore was bad but didn't know the extractor was broke and the sliding part froze in place.   

The bore was bad as expected with no visible signs of rifling.

The screw heads looked like the had be chewed on by a beaver.

The last addition was sending some money to everyone's favorite roller parts guy, Ken Womack for new screws.
I never had any intention of any finish work on this rifle but couldn't stand to see those screws.

Some may get a little bent, but I approve. Done similar things myself. The way I hunt and range through the hills is a lot closer to the old ways and less like what I read about modern hunting. A rifle is going to sustain some wear and tear if you walk and climb in rough country. I don't want to treat my nice firearms to that lifestyle. At the same time you are honoring the rifle and it's past by returning it to the life it was intended for.
Well done.

Who is JES and how do I contact him.  I have a no2 and a 1 1/2 that I would like to change from 32 RF to a 32/20. Thanks, Steve

stevenjay1 wrote on Sep 1^st, 2022 at 12:58pm:


In that instance I would think a liner would be appropriate. 

To say the least, I am a rolling block fan!! They are beautiful!!  Anyway, my 1 1/2 is in 32 RF with a pitted bore but strong rifling. The exterior of the rifle is in great shape with about 50% original finish and no pitting.  The no.2 has a sewer pipe bore but the exterior is also in great condition.  I do make my own 32RF cartridges and the 1 1/2 shoots ok.  I believe converting both rifles to 32/20 would return the rifles to a useful and fun state.  Just for grins and giggles I’ve thought that converting the no2 to 32S&W. Any suggestions on someone who could do the conversion?  Thanks, Steve

I bought this #1 Sporter in .22Long at a show in Reno some years back. I honestly just bought it because it was dirt cheap, and I wanted the action. The stocks had chunks out of them around the tang, and forearm, and the upper tang had I think 5 holes for various tang sights. The barrel front sight dovetail had been so butchered up that someone finally cut a new dovetail in the barrel after opening up the old front dovetail to around 3/4" wide to let them cut a 3/8" dovetail in the bottom of the screwed up dovetail! 
I removed buttstock, forearm, and all internal parts, and put it in my barrel vise upside down. Then I noticed a name stamped in the bottom flat of the barrel, under the forearm! It read, "E. C. Hackett", and I wondered who that might be? So I did an internet search that immediately brought him up, and turned out to be a local man! His biography showed he was born near Oregon City, Or. in 1852, before Oregon was a state. His father had lead the posse from Oregon City to the Wallowas to capture the Indians who killed Dr. Whitman and his family in the 1800's after they blamed the Whitmans for the small pox outbreaks.
E.C. was one of the early deputies here, and mayor of Oregon City during WWI. He later was county recorder until his death at age 87. Very involved in local politics, his name was in local papers almost every week!
I went to the Historical Society and got copies of his history. His home is on the National Historic Registry, and the marker for the end of the Oregon Trail sits in the frontyard of the house.
I decided to fix all the issues as the bore and action were both good. I filled all the holes, and had a friend mill out the front sight dovetail mess, and made a large filler for that too. Then I blended in all the bluing on the barrel repairs, and browned the tang to match the metal there. I left two tang sight holes that were good, and installed a graduated tang sight there. Put a matching globe sight up front, and stained and matched the stock repairs.
In the end it's not a minty rifle, but it retains it's age, and history, without the ugly messed up metal and wood.

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Hard to see what I've done, but that's what I hoped to accomplish.

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[img]https://i.imgur.com/BZgPooPl.jpg[/img