It's three months into the new year but last years projects are still lingering.  One project is done enough to shoot, in fact planning it's maiden voyage at a match this weekend - big bore gong match, another member/fellow shooter and I are having a "pop gun" match while the rest of the shooters will be shooting their 45's and whatnot, ours will be 38's.  Thats the HW on the left.  Next in the line-up is a Ballard.  It's in 22lr and the plan for it is to be shooting in time for a match the following weekend, not sure it will make it... The last two a LW and another Ballard need to be shooting with loads worked up by mid June.  That's a stretch as a couple more were added to that schedule.

Looks like a lot of work to do while running a full time shop and customer's work! Good luck Greg!

First off, Dave, my idea of completion is the rifle shoots, accurately is better, but showing potential is positive.  The wood... a smooth sanded grip and cheekpiece with a buttplate is good enough... having a quick coat of oil, wet sanding is optional... drives the OCD's that I shoot with absolutely nuts  .

Now the real crux here is, the repair business I'm in - just took a major turn and work load is intensifying.  Somebody is getting a lot busier than he used to be, with any luck - I can stay at my current pace - finding gun time late in the evenings...    

In one respect that is a good problem to have. On the other hand it being a hobby as you stated your work has increased and could impact your finishing them.  Have followed your work for sometime and I we have the utmost confidence in your capabilities. Keep us posted.



JMH

Mr Greg,

I would like to apologize for miss quoting your name. I made some comments on other subjects about your work (all good mind you) here and there and for some reason I called you "KT". Guess my old age is creeping up. Again my apologies. You make reference to your RKS 22lr barrel on one of your builds so I would ask how long did it take it to arrive after you ordered it? I ordered one several weeks ago and it took 18 days for my check to get to them but they called when it arrived. Haven't heard from them since and can't get them on the phone. I am getting a little worried. Should I be?


JMH

That's about my time frame. They got my check the 18'th of last month and it's the 27'th of May so it has been a good four weeks and change so guess I will just have to wait a little longer. Really want to finish my Hepburn build.



JMH

Another update. Got a text today and a tracking number with instructions. My long awaited barrel has been shipped. Hope to have it in a couple of weeks. Got to get it through customs but it's on the way!



JMH

As the title states year end, I'm not specifying which year end it is, this year, next year, physical or fiscal... 
After shooting a couple new shooting discipines this summer my closet of rifles to choose from has been somewhat disappointing for me.  In the gong matches I've finally settled on a rifle that besides a couple of mechanical issues - meets my expectations.  If and when I do my part both in the shooting and design areas, it shoots very well.  In the 22rf, a couple of my builds are meeting my expectations and then some for silhouette, gong and schuetzen. 
The centerfire schuetzen has me on the ropes though, a little bit of me and my shooting finesse, but a lot of mechanical issues and building a rifle I like, that fits, and shoots.  I know, that applies to us all.
There's several builds in the works at this moment, different makes and different calibers, some from scratch, some from castings, a couple originals and one I'll share right now, a re-build, re-purpose.
A build I did a few years back for a long range match I attended on the eastern side of the country, never really developed into a shooter for me.  It's a Ballard done in 40-90BN.  This build was set in a Rodney Storie casting but the breech block design is a striker my son and I designed and built.  It's the fifth one of these we did and there were quite a few bugs we worked through.  But as with a lot of our projects and designs, if you throw enough time and energy at it, it usually works out.  This one did, five years later, it shoots remarkable, for a 40 cal.  Is it a 1000 yard rifle that's accurate in all types of weather? not really.  A couple of builds since then in heavier calibers leaves this one in the dust.   I have three other 40 caliber builds to fool with if I get the hankering.
So this rifle is getting re-purposed.  A new barrel blank from BRC was profiled in a heavy octagon.  A new slab of maple is being cut to fit the barrel, it'll match the barrel in it's chunky configuration but it should work in the rest design I've built... a little on the heavy side for offhand but it should be the tail wagging the dog.  The new caliber for this stiker action is 32-40 WCF.   
A couple pics, one before and a couple current.  I'll share a few more later.
GT