Recently exchanged pics & info with stonecreek & coleman cowboy on some custom rifles we have & thought I'd start a thread so members could share their "unique" creations whether custom , semi-custom, modified, or refinished. Sako based or other makes. With all the rifle nuts on this site there has to be some cool stuff in the safe that deserves to see some light! I found this rifle at a Cabela's in Pennsylvania & had it shipped to a local Cabela's for inspection. It had the original 222 Rem varmint barrel attached to the L46 action & it was set in the custom stock. Rifle appeared to be unfired, as there wasn't even a mark on the magazine follower nor any evidence of blue wear normally associated with cycling the bolt. The bolt face was pristine. Needless to say, I bought it. The comb was over a half inch higher & "rounded" making for an extremely high scope position that didn't fit me at all. I straighten & lowered the comb to fit my eye position behind a lower mounted scope & refinished the blonde walnut stock, which I believe is of European origin. I then had a 22" Shilen #5 (light varmint) contoured , 5 groove, 12 twist SS barrel installed & chambered in 221 Fireball. Very little barrel channel work was needed to fit the stock. The stock looks a little odd, but I found it to be wonderfully balanced & it holds well whether shooting from a bench, cross-sticks or off-hand. The original barrel went to another Sako nut & was put to good use. The scope is an older Leupold M8-10x with AO & target knobs. For my intents & purposes it is an ideal combination. Great little cartridge. It's unfortunate that rifle makers didn't chamber it more, as it is a fine performer. I'm always surprised by how many gun guys associate it only with the XP100 bolt action handgun & think of it as a "pistol" round. With the 40 grain plastic tipped bullets it is pretty much a laser out to 300 yards & one of my favorite PD guns. No!! I didn't buy Kirks couch.
Nicely done Hawkeye!! A good/long custom Sako thread is way overdue. I've a "few"......if I can post pics, since my ol' tinypic got bought/closed by photobucket. As an aside........I could raise the dead.......Son Of Squiggly!
Paulson: That Fireball looks like a prairie dog's nightmare. I don't hunt them anymore with anything larger than the Fireball. It does all you need. Kevin: Try postimages.org It's free and I've found it simple to use. Looking forward to seeing more of your squiggly wood.
I''ll play. I've posted photos of this rifle before, but since we have a thread devoted to custom Sakos, here it is, an L461 sporter in .222 built by C.O. Audette, who was a well-known competition shooter and builder of target rifles. He doesn't seem to have built a lot of hunting rifles, but this one shoots like a target rifle. The original Sako barrel has been replaced or turned down, I'm not sure which. It is full-length bedded, not free floated. It shoots consistent half-inch groups with handloads (Sierra 52-grain MatchKings and 4198) or high-quality factory ammo. I'd rate this as the best of my custom Sakos. The scope is a Burris 4-12X Mini in Conetrol rings. I got this rifle 20 years or so ago at a gun show in Virginia, where I lived at the time. I have a couple of other custom Sakos; I'll post them over the next few days.
Hey Icebear, What a lovely highly figured hunk of walnut. I am at this time of writing having a 1967 L461 sporter customized. I will send photo's when compleated. Blackjack
Here are a couple that belong to a good friend. I'm "babysitting" them since hes' living in an apartment temporarily while he gets his new house built. I might just "adopt" them if they stay around here too long! You know how attached you can get if they're living with you. The top one is a three-lug L61R .25-06 with a factory barrel in a custom stock. The stock is nicely executed and a step up in wood grade, but the thing that attracted my friend to it is its 14.5" LOP. He has extra long arms and can rarely find a stock long enough to suit him. He mounted a target-type 6-18X Leupold on it. The lower one is an L461 with a custom Douglass XX barrel in ".223 Govt." Don't know who did the work, but the wood and checkering is very nice with deep, rich bluing on the barrel.
Here is mine - L461 wearing a 26" Pacnor chambered in .20-222, a Hatcher's Riflestocks "English Classic varmint" stock finished by myself, and a Maddco 3 lever trigger Marcus
Fantastic piece of walnut! I'm curious, though - what's the advantage of a .20-222 over a plain .222 or a .222 Magnum? Seems like not much difference, maybe a bit longer range as long as it's not too windy.
Branxhunter, That's a fine whittling job you did on that rifle stock...and a wonderful piece of wood to begin with. Well done! Mark
Hi Marcus, good pics, I knew it was over here, looking over the bonnet! What scope power on that Zeis? Nice looking gun, any young foxes getting around your way yet? Jay
Something a it different I guess, as well as higher MV and flatter trajectory. The main quarry around here is foxes, feral cats, rabbits, hares and pest birds, and the 32gn v- or z-max at around 4000fps does shoot a bit flatter out further than my A1 .222 with 40gn v-maxes. Along the same line of logic my semi custom (Shilen barrel, Timney trigger, refinished factory varmint stock) L461 in .17-222 scoots the 20gn v- or z- maxes or Nosler VGs out at over 4200fps and shoots very flat out to 300m or so. Marcus
I can't claim the whittling - I sourced the semi finished (shaped) stock blank from Hatchers Riflestocks: http://hatchersriflestocks.com.au/products-21/classic-varmint.html I did the final shaping/smoothing, fitted the butt pad and applied a hand rubbed oil finish. I should have also mentioned that the custom stock route meant I could have something built that better fits me; I'm a lean 6'4" with long arms, bigs hands and long fingers so factory stocks don't usually fit very well. Generally when holding the pistol grip my forefinger can reach around and sit comfortably on the front of the trigger guard. Cam Hatcher was good to work with and provided a stock style with a nice open grip and length of pull that fits much better, and I suspect I shoot better because of it. Marcus
G'day Jay. It's a 5-25x50 Zeiss Conquest HD. I'm toying with replacing it with a Zeiss Victory 3-12x56, Kahles 2.2-12x56 or a Swaro Z6 5-15x56. All big bulky scopes to be sure, but this is a heavy rifle (26" Sendero profile barrel) and I think it will sit OK, and the step up in light gathering and clarity under the spotlight will be significant. Prices are keeping my credit card in my wallet though! Fox Cubs have been getting around for two or three weeks now. I'm keen to head and a look for some but after the booming season this year the grass is generally knee high. Need to find some hay paddocks or properties that run their stock hard. Marcus
Wow some great specimens all around. Admittedly mine was done purposely to see how little I could spend. And, how much I could do on my own. I also shared this rife in a thread previously. L461 action which I bought many years ago. Had it in a purple Crown Royal bag forever. Stock is a Fajen bought for $40 at a local gun show. I completely reshaped it, bedded it then finished it in my chosen method. Barrel is a sporter weight Pac Nor, chambered in .223 Remington- cut and crowned at 21”. The 6X Leupold has been switched to a 2-7x28 Leupold Vari-X II. Reason for choosing.223 is, I have a minty boxed standard sporter which is used very infrequently. I wanted a truck-quad- walk about rifle which if dinged wouldn’t cause heart ache. Plus, I acquired thousands of rounds of high quality factory ammunition (Black Hills, Hornady) when in the business, and have components and recipes to make more. This rifle seems to like nearly everything put through the tube thus far. It goes almost everywhere we go.
What he said. Plus, you could make it look even better by taking the time to checker it. Nice rifle, to say the least.
Thanks paulson and icebear, you both have have great looking customs. Envious of both. Since it performs so admirably I’m going to send the stock out for checkering, We have a new yet proven smith from South Dakota living locally - I figure it’s worth the additional expense. Then I’ll add an ebony foretip to finish it up.
