Your dream rifle

308 Winchester, it's a 1961 manufacture from the Chicopee Falls factory in MA but looks like is used a lot of the older parts that were still lying around. For example, it still has the brass counter on it and the case colored lever. It's also got the standard rotary magazine and not a detachable box mag. I picked it up fairly cheaply because it had a mismatched butt stock (which I was intending on swapping out anyway). I specifically look for older guns in good shape that aren't all original and hence does not have the "collector value". I do this mainly because I love the quality and old bones of these guns but like to customize them with modern barrels, sights, stocks and triggers. Having pretty guns to hang in a glass display case is all well and good and I appreciate people who collect and maintain old originals….but I use my guns to hunt and I will use modern tech on old guns to blend the best of the old with the best of the new. While I can appreciate the beauty of a lovely Turkish claro walnut oil rubbed stock and a deeply blued barrel, I think if they had laminated hardwood stocks and cerakote 50 years ago they would have been using them both!
 
F1146B27-7C8F-4900-A638-1C53BB259DEE.jpeg
 
The top one is the Savage 99, it's getting some accurizing and stock work at the moment and I am having the receiver and barrel cerakoted the midnight blue color but it will retain the case colored lever and the original brass counter. It's getting a checkered and shaped Boyd's nutmeg laminate stock and will be wearing a refurbished Weaver V7 II Wide scope I bought from James Brion and Vintage Gun Scopes in Corvallis Montana. I also got old still in the original package Weaver Imperial bases and rings.

Below it is a 1965 manufacture Remington 760 in 30-06. Gun itself is in great shape but the barrel is pitted. That is going to be wearing a Boyd's forest camo butt stock and forend with fleur de lis scale patterning. It's going to wear a McGowen precision barrel that I plan on putting a thin sourdough blade sight or fiber optic bead up front with a globe hood and rear barrel mounted full moon rear sight from New England custom gun. I already have a Timney trigger fix let that will be installed to get a nice 3# trigger pull. It will have a refurbished Redfield 2-7x scope from Denver also purchased from Vintage Gun Scopes, sitting in Talley screw lock detachable rings. Probably going to cerakote the barreled action in armor black.

The bottom guy is a later 70's Remington Wingmaster in 20 gauge and I am not doing a **** thing to that gun…..it's perfect as it is.
 
That's quite impressive for any gun, especially a lever. I bought the ML McPherson book on accurizing factory rifles and my Savage 99 is up at MNR as we speak getting the accurizing recommendations from his book. Once I have the rifle back in hand and can shoot again (just had my neck fused 2 days ago). I will post some range pictures!

The top one is the Savage 99, it's getting some accurizing and stock work at the moment and I am having the receiver and barrel cerakoted the midnight blue color but it will retain the case colored lever and the original brass counter. It's getting a checkered and shaped Boyd's nutmeg laminate stock and will be wearing a refurbished Weaver V7 II Wide scope I bought from James Brion and Vintage Gun Scopes in Corvallis Montana. I also got old still in the original package Weaver Imperial bases and rings.

Below it is a 1965 manufacture Remington 760 in 30-06. Gun itself is in great shape but the barrel is pitted. That is going to be wearing a Boyd's forest camo butt stock and forend with fleur de lis scale patterning. It's going to wear a McGowen precision barrel that I plan on putting a thin sourdough blade sight or fiber optic bead up front with a globe hood and rear barrel mounted full moon rear sight from New England custom gun. I already have a Timney trigger fix let that will be installed to get a nice 3# trigger pull. It will have a refurbished Redfield 2-7x scope from Denver also purchased from Vintage Gun Scopes, sitting in Talley screw lock detachable rings. Probably going to cerakote the barreled action in armor black.

The bottom guy is a later 70's Remington Wingmaster in 20 gauge and I am not doing a **** thing to that gun…..it's perfect as it is.
Jbronner -

Howdy, again !

Those guns shown look to be well cared for.

One doesn't often read about a 760 being re-barrelled. Cool beans !

Keep it goin' !


With regards,
357Mag
 
I only have a few more carefully thought out guns I am looking to add to my collection. Maybe about 5 total: the older Browning Auto 5's, both a light 12 and a light 20, a Remington Model 31 in 12 gauge, a Remington 660 that I can put a nice Timney trigger in and custom stock with the nice heritage arms bottom metal (for hunting the thick woods in the northeast this rifle is just the handiest rifle I think anyone would want to own especially in 308) and a Ruger M77 guide gun in 375 Ruger or 338 Win Mag (that gun just for some reason feels really nice in my hands). I have a 1954 Model 70 receiver I just completed getting all my parts for and I am going to be doing that one in 6.5x55 Swede, already have the refurbished Redfield 3-9 Lo Pro for it!
 
Jbronner -

Howdy, again !

Those guns shown look to be well cared for.

One doesn't often read about a 760 being re-barrelled. Cool beans !

Keep it goin' !


With regards,
357Mag
Well….I like to get weird with it, haha. The smith I use said he could do it no problem so I think I will have him slap a McGowen or Douglas barrel on it chopped down to about 20 inches.

I hate stand hunting, so I want my rifles be so quick handling for use In thick woods with typically bad weather as I hunt in northern New England. The deer densities up here in the areas I like to kick around aren't great so you want something the carry's light, swings nice, shoots straight and can handle the elements. Every time a purchase a rifle, by the time I am done tweaking it the price has tripled…..my wife hates me most of the time.
 
Well this is tough. I was fortunate enough to have inherited 2 very nice pre-64 M70s one custom built in 300 WBY and one in 270 that my grandfather made a gorgeous stock for that I'm the 4th generation owner of. I've already built all my longrange rigs I'll ever need and one in process. So with that said. Its a draw between a classic pre-64 M70 target rifle, a pre-war M70 (clover leaf tang), or a classy sharps in a 45cal variant.
 
Mine is a sauer 90 in 7mm rem mag. which I already have and the other which I am bedding tonight is a 28 nosler, defiance anti x action, 26" spiral fluted benchmark barrel, Manners eh1 stock in midnight tack, m5 bottom metal and triggertech trigger.
 
Top