first build take 2

[somehippy]

After getting my rifle finally firing, I realized after looking at the many fine specimens here that I could not live with her being so fat and clunky and mostly just funny looking.  I guess it's still kinda funny looking but she's better looking than she was.  It's a 40 Cal Leonard reedy kit from John Clark in Ontario. The wood had nice grain but no curl, so I tried my had at faux striping with my Apple cider vinegar and barbed wire stain I've had brewing over the last year. I think the fake stripes turned out not bad. Metal bits still need some finishing (someday I'll try engraving). Anyhow here she is, I wanted to call her "foxy lady" because of my lil copper fox, she's slot closer to living up to the name than she was lol...

[Timothy88]

The faux striping looks very nice in my opinion.

[Mike Brooks]

Well, believe it or not you could still take a heap more wood off......always seems to be the case. Can't hardly take too much off!

[somehippy]

Thanks Tim.  I know, she's still kinda chubby and slab sided, I'll probably wind up it over again at some point.  I should have made the RR channel deeper and moved my entry pipe back some and deeper as well as take more meat off the belly of the fore end. Could always have a  thinner wrist too I guess...  The wood is rather brittle and has several cracks glued up, that and the weight of the 42" 7/8" straight barrel coupled with my inexperience made me leery of taking away more wood. 

[Dave Patterson]

...  The wood is rather brittle and has several cracks glued up, that and the weight of the 42" 7/8" straight barrel coupled with my inexperience made me leery of taking away more wood.

One odd trait I've noticed, doing multiple efforts at removing "enough" wood:  there's a point at which the wood gets thin enough, the metal actually supports the wood, rather than wood supporting metal.  The real trick is getting the wood you WANT removed, off, before you flat-out run outa wood in those areas (wrist-comb transition; forearm vertical tapers and transitions, etc).

At that point, ya gots to be pretty careful about installing and/or removing parts, too.

Obviously, at that point, you're also right on the cusp of the tipping point, where the wood won't hold together.  But...

[oldtravler61]

  Somehippy the first rifle I built I took apart an reworked four times. The forarm is always one of the hardest part of a new builder. Dave's advice is good. Try an get to see some originals or modern well made contemporary guns.  Good luck..Oldtravler

[conquerordie]

I reworked my first rifle. After posting it here I believe Mike Brooks gave me the advice to just shoot it, enjoy it, and move on to the next project. I have fun shooting this rifle, but I still look at things I can still improve. But he was right. Im learning more on my newest project than I would have trying to re redo this rifle.
Greg

[n stephenson]

Overall it looks like you did well especially for a first build. It  seems like nobody takes enough wood off on their first few. If you can make it to the CLA or any show with some originals ,look at them closely. Most, not all were very thin out front . For one thing most originals had bigger barrels than modern made rifles . If they had left the forearms fat ,they would have been huge.  IMHO!    Good Job!!! 

[somehippy]

Thanks everyone for the replies.  I'm gonna shoot er some and chase some varmints, till I just HAVE to fix something.  I'm hoping stop start a project from a plank in the near future, I feel there was constraints in the positioning of the furniture as it was all pre inlet (mostly).  I hope to get my hands on or atleast a good up close look at some originals or good modern builds, there just isnt many of either in my part of the world (southern Alberta), I should get out more...  Looking at all the pictures is one thing but to actually feel and hold a good one would be another.  I must say without this place I would have a much ulgier rifle had I not gave up.  I'm completely hooked line and sinker by this stuff and fortunately I'm still young (24) so I can hopefully only go onwards and upwards from here...