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Prowling the local gunshop (If ya don't ya miss stuff!), I saw a little .22 hidden in the shadows of two big bolt-action Hi-Powers. Got it in my hand to discover it was a Savage Model 72 (A reproduction of the original "Favorite" falling block boy's rifle). This was not the Commemorative issue as a Member has for sale on this site, but rather standard production: no medallion on the stock or nickel plated features such as lever, etc. As new. not a mark on it. (Most of these were bought by Grampas or Dads, turned over to the house-apes and though these little guns are rugged and simple they do not look the same after two brothers on a ranch in eastern Oregon have wrung out the same gun learning to shoot.) Believe me, I know.
This gun was miraculously Perfect. New. Untouched. The price was $150. I was not "Da bes' haggler" on that deal. I wudn't even a haggler.
My constant fascination with single shots led to looking at this little gun as a sort of victim. I would transform it. To make a very long story short, here's what was done to the gun from Box Stock.
1) Trigger. 7.5-8 lbs as new. Throughout the metamorphosis, when the barreled action was isolated from wood, 4 separate alterations were performed with a fine diamond file on this simple sear held in a Jeweler's vise. This liberated the gun's accuracy potential and made it predictable and fun to shoot. Current pull weight is 4 lbs. Crisp as a green apple.
2) Wood. Although admirably good straight-grained walnut, only "robot" fitted in vague general terms toward the metal: To the limit of two angled bevels on each edge of wood that needed to meet with the gun and still obscenely proud at the junction. It screamed of "economy cheapness", enhanced by the production-sprayed finish. All the wood was taken down bare, fitted to metal at each junction, and a "fluted comb" was sculpted, allowing more natural handling. Finish is boiled linseed oil only. Seven coats hand rubbed and fully dried between each coat.
3) Sights. I honestly believe this gun was unfired. Initial tests had the buckhorns printing over 10" low at 40 yards. I had a spare Lyman #17 and drifted out the crude factory blade sight, replacing it with the globe target front. A Marble's #9841 tang sight was ordered and installed on the top of the wood grip immediately behind the action (this gun having no top tang) as prescribed by Marble's. With properly beveled screws as anchors, this sight has proven to be solidly reliable and predictable. But the tang sight had to be nearly over-extended to bring impact to paper, and so a brand new #17 of lower altitude was purchased. (The $150 gun now had $160 worth of spankin-new sights on it!)
4) At the kitchen table with buddies and beer one night, I fantasized about turning this little gun into a relic of the shooting sports that swept the world at both sides of the turn of the 19th to 20th Centuries. Palm Rests and Extended Buttplates were discussed. A very rough sand-cast brass buttplate was found and ordered, fitted and polished to the wood. I was VERY proud of nailing the centering of the screw holes using my "homeowner grade" drill press.
The Palm Rest idea changed about 5 times before construction began, and the final product was not imagined until it simply appeared as contributions by friends. The handle itself appears like an egg-shaped door knob of solid brass. It is very old and I did not polish out all the "wedding ring dings" from decades of use. Of unknown origin, we are now all in near agreement that it was actually a pull handle for probably the pump on an old Fire Engine. The stem is solid brass, machined to length and threaded by another friend, and I installed it with full end-buttress in the forearm. It has a hand-knurled set nut and the entire rest with stem is removable.
Gentlemen, I present to you for your viewing pleasure: "Mini Schuetzen":
This gun was miraculously Perfect. New. Untouched. The price was $150. I was not "Da bes' haggler" on that deal. I wudn't even a haggler.
My constant fascination with single shots led to looking at this little gun as a sort of victim. I would transform it. To make a very long story short, here's what was done to the gun from Box Stock.
1) Trigger. 7.5-8 lbs as new. Throughout the metamorphosis, when the barreled action was isolated from wood, 4 separate alterations were performed with a fine diamond file on this simple sear held in a Jeweler's vise. This liberated the gun's accuracy potential and made it predictable and fun to shoot. Current pull weight is 4 lbs. Crisp as a green apple.
2) Wood. Although admirably good straight-grained walnut, only "robot" fitted in vague general terms toward the metal: To the limit of two angled bevels on each edge of wood that needed to meet with the gun and still obscenely proud at the junction. It screamed of "economy cheapness", enhanced by the production-sprayed finish. All the wood was taken down bare, fitted to metal at each junction, and a "fluted comb" was sculpted, allowing more natural handling. Finish is boiled linseed oil only. Seven coats hand rubbed and fully dried between each coat.
3) Sights. I honestly believe this gun was unfired. Initial tests had the buckhorns printing over 10" low at 40 yards. I had a spare Lyman #17 and drifted out the crude factory blade sight, replacing it with the globe target front. A Marble's #9841 tang sight was ordered and installed on the top of the wood grip immediately behind the action (this gun having no top tang) as prescribed by Marble's. With properly beveled screws as anchors, this sight has proven to be solidly reliable and predictable. But the tang sight had to be nearly over-extended to bring impact to paper, and so a brand new #17 of lower altitude was purchased. (The $150 gun now had $160 worth of spankin-new sights on it!)
4) At the kitchen table with buddies and beer one night, I fantasized about turning this little gun into a relic of the shooting sports that swept the world at both sides of the turn of the 19th to 20th Centuries. Palm Rests and Extended Buttplates were discussed. A very rough sand-cast brass buttplate was found and ordered, fitted and polished to the wood. I was VERY proud of nailing the centering of the screw holes using my "homeowner grade" drill press.
The Palm Rest idea changed about 5 times before construction began, and the final product was not imagined until it simply appeared as contributions by friends. The handle itself appears like an egg-shaped door knob of solid brass. It is very old and I did not polish out all the "wedding ring dings" from decades of use. Of unknown origin, we are now all in near agreement that it was actually a pull handle for probably the pump on an old Fire Engine. The stem is solid brass, machined to length and threaded by another friend, and I installed it with full end-buttress in the forearm. It has a hand-knurled set nut and the entire rest with stem is removable.
Gentlemen, I present to you for your viewing pleasure: "Mini Schuetzen":
