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Following, for gun pics not dog pics. Lol

I just picked up one of these. I'm fixing on tearing it down this week for a good cleaning. Not saying I'm going to refinish.
I want to see how yours turns out.

I figure I'll clean it then shoot it. Then consider looks.
 

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I disagree. THIS is the current basic Rigby rifle - £7,950 and it's yours. The English don't make poncy guns, else African professionals wouldn't still be using them 120 years after they were built.

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THIS is a beautiful rifle!

My husband said the same thing when I showed it to him.

Cate
 
Two months ago I brought home a Pre-64 Model 70 Winchester to pretty up some and turn into my primary hunting rifle. It's finished.

This month I turned my attention towards a rifle that's been in the family for an unknown number of years. I first learned about it in 1969 when Dad brought it and the rest of Grandpa's guns home after Grandpa passed away. Dad knew about the other few guns Gramps had, but nothing about the 1894. What we did know was it's life hadn't been easy. The stock was beat and there were two filled dovetails in the barrel, not counting the original one holding the original rear sight. The front sight blade was a home made one with a brass tip that didn't fit snugly and could be rotated up or down over 1/16' of an inch. The lever's bent some to the left. There was almost no finish.
Still, it's the gun that both of my sisters and I first hunted with. (no kills, though)
When I was in high school I decided to restore it. I removed what finish was left and used Birchwood-Casey browning to get the color I wanted. I sanded the bubblegum out of the stock to try and remove the gouges. I sanded the buttplate and barrel bands, then clear coated them so they were shiny. At least I used linseed oil on the stock after I carved it away.

Poor rifle.:(

I probably haven't shot it since the 90's. One of my nephews used it for elk season (no kill) 8 years ago and that's the only time it's been shot since I last did. Dad didn't pack it well when he threw it in the cargo compartment of the trailer for that trip and it picked up a few bruises. I came to me to stay after Dad passed away 4 year ago.
On a fluke I found a Marbles front sight blade (Ivory insert) for it on ebay. That started the ball rolling.

I ripped this sucker apart for probably the first time. It was full of junk and gunk. The bore looked like a rusty pipe. I started scrubbing. I probably ran 300 patches thru the bore, only to find out there isn't any rifling at the muzzle. Oh, well. I cleaned everything up, oiled it up and reassembled. Where the buttplate was overhanging the wood I sanded it down to fit. I removed the "finish" on the barrel bands and buttplate. I'll cold blue them and try to make them look aged once the solution shows up from Brownell's.
I didn't take a Before pic, but at this point the After pic is similar!

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Nice post, good history and a cool rifle!

Thank you for sharing. I am showing my husband this thread too.

Cate
 
A friend of mine, with whom I'd shared many a happy day shooting, was getting on in life, and, TBH, not a well man. He was also the owner of a very fine John Rigby rifle About 2005 or so I took him down to see Ron Wharton, noted ex-Rigby gunmaker, to have his rifle refurbished in the stock so that he could leave it to some deserving person.

At his funeral, his son came over to me and told me that I had initially been the 'deserving person', but knowing the strange gun laws here in yUK, he'd disposed of it to a local gun dealer instead. He had been amazed to receive a THOUSAND pounds for it, seeing as it was only an old rifle that nobody had ever heard of.

I could have killed him on the spot by ripping off an arm and beating him to death with the soggy end.

The dealer listed it later that month for a cool £12500.
 
A friend of mine, with whom I'd shared many a happy day shooting, was getting on in life, and, TBH, not a well man. He was also the owner of a very fine John Rigby rifle About 2005 or so I took him down to see Ron Wharton, noted ex-Rigby gunmaker, to have his rifle refurbished in the stock so that he could leave it to some deserving person.

At his funeral, his son came over to me and told me that I had initially been the 'deserving person', but knowing the strange gun laws here in yUK, he'd disposed of it to a local gun dealer instead. He had been amazed to receive a THOUSAND pounds for it, seeing as it was only an old rifle that nobody had ever heard of.

I could have killed him on the spot by ripping off an arm and beating him to death with the soggy end.

The dealer listed it later that month for a cool £12500.

What a knothead. :s0109:
Sorry to hear of the loss of your friend and his fine rifle, talk about a double whammy.
 
Being a lover of vintage WInchesters I appreciate what you have done with this rifle!

While not nearly as old I did the same a couple years ago with a 80's era T/C .54 Caliber 'Renegade' ML that had not been cleaned in over 20 years! - but slow and careful work brought it back to about 85% of original finish and it is a great shooter!
 
A while back I took off the barrel bands, butt plate and screws, gave them a light blasting to remove the old clear coat and then used some oxpho blue. In the process I lightly sanded the edge of the butt plate to keep it from overhanging the wood. That all turned out fairly well.
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Last month I double checked and it was sighted in well for the short distance I'll be dealing with.
And I took it huntin. After some thinking, sitting in a treestand for most of the day there is plenty of time for thinkin, I realized it's been 30 deer seasons since I'd last carried this gun. I also remembered that Dad once said he thought it came from a neighbor, Virgil. Grandpa probably got it in payment for bailin Virgil out of the "County Hotel".
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I forgot how easy it is to handle and carry this carbine. I'm really enjoying it. Hopefully I'll be able to use it like it was intended.
 
This thread makes me wonder about what has happened to all those millions of firearms that were built from the mid-1800's up until now. I have no idea where my dad's Pre-'64 Model 70 in 300 H&H went or any of his other guns, for that matter. I suspect that when he died my sister took all of them to a awn shop and took whatever was offered. But still, there's a lot of fine firearms out there somewhere.
 
This thread makes me wonder about what has happened to all those millions of firearms that were built from the mid-1800's up until now. I have no idea where my dad's Pre-'64 Model 70 in 300 H&H went or any of his other guns, for that matter. I suspect that when he died my sister took all of them to a awn shop and took whatever was offered. But still, there's a lot of fine firearms out there somewhere.

For some rifles a bit of use and history, even if you can only see it in wear, makes them more desirable than they were brand new. If you know the history, then it's all the more so.
 
This thread makes me wonder about what has happened to all those millions of firearms that were built from the mid-1800's up until now. I have no idea where my dad's Pre-'64 Model 70 in 300 H&H went or any of his other guns, for that matter. I suspect that when he died my sister took all of them to a awn shop and took whatever was offered. But still, there's a lot of fine firearms out there somewhere.

I have 'em....well a few of 'em anyways....:D
Andy
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That's very impressive.
Thanks.
I put them on display at museums , rendezvous , shooting events , history fairs etc....
Its a hands on display...as in I will hand you a firearm or item , so we can discuss it.
Nice to talk history with an item that might have been there...or at least is from the time period.

When I do a "Plains Rifle" display a Winchester Model 94 is often a part of it....
Kinda neat to have rifles that span from the flintlock onward.
Andy
 

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