I guess since this is the BP forum, this one belongs here too…
A few weeks back I picked up a pair of trapdoors. One is a cut down early model with a really rough bore, missing front sight, locked up firing pin and very loose block. It may be a parts gun or a longer term project…
The other one was still pretty rough, but had a tight action and a decent bore so I figured it was worth some love. The stock had been sanded and varnished and it was starting to peel and flake off. The metal was all covered in a coat of rust, surface for the most part. It ended up being a Cadet Rifle that was made in 1892 and sent to Baylor University in Waco TX. It was missing the rear Buffington sight. It did still have the original sling on it!
I stripped it down and used carb cleaner on the wood to remove the old varnish. Put several coats of boiled linseed oil on it and topped it off with a rub down of a toilet wax ring. The metal got lots of oil and OOOO steel wool. Picked up a rear sight with a pretty close matching patina and installed it.
Next I cast up some 20:1 bullets with my new mold I picked up for my Marlin, a flat nose that drops around 425 gr and .460”. I hand lubed them with a mix of beeswax and olive oil. Loaded those over 68gr of Goex Cartridge powder.
I made it to the range this past weekend and got to shoot it some. Started out at 50 and with a six o’clock hold, was hitting a few inches above the bull with a decent, round group. Not super tight hit with the sights and my eyes, I was happy. Made it over to the 300m range at the end of the day. I was pretty happy to hit a silhouette at 100 with my first shot! Made a few more hits and flipped up the sight to try at 300. I’m pretty sure I hit it a few times, but with the mud and lack of a spotter, I’m not sure exactly where it was hitting. Looking forward to loading up more ammo and getting it back out! I fired 30 rounds through it with zero issues. Not bad for a neglected 130 year old rifle!
A few weeks back I picked up a pair of trapdoors. One is a cut down early model with a really rough bore, missing front sight, locked up firing pin and very loose block. It may be a parts gun or a longer term project…
The other one was still pretty rough, but had a tight action and a decent bore so I figured it was worth some love. The stock had been sanded and varnished and it was starting to peel and flake off. The metal was all covered in a coat of rust, surface for the most part. It ended up being a Cadet Rifle that was made in 1892 and sent to Baylor University in Waco TX. It was missing the rear Buffington sight. It did still have the original sling on it!
I stripped it down and used carb cleaner on the wood to remove the old varnish. Put several coats of boiled linseed oil on it and topped it off with a rub down of a toilet wax ring. The metal got lots of oil and OOOO steel wool. Picked up a rear sight with a pretty close matching patina and installed it.
Next I cast up some 20:1 bullets with my new mold I picked up for my Marlin, a flat nose that drops around 425 gr and .460”. I hand lubed them with a mix of beeswax and olive oil. Loaded those over 68gr of Goex Cartridge powder.
I made it to the range this past weekend and got to shoot it some. Started out at 50 and with a six o’clock hold, was hitting a few inches above the bull with a decent, round group. Not super tight hit with the sights and my eyes, I was happy. Made it over to the 300m range at the end of the day. I was pretty happy to hit a silhouette at 100 with my first shot! Made a few more hits and flipped up the sight to try at 300. I’m pretty sure I hit it a few times, but with the mud and lack of a spotter, I’m not sure exactly where it was hitting. Looking forward to loading up more ammo and getting it back out! I fired 30 rounds through it with zero issues. Not bad for a neglected 130 year old rifle!
