Art Doc
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
Around 1978 Jeff Cooper built a heavy rifle on a 602 action. It was a 460 based on the 404 Jeffery case. The 602 it a true Magnum length Model 98 so it's good for big calibers.
In 1985 I got the urge to duplicate Cooper's rifle. I could not locate a 602. This was long before the Internet and Gunbroker. They were still available as new guns, but for some reason we had a trade embargo against Czechoslovakia at the time so no BRNOs were being imported. They were, however, being sent to Canada.
I found a dealer who could import a 602 from a Canadian dealer. I forget the price but it wasn't cheap. At the last minute the Canadian dealer demanded an extra $50 for no reason other than I was knee deep in the project and he figured he could extort the extra money. He was right. I was pissed (and still am 35 years later) but I paid his ransom.
My rifle doesn't have spectacular wood. BRNOs often had plain or even ugly stocks back then. Mine is a little on the ugly side. But that big, Magnum Mauser action is a thing of beauty. At that time the 602 was available in a limited number of calibers. The 375 H&H, 458 Winchester Magnum, and some metric number I don't even recall. Didn't matter which I got because I would change the caliber anyway. The Canadian crook had a 375 in stock so that's what I got.
My plans to build a custom 460 were waylaid when the 602 arrived. I liked it the way it was. I slapped on a 1-4x20 Leupold for a European style look. Later I built my 460 using a Remington Model 30 action.
In 1985 I got the urge to duplicate Cooper's rifle. I could not locate a 602. This was long before the Internet and Gunbroker. They were still available as new guns, but for some reason we had a trade embargo against Czechoslovakia at the time so no BRNOs were being imported. They were, however, being sent to Canada.
I found a dealer who could import a 602 from a Canadian dealer. I forget the price but it wasn't cheap. At the last minute the Canadian dealer demanded an extra $50 for no reason other than I was knee deep in the project and he figured he could extort the extra money. He was right. I was pissed (and still am 35 years later) but I paid his ransom.
My rifle doesn't have spectacular wood. BRNOs often had plain or even ugly stocks back then. Mine is a little on the ugly side. But that big, Magnum Mauser action is a thing of beauty. At that time the 602 was available in a limited number of calibers. The 375 H&H, 458 Winchester Magnum, and some metric number I don't even recall. Didn't matter which I got because I would change the caliber anyway. The Canadian crook had a 375 in stock so that's what I got.
My plans to build a custom 460 were waylaid when the 602 arrived. I liked it the way it was. I slapped on a 1-4x20 Leupold for a European style look. Later I built my 460 using a Remington Model 30 action.
