Show off your Custom Gun

TrapdoorBig.jpg

Resurrected from a rifle left in a barn for 40 years.

That looks fantastic. I think those old rifles were great designs to begin with, and to rescue one and turn it into a beautiful streamlined single shot is just great. When you're standin' at the Pearly Gates and St. Peter's reading out the list of your good deeds, this one will be on there, I think.
 
Well, I bought a early K-22 that is cosmetically challenged from GB. When I retire Feb 1, 2016 this will be a project to do. Gonna cut the bbl to 3 or 31/2", always wanted a short bbl K-22. Gonna attempt to re-blue it also with a good cold blue and heat from a heat gun. Will post when it's done. Anyone else add a new custom gun. Heard SDM is 2 yrs behind on work. Larry
 
My long guns…..a few.

A gary Barnes, .20 cal Walther barrel, engraved, Compressed Air, pistol-rifle (removable shoulder stock), in Brazilian Rosewood….



A hand checkered (by my dad) exhibition black walnut stock, Unertl Scope, Sako, Hart Barrel-.22-250


A Paul Jaeger custom-checkered stocked (Tiger Maple) 30-06 customized by Walter Wolff Sr. (of Wolff Spring fame)
 
I have one in the shop now. Starting out as a "OM" Vaquero, 5.5" in 45 Colt.
First a little background:

In 1893, Congress authorized a commission (The Dawes Commission) to conduct a census of the Five Civilized Tribes. This was completed in 1907 and amended in 1914. This is the official register upon which tribal membership is based. My maternal grandmother was registered as a blood member of both the Cherokee and Chickasaw tribes in 1902. According to tribal rolls, her grandmother walked on the infamous "Trail of Tears" in 1838, when the Cherokee Tribe was force marched in winter from Georgia to the Indian Territories (Oklahoma). (That's a quick synopsis).

To honor and remember my maternal Native American ancestry, I have decided to make a gun rig.

I am starting out with an "OM" Vaquero in 45 Colt. Bobby Tyler is converting it to a 38-40. It will have an unfluted cylinder with engraving of Native American pictographs: "She Who Watches" (for protection), a turtle (for long life), a bighorn (success/food) and an owl (for wisdom). On the backstrap, it will say ”Nu na da ul tsun yi” 1838. That's Cherokee for "Where the Old ones Cried" (the Tribal name for the Trail of Tears). Grips will be bighorn sheep horn by Patrick Grashorn. A Bisley hammer and trigger will finish the pistol up. Of course, case hardening with fire-blued screws.

I already have a Bowie knife from Bark River. I have de-constructed the sheath and re-died it in a dark mahogany. I also have a small knife that I will make a sheath for that matches the Bowie sheath. Both sheaves are stitched and laced with sinew. Both knives have bighorn handles, to match the pistol grips.

I also have ordered a "Shootist" rig from El Paso Saddlery. I have de-constructed it and dyed it to match the sheaves and re-stitched it with sinew. The belt will remain light colored. I also added a copper buckle and some copper conchos. I have a matching Colt Lightning (dob 1887) that I am refinishing a forend for. It is also 38-40.
 
She's a shooter too I might add!
I also have an Wilson Combat AR platform customized super sniper I'll post pics of. It's dead nuts accurate at over 500 M
 


No checkered AAA Walnut but a Custom none the less.

DEFIANCE action, HART barrel chambered in 6.5 x 47 Lapua, Surgeon detachable mag bottom medal, Jewell 4 oz trigger, Mc Millan Tactical stock, Nightforce ATACR scope in NF titanium rings. FDE cerrakote. With a good hand behind the trigger it's a 1/3 moa shooter.

On a good day last Fall I did a 5" group at 1260 yds on steel. Hardly world record material but I was impressed.

Since this was taken it's been fitted with an Elite Iron suppressor.
 
329PD CTC XtrmDuty Ports 30.jpg329PD Trail Rig-30.jpgBowen 500 Linebaugh.jpgS&W 650 22 22-Mag Brooks Burt.jpg

Wow! Many of these beauties make two of my three look like tree stumps.
I've posted these before.
3. The S&W 650 has both the .22LR and .22 Magnum cylinders, and was chisel engraved by Brooks Burt of Wisconsin.

2. The Ruger Redhawk was modified by Hamilton Bowen to .500 Linebaugh for me. It has the Ashley Outdoors Big Dot front sight, Extreme Duty rear sight relieved for the Big Dot (not shown in this photo) and with tritium tubes, Mag-Na-Port quad trapezoid ports, and Pachmayr grips with a Bowen lanyard ring. The lockwork was wonderfully tuned and smoothed by Bowen and the finish was way too nice for a trail gun.

1. S&W 329. Quad trapezoid ports, Big Dot front sight and Extreme duty rear with tritium tubes, Crimson Trace Hog Hunter Lasergrips, lanyard ring. It's still a birch to shoot.
 
Last edited:
Regretably I cannot post pics so will try to give as best a description as I can. probably close to 30 years ago I bought a bubba'd 1903A1. Since I already had a new old stock A3 barrel I had George Beitzinger Atlantic ave Queens NYC install the barrel, drill and tap for a steel Lyman 57 rear sight and george installed a redfield banded front sight. I did basically all the metal work aka polishing and installed a 1903 milled trigger guard and 1903 trigger. Total back then was a little north of $200 and I was able to salvage the Bishop stock it origionally came in. George did the headspacing so well that later on I found a A4 sniper bolt that someone had ground on so with files and a pile of silicon carbide paper fits the springfield perfectly and will not take the no-go headspace guage. On the Accuratereloading website George has closed his shop for a well deserved retirement. I wouldn't call it a custom rifle but resurected from bubba and restored. Looks nice sitting in a "C" stock. And thanks to all of you who shared their custom firearms. Truly works of art. Think I wore out my like button. Frank
 
I have a large number of custom rifles...handguns...not so much. I have one with a shortened barrel and two that have been engraved. I bought this one new in 1973 and had S&W sights added with the ivory back in 1975. Engraved in 2012. Still a working gun.

standard.jpg


One of the rifles...

standard.jpg
 
We will trickle a couple more into the thread. The first one is a Ruger that started as a standard 45 Colt bisley but Jack Huntington just finished converting it to a 5 shot oversized cylinder with a rebored S&W model 629 barrel that is now 45 caliber. Jack made the walnut grips.

This one is one of John Linebaugh's creations. a 475 Linebaugh that John converted to 5 shot with a banded barrel and one of his brass bisley grip frames and a set of re-contoured walnut grips by him as well.

This is the 475s little brother in 44 Special on an old model Ruger 357 frame. John Gallagher did the octagon barrel and it too wears one of John Linebaughs brass bisley grip frames and old model bisley hammer ands trigger by David Clements. Roy Fishpaw did the walnut grips.
 
Don't know if you call either one exactly custom? But, I didn't like the stainless and black two tone. One is graphite black and the other is coyote tan cerakote. Stippled grips myself.
 
Last edited:
I have a fair number of custom guns that I've accumulated over the years, from a Ruger Bisley in .500 Linebaugh to a S&W Model 15 in .22 Hornet. However almost all of them have been bought already done. Apparently some folks spend money to get something just the way they want it, then sell it. :confused:

I think the only custom gun that I've had built for myself (so far) is an 8-3/8" .44 Special by Andy Horvath as detailed here: http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1961-1980/397845-seldom-seen-8-3-8-44-special.html

2choo0o.jpg


2uo50te.jpg
 
I guess this qualifies, though I bought it this way and had nothing to do with it being modified.

Late 1956 4th Model 44 Target - a.k.a. "Pre-24". The barrel has been cut down to 4-1/2", the Patridge sight has been converted to a semi-ramp and re-installed, and a wide trigger shoe installed. The only thing I've done to it is remove the Cokes and replace them with a set of Pachmayr Presentation rubber grips - mainly to protect the Cokes from possible damage.

Sorry I don't have any better pictures yet - these are the ones I took in the shop where I bought it...
 

Attachments

  • 02-1.JPG
    02-1.JPG
    75.8 KB · Views: 48
  • 03-1.JPG
    03-1.JPG
    82.7 KB · Views: 37
  • 04-1.JPG
    04-1.JPG
    77.4 KB · Views: 38
  • 17-1.JPG
    17-1.JPG
    94.8 KB · Views: 33
  • 06-1.JPG
    06-1.JPG
    74.8 KB · Views: 31
Last edited:
I like to modify/customize things myself and have been in a real GP100 groove the past couple of years. Here are a few...

This was my first GP100 project - 4" shortened to 2.6", Weigand front sight, Bowen rear, Thai grip, contoured cylinder and bead blasted.



This was re-chambered from 38 Special to 357 Magnum, Badger grip and bead blasted.



This was re-chambered to 357 Magnum and Cerakoted

 
Back
Top