Knife as a companion to ---

Von Gruff

Von Gruff

KNIFE MAKER
This last week I made a hunter skinner as a companion knife to a stock I also finished for a Lee Speed styled rifle for a gunsmith friend in 270-303. There was a nice piece in the cut off's from the stock blank and it seemed a waste not to make a knife for it to match the rifle so I went ahead and made what I consider the most versatile styled knife for the varied animals hunted here in NZ in the hunter Skinner.
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I was asked on another forum where I documented the build why I worked on these old rifle as (in there words) even the best condition originals are not valued at a price to induce having one made. -- but for anyone who has had an original Lee Speed in hand or conversley one of these restocked MLE's (Magazine Lee Enfields) they can immediatly feel why they were so well though of as a hunting rifle. Slim and oh so very pointable they seem to lock onto target all by themselves. In a similar fashion the early last century mauser actioned rifles of Rigby, Jeffery etc have that same tendency in hand which is why I reaslly enjoy brining one "out of the wood"
 
The 270-303 looks like an interesting cartridge. I want to look more into the details of it. Is there commercial ammo available in NZ or do you have to reload?
 
Von Gruff said:
I was asked on another forum where I documented the build why I worked on these old rifle as (in there words) even the best condition originals are not valued at a price to induce having one made. -- but for anyone who has had an original Lee Speed in hand or conversley one of these restocked MLE's (Magazine Lee Enfields) they can immediatly feel why they were so well though of as a hunting rifle. Slim and oh so very pointable they seem to lock onto target all by themselves. In a similar fashion the early last century mauser actioned rifles of Rigby, Jeffery etc have that same tendency in hand which is why I reaslly enjoy brining one "out of the wood"
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Not to mention the luxurious bolt throw and smoothness of the action. These rifles are simply a joy to use.

I am very fond of CZ rifles for this reason- they are for all intents and purposes recreations of the Mauser rifles in both action and balance.
 
Ty Adams said:
The 270-303 looks like an interesting cartridge. I want to look more into the details of it. Is there commercial ammo available in NZ or do you have to reload?
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No there is no commercial ammo for the 270-303. For some time in the 50's to the 70's in australia where there was the 243-303 (243 sprinter) 22-303 (22 Falcon) 25-303, the 270-303, 35-303 and the 375-303 although the 375 was the original British 375x2 1/2 which had commercial ammo made by Kynoch.
For a short time there was commercial 25-303 ammo availablle (and there may have been 243-303 as well) but it was downloaded so most would handload for it as well and when the case was sized to headspace off the shoulder rather that the rim, it generated very good results in the 250-3000 style.
The 303 case was necked up and down because the Lee Enfield action was so widely available and very cheap compared to the US and Euro made rifles and worked very well for conditions there. All ammo was handloaded for the wildcats untill the cost of new rifles became more atractive than rebarrelling an Enfield action.
This was not so much the case in NZ during the same timeframe where the standard 303 was the most common hunting cartridge for everything above the rabbit where the 22LR was used.
I have built Lee Speed styled rifles in various calibers beside the standard 303 and the 270-303 with the 375 being a favourite of a friend who makes his bullets from shortened and swaged 223 cases filled with lead core and I buit a 400 for myself on a very slightly shortened 405 Win case.
Have sent a few stock to the US where they are not available to a few friends who still apreciate this fine old action housed in the LS stock
 
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John Wilson said:
Not to mention the luxurious bolt throw and smoothness of the action. These rifles are simply a joy to use.

I am very fond of CZ rifles for this reason- they are for all intents and purposes recreations of the Mauser rifles in both action and balance.
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I like the CZ rifles also. Except for the safety. It is backwards. Forward is safe and backwards is fire. Weird!!
 
Dennis Morland said:
I like the CZ rifles also. Except for the safety. It is backwards. Forward is safe and backwards is fire. Weird!!
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The safety was done like that initially to replicate the hammer where it was pulled back to make ready to fire so they did the same with the safety. Not hard to become familiar with the concept for the regular user and for those with multiple firearm styles which all have some differences that need to be remembered when using them.
 
I read the whole of that thread and I am in wonder with the quality of work you did on that rifle stock, von Gruff. Beautiful work.
 
Johan Nel said:
I read the whole of that thread and I am in wonder with the quality of work you did on that rifle stock, von Gruff. Beautiful work.
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Thanks Johan.
When making rifle stocks and knives is a passion then you get to do a few of them and as my father often said, "the ability to do comes with doing".
I delivered it to the gunsmith this morning and dropped off a VZ24 action to be cleaned up and get a littrl work done on and will probaby do another 1920's rigby styled stock similar to the 6.5x57 I did for myself although I did mine as a blind mag stock to reduce weight and allow fro a round bottom to the stock to enhance carrying comfort.
 
Von Gruff said:
Slim and oh so very pointable they seem to lock onto target all by themselves.
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I think this is why the Colt peacemakers were so deadly...you point one and then lower your head to the sights and it's right on target....just like pointing a finger.

That is a great matched set Garry!
 
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