Mausermeister

Somebody has wayyyyyyyy too much time on their hands. But, I like it. Maybe it needs a bi-pod?

Nelsdou, I too have thought of using bodoc (bois d' arc, Osage orange, horseapple) for a gunstock. The problem is finding a tree big enough to saw a blank from. The white sap wood can be up to 4" thick on a large tree. It would take an extremely large and rare (around here anyway) specimen to quartersaw a proper stock blank from. Oak or bodoc either may be too heavy for a sporter, but that very property would make them excellent choices for a bench gun.

I've thought about it. I have made some beautiful pistol grips from oak. If cured and dried properly, it should not be too prone to splitting. I think the main reason that oak isn't used in gunstocks is because it it so hard after curing. When I make the oak grips, it dulls my tools in way less than half the time as walnut or cherry.

I encouraged not using the 94 as a purely economical decision. It's his rifle to do with as he wishes. He can melt it down and forge a peace-sign belt buckle with it if he wants. But I must disagree as to its collectability. While it may be of no interest to some top-end collectors already owning a couple of pristine examples, a non-matching restored rifle is very desirable to someone who doesn't have or can't afford such. I have owned and restored many such rifles over the years. As I found better examples and/or more disposable income I have replaced them with better examples. These usually went to other collectors looking for such examples to fill holes in their collections.

I started on this one nearly a year. Finally got around to finishing the stock and metal yesterday. Receiver is a Turked gew98. Barrel is one of the new surplus 7x57, 17.25" carbine barrels from Sarco. Bold trigger. Richards Microfit 'camo' laminate stock finished with clear acrylic. Rear pillar and front ring glass bedded. Free floated barrel. Pachmayr 1" recoil pad. Gunkote matte black finish. Bolt handle is my own creation. Timney Buehler-style low safety. Millett one piece scope base and rings. Topped with a Weaver V7, 2.5-7 power scope (need some lower rings). Maybe I will get time to work up a good load and kill a deer with it before season ends.

The third from the top appears to be a model 94 carbine. These are getting scarce and the prices have been climbing rapidly lately. None of the metal I can see in the pic appears to have been modified, only the stock. If all the metal is intact, it is worth far more restored than sporterized. I would sell or trade it to a collector for restoration. Then the funds or trade for a sporter project rifle. You could nearly fund the entire sporter project if the metal on that rifle is still intact and original. Just my opinion and it's yours to do with as you wish.

FC, If you're talking about the similies in my response, then you go to the reply screen and there is a section below the post window called "post options". Scroll down to it and check the box labeled "enable emoticons". If you are talking about my little guy with the minigun avatar, go to the homepage and click on "my controls". On the left side under "personal profile", click on "edit avatar settings". In the center of the screen will be a section called "Your image avatars". I used the option to enter the url to my online avatar to keep from tying up the forum resources, but apparently you can also upload an image directly from your PC to the forum if you want.

But the second plane should be cleared to land westbound just to make sure they didn't come in one behind the other.

That's exactly the intention. If you are regularly building sporters and then selling them, you are operating a business, regardless of profit or loss or time spent doing it, and you need at minimum a type 01 license. Also, if you make a habit of buying Century 5 for deals and selling 4 of them you are operating in a very blurry grey legal area and totally at the whim and mercy of the interpretation of the field agent who checks you. If you have an FFL, you WILL eventually get audited. Just use your heads folks.

It has been time for civil disobedience in Kalifornicatia for a long while. If things there continue on their current path, it may become time for uncivil disobedience.

I've been told by two different suppliers that the war is causing a shortage of .223 and I should be stockpiling truckloads now while I can. Was also told by the same people that 7.62x39 supply would dry up also for the same reason. But I have no trouble finding both and I don't see the military switching to the commercial stuff or 25 year old surplus any time soon. Methinks they try to use the war as an excuse to sell more and maybe squeeze in a little price increase. In several years there may be a tighter supply of 90's and 00's era surplus due to current expenditures.