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Custom Dakota 22 Sporter

13K views 65 replies 35 participants last post by  dlong 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi all,

For this thread I'm going to share the journey of a beautiful work of art, from its inception to the completion. I once again chose to have James Anderson Sculpt this rifle.

http://www.sdplains.com/~chico/home.html

As many of you may not know, James was once a very valued member of the Dakota Arms family, from the old days of Don and Norma. I was regaled by stories of the old days at Dakota, How James was always rushed and pushed to just push the .22 out, they looked at the Dakota .22 as a lesser rifle there and attention to detail was often times skipped in the mid to lower end ones. I once asked James if he had a chance to build a Dakota .22 the way he wanted to in that era what would he have built. He lit up and started rattling off what he would have made. I knew then and there I had to commission him to do just that, Build a perfect Dakota 22.

First I had to find a rifle cheap enough and beat up enough to tear apart for this project. I missed buying an action and a barreled action both by minutes. After about a year of looking I acquired a perfect donor rifle. The rifle had aftermarket sights, rust on spots, and the stock was beat up. so off to James it went. I didn't get a chance to take pictures of it before unfortunately, so no the only before I can find is from one of the owners threads on here before he sold it on gunbroker.

https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=444342&highlight=dakota

It was sad to see how far this rifle had fallen after it left TBR's possession.
 
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#39 · (Edited)
It was sad to see how far this rifle had fallen after it left TBR's possession.
I am at once disgusted and elated. Disgusted that a near-pristine Dakota 22 that I bought for about $1900 and later sold for about $4000 :)eek:) was exposed to such abusive treatment. Why would someone pay that much for a rifle and then abuse it? Elated, however, that the same rifle finally found a most appreciative home and has been given truly royal treatment. Could be one of the nicest .22 rifles ever made.

It's also deja vu all over again on some of the gunsmithing involved on a Dakota .22 action. As you may recall, I also was forced to make a similar adapter to accommodate a better trigger, in my case, a Kenyon M70 trigger...I guess great minds think alike:




Any problems getting the new trigger sear to clear the sear engagement with the firing pin when reciprocating the bolt? I recall very little room for error on mine. I also had a very hard time getting the trigger positioned correctly to get the safety to properly retract the firing pin.

One last question: Did you alter the bolt stop arrangement? The original Dakota release, accessed from the magazine well, would not work with the Kenyon trigger adapter. I ended up using an Anschutz bolt stop and release on mine:



Simply gorgeous rifle!!

TBR
 
#40 ·
Yes, I don't understand either a little oil saves a lot of money. I wish I could have found a Kenyon trigger, we looked but had no luck.

James made some new sear parts and etc for that all to work perfectly.

We left the bolt release in keeping with the theme of what James would have made at Dakota Arms in the early to mid 90's
 
#42 ·
Wow, making a Model 37 into a best-quality sporter matching that Dakota is going to be a huge challenge. Mine turned out okay but certainly not "Guild" quality; just an octagoned original barrel, home-made scope bases, and a sporter stock. I think the M37 tang can be modified for a sleek wrist design, but that cartoon-ish bolt handle, the split receiver bridge, and creating and mounting nice scope bases are the main obstacles. I retained the original safety, but I'll bet James will have something to say about that ;).

TBR
 
#44 · (Edited)
I think the M37 tang can be modified for a sleek wrist design, but that cartoon-ish bolt handle, the split receiver bridge, and creating and mounting nice scope bases are the main obstacles. I retained the original safety, but I'll bet James will have something to say about that ;).

TBR
Doing an extended tang, shotgun style tang safety, redesigning the bolt release to change the factory safety lever/bolt release. New mag well design but using factory mags. The bolt handle is definitely the biggest challenge I'm excited to see the outcome.

The purposes is to see how slim, trim, and light we can make this sporter. With the quick lock time for the action, I have a gut this will be a truly special squirrel rifle.
 
#50 · (Edited)
I agree that WATCH has shown a lot of class and has been generous with the forum for taking the time to post those pictures and the details.

I enjoy seeing what's possible. I am floored by that magazine storage compartment in the butt stock!

Sure, it is natural to wonder what something like that might cost. However, like one above mentioned, the circumstances that impact cost are likely not comparable to another person's options.
 
#52 ·
I have not had a chance to shoot it yet. Although I have time to consult with James to build them, I have little time to pull the trigger. That I am sorry to say. My family even owns the Farm/shooting range. I work all the time as anyone who knows me will tell you, it gives the funds to build but no time to shoot/enjoy. I do enjoy the creativeness of the builds.
 
#57 ·
Beautiful rifle

I really enjoyed reading the entire post and viewing the photos. It's just nice to see the work of true craftsmen. Good on you for having this work done, you're earning your time to enjoy them. When the time comes to shoot them, you're going to have a heck of a selection to chose from! Great job.:bthumb::bthumb:
Paul
 
#58 ·
I really enjoyed reading the entire post and viewing the photos. It's just nice to see the work of true craftsmen. Good on you for having this work done, you're earning your time to enjoy them. When the time comes to shoot them, you're going to have a heck of a selection to chose from! Great job.:bthumb::bthumb:
Paul
Thank you, I do enjoy seeing the visions become reality.
 
#60 ·
That is probably the most beautiful stock ever put on a 22 lr. A beautiful rifle but I would like one without the engraving, while a fantastic job it is not for me.
Looking at the rifle the word artist comes to mind. Super job guys you are a credit to your profession.

Steve.......
 
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