Been thinking about this since the rifle slipped out of a soft case on to my toe.
I came across a 50yr old slab of African Blood Wood, also known as Wenge. The wood is sort of like Hickory, but considerably heavier and harder.
I re-sawed the slab, to make the 3/8" frame, and the 3/16" thick sides, that I ripped in 3 pieces moved around and glued for stability.
The corners are Box jointed, I would have used hand cut dovetails if the rifle was an antique.
My intent is to make the case as small as possible, this required the scope to be removed-3"reduction in height, the bolt removed- 7/8" in thickness. So, the case is 8" tall, 2 7/8" thick. 41"long.
Removing the scope is great, as my wife likes the sights, mounts are good, it always goes on with no error.
The bolt is a bit of a problem having to fumble around getting it back in, so I am incorporating a forearm rest that flips out of the 2 door box at the end of the case. That will allow the rifle to rest upright for scope, bolt installation, and to run a patch through the barrel.
The box will contain the bolt, screw driver, 3 magazines, small bottles with oil, #9, and Aeroshell 7 grease for the bolt. also small items jag, brush etc.
The brass cleaning rod holds in 5 boxes of ammo, and when pulled out releases the spring loaded end door, then The inner door then can be flipped open. The inner door will have the forearm rest attached that hides under the end door when closed.
Everything will be locked or blocked down. The rifle itself will have a lock down so as the case can be opened upside down and the rifle will not dump out accidentally.
Hardware available is pretty bad, so I will fabricate my own hinges and case locks, copying cargo hold hardware I seen on a vintage aircraft. The lid will be removable from the hinges.
For the case handle, Iam going to use sling swivels with a short piece of leather between them, also adding extra swivel studs spaced so the rifles sling can be used if the unit has to carried some distance.
For a finish, I will use True oil, smells right, and easy to touch up.
My progress so far-I will add photos.
I came across a 50yr old slab of African Blood Wood, also known as Wenge. The wood is sort of like Hickory, but considerably heavier and harder.
I re-sawed the slab, to make the 3/8" frame, and the 3/16" thick sides, that I ripped in 3 pieces moved around and glued for stability.
The corners are Box jointed, I would have used hand cut dovetails if the rifle was an antique.
My intent is to make the case as small as possible, this required the scope to be removed-3"reduction in height, the bolt removed- 7/8" in thickness. So, the case is 8" tall, 2 7/8" thick. 41"long.
Removing the scope is great, as my wife likes the sights, mounts are good, it always goes on with no error.
The bolt is a bit of a problem having to fumble around getting it back in, so I am incorporating a forearm rest that flips out of the 2 door box at the end of the case. That will allow the rifle to rest upright for scope, bolt installation, and to run a patch through the barrel.
The box will contain the bolt, screw driver, 3 magazines, small bottles with oil, #9, and Aeroshell 7 grease for the bolt. also small items jag, brush etc.
The brass cleaning rod holds in 5 boxes of ammo, and when pulled out releases the spring loaded end door, then The inner door then can be flipped open. The inner door will have the forearm rest attached that hides under the end door when closed.
Everything will be locked or blocked down. The rifle itself will have a lock down so as the case can be opened upside down and the rifle will not dump out accidentally.
Hardware available is pretty bad, so I will fabricate my own hinges and case locks, copying cargo hold hardware I seen on a vintage aircraft. The lid will be removable from the hinges.
For the case handle, Iam going to use sling swivels with a short piece of leather between them, also adding extra swivel studs spaced so the rifles sling can be used if the unit has to carried some distance.
For a finish, I will use True oil, smells right, and easy to touch up.
My progress so far-I will add photos.