Monday, July 21, 2008

 

Ruger#1 conversion from cal 243 to 7x57

 

 

The conversion presented some difficulties. Namely the barrel did not line up with the ejector notch in the barrel and had to be set back 0.048? The 1/4 rib had to be shortened and the chamber lengthened by that amount.

The barrel came from Numrich without the front sight base, the front sight and the quarter rib with open sight, and the barrel band. The Barrel is 22? long and very accurate. As is the rifle is a 1A model.

 

Could not find a Alex Henry forearm in the used gun market and had to send the rifle to Ruger who installed the forearm the did a very nice job in matching the wood. The rings are Ruger with the rear one being offset. The scope is a Burris 6x HBR model with a standard reticule.

 

The rifle is sighted in with 140gr Accubonds which provided ?? three shot groups at 100 yards.

Toke a doe last fall about 125yards with a single shot. I am very pleased with the performance.

I accurized the 7x57 rifle like all my other #1?s described in the 25-06 write up. The stock features a PacMyer Decelerator recoil pad.

Here is another update on the wood block damper and general accurizing

The wood block damper.

The idea is to make minimize vibration and put the forearm under tension, I have done similar procedures on the Handi system and a Winchester low wall with very satisfactory results.

Remove the forearm and turn the rifle upside down and clamp the barrel into a padded vise. Wrap a piece of 120grit sand paper around the barrel in front of the hanger and tape it tight with masking tape. Now take your oversize wood block and rub it on the sand paper until you have a nice contour stay ahead of the hanger while sanding.

When you remove the sand paper it will be a bit oversize, but when you slide it up the tapered barrel it should fit pretty well.

Spread the hanger away from the barrel 0.032"+ existing gap, by twisting with a large screw driver and hold it there with a wood wedge. At this time you can measure the taper and complete the wood block to its final dimension. You can also make another wood block gap + 0.040" and try the two blocks at the range.

As the hanger moves down by 32 or 40 thou you need to remove that much wood in the forearm where the hanger sits on. I remove a bit more than 32 or 40 so the fore arm screw post tensions the fore arm by putting uplift on the forearm tip and the action.

I use a small bit of steel bed to bed the forearm and the stock perfectly to the action, this is very important. By putting the forearm in a vise I pull on the barrel with a sack scale in front of the fore arm tip. I pull 15lbs. I make a thin wedge with glue on the stock side to hold the stock tension. Last you remove the forearm and put a Small amount of steel bed under the hanger tip and around the thin wedge at the forearm tip. Don't forget the release agent.

Now you rifle is completely dampened and should shoot well. I do not free float more than the thickness of wax paper. Last item, bed the forearm with silicon caulking use paste wax for a release Agent.

 

 

Fred The Re-loader And Wildcatter