MLE hand guard made from a scrap stock |
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englishman_ca
Senior Member Joined: September 08 2009 Location: Almaguin Status: Offline Points: 1089 |
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Posted: May 24 2017 at 7:22am |
So I had this sportered MLE that I used as a source of parts for other projects.
Shortly after starting into the project, I actually remembered to take pics.
The thing had been well customised, the fore stock was cut and slimmed down. It had been patched and there was checkering. The draws were done and the trigger guard area was sanded exposing the metalwork. Nothing of much use other than beautiful Italian walnut that I could use for patching and repairing other projects. And then staring at this creation, something stared right back at me. Pretty obvious, once it is pointed out. It is this chunk of scrap stock that caught my interest. It was worth a try. A bit of work, I only use hand tools. Going slowly and constantly checking against an original to replicate size and shape. I am getting to be a real expert at making scrap wood and sawdust. It seems to be working out ok. Really nice wood with which to work. The exterior is still way oversized in preparation to fit up to another rifle. So don't throw those sportered front ends away just yet. This took me about two hours at the bench, I have something useful as opposed to something scrap. If your junk drawer is like mine, it is probably full of potential hand guards! Now the next step is making the perishing spring clips. I have not quite figured out tempering thin spring steel. They always crack at the rivet holes on me. I am going to try cold forming some spring ribbon that I found. |
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evanguy
Senior Member Joined: May 08 2015 Location: N.S. Canada Status: Offline Points: 355 |
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Nice work!! I never throw anthing away. My wife says its a problem, i say its a colection, also i have a rifle that looks the exact same as that. Same checkering, same rounded off bottom on butt stock and the same thinning and colored plug in the old volley sight hole. Although mine is a MLE, your is a MLM?
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Canuck
Special Member Donating Member Joined: January 17 2012 Location: Agassiz BC Status: Offline Points: 3535 |
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Nice work indeed!
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Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually
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englishman_ca
Senior Member Joined: September 08 2009 Location: Almaguin Status: Offline Points: 1089 |
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Evan, no, mine was also an MLE.
The style of sporterisation is classic in that I have seen several sporters with a fore stock modified in a similar way. Same length, taper and checkering. I note that the butt stocks were also modified and wrist checkered in a similar way to each other. Probably it was a fashion statement way back when, or maybe there was one very prolific gunsmith! This whole exercise in making the hand guard just came out of nowhere when one day I was sitting at the bench staring at the inletting in the scrap fore end. It is the internal inlet that is the difficult and time consuming part to do, and there it was, already done for me! :o)
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. Look to your front, mark your target when it comes! |
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evanguy
Senior Member Joined: May 08 2015 Location: N.S. Canada Status: Offline Points: 355 |
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I have seen one other mle like these two, mines an '96 sparkbrook. i always wondered if it was one guy doing them the same way everytime or just a style of the time, when i see sporters that are the same as others, probably a combo of both. And i only assumed mlm due to the lack of visible E on the knox.
Any way, that is awesome work, and i thank for for the idea, i have a drawer full of sporter forestocks, im going to see what i can make with some of them. Ill also work on a few metal peices for us aswell. |
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A square 10
Special Member Donating Member Joined: December 12 2006 Location: MN , USA Status: Offline Points: 14452 |
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the one im sending you looks like this one ,
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