Malcolm,

Thanks for the kind advice. I'm slow on the project. The dies, brass, and bullets all came in and are sitting on my desk unused so far. I've been tinkering with a nice Henry .450 BPE that came to my home about the same time.

I'm on vacation this week, so no progress will happen in that period. I think when I get back I'll give it a go.

I wondered about tightening the action screws. That is normal practice in any other bolt gun, but I didn't know about the M-S. Am I correct that this action relies on the rear of the magazine housing as a "recoil lug"? I don't really see anything else to do the job.

Again thanks for the advice. I'll give a report. I'm still a bit timid of popping the cherry on this minty 102 year old rifle.

Best,
Curl