| Rockdoc |
| (.400 member) |
| 11/04/10 11:13 PM |
Farquharson 600 Nitro Build
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For some time I have had an Australian made Farquharson 600 Nitro barreled action.
The action was quite rough and work finally commenced about a year or so ago on the project. I am hoping to have this finished this year.
All work and engraving is being completed by Damien Connolly, from Mittagong, Australia. Damien is a wonderful gunmaker and engraves beautifully.
The photos show progress from soon after work commenced to date. Somewhere (I hope!) I have a photo of the blank I have had since the late '90's for the rifle.
Hopefully the photos work as this is my first post with photos.
Lever and Trigger Guard Welded
And Reshaped
Action Shaping
Final Shaping
Cheers, Chris
| 500Nitro |
| (.450 member) |
| 11/04/10 11:24 PM |
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Re: Farquharson 600 Nitro Build
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Chris
Superb, absolutely superb.
| 450_366 |
| (.400 member) |
| 11/04/10 11:47 PM |
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Wow, thats some transition, when you say rough you really mean it.
| Huvius |
| (.416 member) |
| 12/04/10 05:49 AM |
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I would say this Damien Connolly guy knows how to build a rifle.
The detailing is impressive.
I suspect your barrel will have a "rigby" flat or rib inline with the action flat - nice.
Also, the casting looked like it had flared sides like a Gibbs but they were milled off and the action sides are flat now - or is this an illusion from the photo angles?
Overall, an excellent iteration of the Farq. design. I like to see a little elegance in a bruiser such as a .600NE!
| 500grains |
| (.416 member) |
| 12/04/10 06:22 AM |
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Very fine work.
| baileybradshaw |
| (.333 member) |
| 12/04/10 08:20 AM |
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AWESOME!! Exemplary work!
| 4seventy |
| (Sponsor) |
| 12/04/10 08:55 PM |
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Now that IS nice work. Very impressive!
Can't wait to see more on this one.
Thanks for showing!
| Rolf |
| (.333 member) |
| 12/04/10 09:20 PM |
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Hello Rockdog,
Wonderful rifle, even in the unfinsihed state!
I am envious!
best regards
Rolf
| Rockdoc |
| (.400 member) |
| 12/04/10 09:37 PM |
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Re: Farquharson 600 Nitro Build
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Thank you everyone for your very positive comments. This has been a long time in the planning, and we're not there yet! Damien's work is impressive. The rifle will be engraved by him also, as can be noted from his comments on one of the photos. When I can find a photo of the blank I will post it too.
Huvius, yes they were designed as you described. Didn't need it though. There will be a quarter rib that matches with the top of the action.
Cheers, Chris
| lancaster |
| (.470 member) |
| 13/04/10 03:52 AM |
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excuse me for the question, is it this singapore
| Glenn_Fewless |
| (.300 member) |
| 13/04/10 05:57 AM |
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Mr. Rocdoc:
The metal work is truly exceptional. Masterfully executed. Please give my humble respects to Mr. Connolly. It is as fine of work as I have ever seen.
Glenn Fewless
| Anonymous |
| (Unregistered) |
| 13/04/10 08:34 AM |
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Now that is superb craftsmanship!
I like it when the custom makers stay true to the original designs, after all isn't that the reason someone would want one.
| Rockdoc |
| (.400 member) |
| 13/04/10 03:49 PM |
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Re: Farquharson 600 Nitro Build
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Thank you Glenn and generalwar for your positive comments, I will pass them along to Damien.
lancaster, I copied this off the net, without hijacking the thread too much I hope. Where the last tiger was shot is in the western portion of the island, near Bukit Timah, the highest point in Singapore.
"History
Between the late 18th to early 19th century, Chinese immigrants settled along the river, Sungei Berih. These settlers were called Kangchu, where chu was an established clan name, thus the name Choa Chu Kang. Choa Chu Kang was a small remote rural district with old kampong housing, rubber and coconut plantations. Residents relied on boats or bullock carts for transportation. The Chinese district that grew out of that community included Kampong Belimbing and Kampong Choa Chu Kang. Most of the early inhabitants belong to the Teochew clan who were mainly farmers growing ganmi and pepper. The Hokkiens, who settled later, started pineapple, rubber and coconut plantations as well as vegetable farms and poultry farms. Choa Chu Kang was infamous for wild tigers with the last tiger in Singapore shot here in the 1930s.
The plantations, old attap houses, street hawkers and Chinese kampongs have since disappeared making way for a modern HDB housing estate with ample community, institutional, recreational, commercial and industrial facilities. The Choa Chu Kang and Yew Tee MRT Train Stations, and the easy access road expressways make movement convenient to and from the area."
Interestingly, I was looking at an area near the border between Central and Eastern Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) last year when driving along a logging track we saw a black leopard. I was almost speechless. I can't speak much Bahasa, my companions little English. All I could say was "Cat, Cat" and the two Dyaks in the back seat said "yes, Cat"! Didn't do my homework did I, I hadn't realised there were cloud leopards in Kalimantan and the melanistic variety is common due to the jungle I believe. Of course I didn't think of the camera sitting on my lap until it was gone, just a few paces and it was lost in the jungle.
Cheers, Chris
| tophet1 |
| (.400 member) |
| 13/04/10 08:40 PM |
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That is world class craftmanship. I can hardly wait to see the engraving.
| lancaster |
| (.470 member) |
| 14/04/10 03:55 AM |
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thank you rockdoc for the history lesson, like this
| mehulkamdar |
| (.416 member) |
| 14/04/10 02:59 PM |
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Chris,
Very nice work!
BTW are you associated with Chye Whatt Seng or Hock Ann Sporting? Just wondering . . .
| brandoninaz |
| (.224 member) |
| 17/04/10 03:09 PM |
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RockDoc,
That is some really nice work, can't wait to see it completed.
Is this all off of a set of cast pieces? Do you have a model rifle to work off of or plans? This is really impressive, I'm just wondering how it's done as I might be interested in trying once I get a mill.
| kamilaroi |
| (.400 member) |
| 17/04/10 09:15 PM |
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Damien's work (excluding engraving)is a ne plus ultra but for abt 3 in these parts.
| Cinghiale |
| (.333 member) |
| 17/04/10 09:27 PM |
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Outstanding piece of work!!!!
Can't wait to see the blank
Regards,
MOG
| ChrisO |
| (.224 member) |
| 24/04/10 03:49 AM |
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Chris, Your work looks impecable ! That is my "Lottery Dream Gun" some day, A Farquharson .600. Years ago it was a double .600, but I owned a Ruger #1 in .458 Lott and the sleekness of a single shot changed my mind. VERY NICE !
Chris O.
| Rockdoc |
| (.400 member) |
| 24/04/10 12:40 PM |
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Re: Farquharson 600 Nitro Build
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Thanks you for your kind replies. The praise must go to Mr Connolly for his great technical abilites and artistic sense. His engraving is wonderful too.
brandoninaz, the rifle is a casting and the barreled actions were made by a gentleman in Australia. It is the same as the barreled actions used by London Guns of Melbourne, with a lot of hand work, for the rifles that they made up. Around two years ago what I believe to be the last of these barreled actions were sold by Mr Wal Winfer. I know of one gunmaker in Australia that has three in his possession and is interested to see the progress of mine. As can be seen from the first photograph, the actions require a lot of work.
ChrisO, I like the Ruger No1's too, with a few changes Ruger could have made them a whole lot better, particularly the safety for larger or flanged cartridges.
If you wish to see some further examples of Damien's abilities, you can log onto the "Internet Craftsmanship Museum":
http://craftsmanshipmuseum.com/Connolly.htm
Best wishes, Chris
| reflex264 |
| (.275 member) |
| 24/04/10 02:10 PM |
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That is just flat out gorgeous. I have several Ruger #1s. I love single shots. Having a jewel like that would really top out the collection. reflex264
| baileybradshaw |
| (.333 member) |
| 24/04/10 02:36 PM |
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Well, America has Winston Churchill, Australia has Damien Connolly. Humbling...
| Huvius |
| (.416 member) |
| 30/06/11 02:33 AM |
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RockDoc,
Any update on this build?
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 30/06/11 03:24 AM |
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Very nicely built!
Some time back. Les Bauska has some oversized Ruger #1 Actions cast up and built a few in .600 Nitro - late 1960's to 1975 maybe? The've still got to be around somewhere.
| Ben |
| (.400 member) |
| 30/06/11 07:49 AM |
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That is nice! I hope it's going well for you, Chris.
| Englishman |
| (.275 member) |
| 30/06/11 05:12 PM |
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This is a very interesting project! I myself have two on the go at this moment(1 in .500" NE, 1 in .577" NE) looking at the start point that you had,it would probably have been easier to start with a block ofsteel,as I have done,the first thing that I did was to wire cut the breechblock mortise down through the billet of steel,everything is then built around that hole,as the saying goes,"whatever you do in life,you always start with a hole!" I really did not like the idea of welding bits on,so I even machined the long top tang out of the billet,it does require the barrel thread to be screwcut before it is "bent" to shape though. Looking at your photos has given me inspiration to get back on to finishing my two !!
Chris.
| 450_Ackley |
| (.375 member) |
| 30/06/11 07:36 PM |
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Englishman,
Could we talk you into starting a fresh post, describing what you have done along the way, with photos?
I'm sure there would be a huge audience here that would enjoy seeing/reading about your build.
David.
CptCurl
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| (.450 member) |
| 30/06/11 09:32 PM |
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Quote:
Englishman,
Could we talk you into starting a fresh post, describing what you have done along the way, with photos?
I'm sure there would be a huge audience here that would enjoy seeing/reading about your build.
David.
Yes, a great idea. We would be fascinated. Please!
Curl
| rigbymauser |
| (.400 member) |
| 30/06/11 10:48 PM |
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I knew there was a singleshotman hidden in me somewhere...Looks great!!.
| Englishman |
| (.275 member) |
| 01/07/11 05:36 AM |
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450 Ackley & Cpt Curl, if you think it would inspire others to "have a go" I will dig out my notes and write something up,I will be stuck when it comes to posting photographs though,I am a complete novice when it comes to things on the computer,most of my friends use CNC to grunt out thier actions,but I have always prefered to use the file,I can see from the photos that Mr Connolly is no slouch when it comes to using a file,that is really nice work,and the result of infinate patience!And an eye for proportion,a real artist in metal!
My actions are based of the Jeffery PD action (I have one in .475 No2 as a reference)my G, Gibbs Farquharson action in .303, seemed to be much to small for the .500,so I scaled up the Jeffery,more for the .577NE to give it some weight.I would be interested to have some dimension on "Rocdoc's" action.My other rifle is on the Westley Richards 1897 action,in .577NE.
Chris,
France.
| 450_Ackley |
| (.375 member) |
| 01/07/11 07:31 AM |
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Re: Farquharson 600 Nitro Build
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Either of us can help you get the photos posted, and would be happy to do so.
Let us know when you are ready and we'll make it happen.
David.
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CptCurl
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| (.450 member) |
| 01/07/11 10:34 PM |
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Re: Farquharson 600 Nitro Build
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Ditto. Will gladly help with anything to get that thread going.
BTW, Just about two weeks ago I became the owner of a fabulous Army & Navy PD Farquharson in .450/.400 3.25" NE that is close to new condition. This is my first Farq., though I'm no novice to single shot rifles. I'll be posting a thread on this rifle soon.
Curl
| Englishman |
| (.275 member) |
| 02/07/11 02:09 AM |
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Cpt Curl, You are a very lucky man!!! That is a very nice caliber,sufficient power,without being brutal,I passed up a PD in that caliber when I lived in UK,bought it took it back the next week and exchanged it plus a heap of cash for my .577" NE Westley Richards 1898 falling block,that is viceous!Look forward to seeing some photos, and many thanks for the offer to help get my photos posted!
Chris,
France.
| kevinh1157 |
| (.224 member) |
| 22/07/11 03:42 AM |
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Re: Farquharson 600 Nitro Build
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Awesome project. Do you plan to re-barrel the action as well?
| Rockdoc |
| (.400 member) |
| 07/08/11 04:16 PM |
Re: Farquharson 600 Nitro Build
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Sorry for no replies. I have spent the last couple months living in a tent by Lake Nyasa. Internet has been fairly poor to non-existant.
Damien has stopped work for now as he prepares to move to Vermont (Australia's loss, The U.S.'s gain!). Guess I will just have to go there for progress reports!
Will post some more when I get a chance to talk with him. Last time I saw it was early this year and he was machining the quarter rib. My wife gets a bit antsy when I land and go and stay at his place first before going home:o
Cheers, Chris
| kamilaroi |
| (.400 member) |
| 07/08/11 04:57 PM |
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^ Well mate I thought he may have gone as of our last convo late last year he was abt to leave his Goulburn addie.
Hope he does well but the lack of socialised healthcare and with 2 younguns? Vermont no?
I need to talk to him pre departure. Do you have a date?
| grantc |
| (.275 member) |
| 29/09/11 08:17 PM |
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there's a picture of this beutiful action in the latest guns and game
| kamilaroi |
| (.400 member) |
| 29/09/11 09:01 PM |
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Those I saw varied in external profile thus the results may vary. (and all require a heap of work)
| Rockdoc |
| (.400 member) |
| 30/09/11 12:01 AM |
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Re: Farquharson 600 Nitro Build
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Hi grantc. Do you mean my rifle action or another one?
Can someone email me a copy of the article please? I'm a long way from newsagents!
Cheers, Chris
| grantc |
| (.275 member) |
| 30/09/11 07:28 PM |
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Quote:
Hi grantc. Do you mean my rifle action or another one?
Can someone email me a copy of the article please? I'm a long way from newsagents!
Cheers, Chris
yeah mate it's your rifle there's a write up on damien conolly
| Rockdoc |
| (.400 member) |
| 30/09/11 08:21 PM |
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Thanks grantc. I will get someone to buy the magazine for me.
The rifle will be shipped to the US soon.
Cheers, Chris
| Ash |
| (.400 member) |
| 27/09/18 03:49 PM |
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7 years..
Update time?
| Huvius |
| (.416 member) |
| 28/09/18 11:59 AM |
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Quote:
7 years..
Update time?
It's funny Ash.
About a year ago I started looking through dead threads and emailed a lot of members to check in and see how things had progressed (or not...) and got very little response.
Too bad too as many of the threads were very interesting and I for one would have loved to see some follow up.
| Ash |
| (.400 member) |
| 28/09/18 05:43 PM |
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I’ve been trying to find one on an Alexander Henry Lee Speed, at least that’s what I think it was.
Agree with the sentiments above - would love some follow ups and more threads/pics. Can’t add anything myself - I’m broke, ha! Would if I could!
| Chuckvickers8x5742 |
| (.224 member) |
| 20/10/18 11:52 AM |
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Re: Farquharson 600 Nitro Build
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more pictures please