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Double Rifles, Single Shots & Combinations >> Double Rifle Photos & Archive
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Watson577
.300 member


Reged: 05/03/09
Posts: 132
Loc: Fredericksburg, Virginia USA
Stephen Grant 577/500 Magnum Express
      #162459 - 21/06/10 05:03 AM

Hello guys,

I bought this rifle recently and I thought that I would post some pictures of it. It was completed in 1887 for the Maharana of Udaipur and must be a fairly early hammerless rifle. This rifle has seen a lot of use but it shoots well and I think that with some careful refinishing its appearance will be greatly enhanced. The damascus steel barrels have been blacked at some point in the past and the lock plates and other parts had been blacked as well. When I got it, the lock plates had been polished. I will definitely have the barrels rebrowned but I am unsure what to do about the rest. The action has a nice patina on it but the top lever and trigger guard don't match the action and I don't know if it will be possible to make them match without working on the action finish as well (something that I don’t want to do). I was wondering if having the offending parts color case hardened and then carefully removing the colors might make a better match. Also, the stock needs a good London oil finish. At any rate, here it is:

Regards,

Jim



Link to a higher-resolution version: http://s680.photobucket.com/albums/vv164...nt577-500HR.jpg











Edited by CptCurl (21/06/10 07:51 PM)

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tinker
.416 member


Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada
Re: Syephen Grant 577/500 magnum Express [Re: Watson577]
      #162464 - 21/06/10 05:36 AM

Nice!!




If the wrist and head of the stock were in good shape and fit the metal properly - I'd run the hell out of it as it was, before you went for restoration of finishes.

Have you killed anything with it yet?
Get it out and feed the family with it!
It apparently has a great deal of history and character, you can't hurt that by way of some good 21st century field experience...




Cheers
Tinker

--------------------
--Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--



"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...

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Watson577
.300 member


Reged: 05/03/09
Posts: 132
Loc: Fredericksburg, Virginia USA
Re: Stephen Grant 577/500 Magnum Express [Re: tinker]
      #162466 - 21/06/10 06:20 AM

Tinker,

The wood to metal fit is very good and I don't see any problems there. Maybe one day I will hunt with it. For now, I use it primarily for blowing up those pesky water ballons! My first guess load worked well straight away and that surprised me quite a bit. This load uses a 455 grain gas check bullet from Montana Bullet Works, 66.0 grains of H-4198, a Federal 215 primer, and 15 grains of Dacron filler. The velocity at about 10ft from the muzzle is 1828 ft/s and the rifle is a lot of fun to shoot. Next, I will try paper patched bullets, my personal favorite.

Regards,

Jim

PS: I just realized that I shouldn't have put that firing pin retainer wrench in the first picture--oh well--too late now. I'm so used to hammer guns that I didn't even think about it...

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baileybradshaw
.333 member


Reged: 21/06/08
Posts: 305
Loc: Diana, TX
Re: Stephen Grant 577/500 Magnum Express [Re: Watson577]
      #162477 - 21/06/10 10:31 AM

Of all of the British makers, I gravitate towards Stephen Grant guns more than the others. Their actions seem to have that little extra intangable and this rifle is no different. Great wood too.

I like Tinkers idea.....shoot it till your blue.

--------------------
www.bradshawgunandrifle.com

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crkennedy1
.375 member


Reged: 05/12/08
Posts: 501
Loc: Utah
Re: Stephen Grant 577/500 Magnum Express [Re: baileybradshaw]
      #162482 - 21/06/10 12:36 PM

What a beauty! The books in the background look like a real treat too - thanks for sharing.

--------------------
DOUBLE or NOTHING

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DandyofPunjab
.300 member


Reged: 14/11/05
Posts: 182
Loc: Punjab
Re: Stephen Grant 577/500 Magnum Express [Re: crkennedy1]
      #162484 - 21/06/10 02:50 PM

Jim,

This is a very beautiful rifle indeed.

Top notch Maker and superb rifle.

--------------------
Fear None, Frighten None

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CptCurlAdministrator
.450 member


Reged: 01/05/04
Posts: 5284
Loc: Fincastle, Botetourt County, V...
Re: Stephen Grant 577/500 Magnum Express [Re: DandyofPunjab]
      #162500 - 21/06/10 07:55 PM

Jim,

It is a great rifle and nicely displayed. Thanks for posting.

Curl

--------------------
RoscoeStephenson.com

YOUR DOUBLE RIFLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.



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rigbymauser
.400 member


Reged: 15/05/05
Posts: 1972
Loc: Denmark
Re: Stephen Grant 577/500 Magnum Express [Re: CptCurl]
      #162521 - 22/06/10 01:10 AM


Beautiful rifle. Thanks for sharing .

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Watson577
.300 member


Reged: 05/03/09
Posts: 132
Loc: Fredericksburg, Virginia USA
Re: Stephen Grant 577/500 Magnum Express [Re: rigbymauser]
      #162594 - 23/06/10 10:47 AM

Guys,

Thank you for your kind comments. I really like this rifle but the mismatched finishes really bother me whenever I look at it. Do any of you know someone that might be able to put a finish on the lock plates, top lever, and trigger guard that will closely match the receiver? I don’t want to do anything to the receiver since it has a nice patina. In my opinion, this mismatch seriously detracts from the rifles appearance and I would like to do something about it. I'm not in a hurry but I would like to develop a plan. I suspect that the only way to get these parts to match better is to have the parts color case hardened and then carefully remove the colors but that’s just a guess. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Jim

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bouldersmith
.375 member


Reged: 23/03/06
Posts: 627
Loc: Boulder Colorado
Re: Stephen Grant 577/500 Magnum Express [Re: Watson577]
      #162603 - 23/06/10 12:51 PM

It is a lovely gun, refined and elegant. I really like it. Please do not recolor the gun. A light acid applied to the polished parts after degreasing them should give the effect you are looking for. "Brass Black" by birchwood casey is nice and mild, will not over etch the metal and is what I usually try first on newly made screws. Getting a match should not be that hard.
Steve

--------------------
New website http://www.bertramandco.com

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kamilaroi
.400 member


Reged: 18/12/04
Posts: 1803
Loc: sydney, new south wales, Austr...
Re: Stephen Grant 577/500 Magnum Express [Re: bouldersmith]
      #162604 - 23/06/10 02:14 PM

A truly lovely piece of work. The fences remind me of a Palmer Jones gun I once saw.

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Watson577
.300 member


Reged: 05/03/09
Posts: 132
Loc: Fredericksburg, Virginia USA
Re: Stephen Grant 577/500 Magnum Express [Re: kamilaroi]
      #162616 - 23/06/10 07:40 PM

Steve,

I liken its present condition to that of a car with doors and a hood that don't match the rest of the car. I don't know why a previous owner decided that the lock plates, top lever, and trigger guard would be better off with a blacked finish but that's what was done. When I got it the blacking had been polished off of the lock plates but a look inside confirmed what I had suspected--that they had been blacked in the past and then polished off recently. That combination of blacked and "natural" parts is hideous in my opinion. I will have to find some brass black and see what it will do. Thank you for the suggestion.

- Jim

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Sikahunter
.224 member


Reged: 05/02/09
Posts: 41
Loc: Delaplane, Va. U.S.A.
Re: Stephen Grant 577/500 Magnum Express [Re: Watson577]
      #162925 - 28/06/10 08:59 PM

Jim

The gun is a beauty.

I'd leave it exactly as is and enjoy the hell out of it.

I'm glad you bought it so that I wouldn't have too.

Don

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Watson577
.300 member


Reged: 05/03/09
Posts: 132
Loc: Fredericksburg, Virginia USA
Re: Stephen Grant 577/500 Magnum Express [Re: Sikahunter]
      #162973 - 29/06/10 07:28 AM

Don,

We'll have to get together and do some shooting some time.

Regards,

Jim

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gatsby
.375 member


Reged: 05/09/05
Posts: 862
Loc: inland valley CA USA
Re: Stephen Grant 577/500 Magnum Express [Re: Watson577]
      #162979 - 29/06/10 08:10 AM

It is a very beautiful gun. I would leave it as is. I can't imagine what you could do to it to increase its value and appeal.

--------------------
"Recoil is insignificant when there is a tiger on the head of your elephant" The Maharaja of Cooch Behar



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