The Un-Calfee Rifle

B

Bill B

New member
If you were to set out to build an Un-Calfee rifle, what would it be? That is to say, a rifle built against Calfee's tenants of what it takes to build a winner. Well, I have my version. I posted here a couple weeks ago about testing Stillers 2500X at Gordon Eck's shop and how well it shot, slapped together with a barrel and stock that he had lying around. I put my dibbs in on the rifle and this week I got a call from Gordon asking me if I still wanted to buy it. He bedded the stock to the 2500X and I went to pick it up today. While chatting with Gordon and his brother Melvin over a glass of Stagg Jr. bourbon, it hit me that what Gordon created for me was an Un-Calfee rifle. It has the 2500X SAP ignition action (I have to admit it does have 6 ignition as I didn't think to have Gordon change it to 12 ignition - there's time for that), and it has a older Rock Creek 5R barrel with cut rifling (which he had lying around the shop that no one wanted). The stock is a Meredith, not a straight line stock. It has a std Harrell's tuner that has yet to be touched, just slapped on there. I put on my old Sightron 36X scope and went to sight it in during a heavy snow storm @ 11 degrees with the wind howling pretty good. After a couple adjustments, I shot an X, the next shot went in the same hole without any enlargement. It was just too nasty to shoot any more than that. So, we have our own little spearment. Can an Un-Calfee gun, such as this, smithed by a Yankee gunsmith, shoot in a basket? So far the indications are that it just might. Time will tell, but I am proud to be shooting this Un-Calfee and pride of ownership is a good thing. Oh, it is not stenciled with any name. If I believed in such a thing, I think "Up Yours" would be appropriate.

Who else out there is shooting an Un-Calfee? Man I'm hoping this will shoot in a basket. I love spearmentin'.
 
I hope to get mine back from TM any day now. It's a 2500X with a Rock Creek, Harrell tuner and a Jewel. We put the barreled action into a stock from another rifle and shot a 2350 on a PSL target. This was done with absolutely no tuning. I'm hoping it shoots better when it's tuned and bedded in it's own stock!
 
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You could throw a version of the VibeSlide tuner idea on it - tuned to Tonys PRX length. AS those tuners are based upon a Non-parallel node at the muzzle.
 

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Not quite authentic

You are on the right track.
I think you'd still need a 12oc and probably a Benchmark to be truly authentic.
I have a 12oc Turbo and a couple of Benchmarks I was thinking of doing the same thing.
I really like the 2500x, but I think the 6oc would diminish the authenticity.
I'm not fully convinced the 12oc Turbo would be completely authentic.
For true authenticity, the best option might be a 40x, Suhl, Anschutz, or even a Hall.
One of the options where there was no input, so there is no promotion.

A good buddy of mine has what I consider a very competitive authentic.
40x, B'mark, raked stock, and even has a Myers chamber(tapered) that's been bored a bit long.
 
You make a good point re: the 12 ignition. My other rifles are Flash Turbos with 12 ignition. I wasn't enough of a "pioneer" to pony up $600 to flip it around. (Didn't some of the original pioneers end up getting scalped?) Did Calfee ever seek a fee to "fix" Benchmark barrels? If so I missed that one. He likes the RC Muller button rifled barrels but he had no use for the RC cut rifled barrels. You are right, a Hall is probably the perfect Un-Calfee action, but the way he's gone after the 2500X is a close second. He at least handled a few Halls before declaring them to be unacceptable. The people that I know and respect that have handled, and now built rifles on, the 2500x like them. But what do we know? The most authentic Un-Calfee would also have a Pappas Noodle er "barrel ornament" on it.
 
Bits & Pieces

Bill,
If you were to name it you could call it Bits & Pieces

Ted
 
Bits and Pieces

Like the Dave Clark 5 song? Yeah, that would work and I suppose is friendlier sounding than "Up Yours". I'm excited to fully explore this new build as time and weather allows. Even tho its a RPRB action, it's easy for this righty to load. Prolly won't shoot in a basket. ;) Good luck with your new Eck rifle this season Ted.
 
Didn't know I had one!

I'm not a big time bench rest shooter, but I guess I have a unique rifle a "Un-Calfee" and didn't know it.
2013 Anschutz, factory barrel, factory trigger, TMBR stock, Pappas noodle and it shoots like this

IMG_20140125_164206_607.jpg

The first two are 5 shots and the last two are 3 shots
 
Flat Land said:
I'm not a big time bench rest shooter, but I guess I have a unique rifle a "Un-Calfee" and didn't know it.
2013 Anschutz, factory barrel, factory trigger, TMBR stock, Pappas noodle and it shoots like this

View attachment 14480

The first two are 5 shots and the last two are 3 shots
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Yeah, you got yourself an Un-Calfee. You know it has no chance - won't shoot in a bucket. :rolleyes:
 
As you know I'm in, got one on the way. Why don't you name it " Bills's gun". I see from the recent ramblings from Blowhard country we have references only to guns names. I always wondered how you got those guns to shoot themselves.
 
Some gun's names get mentioned more than others and some must be Bill's red-headed step children, cause they never get a mention. It don't matter who has "The Duke" why that thing will just win all by itself. He even refers to his customers by his gun's name. "I was taking to Duck Hawk the other day - - -". It's like not only does the gun do all the shootin' by itself, he has conversations with them. Ya know, as strange as that is, it's cheap entertainment for a chilly winter afternoon.

ps Sugar Maple trees have some nice SAP. Maybe I should call it Sugar Maple, or, just Sugar for short.
 
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will my win 52 d qualify?

Bill, I'm spermenting with a 52 D, Harrell's tuner ,McMillen stock, an antique Redfield 3200 24x scope (mounted on the barrel) and stock trigger!!! Will this qualify for your new class of guns?
I know I can't compete with your Stagg Jr. but I'll try with some Four Roses limited edition.....

Waiting for the thaw,

Chris P.
 
cpeterson said:
Bill, I'm spermenting with a 52 D, Harrell's tuner ,McMillen stock, an antique Redfield 3200 24x scope (mounted on the barrel) and stock trigger!!! Will this qualify for your new class of guns?
I know I can't compete with your Stagg Jr. but I'll try with some Four Roses limited edition.....

Waiting for the thaw,

Chris P.
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Chris, well the 52D does have 12 ignition, but BC speaks too fondly of the old 52 to be the ultimate Un-Calfee. Sorry. Just be aware that it is crooked due to being heat treated after machining and will need to be blueprinted by him to have any chance. That is a nice old-school rig tho. I especially like the barrel mounted Redfield. Just make sure that you have both rings on opposite sides of the turrets. That'll get you closer. The ultimate Un-Calfee rifle will have to have all those elements (action, barrel, stock, scope mounting, barrel ornaments etc) that BC has decreed to be incapable of being a winner. Eligible actions are the Swindlehurst, Hall, any Stiller, 40x any 12 ignition or SAP action. You get extra pts for the Swindlehurst, Hall and Stiller actions, the ones for which he's been particularly critical. Any non-MI barrel will qualify, but any cut-rifled barrel, and 2 groove BMs, or barrels with an odd number of grooves get extra points. Conventional scope mounting is a must and a barrel ornament is just the icing on the cake.
 
Regarding actions to use:

Why not find ya a Swindlehearst or a Hall? You can still get new Halls and the Myers is an improved Swindlehearst. You can get them I think. Just suggestin ----

Pete
 
Pete Wass said:
Why not find ya a Swindlehearst or a Hall? You can still get new Halls and the Myers is an improved Swindlehearst. You can get them I think. Just suggestin ----

Pete
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Sorry Pete
The Myers is just a 40X with what Billy Myers called a drop port.
 
Pete, if I was setting out to build an Un-Calfee rifle just for the fun of it, yeah, those would be top choices but that wasn't my original intent. I just really liked this rifle that Gordon put together with stuff he had lying around his shop on a Stiller 2500X he recently purchased for himself to mess around with. It wasn't until later that it occurred to me that it was an Un-Calfee. Due to Calfee's sight unseen unfavorable critique, the 2500X action certainly qualifies as un-Calfee. I just wanted to see if this thing would shoot in a basket. Prolly not.
 
I see

Don Stith said:
Sorry Pete
The Myers is just a 40X with what Billy Myers called a drop port.
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I guess Don you must think the Swindlehearst is a better action than a Myers? My point was, one can buy a Myers vs a Swindlehearst and having handled a Swindlehearst once, I would prefer a Myers. I didn't like the look of the firing pin in the Swindlehearst. I do have a new Myers action rifle and I like it a lot.

Pete
 
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Bill B said:
Pete, if I was setting out to build an Un-Calfee rifle just for the fun of it, yeah, those would be top choices but that wasn't my original intent. I just really liked this rifle that Gordon put together with stuff he had lying around his shop on a Stiller 2500X he recently purchased for himself to mess around with. It wasn't until later that it occurred to me that it was an Un-Calfee. Due to Calfee's sight unseen unfavorable critique, the 2500X action certainly qualifies as un-Calfee. I just wanted to see if this thing would shoot in a basket. Prolly not.
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I understand Bill, I was just trying to drag the perceived worth of the rifle as low as it could go is all. I think most people would prefer the 2500X to any I mentioned. It's tough to do humor in writing, eh?

Pete
 
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