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Gun of the Week
Mr. Smith's Tack-Driving Thumbhole Trio
Other Weeks >
What is it they say? "Can't have too much of a good thing?" We'll in the case of Sam Smith of Wisconsin, that goes for beautiful wood-stocked thumbhole rifles that shoot like the blazes. This week we feature a troika of thumbholes, all smithed and stocked by Richard Franklin of Richard's Custom Rifles in Virginia. Not content with a single caliber or twist, Sam commissioned three different chamberings and rifling rates.
 First in Fiddleback, a 6PPC Walking Varminter
The most elegant of the three thumbholes is this handsome .261"-neck 6PPC. The blue-printed Rem 700 action is pillar-bedded in a highly-figured stock of laminated Curley Fiddleback Walnut, in Richard's #004 pattern. Richard uses three sections of wood bonded together so the outside looks like a single piece of Walnut. Sam tells us the gun's 1:14" twist Krieger barrel is a hummer--it regularly shoots one-holers at 100 yards. Sam has even logged some groups in the Zeros with the gun--awesome accuracy for a varmint rifle. "One-hole" Sample Target. Sam tells us that, using VV N133 and 58gr V-max bullets, this gun is absolutely deadly on prairie dogs out to 500 yards.
Photos at right and below show more details of this rifle. The grain really takes on a rich color in sunlight, with the Tigerstripe figure showing brilliantly through the clearcoat. Believe it or not, Sam doesn't even consider this one of his best-looking rifles. Sam tells us, "these three thumbhole stocks are not even close to the prettiest guns Richard has built for me--you should see the Maple ones he did for me--they are unbelievable."
Cherry and Walnut Together in a Speedy 6mm Improved
When more knock-down power or more distant targets are in order, Sam pulls out his 6mm Rem Improved 1:12" twist thumbhole Varminter. Like the other two guns, this features a pillar-bedded Remington 700 action and Krieger barrel. While the 6mm AI's #004 stock shares the same shape and form as the 6PPC above, it is much more colorful, employing a seven-layer laminate in Cherry and Walnut, covered with multiple coats of automotive clear-coat. One of Sam's favorite varminters, this rifle sees more range use than his 6PPC because "the PPC is so accurate I want to keep the round count down." That's not to say the 6mm Improved is any slouch in the accuracy department--using VV N160 and 75gr V-max bullets, the gun averages in the 2s and 3s. The best group to date was .189" with the 87gr V-max. 6mm Imp..189" Target. Chalk that up to another superbly accurate Krieger barrel combined with outstanding chambering work by Richard.
For Long Range, a Fast-Twist 6.5-284 with Benchrest Forearm
Last but not least is Sam's handsome 6.5-284 (below), also in a laminated Walnut and Cherry stock. The Krieger barrel is a Heavy Varmint contour, with an 8-twist and .290" neck. This gun hasn't been shot much yet, but during initial testing it grouped in the mid-threes with 53gr of H4831 and 142gr Sierra MKs. You'll note the stock is a bit different than the other two guns--this is the #005 stock pattern, which boasts a 3" wide, flat forearm. It is identical to the #004 from the recoil lug rearward. Sam tells us that the #005 tracks better than the #004, though he prefers the rounded forearm of the #004 for a walking varminter.
Sam's all-time favorite stock pattern in Richard's #007, a roll-over comb design with conventional wrist and Cooper-style Beavertail forearm. Click here to view a stunning example of the #007 stock in striped fancy Maple. Sam has a similar Maple #007 that he says is "even nicer than the gun in the picture."
Nice Wood? You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet...
And what new gun is in the works for Sam? Well, that would be two guns actually, a matched pair in 6mm BR Norma and 6PPC, done up in absolutely amazing 500 year-old Turkish Walnut, sourced from a one-of-a-kind 48" diameter Burl. What does a piece of wood like this cost? Trust us, if you have to ask, you couldn't possibly afford it. Let us just say these are some of the most spectacularly figured blanks ever shipped from Turkey and they are priced accordingly. Here's a preview, taken right before Richard bonded the first stock together. The lower two pieces look lighter because of the flash angle but the upper section more accurately shows how all three pieces appear in natural light. "Wow" is right...
Richard's Custom Rifles
10433 Stewartsville Rd.
Vinton, VA 24179
Phone: (540) 890-8649
Email: customrifles@hughes.net
Copyright © 2006, 6mmBR.com, All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without advanced permission in writing.
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