Black Range Fabrik

Black Range Firearms

A morning starting to strike a pair of barrels. Always, you get the bluing off, and a moonscape of pits appears. There’s something very, very calming about the pits gradually decreasing, while keeping an eye on straightness , lettering and absolutely, definitely not pinning the file.

In these photos you can see my view, some close up contrasts while inspecting, and the resulting swarf.

Video upcoming – … See MoreSee Less

Black Range Firearms

This was an interesting repair that came in; a previously repaired tang cheek had decided to removed itself from the rest of the stock. The owner was keen for a resolution – it was a gun his now deceased mother had bought for him prior to her death.

The stock had been pinned with a pair of dowels, and was nicely done visually in that it was virtually invisible. Over time though, recoil, and the travel of gun oil had opened up cracks, leading to the failure of the prior work.

Step one was a long, hot January encouraging the oil to wick out. A quick test with acetone demonstrated that the long treatment was required, especially as the remaining wood was so thin. At this point I was referring to the gun as The Pirate – the dowels looked to me like two peg legs. It was very hot, delirious summer too, on reflection.

Step two was pinning the stock laterally, and then gluing it back together with the assistance of silicone tubing as a clamp. You can see the immediate result and unwrapped tubing.

Step three was cosmetic work; the glue line was pleasing, but needed work as anticipated to get rid of excess. The previous repair had left a bridle like line across both panels of checkering, which I was hoping to minimise. You can see cracks in some photos that needed filling and repair too. When repointing the checkering to conceal the ‘bridle’ I was pretty surprised at how rough the factory checkering is in places – skipped lines – unfinished points in corners etc, which can be seen in the photos. Working under magnification and the right light makes for some alarming discoveries on factory guns.

Step four was tarting up the finish, which had suffered over the years – and was clearly rougher and more marked than the fore end. The repairs and checkering needed work as well. A cut back, and then some rubbed oil/poly finish completed the job. Taking the marks out completely was going to be beyond the scope of the work – but a cut and polish got it looking significantly better. There’s photos of the progress there, as the finish evens and deepens.

Reflecting on the result, it would have been nice to not see the prior repair – which can be seen as two circles in the checkering – and of course the break lines – see photos – but there’s only so much you can do within the scope of work.

Most significantly, the owner of the gun is delighted. It’ll go a few more rounds of clays, and most importantly, remain a functional memento of his mother, exactly as she intended. … See MoreSee Less

Black Range Firearms

Brandon got in touch about a very important Sako that his Pop had run amok with back in the 1970s. The brief was to reproduce the Sako aesthetic and dimensions, and use the original stock fittings to bring this heirloom back to life as a working fox rifle.

After Roger Teal had fitted a new medium varmint barrel, it was to work, getting pits and marks out, then a rust blue for that deep, hard wearing, muted gloss. I don’t mind the buffer for odd spots, but polishing stones keep the edges and lettering sharp and precise.

The stock was made from NZ walnut, so English genes, but grown in NZ. It’s incredible how beautifully this timber cuts – and then comes up with a finish. We went with a hand rubbed oil, to really bring out the figure, and make dent and scratch repairs down the track easier. It takes longer, but then good things do.

It was really neat to make the butt-plate as new – the little details matter – and it’s one more part of this rifle’s storied history that’s moving on with it to new adventures … … See MoreSee Less

Black Range Firearms

My take on a Brno Model 2 stock. I couldn’t help mixing in a few post-war US elements into the European mix – along with a bit more length in the butt and a thicker grip for durability. Throw in a hand rubbed oil finish and the results aren’t too bad.

Thank you to the owner for his patience – there were a lot of kinks with the duplicator (!!!) to work out, along with the rest of the process.

Watch this space – plenty more to come. … See MoreSee Less

Black Range Firearms

All edges straight, curves just about blended; two more holes to counter drill for fittings and then we’re ready to start whiskering and inspecting for missed scratch marks.

Greener GPs and Black Flag 🏴 🏴🏴🏴 for the win – if you know you know. 🏴‍☠️🍸🙌🏻 … See MoreSee Less