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Offline Swampman

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My Model 7 Project
« on: April 01, 2011, 03:36:10 PM »


I found this at the gunshow a few weeks ago.  The .243 has been a favorite of mine since about 1967 when my brother came home from the Navy with a Model 600 in .243 and taught me to reload for it.  This rifle was filty nasty with what seemed like a thin coat of axle grease, carbon, and grit.  The bluing was worn, there was some pitting, the bottom metal had almost no finish.  The birch Youth stock was worn badly and it had a huge Leapers 3-9X40 illuminated reticle Mil-Dot scope mounted in a really funky Tasco mount marked made in Austrailia.

I cleaned the rifle up and the bore looked nice.  I used Oxpho-Blue on the steel parts that were worn.  I painted the bottom metal with a semi-gloss mil-spec 2 part epoxy paint.  I had a Nikon Prostaff 2-7X32 in the closet so I replaced the Leapers and took it to the range.  Inital shooting with some old PMP ammo. revealed 2-3" 100 yard groups.

I was gonna live with the birch stock but I found a nice older checkerd walnut stock online.  I had first ordered a new stock from Stockys but they sent me the wrong one.  I prefer this style to the new style anyway.  MagMarc gave me a Leupold base and rings which look alot better, and give better loading acess than the Tasco mount did.

After selling the Leapers and the Youth stock I have quite a bit less than $400.00 in it.
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"Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agreed, as you can all read the Book?" Sogoyewapha, "Red Jacket" - Senaca

1st Special Operations Wing 1975-1983
919th Special Operations Wing  1983-1985 1993-1994

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Offline hillbill

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Re: My Model 7 Project
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2011, 04:00:30 PM »
oh my, i have one of those.the lightest nicest carrying rifle i have. ive had a nice little bushnell 3x9 thats been on there for years.its never failed me, in fact it killed with such regularity it got boreing and i switched to a rem 06 and a swedish 6.5x55.niether of which kills any better on deer.you are going to love that rifle.im sure yu are aware of the barrel heating issues on the skinny barrel.mine loves a stone cold barrel .mine loves 100 grn cor lokt so much i never really reloaded for it other than plinkin rounds.let us know what yu find out when yu get to shooting it.
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Offline Freezer

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Re: My Model 7 Project
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2011, 03:58:37 AM »
 Nice rifle! I have a Model Seven custom. It's chambered in 7TCU, wears a kevlar stock and is stainless. I have a 2x7  Leupold on it and it will clover leaf the first five shots. Light fast handling and adiquate to 200yards.
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Offline Spanky

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Re: My Model 7 Project
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2011, 10:08:47 AM »
Very nice rifle Swampy. It'd make a darned good deer rifle.



Spanky
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Offline hillbill

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Re: My Model 7 Project
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2011, 04:02:58 PM »
the .243 is a heckuva deer round. lots of people will tell yu different.i just got sik of it blood shotting a lot of meat.head neck or heart shots aint bad, but if yu want to anchor a deer in the brush, which it will do.dont shoot thru both shoulders.yu might as well throw most of the deer away.yu got a nice gun there and i think yu will enjoy it.pass it on to yur progeny if they deserve it.
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Offline FLNT4EVR

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Re: My Model 7 Project
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2011, 05:23:44 AM »
Great little rifles. Go slow when sighting in. The little skinny barrels heat up fast ,which will open your groups up. I let the barrel cool between shots as a string of 3 will realy heat it up.
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Offline Silvertp

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Re: My Model 7 Project
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2011, 07:52:39 AM »
You did a good job cleaning that little 7 up there Swampy.  When I looked at the picture I figured you had stumbled onto a pristine rifle, was surprised to hear when you described the original condition.

No doubt, the Model 7 will shine for woods hunting whitetails.  Light and quick handling make it a joy for a day or two in the woods.

Silvertp
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Offline FLNT4EVR

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Re: My Model 7 Project
« Reply #7 on: April 06, 2011, 09:11:16 AM »
You realy did a beautiful restoration job.
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" Act civilized...even if you ain't " 
 
" I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people , and I require the same from them. "
                                  John Wayne, "The Shootist"

Offline gunnut69

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Re: My Model 7 Project
« Reply #8 on: April 08, 2011, 07:37:15 AM »
Swampman!!that's a good looking rifle! I bought a newer model one a couple of years ago. It too was a youth model only some wonderful soul had coated the birch stock with bed liner.. Like they use on pickup beds!! It was atrocious. In 7-08 I bought it to restock with a mannlicker stock when the time and dollars come together.. I love the 243.. With 100 or 95 grain Partitions it will kill really well. Even on raking shots the little monster will get to the vitals.. Best with a 243 was 150+ pound 8 running.. The bullet, a 95 grain Partition, broke the right rea leg at the hip, traversed the body cavity, broke the left shoulder at the blade and was recovered under the skin of the left shoulder.. He never even reacted, ran about 75 yards and piled up stone dead. This was a 150+ deer and while there was some bruising it certainly was no worse than any other high velocity rifle with a cimilar hit. I shoot mostly heavier stuff these days as I feel an exit is a very necessary thingm even on such shots.  Little recoil, flat shooting, accurate and kills well. What is there not to love..
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Offline Swampman

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Re: My Model 7 Project
« Reply #9 on: April 14, 2011, 12:56:08 PM »
Today I reduced the trigger pull to 2.5 lbs and sealed the screw with clear fingernail polish. I also put the speed bump back in and lightly bedded the rear of the recoil lug with J-B Weld. I wish the stock would have been left alone by the previous owner but is was reasonably priced and he didn't divulge the fact that the barrel channel had been molested when listing it. At least you can't really tell with the barreled action installed.
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"Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agreed, as you can all read the Book?" Sogoyewapha, "Red Jacket" - Senaca

1st Special Operations Wing 1975-1983
919th Special Operations Wing  1983-1985 1993-1994

"Manus haec inimica tyrannis / Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem" ~Algernon Sidney~

Offline hillbill

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Re: My Model 7 Project
« Reply #10 on: April 15, 2011, 02:04:20 PM »
well let us know how it shoots with the new trigger adjustment.i dont think ive ever had mine out of the stock yet.i do think it would be just about the last rifle id ever sell or trade.i worked HARD for the money to get that rifle and its never let me down!
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Offline WD242

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Re: My Model 7 Project
« Reply #11 on: April 16, 2011, 09:52:34 AM »
Hey Swampman I've got one also but in 6MM.  Bought it the first year they came out. After four years couldn't get it to shoot. Had to glass bed the stock. Killed my biggest buck todate with it. My daughter started hunting last fall and she's taken it over.
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Offline Swampman

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Re: My Model 7 Project
« Reply #12 on: April 16, 2011, 12:33:38 PM »
I got a good deal on a rear sight and installed it today.  I wish folks wouldn't remove them.
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"Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agreed, as you can all read the Book?" Sogoyewapha, "Red Jacket" - Senaca

1st Special Operations Wing 1975-1983
919th Special Operations Wing  1983-1985 1993-1994

"Manus haec inimica tyrannis / Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem" ~Algernon Sidney~

Offline hillbill

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Re: My Model 7 Project
« Reply #13 on: April 17, 2011, 04:11:50 PM »
years a go when i got my first model seven i was hard core. the hell with them new fangled scope sights. i was useing it to hunt chuks. it was the first rifle i had that could shoot further than i could see.i missed a chuk twice at about 250 yrds.on two different days.went and got a bushnell 3x9, mounted it a nd sighted it in. nailed him clean the next day.
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