Yessir, it took longer than a week to come but i've had it for 4 or 5 days. Wasn't sure exactly what to make of it at first, i was just glad there were no cracks in the stock, and it looked pretty good. then i verified the original sellers remark that the lock wouldn't cock. It didn't. And the finish on the gun was a bit..odd. I started by working on the lock issue, and some of the other pieces of the puzzle fell in place.
The original owner of the rifle, who has now passed away, was described by the seller as a "parts switcher". He said that he changed everything around on every gun he had. Now i don't fault him for that a bit, and like the gun he built. It appears either the original single set trigger went bad, or the original stock cracked..or maybe he just decided to builda different gun. He used a Johnathan Browning barrel and breech, both marked "59". A different tang appears to be used, its unmarked. The trigger appears very similar to a double set L&R, but is marked "DRU". The lock is Very similar to a Browning but i do detect a difference in the shape of the lockplate i think, from pics i see. It could be original and modified a bit, or the "Ohio" style lock i've seen aftermarket seems similar. I'm not positive about this yet. No markings on it either. All the brass furniture on the muzzle end are original Browning i think, while the buttplate and triggerguard are both off the early version CVA Mt. Rifle. So its a conglomeration of parts, all in a very nicely figured(but not finished) tiger maple stock, obviously hand build by a professional. I figure the stock was built by a true craftsman, and it was inletted by this same person. I think it was sent, unfinished and in the white, to the man who owned it. It was kinda amatuerishly finished, but the inletting is perfect and all the parts bolted right up. The barrel and iron bits were all left in the white, and the stock hastily stained with walnut maybe..and then the action was tried. Didn't work. The owner put it up, never to address the issue before he passed away. I have no idea how long ago all this took place but the patina on the metal(thanks Lakota!) seems earned by years of just sitting, with no or little oil or handling either.
So i took the rifle apart and found the issue. The trigger was inletted too close to the sear on the lock, and the sear never could drop down into place, thus securing the cocked hammer. IT took me quite a few hours, and lots of disassembling\reassembling to finally remove enough wood and metal off the double set trigger to get the hammer to stay cocked. At this point i realized the shorter main trigger wouldn't reach the sear and i fashioned a little copper cup to slip over the sear to deepen it..now it finally worked, and worked well. All this messing around endeared me to the rifle too, i know its weird quirks in assembly, things don't just pop together like on a TC, everything has to be finaggled and you have to learn the gun. I learned, over the last few days, a good bit about this one, and i like it.
its one of the few i've had that i don't think i'm going to finish..or refinish. I like the patina too, it looks like an old gun and isn't readily identifiable as any one kind or another, its a mutt but looks very reminiscent of a period rifle, brass hardware notwithstanding. I found the original rear site on TOTW's site, and found a similar to original front. I still have to replace some missized wood screws that hold the triggerguard on, and i need to wait for my ramrod to come before i'm done with it, however i'll shoot it soon as the sights come. Its a really unique rifle and should prove to be accurate with round balls, it has a 1:62 twist i believe.
Heres another pics or two, unfortunately the nice striping in the stock is either stained over or burned with aquafortis,closeups would show the grain better. I may well strip it down and redo the stock, but then again, maybe not. Open for suggestions:)
