Justifing a firearm purchase: the old "two birds with one stone"

[gb6491]

So I am at my favorite local shop and spot a nifty little Handi-Rifle in the used guns racks. It's chambered in .357 Magnum and it's pretty clean: the wood is excellent with just a few bruises on the metal. I'm thinking I don't really need this rifle, but the price is pretty good...still not good enough to justify buying it. Then, I think "hey, what about the cut down Pardner 12 ga. at home (this shotty is absolutely brutal to shoot with all but the lightest load), wouldn't the wood on this rifle (with it's nice recoil pad) fit on that?"
As I've been looking at butt stocks with recoil pads or installing a pad on this shotgun (no slip on for me, thank you very much), I know costs or cost plus labor is going to be in the $40 dollar range. If I consider that as a further discount, I 'll just buy the rifle and try the wood swap.
Once home, I find the wood is an easy swap and fit (just had to open one forend's screw hole a little to make that piece easier to get off). As an added bonus, I like the look of the shotgun's old wood better on the rifle and vice versa. The old shotgun wood did have a funky tinted factory finish, so I stripped that and did a quick linseed oil and wax finish. In for a penny, in for a pound: the rifle's receiver had either a parkerized or heavy bead blasted black oxide finish on it (plus a few nicks and wear spots) so I refinished it with a bead blast and rust blue (Express Blue No. 1).
I'm pleased with the results, but if this rifle shoots well, I may be out some extra dough to have it reamed out for .357 Maximum:biggrin1:
http://i41.tinypic.com/106lcab.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/2hg4k5c.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/4lli0z.jpg
Regards,
Greg

[wyntrout]

Nice work, as usual, Greg! Outstanding!

Wynn:)

[Bawanna]

Wow! The refinish on that rifle receiver turned out super nice. Very nice indeed.

Definitely a 2 fer, you got a pad on the shotgun and the 357 won't be near as brutal.

A win/win all around me thinks.

Nicely done.

[gb6491]

Wynn and Bawanna,
Thank you for your comments:)
The finish on the receiver is deceptive. I did a glass bead over a rough factory finish. The rust blue requires that you "buff" off the residue after every boil cycle. I use fine steel wool to do this. The results on this rifle seem to be a somewhat rough finish that reflects light very evenly. It's hard for me to photograph as it appears to me.
Here's a shot in bright daylight:
http://i44.tinypic.com/105sj8h.jpg
An angled shot in the shade;
http://i39.tinypic.com/2a9y9le.jpg
As I'm posting photos, here's one that might show the stock differences a little better:
http://i40.tinypic.com/20unwg2.jpg
Regards,
Greg

[AJBert]

I don't care what ya'll say about Greg when he's not in ear shot. He is a pretty fart smeller in my book! Both look great!

[Bawanna]

Still looks darn nice to me in any light. So that Express Blue #1 actually requires a boil, or just run under hot water like some of the others.

I've stripped a few of those stocks and now and then you find some real pretty wood underneath whatever mix the factory paints on them.

The paint the good as well as the fair or bad. Sometimes there's some real beauty under there. You just never know until you strip.

[BEARDOG]

Looks really good Greg!
Nice re-finish on the wood. I have a H&R combo with 20 ga./ .30-.30 barrels that was my boyhood hunting set-up...man I use to keep right up with the big guys and their pumps and auto$ shooting clay birds with my little single shot .20 ga. I have not had that gun out in years maybe it deserves a refinish sometime too ???

[b4uqzme]

Y'ain't gotta justify nuttin'. Emmer beautiful.

[b4uqzme]

Looks really good Greg!
Nice re-finish on the wood. I have a H&R combo with 20 ga./ .30-.30 barrels that was my boyhood hunting set-up...man I use to keep right up with the big guys and their pumps and auto$ shooting clay birds with my little single shot .20 ga. I have not had that gun out in years maybe it deserves a refinish sometime too ???

I got a Winchester 37 in 20ga a couple of weeks ago but can't seem to get to the trap range. Not tomorrow either. Ugh.

[gb6491]

AJBert, Bawanna, BEARDOG, b4uqzme,
Your comments are very much appreciated:)

Still looks darn nice to me in any light. So that Express Blue #1 actually requires a boil, or just run under hot water like some of the others.

I've stripped a few of those stocks and now and then you find some real pretty wood underneath whatever mix the factory paints on them.

The paint the good as well as the fair or bad. Sometimes there's some real beauty under there. You just never know until you strip.
Bawanna,
The Express Blue goes on similar to Plum Brown (actually looks pretty close in color): heat the metal to 180-200 degrees, apply the solution, let the "rust" form (happens pretty fast, again like Plum Brown), submerge in boiling water until the rust turns black, card/buff the black residue off, then repeat as many times as needed to get the color depth you desire.
Here's an indoor shot that's closer to the actual color (at least as I perceive it) than some of the photos above:
http://i43.tinypic.com/15q41zs.jpg
Regards,
Greg

[dkmatthews]

That's hot, Greg. Is it fairly common that stocks will swap between long guns like this or did you just know that it would be a close fit?

Your skills are impressive, sir.

[muggsy]

I always justify a firearms purchase with the same justification that mountain climbers use for climbing Mt. Everest. "Because it was there." :)

[gb6491]

That's hot, Greg. Is it fairly common that stocks will swap between long guns like this or did you just know that it would be a close fit?

Your skills are impressive, sir.
DKM,
Thanks!
As I had been looking for a butt stock with a recoil pad for the shotgun, my research suggested that the stocks on more modern H&R/NEF shotguns and rifles would be interchangeable (though the forends might need some fitting).
There is a treasure trove of knowledge on these firearms here:
http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php#c12
A neat thing about these guns is that they can be fitted with extra barrels (factory costs are reasonable). There are some parameters that most be met; among which are:
Guns have to have been made after a certain date.
There are two frame types (SB1 and SB2). Only shotgun barrels, 357/44 Magnum barrels, or black powder barrels are factory fitted to SB1 frames. In addition to those barrels, SB2 frames can be fitted with various caliber rifle barrels. http://www.hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.asp
My .357 is marked SB2 on the barrel, but that's misleading as it's on a SB1 frame that is marked "Warning: Do Not Exchange Barrels With This Firearm. 357 Mag 44 Rem Mag or Shotgun Barrels Only". My shotgun is an NEF (New England Firearms) gun and has no such markings, but is an SB1 frame. I do own another H&R, the 1871 Buffalo Classic, and it has the SB2 frame:)
http://i40.tinypic.com/o6jklw.jpg

I hear you Muggsy. I've been guilty of that very recently (Kel-Tec PMR30). :D

Regards,
Greg

[Bawanna]

I dig the buffalo classic. Wonder if I can get that barrel for mine. I'll have to take a gander and see what I got. SB1 or SB2, actually I might have both, I have an older one and a newer one. Had no clue about this stuff.

Your the smartest man alive.