Assembling a custom rifle

I received an inquiry from a reader about how I managed to find the 17 Hornady Mach 2 (HM2) ammunition I needed before I assembled a semi-custom rifle I’d written about a couple of weeks ago. The ammo question is more involved than is appropriate here, so I’ll address the rifle itself. I had stated in that column that I hoped to have the rifle functioning within a couple of weeks and that was a couple of weeks ago. Here’s more detailed information.

The custom barrel is from Lilja Precision Rifle Barrels, Inc. in Plains, Montana. When I called to order the premade, drop-in barrel for a CZ USA model 455 rimfire rifle, I was told the company only had four barrels of my caliber in inventory and when they were gone, no more would be available. I quickly ordered the last 20-inch, bull-barrel configuration, match grade, stainless steel barrel in stock. That was the critical piece to assemble the rifle.

I next ordered a drop-in, finished, thumb-hole, laminated stock inletted for the CZ USA model 455 rifle action fitted with a bull-barrel. The stock was made by Boyd’s Gunstock Industries, Inc. located in Mitchell, South Dakota. I also ordered extra five-shot magazines and factory scope rings for the CZ rifle from other vendors.

I needed a CZ 455 action to start putting the rifle together. The problem was that I had to buy a complete rifle to get the action – no plain actions were available anywhere I inquired. I shopped around and bought the cheapest version of the 455 model I could find. After getting it home, I removed the stock and factory barrel. My first concern was whether the custom barrel would slide into the action since the barrel maker had stated the match barrel shank was a tighter fit than the factory barrel shank.

I applied some gun grease to the shank and, with a little twisting and pushing, the match barrel slide home. I tightened the screws designed to hold the barrel in place. The first hurdle was passed!

I next inserted the barreled action into the pre-inletted stock. The two pieces fit like they were made for each other. I installed the trigger plate and trigger guard and torqued the action screws to their appropriate inch-pounds of pressure. The rifle was essentially assembled now.

I picked out a Leupold VX-1 2-7x28mm rimfire scope from Sportsman’s Warehouse in Wasilla along with after-market scope caps and a rifle sling. I mounted the scope and installed the scope caps and sling. After cleaning the oil out of the barrel, the rifle is ready to be fired and the barrel break-in process to occur. The barrel maker recommends a barrel break-in procedure for barrels firing jacketed bullets, which the 17 HM2 uses. All that’s left now is a trip to the shooting range!

It’s a unique and, hopefully, tack-driving rifle and one you won’t see on any gun shop rack!

On another note, trapping season opened in Alaska on November 10. For those of you who frequent the trails in the valley accompanied by your dog, Fish and Game has a free booklet available.

Quoting from the news release: “Pet owners are reminded that wintertime in Alaska means fur trapping seasons are open and pets running off-leash and not closely supervised risk having their toes pinched – or worse. When pets do encounter traps or snares, owners must be prepared to act quickly. That’s why the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Alaska Trappers Association (ATA) are inviting pet owners to pick up a copy of the free pocket-size pamphlet, ‘Trap Safety for Pet Owners.’ Produced by the department and ATA, the pocket guide describes the types of traps and snares likely to be encountered and provides illustrated instructions on how to free pets swiftly to minimize injury.” Let’s hope you won’t need this information this winter.