A Perfect Kid's Rifle Made Better

[harmonn@att.net]

The cammo job looks like out of the box, very nice. Are the patterns you used stencil or stick-ons, or did you create them yourself? Maybe one day my little girl will get into plinking with 22's. Only thing stopping her is MOTHER, lol.

Congrats,

 

[gglass]

The cammo job looks like out of the box, very nice. Are the patterns you used stencil or stick-ons, or did you create them yourself? Maybe one day my little girl will get into plinking with 22's. Only thing stopping her is MOTHER, lol.

Congrats,

Thanks.

The camo patterns are my own. I made my own stencils out of the wide painter's masking tape. The patterns were applied like this:

• Lightest Blue applied to whole stock - Let dry completely
• Male camo stencils used for the next darker blue (unmasked stock) - Let dry completely
• Female camo stencils used for the darker blue (rest of stock masked) - Let dry completely
• Female camo stencils used for darkest blue (rest of stock masked) - Let dry completely
• Flat Black paint used for the sling studs, grip areas and trigger guard.
• Flat Black used for the speckles over the entire stock
• Clear Matte finishing coat over the entire stock

I also free floated the barrel and bedded the action... A lot of work for a kid's plinker.

 

[wildcatfan.62]

Sweet, as a Wildcat Fan, I gotta admit, I like the BLUE!!

 

[gglass]

As I mentioned earlier, I did a bedding job and free floated the barrel. Below are some pics of the end result, and I'm quite pleased with the result.

The only other thing I can do, this side of a new stock, is to find a way to add pillars to the stock. As I don't think I'll find any off-the-shelf pillars, it may take me some time to fashion a one for the rear... The for-end screw is already attached via a pseudo-lug. This lug/screw mount was originally attached via a loose dove-tail, and I actually turned it into a true recoil lug by centering and JB Welding it into place. It was then fitted to the stock via the bedding process at the rear of the lug. This half-moon portion of the bedding is a mirror image of the lug, and now absorbs recoil linearly into the stock. Or, so the theory goes.

Pics of the over-the-top kids rifle...

Free Floated Barrel:

Bedding job:

 

[MortonMan]

Geesh! You have some gun smithing skills. What kind of training and workshop do you have?

Great job sir. You have a lucky daughter.

 

[gglass]

Geesh! You have some gun smithing skills. What kind of training and workshop do you have?

Great job sir. You have a lucky daughter.

Thank you from my daughter and I.

I don't know how to measure any gun smithing skills I might have, but I have always approach most projects with the idea that some darn fool has done it, so I can too.

My workshop is simply a converted bedroom in the house that has been vacated by one of my kids who has since been given housing by the Marines. I still lack many necessary tools like a lathe and mill, so I won't be building any 1911's from scratch any time soon.

 

[GREEN607]

Great Job on that little Marlin!

Kudos for teaching your young daughter to shoot, as well. Looks like she's a natural at it. And a "south-paw" like me....

If you ever need any help, or are seeking any particular rifle parts.... including scopes & mounts/rings, etc..... feel free to fling me a PM, and ask if I got it. Glad to give a few 'spare' items out, to help another shooter now and then. Especially one who's teaching the sport to the next generation.

Thanks for sharing the 'build'... Lee

 

[n9iui]

I really like that camo job! I'd like to have a full-sized rifle for myself in that scheme.
Your daughter looks very comfortable with her shooting; she didn't flinch when other shots were going off around her! I did notice though that it looks like she may be keeping her finger on the trigger while she's cycling the bolt. May be a bad angle on my part though.
Thanks for the great post.

 

[gglass]

Green607 - Thanks for the compliment and the offer. Both are appreciated.

n9iui - You are correct, and the angle does show that she is keeping her finger in the trigger guard, but not necessarily on the trigger itself. It is something that we are working on, and is part of her safety grilling each time we hit the range. I find that working with kids and sometimes adults, is that you work on one issue, only to find that another "fixed" issue reveals itself... You fix THAT issue, and another previously fixed issue comes back. It is a never ending process of training.