I'm a sucker.............

[Bayou City Boy]

I did something last night that I don't always do.......... I got to thinking.

I have a plastic tote box in a closet that is full of "stuff you don't use any more, but it's too good to toss" type of stuff. Years ago in the mid 1970's I bought my first ever Remington 700 BDL Varmint Special rifle in 22-250. At the time I couldn't find a suitable sling for the fairly heavy rifle, so I made my own. It carried that rifle for a lot of miles and for a lot of years into the mid to late 1980's.

This Sako rifle has a born on date of the early 1990's, so I dug the sling out in it's well used condition. After about 30 minutes with some leather cleaner and conditioner like you use on leather car seats, it sprang back to life from its previous scruffy existence, and it looks pretty good.

With the old sling on the rifle, I may reconsider and take the rifle with me when I go north to hunt some fluffy-furred Yankee coyotes after Christmas this winter. I hope the scope is in as good of condition tracking-wise as it looks so I can keep the package all roughly "vintage" looking. I'll know more tomorrow..........





In case anyone is interested, the Sako S491 action dates from ~1993 and it was built in rifles chambered in 17 Rem, .222 Rem, .223 Rem, .22 PPC USA, and 6mm PPC USA.

That old Remington 700 walnut-stocked BDL Varmint Special rifle in 22-250 Rem got shot and hunted a bunch, but I wish I had it back..........

-BCB

[hemi]

Five or six years back a Sako loving friend got me back into shooting centerfires. He handed me an old L46 for the first time ever seeing one at the range and said: "shoot this .222" sporter". I replied, geez this thing must be 40 years old, to which he replied, "no more like 60 years old".

Damned if that featherweight didn't shoot tidy little 3/8"-1/2" groups, and looked good doing it. Felt good too.
Kinda like a Lays potato chip, you can't have just one!
I now have 2 L46 sporters in .222 rem
An L461 (Vixen) in .222 rem
And an L461 in .223 rem

hemi

[Branxhunter]

Beautiful BCB. Apparently the Bix n' Andy triggers for those S series Sakos are brilliant. I'm interested in the design of the sling - specifically the approach that enables length adjustment without introducing a buckle with the associated risk of scratching the woodwork. Given you used it for many years I assume it doesn't slide under the weight of the rifle.

Marcus

[Bayou City Boy]

Originally Posted by Branxhunter

Beautiful BCB. Apparently the Bix n' Andy triggers for those S series Sakos are brilliant. I'm interested in the design of the sling - specifically the approach that enables length adjustment without introducing a buckle with the associated risk of scratching the woodwork. Given you used it for many years I assume it doesn't slide under the weight of the rifle.

Marcus

You are correct. It does not slide under the weight of the rifle. Once you adjust it, it holds in place, but it moves easily when you want to adjust the length.

The first picture shows the slide fairly well........Three slots cut into the slide with the top 2 slots being where the sling runs through and the bottom slot is where the end of the sling attaches to the slide. I used short Chicago screws like shown at the link to attach the front of the sling to the front sling swivel and where the end of the sling attaches to the slide. These at the link are brass looking. I used black Chicago screws.

https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/chicago-screws

I don't have a better picture but I will try to get one later. Right now I'm having dinner with the wife. Sunday night is one of my 3 cooking nights each week, so we're at a restaurant....

-BCB

[Bayou City Boy]

Here are some close-up pictures of the slide on the sling. Pretty much self-explanatory. Where the end of the sing attaches to the slide creates enough distortion in the slide shape with the weight of the rifle on it that it all holds in place with friction once adjusted. Without the weight of the rifle on it, it adjusts very easily. If you make a sling, cut the 3 slots in the slide so that the sling runs through the slots with a snug/fairly tight but easy to move fit.

You can see this same slide arrangement on commercial slings today. No.....I didn't invent the idea.......I just copied it years ago.........







-BCB

[Hal]

A very nice set up and the sling turned out nice.

Hal

[Branxhunter]

Thanks BCB - great photos that show exactly how it works. Might sweet-talk my good wife into having a go at making a couple of slings using that design. She does leatherwork and has some good think leather that would be perfect.

Marcus

[Bayou City Boy]

Originally Posted by Branxhunter

Thanks BCB - great photos that show exactly how it works. Might sweet-talk my good wife into having a go at making a couple of slings using that design. She does leatherwork and has some good think leather that would be perfect.

Marcus

It will come out best with thick but fairly pliable saddle grade leather.

She probably knows how to shape leather, but a belt sander can be your friend for making rounded corners and smooth rounded angles.............. Get the shape you want from a pattern on something like butcher paper, trace it onto the leather and cut it out in a rough manner leaving your pattern lines intact. Then you can carefully do the final shaping with a belt sander if your wife doesn't have angle cutters.

I learned at an early age from my mom's father - my grandfather. He was a pretty fair leather worker in his time. I still piddle with leather work but it's been a few years since I did anything really constructive. Years ago (in the 1970's) I made and sold a few holsters and gun belts and mag pouches for various different handguns that I or others owned.

-BCB

[Bayou City Boy]

For whatever purpose it served........

Overnight I received an email from an unnamed individual from a G-Mail account who told me that the up-close pictures of the slide just above show that there is obviously considerable bluing wear on the trigger guard with a question as to how I could label the rifle to be in such great condition with that kind of bottom metal wear. And what did the floor plate look like?

In reality, the pictures show overhead light glare on the trigger guard, and the entire metal on the rifle - top and bottom - comes as close to 100% as you could expect when taking a NIB rifle from the box the first time. This rifle is roughly 25 years old and it is in excellent condition........

For whatever purpose it serves in me saying that again........ Without providing additional pictures to back up what I'm saying. Sheesh.........!! Don't ya' just love the internet and the experts it breeds concerning other folks and what they have or don't have?

-BCB

[coyotespotter]

Nice grab, you can send the leupy in and 2-3 weeks it will be back in 100% working condition. Then start killing critters.