McClelland Gun Shop

A longtime customer brought his Wi******er 1886 45-70 Gov’t to have us install a Burris 2x7 Scout scope. Since the 1886 ejects from the top, the scope must be mounted forward of the action. You can also do a side mount, but he preferred the forward set up.

We used the existing rear sight dovetail and cut a second dovetail plug to use as the two mounting points. We built a custom picatinny base and drilled it into both plugs to center on the barrel. After mounting the scope, the rifle’s headed to the range for 50-100 yard proofing. We’ll call you when it’s ready, Dave R! 🙂

This Longthorne (Gunmakers) Ltd Britannica 12 gauge is in the shop for a decelerator pad and recoil reducer installation, BUT, we just had to share the story behind the custom sideplate engravings.

Aside from the gorgeously streaky walnut stock and forend, the sideplate engravings depict two scenes from the United Kingdom: the church where the owner and his wife got married and their favorite pub. I'm not crying, you are! 🥹

Also, it has 12 engraved on each ejector. Such a nifty detail! Thanks to Don for letting us share it.

Here's a really cool before and after restoration for y'all!

This Re*****on 722 in 300 Savage (mfg in 1951) was brought to us by a customer who's owned the rifle since he was 13 years old. He wanted a full restoration paired with a couple of upgrades and mods. As always, our ultimate goal was to make sure the refurbished rifle still retained as much of the original magic as possible!

Our woodsmiths first needed to plug a pair of old stripped stud holes in the stock in order to install a new set of studs. They then refinished the entire thing and installed a new Pachmayr decelerator to reduce recoil impact. The metal guys got to work removing the old bluing and years of rust/handling marks/age from the metal and silver inlay. Polishing around intricate engraving is always tricky, but we have young eyes on the team -- and Ron's 3x power glasses! -- that do a fantastic job.

Final work included installing a Timney trigger with minor stock modification. We remounted the original scope (keep the magic!) and installed a rear sight dovetail blank in the barrel. Lastly, Ron performed the final headspace check, inspection, and test fire. Now, it's ready for its 8th decade in the field.

Thanks to David for entrusting us with your rifle (and for the before pics 😁)!

Had to share this gorgeous example of one of the best plinkers of all time: the Browning SA-22 made in Belgium! It's dated to 1957 (I believe.. as early serial number information was lost long ago) and features intricate engraved scenes of squirrels, a duck, and prairie dogs. Ron's thinks it's a higher grade version, but he's not 100%.

We cleaned, lubed, and removed minor rust from the rifle. Good as new!

The stock on this Simmons Hardware Cannon Breech 12 gauge is held together by two handcrafted copper bands made by a talented old-world craftsman. They expertly hammered, shaped, pinned, and soldered the bands around the stock. The older pieces with DIY repairs -- which the owners want to preserve! -- are easily my favorite jobs that come through the Service Shop.

We removed years of build up on this one and test fired it for a safety check (everything held together just fine!). So cool that we get to be a part of this gun's story!

‘Tis the season for restoration y’all! Sterling just completed a full metal reblue on this classic Wi******er Model 12 12 gauge shotgun. Sterling’s polish lines — if you zoom in — are sooo satisfyingly uniform. Just another day in ye olde restoration shop!

Sighting in rifles this morning was, as Ron said, "Colder than a well digger's you-know-what!"

We customized this hog huntin' Smith & Wesson 1854 Stealth Hunter in 30-30 Win with some fantastic upgrades. We've been really impressed with the 1854s straight out of the box, moreso than other lever actions. The rifle really just needs a few minor tweaks to get that full custom feel!

⚡EXTERIOR⚡
- Upgraded Ranger Point Precision aluminum stock and ammo quivers. These are well-made for the price point and look awesome.
- Leupold VX-6HD 1-6x24 scope with FireDot Duplex reticle (Leupold Alumina lens covers come with the scope). We mounted the scope with steel Talley rings atop the factory pic rail.
- (NOT PICTURED) HUXWRX Flow 762 .30 cal silencer for the threaded barrel.🤫

⚡INTERIOR⚡
- Action job to improve the smooth function of the lever and bolt movement.
- Adjusted the factory trigger down to a crisp 3 lbs.
- Zeroed the scope at 100 yards with HSM 165 Cowboy ammo designed for levers.

One of our African big game hunters requested an improved means of sight acquisition than the standard iron sights on his H. Searcy 470 Nitro Express. One of our gunsmiths milled a dovetail on either side of the raised rib to accommodate the mounting plate for a Trijicon RMR 1x3.25 MOA.

And in case you were wondering, we DID test fire the rifle and the sight stayed put! Huzzah!

After we used the mill to remove the sheared base screws (see our previous video!) stuck in this Re*****on 03's receiver, the woodsmiths went to work repairing the major splits at the top of the stock's wrist. For big splits we always use our #1 secret weapon: acraglas! The guys pinned the stock, applied the acraglas, and blended it as best as possible.

Ron also reformed the warped lower metal and further adjusted the interior magazine box to set it properly into the action. He modified the pic rail and mounted a new Leupold to sight it in at the range 1" high at 100 yards.

***BUT the highlight of this piece, for me, is the carving details. Can we bring this sort of handicraft back?!