CPA/Stevens 44-1/2 Varmint Rifle I’ve been staying busy working on

[JDHasty]

I picked up a NOS CPA Stevens 44-1/2 action about this time last year and called Carson at Lilja and got them going on a 22LR 1:16 and 6mm 1:10 barrel blanks, both 29” to finish out at 28” #2-1/2 weight semi octagon.  I sent the action to CPA to be fitted with a second breach block for rimfire and ordered an unfinished 95% Benchrest Butt Stock and Fore End in X-Fancy American walnut and a Sporting Fore End in standard grade American walnut.  The action came my way with a 95% Sporting/Varmint Butt Stock in standard grade. 

I was originally going to have the 6mm barrel chambered in 6mm/30-30 Ackley and made up brass from Starlinebrass 375 Winchester cases.  That changed when Starlinebrass released a run of 444 Marlin.  The chambering is what I’m calling 6x51R, and is nothing but 243 Winchester with a rim.  The 22LR chamber is cut with a Lilja Match reamer. 

I’ve had this BALvar 6-24 sitting around waiting on it.  It’s not quite done, but it’s close.  The stocks need to cure for a couple or three weeks before I haul it to the range.  I am going to make up a beaver tail fore end for it too. 

The Benchrest fore end can’t be beat for shooting at the range off our heavy rests, but they are not that great in the field for shooting from a bench.  We have some Hart and Wichita front rests that work far better for field varmint shooting from the truck.  I put a UM sling stud in the Sporting fore end for shooting off Harris BiPods.  The Sporting fore end is a miserable choice for shooting from bags though.  Making another fore end isn’t a big deal. 

My goal was to have everything ready by March and chuck shooting season. 

[JDHasty]

I inleted a Winchester Super Grade sling stud in the Sporting/Varmint butt stock and used a Niedner checkered steel butt plate on it. 

This butt stock is kind of plain Jane, but check out how the grain is laid out to the best advantage on the cheek piece.  Got to hand it to CPA.  A guy can do a lot with rather plain wood so long as whoever laid it out on the raw stock lays it out to take advantage of what it has to offer.  The grain runs straight on the body and as it should in the tang area, I think that looks good. 

[JDHasty]

I like to use these 10-32 brass inserts and a 1/2 inch 10-32 machine screw UM sling stud in a lot of applications.  That makes it easy to take the stud out and put it back as often as I feel like without ratting out the wood.  The 1/2 inch 10-32 studs are kind of hard to come by, I ordered a bag of 50 last time I found them though.  They are threaded all the way to the base of the stud. 

[JDHasty]

This is what I’m referring to when I say Super Grade sling stud.  The spots on the cheek piece are part of the figure in the wood.  Visible depending on how light is falling on it.