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MLE hand guard made from a scrap stock

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englishman_ca View Drop Down
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    Posted: May 24 2017 at 7:22am
So I had this sportered MLE that I used as a source of parts for other projects.

Shortly after starting into the project, I actually remembered to take pics.

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The thing had been well customised, the fore stock was cut and slimmed down. It had been patched and there was checkering. The draws were done and the trigger guard area was sanded exposing the metalwork. Nothing of much use other than beautiful Italian walnut that I could use for patching and repairing other projects.

And then staring at this creation, something stared right back at me. Pretty obvious, once it is pointed out.
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It is this chunk of scrap stock that caught my interest. It was worth a try.
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A bit of work, I only use hand tools. Going slowly and constantly checking against an original to replicate size and shape.
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I am getting to be a real expert at making scrap wood and sawdust.
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eef159c0829c6662a09fe39fa1c4ca377c9ae14_

It seems to be working out ok. d34158ce8595626122312885157e40c3f310844_
Really nice wood with which to work.

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The exterior is still way oversized in preparation to fit up to another rifle.
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So don't throw those sportered front ends away just yet. This took me about two hours at the bench, I have something useful as opposed to something scrap.

If your junk drawer is like mine, it is probably full of potential hand guards! 

Now the next step is making the perishing spring clips. I have not quite figured out tempering thin spring steel. They always crack at the rivet holes on me. I am going to try cold forming some spring ribbon that I found.




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evanguy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evanguy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 24 2017 at 1:20pm
Nice work!! I never throw anthing away. My wife says its a problem, i say its a colection, also i have a rifle that looks the exact same as that. Same checkering, same rounded off bottom on butt stock and the same thinning and colored plug in the old volley sight hole. Although mine is a MLE, your is a MLM?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Canuck Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 24 2017 at 1:32pm
Nice work indeed!
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englishman_ca View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote englishman_ca Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 24 2017 at 2:04pm
Evan, no, mine was also an MLE.

The style of sporterisation is classic in that I have seen several sporters with a fore stock modified in a similar way. Same length, taper and checkering. I note that the butt stocks were also modified and wrist checkered in a similar way to each other.

Probably it was a fashion statement way back when, or maybe there was one very prolific gunsmith!

This whole exercise in making the hand guard just came out of nowhere when one day I was sitting at the bench staring at the inletting in the scrap fore end. It is the internal inlet that is the difficult and time consuming part to do, and there it was, already done for me! :o)
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evanguy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evanguy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 24 2017 at 2:33pm
I have seen one other mle like these two, mines an '96 sparkbrook. i always wondered if it was one guy doing them the same way everytime or just a style of the time, when i see sporters that are the same as others, probably a combo of both. And i only assumed mlm due to the lack of visible E on the knox.

Any way, that is awesome work, and i thank for for the idea, i have a drawer full of sporter forestocks, im going to see what i can make with some of them. Ill also work on a few metal peices for us aswell.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote A square 10 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 24 2017 at 6:32pm
the one im sending you looks like this one , 
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