richardtl
32 Cal
I have been looking for a 3 band volunteer rifle (either Henry or Rigby rifled) for a while here in South Africa. Either an original Parker Hale or Euroarms one. I got all excited when I thought I found one. I already have 2xEuroarms 2 Band Henry rifled ones. One I shot a lot, and is fitted with Mike Neumann vernier sights. The other is a mint one I keep to one side. I like wise have 2 x Euroarms Whitworth 3 band volunteers.
It was in a gunshop here in SA in Johannesburg, and I was shown the rifle and it looked good. It was in good nick and had Mike Neumann vernier sights. It was a proper Parker Hale 3 band volunteer rifle. I was excited to see this and when I looked at the muzzle it was smooth. It seems the top of the crown was damaged and they sent it to an expert Nitro gunsmith who recommended coning the barrel instead of cutting back muzzle a little and recrowning. It is now coned to about 20 to 25mm depth.
In my view this will no longer shoot as the match rifle it was once and will require the full inch cut off, and recrowned which will also require the front sight moved back and new dove tail cut.
Also the price of this rifle is not cheap comparatively. They want R18000 and it comes with a mould (I have about 10 or more 451 type molds) and a wooden box (a scarcastic whoopee). To put it in perspective I bought the mint Euroarms whitworth a month before for R15000 and got 2kg of Wano (in SA about R2000 worth).
I need some comment from others who shoot or understand match rifles to comment. I think this rifle will no longer shoot the sub 2inch 100m groups it once was capable of.
Will this rifle be capable of shooting like it did at 100, 200, 300......500yds as it did originally?
------Edit-----
I asked the question on a FB page supposedly dedicated to match rilfes and got all sorts of answers relating to american PRB and inline rifles, and when I asked how their rifles performed at 500yds the confusion was apparent.
It was in a gunshop here in SA in Johannesburg, and I was shown the rifle and it looked good. It was in good nick and had Mike Neumann vernier sights. It was a proper Parker Hale 3 band volunteer rifle. I was excited to see this and when I looked at the muzzle it was smooth. It seems the top of the crown was damaged and they sent it to an expert Nitro gunsmith who recommended coning the barrel instead of cutting back muzzle a little and recrowning. It is now coned to about 20 to 25mm depth.
In my view this will no longer shoot as the match rifle it was once and will require the full inch cut off, and recrowned which will also require the front sight moved back and new dove tail cut.
Also the price of this rifle is not cheap comparatively. They want R18000 and it comes with a mould (I have about 10 or more 451 type molds) and a wooden box (a scarcastic whoopee). To put it in perspective I bought the mint Euroarms whitworth a month before for R15000 and got 2kg of Wano (in SA about R2000 worth).
I need some comment from others who shoot or understand match rifles to comment. I think this rifle will no longer shoot the sub 2inch 100m groups it once was capable of.
Will this rifle be capable of shooting like it did at 100, 200, 300......500yds as it did originally?
------Edit-----
I asked the question on a FB page supposedly dedicated to match rilfes and got all sorts of answers relating to american PRB and inline rifles, and when I asked how their rifles performed at 500yds the confusion was apparent.
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