New to me 1899 Remington Lee Sporter

[fjrdoc]

Greetings all.

I just joined the forum because I thought that I might be able to gain some knowledge regarding my recently acquired 1899 Remington Lee sporter in 30-40 Krag. I am a collector of vintage bolt action hunting rifles. I enjoy conserving and using these old rifles for deer hunting in PA.

I received this rifle recently and have had a chance to inspect it more closely now that it is in hand. This rifle does not have a serial number. I've read on this site that other rifles have made it out of the Remington plant the same way. All the metal has been reblued and actually done very nicely. The original stamped information on the receiver and barrel have not been affected in the process. The bore is a little dark but the rifling is extremely sharp. The bolt face indicates that very little ammo has been shot through her.

The wood will need some care. A thick coat of varnish has been applied over the original finish and not done very well. The checkering looks good with a couple minor area of compression. The ebony Schnabel insert appears to have fallen out and has been filled with wood putty. I will be correcting this. A former owner has gouged in a deer tally on the right forearm grip groove along with a fox tally on the left side. Some would argue about leaving these in place but I think that they distract from the beauty of the rifle. I will be repairing these areas.

The original buttplate has been blued along with all the other metal. I suspect that it was originally case-hardened. I have not seen any good pictures online to confirm this. Maybe somebody on the forum can answer that question.

I will be taking numerous pictures of the rifle before, during and after my conservation. I will try to post pictures as I go. This year, I shot a 7-point buck with my 1893 Steyr George Gibbs stalking rifle chambered in 6.5x53R. That rifle was my project last year. It is thrilling to be able to take a 130-year-old rifle into the woods and use it successfully. This year, I plan on taking the Remington Lee out. I will be working up and accurate cast bullet load for this old girl.

[fjrdoc]

Does anybody know if the buttplate on the Remington Lee sporting rifle was blued or case-hardened? Thanks in advance.

[fjrdoc]

What finish was used on these rifles originally? Varnish? Any suggestions for what to use that closely duplicates the original look?

[fjrdoc]

I was hoping to get some guidance from the forum regarding wood finish as well as the metal finish on the buttplate. I didn't receive any so I decided to apply a faux case-hardened finish to the buttplate and I made up my own wiping varnish.
I finished this rifle project this week and I thought that I would post some before and after photos of the rifle.
Before:

[fjrdoc]

Here are the after pics. The walnut stock has a subtle tiger stripe that doesn't photograph well. These outdoor photos show it best.

[Eddie Southgate]

Neat rifle , you did a good job . I am one of those who would have left the tally carvings .

[fjrdoc]

Hello fellow members.

Last week was rifle season for white-tailed deer in PA. Since completing the restoration of the rifle, I worked up a very accurate reload for 30-40 Krag using 220 grain round-nose bullets. I made a decision that I was taking this old girl out into the woods and see if she could get the job done.

Monday morning, I settled into a very nice location and shortly thereafter I spotted 2 does walking my way about 60-65 yards in the distance. Both deer were equal in size. The lead deer then made a left hand turn and provided me with a broadside shot. I lined up the aperture behind the shoulder and pulled the trigger. I saw the doe crash about 25 yards into the woods.

I was somewhat disappointed in the size when I walked up to her, but hunting isn't a catch and release sport. This hunt was a perfect way to complete this project. I really love how this rifle handles and shoots. The grouping was made at 50 yards,

[Eddie Southgate]

Nice group and that little doe will look great in small chunks between two biscuit halves.

[54bullseye]

Nice job on the refinish ! Good looking rifle congrats ! John Taylor