bringing an old rifle back home

[Will Henry]

I started shooting BR in 1976 and started building my own rifles at the same time. I got my first glass stock (a Brown Precision) in 1977. In the spring of that year, a fellow shooter showed up with a 6PPC, and it was a hell of a shooter (so was he). I was winning quite a bit with my 6x47 through 1978 but I figured I needed a PPC, so in the winter of '79, I built my first one. I was always attracted to the unusual, so I ordered myself a Wichita Mini action to build this on. It got a Hart barrel, a Canjar LP trigger, and was put into a Lee Six stock. I finished it in the spring of 1980 and took it out for the first time. Did it ever shoot! Sub .2 groups were easy and it was almost hard to decide on a load. I won the NW Regional shoot in Issaquah that year and, in fact, won most everything I shot in. A couple of years later, in 1982, I sold that rifle as life happened and I was just too busy with family stuff to shoot anymore.
Fast forward 43 years, and the son of the fellow I sold the rifle to called up and asked if I was interested in it. I was. I bought the rifle back for the same amount I sold it for in 1982. A fair amount of money back then, a few thousand primers today. I'll do a little show and tell about it on my You Tube channel . I'll try and get it to a match next month and see if I can still steer it. I have fifty rounds of the original Sako 220 Russian brass i used in it, 45 years ago. I think I might even have some of the 70 grain BT McCracken bullets I used, back in the day. I'm kind of excited! WH

 

[ArtinNC]

I allways wanted a Wichita Mini action . but never could find one .

 

[Will Henry]

I have to say, I never saw many others shooting them. I don't know how many they made. WH

 

[ckaberna]

Sent a pm about directions to your YouTube channel.

 

[dhagerty40]

I allways wanted a Wichita Mini action . but never could find one .

you might want to give them a call. they are now owned by a company in texas:

Wichita Arms – ..and it's right here in… Texas!

I still own 2 Wichita pistols..

 

[swd]

We want pics!

 

[Will Henry]

I'll do a segment on Will Henry's Workshop (you Tube). It needs a little bit of work. I'll probably set the barrel back a half inch or so. In order to do that, I'll have to make an action wrench (I don't know where the one I made in 1979 is). At some point, the bolt handle had come adrift (not uncommon) and was improperly re attached. I'll fix that. The paint needs redone and the buttplate (walnut) refinished. I may pull it out of the stock and re-glue it. It has been over 45 years, after all. I pulled apart one other (a 40X) that I had done at about the same time, and it definitely was not necessary, but still... The Canjar LP trigger is fine and needs nothing. The boltface has been burned a little from leaking primers, but it's not so bad that I'm concerned at all. I would guess that the fellow I sold the rifle to has put something over a thousand rounds through it. I put a new Hart barrel on it when I sold it in '82, and through the Hawkeye, it looks to have been shot about that much. All in all, it's going to be fun to get it going again. WH

 

[ebb]

Now you gone and done it, I will have to watch all the content on that you tube channel before I get anything done here.

 

[Will Henry]

You will note that it appears to be an amateur production. Go figure. WH

 

[Just Say Moe]

Another subscriber here!

 

[TTE]

Sent a pm about directions to your YouTube channel.

me too please

 

[Will Henry]

youtube.com/@willhenrysworkshop-gunsmith
I'll be working on the Wichita over the next couple of weeks, in between real jobs. I'll put up a video showing it tomorrow. I'll admit to being a little bit challenged by the computer and everything related to it! WH