The One Rifle That's Always Intrigued Me

[Hunter-Habib]

I'm genuinely curious. Have any of you gents (or ladies) ever actually seen a rifle like this ?

WDM Bell's final article (on a 1954 issue of "American Rifleman") illustrates the above rifle.

It's a custom made take down piece built on a Springfield Model 1903 action with a pair of interchangeable barrels- One in .30-06 Springfield and one in .318 Westley Richards.

It seems like something very regal ! I first read this article as a young boy in 1961 and this photo immediately caught my attention. But the last 63 years of hunting worldwide and using a wide plethora of excellent sporting firearms... I've never once actually seen anything like it in any gun store or gun show. The rifle in the illustration has always piqued my interest.

WDM Bell himself appears to have purchased a .318 Westley Richards built on a Springfield Model 1903 action on 17/1/1938. But there is absolutely no mention as to who the actual maker was that had built the rifle.

I'm curious to know all of your thoughts.

Warmest Regards,
Habib

 

[Russ16]

Never seen a two barrel set but have seen several takedown versions in a single caliber.

 

[SaintPanzer]

Dakota (when there was a Dakota) used to sell such a thing, if I recall correctly, the deal was you had to choose ammunition types that used the same cartridge base, so the bolt did not need to be changed. For example, you could have one barrel in .300 H&H magnum, and another in .375 H&H magnum.

I have an FN action kicking around, and was thinking about building such a beast, but I think maybe it would be too difficult to modify the action for a magnum cartridge. This leads me to think a .25-06 barrel for whitetails, and a .30-06 for elk might be a good way to go.

Dakota Model 76 Traveler Bolt-Action Centerfire Takedown Rifle - RifleShooter

The Dakota Model 76 Traveler Bolt-Action Centerfire Takedown rifle borrowed the same design element that made the Mauser 98 and Winchester Model 70 famous: a full-length claw extractor that bites the rim of the cartridge while feeding and retains its hold on the rim throughout the firing, extraction

www.rifleshootermag.com

 

[baxterb]

Yes. Duane Wiebe has built similar take-downs, but as stated above, I cannot remember if any were two-barrel sets. The ones I remember when i worked with him were single-caliber.

 

[cash_tx]

Dakota (when there was a Dakota) used to sell such a thing, if I recall correctly, the deal was you had to choose ammunition types that used the same cartridge base, so the bolt did not need to be changed. For example, you could have one barrel in .300 H&H magnum, and another in .375 H&H magnum.

I have an FN action kicking around, and was thinking about building such a beast, but I think maybe it would be too difficult to modify the action for a magnum cartridge. This leads me to think a .25-06 barrel for whitetails, and a .30-06 for elk might be a good way to go.

Dakota Model 76 Traveler Bolt-Action Centerfire Takedown Rifle - RifleShooter

The Dakota Model 76 Traveler Bolt-Action Centerfire Takedown rifle borrowed the same design element that made the Mauser 98 and Winchester Model 70 famous: a full-length claw extractor that bites the rim of the cartridge while feeding and retains its hold on the rim throughout the firing, extraction

www.rifleshootermag.com

I seem to recall that same Dakota offering as well.

You could use your FN action to make a triple caliber setup: 25-06, 30-06, and 35 Whelen. I'm sure that would make Bob very happy.

 

[uplander01]

Weibe had a very nice 2 barrel set that was on the market for a couple years, I think the last maker to possess it was Martini up in Canada. It was built on a M98 and was in calibers 338 WM, and 416 Rem Mag. It was a dandy, I think went for around 12k