A rifle's tale.....by Wally Smallwood

B

Bill Calfee

Gun Fool
A rifle's tale.....by Wally Smallwood


Friend Wally:


Remember back years ago when you wrote "A rifle's tale", where you sat in my shop with a pencil and paper and wrote, as I built Gingersnap.


You wrote that story without any prompting from me, strictly in your own words.


Wally, when you come up this Saturday, bring a pencil and paper with you.


Your friend, Bill Calfee
 
CYA friends:

CYA friends:


Wally and Foster just left my shop...


I got to examine Foster's XP pistol, and also to evaluate Wally's new V-3 action, and a Muller 8 groove barrel.


Some years ago Wally wrote the most excellent story, "A rifle's tale", which he described in his own words my building of his new RFBR rifle, Gingersnap.


Wally's story is in my book....



As I understand it, Wally will be writing, and posting here on CYA in his own words, my evaluation today of his new DiOrio V-3 action.



I prompted Wally in no way today, as I thoroughly evaluated his new V-3.


If he writes this story, it will be what he saw today, in his own words, just like he did when he wrote"A rifle's tale".




CYA friends, I'm going to be most interested in how he interprets what he saw today in my shop as I evaluated his new DiOrio V-3 action...


Your friend, Bill Calfee
 
Bill,

I will write what I saw in my own words. As you know I'm not a gunsmith or machinist so I may get some things a little skewed. I will be a few days as I have to spend the next couple of days in Louisville, but I'll get to it.

WS
 
Friend wsmallwood

wsmallwood said:
Bill,

I will write what I saw in my own words. As you know I'm not a gunsmith or machinist so I may get some things a little skewed. I will be a few days as I have to spend the next couple of days in Louisville, but I'll get to it.

WS
Click to expand...


__________________


Friend Wally:


I see you guys got home OK.....


I know everyone will be interested in your description of what you saw as I evaluated your new V-3.




Wally, not only will they be interested in your description of the process, they'll also be interested in the "story" as well.


Your chapter in my book, "The Rifle's Tale", is one of the book's two best written chapters, the other is the chapter written by Bruce Buckner.


Both you and Bruce are outstanding writers.


_______________________________



Here's a critique of "The Rifle's Tale" from 2008 by Mike Ross.


It would be an understatement to say that Mr. Ross was not a fan of mine.


He did not like my rimfire barrel indexing, for accuracy, criticism.


Mr Ross is no longer with us.


Here's Mr Ross's critique of "A Rifle's Tale"




Smallbore Barrel Indexing - Bill Calfee And "Beau" (748 views)

From: MikeRoss22RF DelphiPlus Member Icon Posted by host 12/3/08 11:33 AM
To: All


All:

Well, as Garrison Keeler would say in his melliflous manner. "It's been a quiet week here in Lake Woebegon". But that just got interrupted by one of the most interesting articles ever written about smallbore rifles and the accuracy derived therefrom. Truely, this article will be read and re-read, picked apart, evaluated, surmised about, and just about everything else your might do to any article. What will NOT be given to it, is any sort of criticism, certainly not by me in any case, only applause for am excellent piece of writting about the 'humanness" of accurate smallbore rifle fabrication and assembly.

Right up front, Beau plainly admits that where he is no gunsmith or machinist, in this instance he really didn't need to be, and the article will still demand the attention of almost everyone chancing to read it. In the end, it is a portrait of a remarkably meticulous man, who simply loves what he does, perhaps to the exclusion of nearly everything else.
What struck me right away, was some very close comparisons that I could easily make between Mr. Calfee and myself. We are two travelers, headed in the same general direction, and we have both made the choice to divest ourselves of much of the "normal accoutrements" that burden most others. We live alone. We enjoy the peacefulness of country living. We are about the same age (I'm a little older). We both like listening to something while we work (Bill likes classical, I like "New Age" on "XM" radio).

I am also impressed with the way that Beau captured the essense of Mr. Calfee's introspective nature. He did that by offhandedly mentioning evidence of "right-brain dominance". This implies left-handedness, but I might be wrong about that. In any case, it does much to explain to me the rather eccentric manner in which Mr. Calfee both speaks and writes. Such people I have known like him in that regard, have always seemed to me to be quite comfortable living inside their own skins. And who would not find that enviable.

All in all, it may well be that Bill Calfee, within the universe of competitive shooting, is a true "singularity". He may also be the most misunderstood gunsmith that has ever lived. But only because he thought it might be great fun if he made the attempt to "express" himself, not understanding that he would make a complete mess of it.
I think perhaps now, he understands that allowing others to speak for him is the better option. Nor do I doubt that there will ever be any shortage of volunteers to do that. In fact, I would willingly put myself at top of any such list. Just to backfill on any of Beau's technical shortcomings.

Nevertheless, when Hap mentioned sorely needed "historical documentation" relating to smallbore, without realizing it, he was taking about Mr. Calfee's quarter century of "trial and error" discoveries. The loss of that would be indeed a shame.

Wouldn't it be a hoot if a book were to be jointly written by Bill Calfee and Mike Ross. He knows how to make rifles, and I know how to string words together explaining how it's done. At least I fancy that I do.

I mean, what the hell, I like liverworst. There won't be a problem with THAT part of the enterprise.

Best, Mike Ross


_______________________________


Wally, we all look forward to your story of "The Action's Tale".


Your friend, BC
 
From memory

From memory


CYA friends:


Wally is a very good writer....


Back when he sat in my shop as I constructed "Gingersnap" he took notes for his planned article, "The Rifle's Tale".


This time he took no notes for his proposed article about seeing his new V-3 evaluated.


So, I'm most interested in what he's going to say.



Your friend, BC


__________________


PS:


I've gotten to evaluate two of the new V-3's now, mine and Wally's.


After Wally posts his story, I've got some comments I'm going to make.

______________________________


One other thing:


I have a feeling if Mr. Ross and I had known each other personally, we probably would have been fast friends.


But this Internet stuff has a way of clouding things.


I've quoted one of the paragraphs from Mr. Ross's review of Wally's "The Rifle's Tale" story.


And I highlighted the last sentence.


CYA friends, Mr. Ross nailed me perfectly with the last sentence.


I don't know about the "remarkably meticulous" wording, but the rest of the sentence, either good or bad, or right or wrong, is me.


I do love trying to advance rimfire accuracy more than about anything else.



"Right up front, Beau plainly admits that where he is no gunsmith or machinist, in this instance he really didn't need to be, and the article will still demand the attention of almost everyone chancing to read it. In the end, it is a portrait of a remarkably meticulous man, who simply loves what he does, perhaps to the exclusion of nearly everything else."
 
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Bill,

Just to let you know I haven't forgotten I have the first draft. I'll refine it a little and then post. It was longer than I expected. Hopefully my memory serves correctly. If not you can correct me. Given my schedule it will probably be next week sometime.
 
Friend wsmallwood

wsmallwood said:
Bill,

Just to let you know I haven't forgotten I have the first draft. I'll refine it a little and then post. It was longer than I expected. Hopefully my memory serves correctly. If not you can correct me. Given my schedule it will probably be next week sometime.
Click to expand...


________________________


Friend Wally:


Take your time.....


Folks are wanting to read your report, especially me.


When I built the Snap you took notes.....


You didn't take any notes this time..


Your friend, BC


______________________


PS:


Wally, you said you had a difficult time removing the pins from the trigger hanger of your V-3, so did I.


I contacted Anthony DiOrio and discovered the pins can only go in the hanger from one side.


AD said he did this to keep the pins locked in place.


I'm sure Anthony is probably going to provide instructions with his V-3's concerning this, from now on.



Here's a Youtube link showing how the pins go in correctly....

https://youtu.be/-T7WTnWSUvM
 
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CYA friends

CYA friends


When you look at this video of the V-3 trigger hanger, note the slots for the attachment screws.


If you're thinking, " Calfee, so what?"


Here's the "so what":


Either by blind luck, or, clever design, this new V-3 action with its ignition component "freeness", and, the ability to have .220" of firing pin travel because of the adjustable trigger hanger;


Allows one to achieve MD-PAS uniformity of ignition, by using only 8 pounds of firing pin spring pre-load.


This is unheard of.............this is actually mind blowing....


Which is why I can't wait for a RFBR pistol using this technology.


Your friend, Bill Calfee





Note the slots in the hanger...

https://youtu.be/-T7WTnWSUvM
 
Talked to Wally today

Talked to Wally today


CYA friends:


I talked with Wally today....


He says he'll have his story about my evaluation of his new V-3 action sometime this week.


______________________________


By the way, there's a glitch with the forum that Wally's fixing to address...


I've posted some new threads that show up as 503 failure...


Wally said he'll have it fixed....


Your friend, Bill Calfee
 
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