12ga Sterlingworth Rebuild
Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 11:33 pm
I finally picked up my completed 12 ga Sterlingworth that started out as a rusted, dented-barreled, oil soaked and crack-stocked beater. I don't have any pictures of the gun before the start of the project, but I can tell you that after I had the dents raised, I put in over 25 hours of honing and polishing the pits and dents out of the #2 weight barrels. I polished them down to 400 grit. I found a nice stick of American black walnut at Watt's Walnut and had Steve Bertram fit it to me. I can't be more pleased. The gun fits, and as usual, for a gun that fits, it doesn't feel as heavy as the 7# 6oz would seem. The balance is right at the hinge pin (30" barrels and a dense stock). I now have an upgraded Sterlingworth. Some may think that the stock is overkill for a Sterly, but it would have cost just as much for Steve to make stock from a straight grained, plain piece of walnut. Besides, I have an addiction to fine wood that started with my 4 years of high school woodshop.
The serial number of 994,941 indicates a 1924 date of manufacture. It is choked M/IM, which I left alone.
This shows the bondo build-up on the old stock to get the proper dimensions, as well as the polished barrels.
You can see the oil-saturated stock head and forend here.
Heading up the new stock.
The duplicated stock.
Definitely a Sterlingworth.
I left the patina of the old Sterly intact.
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The serial number of 994,941 indicates a 1924 date of manufacture. It is choked M/IM, which I left alone.
This shows the bondo build-up on the old stock to get the proper dimensions, as well as the polished barrels.You can see the oil-saturated stock head and forend here.Heading up the new stock.The duplicated stock.Definitely a Sterlingworth.I left the patina of the old Sterly intact.[/img]