Back in the '60s my father sporterized an '03 Springfield, and did all the work himself, including re-bluing and hand carving the new stock from a piece of cherry, 4" x 7" x 48". He used no power tools at all. I can remember him spending hours rubbing the barreled action with graphite, fitting it in the stock, removing it, checking the fits/clearances, and working it again & again. It was a work of art when he finished, and it was the first firearm I ever shot. I was six, and hit an 18" gong at a measured 600yrds prone. It was in his will that I receive it after his death, but my "mother" gave it to my idjit brother, who will not sell it to me, and will probably end up pawning it for $5.
