HUN Chapter 90: Winchester M70 Rifle Customization

Two days later, Lin Yu'an received a call from Earl.

"Lin, tomorrow at ten in the morning, 'Old Gun Barrel' bar on the west side of town, I'll wait for you. Taking you to meet an old friend."

"He's willing to personally craft a true Winchester M70 for you."

Lin Yu'an knew that Earl's old friend, Hopes, was a living legend in the firearms manufacturing circles of Texas and even all of America.

This nearly eighty-year-old man had once been one of Winchester Company's top firearms technicians, participating in the improvement and customization work of multiple classic M70 models.

After retirement, he opened a small private gun workshop in a small town on the outskirts of Austin, providing private customization services only for those destined souls who truly understood and cherished firearms.

Lin Yu'an's heart was filled with anticipation. This was a rare opportunity to closely experience gunsmithing craftsmanship and culture.

A Winchester M70 personally customized by Hopes had value and significance far beyond what those assembly line products in stores could compare to.

The next morning, Lin Yu'an arrived punctually at "Old Gun Barrel" bar, where Earl was already waiting, still in his faded jeans, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"Let's go, Lin."

Earl was brief and to the point, leading Lin Yu'an to an inconspicuous, even somewhat dilapidated red brick warehouse.

The warehouse's iron door was tightly closed, with a rust-stained sign hanging on it, painted in faded letters reading "Hopes Precision Machining."

Earl stepped forward and knocked on the iron door.

When they entered the workshop, a mixture of gun oil, metal cutting fluid, and wood shavings hit them in the face.

Several precision lathes lay quietly in the center, and the walls were covered with various firearm blueprints and specialized tools.

An elderly man with graying hair, wearing reading glasses and oil-stained overalls, who was carefully grinding a trigger component, looked up at the sound.

"You're here, Earl."

Hopes merely nodded slightly at seeing Earl, then turned his gaze to Lin Yu'an.

"Is this the person you mentioned?"

"Yeah."

Earl responded, then said to Lin Yu'an, "Hopes, retired chief gunsmith from Winchester. Tell him your requirements."

Having said that, Earl walked to one side on his own, lit a cigarette, and leaned against a huge tool cabinet, puffing away.

Facing this legendary gunsmith, Lin Yu'an said respectfully but confidently, "Mr. Hopes, I need a Winchester M70, bolt-action, .300 WSM caliber."

"Mainly for use in Alaska, needs to handle all possible weather conditions and game, requiring absolute reliability and precision."

Hopes put down his work and carefully wiped his hands with a cloth.

"High requirements. Let me say upfront, I only make classic things here. Those fancy polymers and adjustable cheek rests don't interest me."

"I make guns that can last a lifetime and be passed down to grandchildren."

"Hopes, that's exactly what I want."

"Come with me then."

Hopes seemed reasonably satisfied with Lin Yu'an's directness, leading him on a journey of customized material selection and design.

"The soul of a good gun begins with its action."

Hopes retrieved a Winchester M70 "pre-64" controlled feed action gleaming with metallic cold light from a wooden cabinet.

"This is an unfinished blank that hasn't undergone final bluing, a controlled feed action."

"The claw extractor can grip the cartridge base like an eagle's talon. It can ensure stable and reliable feeding of cartridges into the chamber in any extreme position, never jamming."

"I will 'true' this action using extremely fine grinding compound to ensure every lockup is seamless."

Hopes led Lin Yu'an to a huge precision lathe, pointing to several heavy metal rods wrapped in oiled paper.

"These are top-grade Krieger match-grade stainless steel barrel blanks, 416R steel. I'll precision-machine them to 24 inches according to your requirements."

He continued with detailed explanation, "The machining process first involves using a specialized gun drill with internal coolant channels to drill a straight bore through the solid steel rod at extremely slow speeds."

"Then comes reaming, using a more precise reamer to expand the bore to the exact .300 caliber dimensions, with tolerances controlled within one ten-thousandth of an inch."

"Most critical is rifling. I'll use the traditional 'single-point hook cutting method,' rotating and advancing inside the barrel, cutting away only a few micrometers of metal each pass."

"After cutting one groove, I adjust the angle and cut the next. Six perfect grooves must be formed, requiring several hours on the machine for this barrel."

"This process is very slow, but ensures each groove's depth, width, and spiral angle are perfectly consistent, incomparable to modern mass-production 'broaching methods.'"

Hopes led him to a pile of blanks emanating woody fragrance.

"Then comes the stock. My custom guns only allow wooden stocks. If you want engineering plastic, you can go to a gun store."

Lin Yu'an answered without hesitation, "I want black walnut."

"Good taste."

Hopes caressed a piece of black walnut blank with tiger-stripe grain and deep coloration.

"For this A++++ grade wood, I'll first have you assume various shooting positions, using professional tools to precisely measure your arm length, hand shape, neck length, and cheek-welding habits."

"The grip area will be carved with anti-slip diamond checkering, each diamond hand-lined and hand-carved, ensuring sharp edges and secure grip."

"The stock surface will undergo oil impregnation and polishing, using heated linseed or tung oil applied thinly, allowing it to rest in a temperature-controlled room for twenty-four hours for complete penetration."

"Until the stock surface displays a velvet-like, restrained deep luster emanating from within the wood grain, and becomes completely waterproof."

Hopes continued, "For the trigger, I'll install a top-grade competition trigger group, like Jewell or Timney."

"Trigger pull can be precisely adjusted to your most comfortable 2.5 pounds, with crisp, clean break and no excess travel."

Over the following days, Lin Yu'an became a regular at Hopes' workshop.

Earl also visited several times, just sitting silently aside and watching, occasionally exchanging glances with Hopes, seeming very satisfied with Lin Yu'an's performance.

Lin Yu'an was not merely a customer, but more like an eager student.

He watched how Hopes transformed cold metal and rough wood step by step into a soulful work of art.

Even with Hopes' permission, he personally participated in some simple work, such as oiling and polishing the stock.

His mechanical engineering knowledge allowed him to completely understand the principles behind these processes.

His unparalleled focus and hands-on ability also gradually earned genuine appreciation from this solitary old gunsmith.

Finally, on a sunny afternoon, Hopes solemnly removed a brand-new rifle from its custom case and handed it to Lin Yu'an.

It lay there quietly, like a sleeping work of art.

The deep gun bluing complemented the oiled walnut stock, every component fitting perfectly, filled with mechanical beauty and handcrafted warmth.

Lin Yu'an lifted it and shouldered it.

The stock perfectly fit his cheek, the countless oil-treated walnut feeling smooth as jade.

The grip size and angle were just right, and the entire rifle's center of gravity and balance achieved an exquisite equilibrium!

"Go try it, son."

Hopes pointed to the private shooting range behind the estate.

Lin Yu'an performed simple zeroing calibration, then loaded a .300 Win Mag cartridge, operated the bolt, smooth as silk!

He took a deep breath, aimed at the bullseye one hundred meters away, gently placing his finger on the trigger with only 2.5 pounds of pull.

"Bang!"

A deep, resonant blast! The powerful recoil was steadily absorbed by his body through the perfectly fitting stock.

He could clearly feel a clean, precise bullet hole had appeared dead center in the bullseye.

Lin Yu'an didn't pause, operating the bolt again. The hot brass case was steadily gripped and ejected by the claw extractor, and a new cartridge smoothly chambered.

"Bang!" Another shot.

The second bullet hole nestled right against the edge of the first.

"Bang!" The third shot.

Three bullet holes formed a tight triangle on the hundred-meter target.

Earl, who had been leaning in the distance, finally showed a barely perceptible smile on his perpetually tense face upon seeing these results.

He stubbed out his cigarette, knowing he hadn't misjudged this person.

"Not bad shooting, son," Earl approached with a flat voice.

"Shooting like this at a stationary target at one hundred meters shows the gun is good and you have talent. But game in the wild won't stand still."

"Come on, I'll take you somewhere you can really stretch your legs."

Earl brought Lin Yu'an to a private shooting training facility on the outskirts of Texas that simulated complex terrain.

Over the following week, he provided "three-lesson training" in practical shooting techniques used by military snipers.

He would make Lin Yu'an immediately drop and shoot after vigorous exercise.

"On the battlefield there's no time to calm your heartbeat. You must learn to use your heartbeat's rhythm! When the sight wavers with your heartbeat and sweeps across the target center, fire decisively!"

Under Earl's guidance, Lin Yu'an practiced repeatedly, gradually mastering how to work with his body's movement to complete precision shots when his heart pounded like a drum.

"In the wild, anything that can stabilize your rifle is your friend. Quickly finding and utilizing them is basic survival skill."

Lin Yu'an began using various irregular objects as support, shooting at targets at different distances from unstable kneeling and standing positions, quickly mastering the essentials.

Earl pointed to a flag swaying in the distant wind, "The last lesson I'll teach you is also the most important."

"In the wild, wind is your greatest enemy. You must learn to roughly judge wind speed and direction by observing leaf movement and ground dust drift."

He didn't teach Lin Yu'an complex formulas, but imparted practical experience rules.

He required Lin Yu'an to memorize his rifle's bullet drop at 200, 300, and 400 meters through extensive live-fire practice.

Lin Yu'an's enhanced physical qualities and spatial perception played a huge role at this moment!

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