The last piece of the Ross Sporter puzzle: 1907-E .280 Scotch Deer Stalker

[mawkie]

-A lover of all things Ross, I was missing just one elusive item in the collection. I was doing a routine auction search using the keyword "Ross" when I found a listing "Ross Rifle Co Sporter Model 280 Ross". Expected to find either a Sporterized MKII or MKIII or a M-10 .280 Sporter. Was shocked to see it was none of these but a very rare Scotch Deer Stalker. Adding a cherry to the top was a set of British proof marks, non-factory sights and buttplate. Bidding was tepid and it sold to me for a stupid cheap price.
-Picked her up from UPS to day and found that the cheap price was probably in part due to the previous owner seemingly never having cleaned the bore. It was a dark mess of lead and powder. Never saw a bore brush come out covered in so much muck. But convinced that after a session with Lead-Out it should look much better. Not that this would have stopped me anyway. Will give me something productive to do on a rainy Saturday.
-This example had the factory 500 yd sight, which was not so useful, replaced with a 3 position Express sight marked at 100, 300 and 500 yds. Much more practical. Plus the factory fixed front sight was replaced with a ramped version with a driftable dovetail sight. Again, much better. The buttplate is a type that I've never seen before on a Ross Sporter. That and the overall profile of the stock (thicker in places) makes me question if it's a factory stock. Ross did sell barrelled actions to gunsmiths who used them as the core of a custom build. One way or another it made its way into the UK where I'm guessing that the sights were installed.

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[mawkie]

-The 1905/1907 series of Ross Sporters in .280 Ross are the parents of the later M-10 .280 Sporter that most of us have seen. Think of it of a mix between the Ross MKII military rifle and the later M-10/MKIII. It's the earlier 1905 receiver with the new threaded bolt head that afforded 28 tons of proof. Strong enough to handle the new .280 Ross round which has performance akin to a 7mm Magnum. And this in 1905.
-Very early versions had the Harris Control Platform for magazine loading, used by the military MKII series. It was soon deleted for a traditional fixed magazine. The magazine cutoff of the MKII was never adopted in the 1905/1907, having no practical purpose on a sporting rifle. Sir Charles Ross rightly considered a cutoff a potential menace if hunting dangerous game where getting off a fast follow-up shot could mean the difference between life and death.
-Speaking of dangerous game, the .280 Ross round, while a groundbreaking accomplishment, suffered in one major respect. While capable of 3,000 fps performance the metallurgy of the time wasn't advanced enough to ensure bullet penetration and expansion. There is a tale of a Ross .280 Sporter used against dangerous game that ended with the shooter dying when the round failed to take down the critter who then took offence to being shot. This aside, it was a fantastic round for most game in North America like deer and elk.
-This Scotch Deer Stalker has a 2 inch shorter barrel versus the standard 1907-E and M-10 which featured a 28" length. Makes for a handy rifle. Had to pull out the trigger gauge as this example had a light pull. Measured a feather light 28 oz. Maybe too light in my eyes. But very smooth. I know that the M-10 and MKIII used a roller mechanism on the trigger, guessing this might also have a roller. Won't know for sure until it's disassembled.
-Production numbers of Scotch Deer Stalking rifles isn't known but there aren't many running about, esp. here in the US. Have to believe you'd have an easier time hunting one down in Canada.

 

[MilsurpDan]

Wow, that’s stunning. I think I might have to start collecting vintage sporting guns after seeing all the ones you’ve been finding lately.

Too

 

[mawkie]

Thanks Dan! You have to physically handle a Ross Sporting or Military Match rifle to appreciate the feel of the craftsmanship. Reminds me of a 60s vintage Python, you have to experience the trigger to know just why they're so sought after. In the case of the Ross, it's a shame that the trials and tribulations of the MKIII Military rifle cast a pall over their civilian offerings because they're wonderful at the range.

 

[mawkie]

The Outers Foul Out session worked as always, pulled a fair amount of lead out of the last 6 inches of the bore. Now much better! Beats hours of scrubbing and a trash can full of patches. A shame that Outers pulled the plug on the last version of this cleaning system. But then again, you can build one yourself on the cheap from scratch. Not rocket science.

 

[somd_mustangs]

Every secret lair needs a basket full of tennis balls LOL.
Seriously using electrolysis to de-foul a barrel sounds like a brilliant idea, and points out that no matter how much I think I know, there's still oh-so-much more to learn!

 

[mawkie]

-I'm complex, that's for sure. Have been an avid tennis player most of my life. That photo also shows my love of model building (more like collecting at this stage in my life, hope to have time for building when I retire).
-Ya can't see the box of skate parts, just behind the vise. My parents had a roller skating rink when I was a teen and I still dance skate weekly for fun and exercise.
-Was a devout road cyclist for about 20 yrs but lately I've shelved it as I felt my luck was running out with the advent of massive numbers of distracted morons using hand-held cell phones behind the wheel of a 2-3 ton kinetic weapon.
-I'm still motorcycling in spite of cell phones, only because I have a decent amount of offensive firepower at my fingertips. Like Oddball, I can get out of trouble faster than I got into it. Can't say that for the bicycle.
-Then there's the classic cars (something you know all too well!). My family should have owned stock in British Leyland in the 70s and 80s 'cause we owned a bunch of their crappy products: MGA, MGB(s), TR-7s, MG Midget. This, along with the MCs, taught me how to turn a wrench. Frustrating but in the end a crazy useful skill. All of this helps to keep me sane and mostly out of trouble. And able to spend more on guns because I get to keep more of my hard earned dollars fixing damned near everything myself. You don't realize just how valuable this is until you talk to others and hear what they have to pay someone else for the same labor.