I've always been nuts for single shots.  There's just something about the expectation of making that perfect shot.  Varmint hunting is a time honored tradition.  As a young man, I worked on a paint horse ranch in the rolling hills of San Luis Obispo County in California.  We were infested with ground squirrels.  In the spring, my boss would buy my ammo and turn me loose for days at a time to thin them out. They left awful holes in the ground and there was a constant fear that a valuable horse would break a leg.

After four years in the Marines and two tours in Viet Nam, I had come to grow quite respectful for the caliber of 22.  In those days, My first effort was a .222 that I had rechambered to .223.  It was excellent. 

In later years, I progressed from the ground squirrels of California to the prairie dogs of Colorado.  I kept using .223's but had fallen in love with a Ruger #1 in the meantime.  It wasn't long before I "discovered" the ultimate .22 of all, the .220 Swift.  So, that meant another Ruger #1 !  Don't ya just love it ?  I spent a lot of time accurizing these rifles and developing the perfect loads for them.  I could regularly shoot five shot groups that stayed inside 5/8th of an inch.  I loved those guns.

Have you seen those pictures of 19th century sharpshooters using rolling block rifles and scopes that are almost as long as the rifle ?  Well, I love that look.  I equipped both of these rifles with old Redfield varmint scopes from "the old days".  The scopes are in pristine condition and are perfect.  They give those Rugers the look I wanted.  With these rifles Iam pretty dang dangerous on a prairie dog out to 500 yards plus.

Okay, so where am I going with all of this ?  Well, I was out at Reno for the Gunmakers Guild Convention.  There are a couple of people who are in the "stock blank" business and they bring the finest wood in the world to that convention for the Guild Members to pick through it and pick the wood for their future projects.  It is nothing to see blanks go for $1,000.00 plus, but you are looking at REALLY nice wood.

Anyway, I came across two sets of blanks that were matched.  They were the most beautiful filligree'd blanks I think I'd ever seen.  Well, they followed me home !

So, I wanted a stockmaker who could bring out the magic of the wood.  It didn't take long to decide on Sterling Davenport.  Remember that .375 H&H above ?  Yep !  That Sterling Davenport.