Post by crosshair on Jul 4, 2010 19:26:32 GMT -7
After well over a year of waiting I finally have finished my project.
I present to you, the "Sandusky Silent Destroyer"
Why yes I am a big Sandusky fan, how could you tell?
"The Silent Destroyer" action engraving. Yes that is a Russian designed POSP scope on top.
Closeup of the tube art. It's so cute. I can't stop giggling like an idiot when I'm looking at it. ;D Thank you so much John.
OK, many of you are probably wondering what the heck this is, so let me give you some back story.
Back in early 2009 I was getting ready to have an integrally suppressed Ruger 77/44 built. There were several people who build them with different designs and I eventually settled on the design built by Tom Denall in Oregon. He calls his conversion "The Silent Destroyer". It is named as such because his first integral suppressors were built on Spanish Destroyer Carbines. When these became scarce he moved onto the Ruger 77/44 as the base gun, but kept the name.
Well, after being on Mr Denall's waiting list for six months I finally got to send it off for it's conversion, another two months passed before the Class III SOT I use got it in. I then sent off the ATF Form 4 and waited another two and a half months for the Form 4 to come back from the ATF.
So, the resulting gun I got is a Ruger 77/44 with a cut down 9" barrel chambered in 44 mag. It has a massive 20"x1.75" suppressor tube, 16 baffles in the inner tube, with the outer tube being mostly the blast chamber. With subsonic ammo the sound ofthe bullet impacting the target is louder than the shot.
The one concern I had was with the outer tube. The outer suppressor tube (The big black round thing) is the serial numbered component. If it is damaged beyond repair it's another $200 NFA tax and ATF form 4 to get it replaced. It's made of aluminum and actually quite durable, but I till wanted to give the tube some protection. I figured I would make a "tube sock" from some gray fleece, I then got the idea that I could hang some artwork off the large tube. This gun is NOT cheap, about $1,700 not including the scope, so I figured it was deserving of some artwork. It took a lot of saving to afford this.
I thought long and hard about what to put on. I soon realized that Sandusky would be perfect as using him on my "Silent Destroyer" would be a terrific bit of word play.
I started thinking about what I wanted Sandusky to be "doing" that would fit on the tube. The 2009 Christmas sketch that John did was perfect inspiration and I asked John if he would be willing to do some line art for me after I picked up the gun. I wasn't in any rush and John was very busy with the "Sandusky and the Holy Grail" storyline so I figured I could wait until that was finished.
Then of course poor Noki died. I waited a couple of months until John started on his current work that he is putting together for the art show before asking again. The drawing he soon sent me was absolutely perfect and exactly what I had in my mind. (My SPAM filter put it in the Trash. )
I then had to figure out how to "mount" it. For a time I seriously considered having the tube engraved with the line art on it, but then I couldn't have the tube sock on it. I then figured I would use the laminator at work, but that turned out to be far too rigid and I couldn't wrap it around the tube sock. I eventually figured to try contact paper and that worked perfectly. It was then easily attached to the tube with some scotch tape and some hair bands left over from my days as a long haired hippie. (Hey, it's simple, but works and looks good as well.)
I haven't yet had a chance to shoot it with the new tube sock and art attached, but here is a video from when I first picked it up in March. (I forgot to bring the magazine with so I had to single load the rounds.) The ammo I used then was quite "noisy" and the stuff I have loaded now is even quieter. Yes that is a beaver fur hat I'm wearing. It's nice and toasty warm. ;D
I present to you, the "Sandusky Silent Destroyer"
Why yes I am a big Sandusky fan, how could you tell?
"The Silent Destroyer" action engraving. Yes that is a Russian designed POSP scope on top.
Closeup of the tube art. It's so cute. I can't stop giggling like an idiot when I'm looking at it. ;D Thank you so much John.
OK, many of you are probably wondering what the heck this is, so let me give you some back story.
Back in early 2009 I was getting ready to have an integrally suppressed Ruger 77/44 built. There were several people who build them with different designs and I eventually settled on the design built by Tom Denall in Oregon. He calls his conversion "The Silent Destroyer". It is named as such because his first integral suppressors were built on Spanish Destroyer Carbines. When these became scarce he moved onto the Ruger 77/44 as the base gun, but kept the name.
Well, after being on Mr Denall's waiting list for six months I finally got to send it off for it's conversion, another two months passed before the Class III SOT I use got it in. I then sent off the ATF Form 4 and waited another two and a half months for the Form 4 to come back from the ATF.
So, the resulting gun I got is a Ruger 77/44 with a cut down 9" barrel chambered in 44 mag. It has a massive 20"x1.75" suppressor tube, 16 baffles in the inner tube, with the outer tube being mostly the blast chamber. With subsonic ammo the sound ofthe bullet impacting the target is louder than the shot.
The one concern I had was with the outer tube. The outer suppressor tube (The big black round thing) is the serial numbered component. If it is damaged beyond repair it's another $200 NFA tax and ATF form 4 to get it replaced. It's made of aluminum and actually quite durable, but I till wanted to give the tube some protection. I figured I would make a "tube sock" from some gray fleece, I then got the idea that I could hang some artwork off the large tube. This gun is NOT cheap, about $1,700 not including the scope, so I figured it was deserving of some artwork. It took a lot of saving to afford this.
I thought long and hard about what to put on. I soon realized that Sandusky would be perfect as using him on my "Silent Destroyer" would be a terrific bit of word play.
I started thinking about what I wanted Sandusky to be "doing" that would fit on the tube. The 2009 Christmas sketch that John did was perfect inspiration and I asked John if he would be willing to do some line art for me after I picked up the gun. I wasn't in any rush and John was very busy with the "Sandusky and the Holy Grail" storyline so I figured I could wait until that was finished.
Then of course poor Noki died. I waited a couple of months until John started on his current work that he is putting together for the art show before asking again. The drawing he soon sent me was absolutely perfect and exactly what I had in my mind. (My SPAM filter put it in the Trash. )
I then had to figure out how to "mount" it. For a time I seriously considered having the tube engraved with the line art on it, but then I couldn't have the tube sock on it. I then figured I would use the laminator at work, but that turned out to be far too rigid and I couldn't wrap it around the tube sock. I eventually figured to try contact paper and that worked perfectly. It was then easily attached to the tube with some scotch tape and some hair bands left over from my days as a long haired hippie. (Hey, it's simple, but works and looks good as well.)
I haven't yet had a chance to shoot it with the new tube sock and art attached, but here is a video from when I first picked it up in March. (I forgot to bring the magazine with so I had to single load the rounds.) The ammo I used then was quite "noisy" and the stuff I have loaded now is even quieter. Yes that is a beaver fur hat I'm wearing. It's nice and toasty warm. ;D