There are so many times when personal tastes are directly interjected into what makes up the “ultimate” rendition of a given item. In the car world, one might find the clean, classic lines of the vintage ’57 Chevy Bel Air to rule the roost, while another will become immediately enamored with the inimitable purr of a Ferrari. A guitarist might find solace in the brilliant simplicity of the Fender Telecaster, while his contemporary might consider anything less than the carved, flame-maple top of the Gibson Les Paul to be unworthy of playing. And when it comes to rifles, well, we hunters can be all over the map.
Synthetic stocks and weatherproof finishes are assuredly practical, and there is no debating the fact that a Winchester Model 70 and Remington Model 700 have two immediately recognizable profiles. But there are times when a rifle just grabs your eye, and once you pick up, you'll never forget it. Todd Ramirez’s Custom Shop LLC can make you just such a rifle, and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take one of Todd’s masterpieces on safari, in pursuit of a leopard.
I was strolling through the Dallas Safari Club show, when I heard my name called, and a gentleman was waving me over to his booth. Todd Ramirez introduced himself and shockingly, told me he wanted me to hunt with one his rifles. Um, yes sir, I can suffer through that. Todd had a 9.3x62mm Mauser he was working on, and took some of my measurements to stock it to fit me. I was giddy with anticipation, getting periodic updates from Todd as the rifle progressed. I sent him a Leupold VX-5HD 2-10x42 scope to mount in the Smithson detachable mounts, and after a painstaking wait, the rifle finally arrived. Based on a Mauser 98 action, Ramirez pulled out all the stops on this fine bolt gun, and I fell in love as soon as I opened the case.
Stocked in a piece of Turkish walnut that seemed to swim with figure, the finish had a wonderful golden hue, and that furniture was impeccably checkered. The barrel and receiver were blued perfectly, with a deep midnight blue shade that made the brand new rifle seem like it could’ve been made between the World Wars. Much of the metal work—including the grip cap, bolt shroud and safety lever—had a handsome color-case hardening; even the extractor band and magazine follower were blued. Every screw was timed perfectly, with a subtle engraving that accented the overall design without being gaudy.
The rifle wears a 24-inch barrel of medium contour, with a barrel band front sight—replete with a fine gold bead and a flip-up “night sight”—mated with a 140-degree rear sight, so popular among the traditional safari rifles. Those sights, mated with the Smithson detachable scope mounts, offered the best of both worlds: if you had an animal at longer ranges, say outside of 75 yards, the scope would handle the shooting duties without issue, if you were forced to follow a wounded animal into thick cover—where shots can be measured in feet instead of yards—the iron sights were readily available.
Ramirez measured me as a tailor would for a fine suit of clothes; as a result, the rifle had a 14⅜-inch length of pull, and an overall length of 45¼ inches. Tipping the scales at 8.8 pounds (scoped), the Ramirez rifle had enough weight to help absorb any recoil generated by the 9.3x62 Mauser, yet kept the majority of the rifles weight “between the hands,” so as to balance properly. And when it comes to any rifle which may be called upon to stop dangerous game—be to a bear, leopard, buffalo, or elephant—balance is an important feature, as it will need to come to shoulder immediately.
My test rifle had a fine trigger, breaking consistently at 3 pounds, with just the slightest bit of creep, yet virtually no overtravel. I do not like a hair trigger on a dangerous-game rifle, as my experience has shown that with all senses alerted and nerves on edge, a light trigger isn’t exactly desirable in the high-stress situations. Any sting generated by the 9.3x62mm cartridge—and in comparison to the .375 H&H and so many other classic safari cartridges, is minimal—is mitigated by the ¾-inch leather-wrapped recoil pad.
The controlled-round-feed Mauser action was as slick as goose excrement in the second quarter of the year; and no matter the situation—hunting, load development or anything in between—I had no issues with either feeding or extraction. The stock design placed both the bolt handle and three-position Winchester 70-style wing safety in perfect position to be operated both off and on the shooter’s shoulder.
All of these fine features don’t mean a thing if the rifle doesn’t shoot well, especially with some as costly as a fine bespoke rifle. Well, you can breathe the sigh of relief, as the Ramirez shoots just as well as it looks. Federal’s 286-grain Swift A-Frame load and Nosler’s 286-grain monometal solid both printed three-shot groups right at the MOA mark at 100 yards, and the Federal 286-grain Barnes TSX load cut that group in half. The Federal ammo averaged 2335 fps, with the Nosler stuff running a bit hotter at 2380 fps. For the leopard, I handloaded the 286-grain Hornady InterLock softpoint in Lapua cases, with a healthy dose of Alliant’s Reloder 15, sparked by a Federal Gold Medal Match GM210M large rifle primer. The ol’ Oehler 35P indicated 2310 fps, with three shots measuring just over ¾-MOA at 100 yards. That bullet worked just fine for the thin-skinned cat.
The Leupold VX-5HD scope atop the Ramirez rifle helped seal the deal on the last-light tom—who tipped the scales at 152 pounds—and just a couple months later, the same rig sorted out a decent New York 8-point whitetail buck on opening day. In both circumstances, the rifle operated like an extension of my arms, and let me assure you that in my long and storied hunting career, the shot at my tom leopard was the most nerve-wracking to date.
The Ramirez rifle comes with a price tag just north of $36,000, which is less than many bespoke rifles I've held (especially some of the high end British guns), but which is sadly out of my league. However, when it comes to gun-porn, this rifle was a star, and I was blessed to have had the opportunity to spend a season with the rifle in hand. Simply put, I put this rifle into that category of guns I call “perfect”; if I had custom-ordered this rifle, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. The checkering was stunning, the metalwork impeccable and most importantly, it performed flawlessly in the field.
If you were looking for the bespoke experience, culminating in a rifle which would undoubtedly become a family heirloom, you could do a lot worse than chatting up Todd Ramirez. He knows how to properly carve a stock, his metal work is attractive without being gaudy, and his attention to detail is what you want in a bespoke rifle. From his choice of action and figured wood, to the inclusion of Joe Smithson’s excellent detachable mounts, the end result is a stunning rifle that is so much more than a display piece.
