Sportco Omark M44 Refurbishment

[GreyDog]

I'm posting this here on the off-chance there may be something of interest, in my 'voyage of discovery', to potential (or new, or existing) Sportco-Omark M44 owners.
I recently picked up a s/h Sportco M44 for a few hundred dollars (pretty cheap really). It was advertised as being in good condition, having a 'blackened' stock, having a Black Mountain Barrel and fitted with weaver scope mounts (no front or rear peep sights). That was OK by me, as I think I'm a bit past being competitive with open/ring sights.
As much as anything, I was just wanting to get my hands on an Omark M44 as I had shot one competitively for a decade in my 20-30's. (OldDog now) So just a bit of memorabilia!
I briefly inspected it in store and took the plunge and purchased it. What did I find upon closer inspection when getting it home? The Black Mountain barrel looks good to me (I see nothing wrong or no obvious wear = good); the reason for painting the stock black may have something to do with the numerous holes in the stock that had been repaired (not unexpected with a 55 year old gun); the front action screw was holding by only a couple threads and was stripping the action thread = bad!
I'll post an update a.s.a.p. + a few pics.

[GreyDog]

Rather than look for a gunsmith to tackle the front action screw thread mess, which appeared to be due to a cut down screw not finished well and forced into the thread(?); I went on the hunt locally and purchased a suitable new 1/4 UNF bolt and a tap to retap/follow the action screw thread (as the remainder of the thread appeared OK). It appears to have worked with the new bolt now able to be screwed in the full length of the action screw hole.
I originally had intended to return the stock to a timber finish, but put that idea in the too hard basket. Instead, I sanded out the runs and most inperfections in the black paint job, filled and sanded a few holes and dings and refinished the stock in spray can black satin acrylic auto paint. It came up well!
The original butt plate/rubber was a bit tatty and one of the screw holes was drilled very crooked. I opted to make up a new metal butt plate from some 3mm steel, to which I would attach a rubber/silicone recoil pad + fixed the crooked hole issue. The new plate did add a little weight to the stock, which i.m.o. is OK with a .308 cal target rifle.
The barrel was floated with what appears to have been a good bedding job forward and rear of the front action screw and at the tang where the rear action screw is located. However, all the bedding had one fine crack running through the bottom/centre of it parallel with the stock/barrel. I'll see how the rifle shoots first, before I make a decision about whether to rebed the action.
BTW the rifle is a very early version, with no mention of Omark on the action engraving; just Sportco M44 7.62 cal etc. It has had the pin upgrade for the bolt head.

refinished stock, new butt plate and recoil pad

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[straightshooter]

Having been down that path myself my advice is be cautious and make the best out of what you have before spending too much money on the next step of the upgrade. Remember it will always be "only an Omark".
The longitudinal crack in the bedding is of concern as it may be due to a crack in the stock.
If you redo the bedding then bed the full length of the barrel reinforce ahead of the recoil lug and at least a similar amount to the receiver behind the recoil lug. Don't do the bedding around the tang until after the the forward bedding has fully hardened.
If the rifle shoots then there you go.
Be wary of barrel adaptors. Some are made from old barrels and may be sus for a variety of reasons. Some factory made adaptors have failed due to a combination of heat treatment and there being a very thin cross sectional area in the adaptor.
If you eventually do go ahead with a new barrel and adaptor seriously consider going to a 223 as it has 40% less back thrust than a 308 and is thus easier on the weaker parts of the adaptor.
If you get that far then some more problems will lying in wait for you. Such as poor primary extraction, fatigued mainspring causing misfires, insufficient firing pin protrusion due to fatigue in the pin causing misfires or other problems.
If you are not put off by my comments then good luck with your project.

[GreyDog]

Having been down that path myself my advice is be cautious and make the best out of what you have before spending too much money on the next step of the upgrade. Remember it will always be "only an Omark".
The longitudinal crack in the bedding is of concern as it may be due to a crack in the stock................If you are not put off by my comments then good luck with your project.

Thanks. I've no intention of rebarreling the rifle or spending big dollars on it. I just want to tidy it up and see how it shoots; reliving old days of owning and shooting an Omark 308. If I ever get back into centre-fire rifle shooting in a serious way, I'd most likely purchase a new 223.
I can't see any evidence of cracking of the stock. What happened in the past to crack the bedding is a mystery. I'll just have to wait untill I can put a few shots through it, to see whether it is an issue requiring a remedy.

[GreyDog]

A few pics of the old Sportco M44 after a bit of a tidy up. Next step is take it to a range and see how well it shoots.

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[Wyliecoyote]

This is an Omark varmint rifle i did about 20 years ago on a Rem 700 PSS stock and floorplate then more recently added the Legacy magazine and floorplate.
The adapter that i made was done so to maximise primary extraction, something that is easy to screw up with commercially available adapters and has given Omarks an unjustified reputation for poor extraction. It is threaded to accept standard 1"x16 TPI barrels but the benchrest versions i did were 1 1/16"× 16 TPI to accept Rem 700 or clone barrels. The old firing pin spring has been replaced with a manganese alloy one that is wound in reverse so as to stop the dredded bolt jump that is seen on almost every Omark when dry fired. That little detail helped illiminate flyers back in the day when many of these actions were often seen at benchrest matches. Bolt handle was chopped and extended in stainless steel. The action has been milled to take it from a single shot to magazine feed.
I never underestimate the capability of a well built Omark action where i personally used one to qualify for the world benchrest championships some years ago. Their only fault is age and smiths that know how to fix them.

[Wyliecoyote]

This is one of two Omark benchrest rifles i shot for years in either 6PPC or 6BR for long range matches since i built it in 96. Been a few barrels since then and will shortly be a 30 BR for some up coming HunterClass matches. Trigger is original but converted to 3 lever for around a 1 ounce release. The bolt throw is shorter to accommodate the shorter cartridges and this one is standard right eject. A later one i machined a bolt head and adapter to have cases drop through like a drop port Stiller Viper. That didn't really speed up the rifle for benchrest use but it did have spent cases fall neatly below the rifle. I never did a dual port but there is a smith up in Cairns doing them, one of which i saw at a 1000 yd benchrest match and it was very impressive for speed while running a string. Maybe one day when I'm bored.

[fussy]

Give me a yell if you need a proper Neilsen adaptor.
I had a couple of projects lined up when I was single.

[GreyDog]

This is one of two Omark benchrest rifles i shot for years in either 6PPC or 6BR for long range matches since i built it in 96............ .

Hi Wyliecoyote, thanks for the pics and stories on your quite impressive Sportco Omarks. Loved it! Unfortunately, I was out of the game for a few decades (just too many interests and life and work getting in the way). But I did love a decade of competition shooting a very accurate Omark M44 (custom left hand thumbhole stock in Qld Walnut (was beautiful), tricked trigger) for a decade in my early years. I'm enjoying reliving the old days now. BTW I should mention with the old Sportco M44 I now have, someone/a previous owner has done some good work on the trigger. Beautiful, to my senses it's very light, crisp break and no creep. Better than the custom trigger on my Omark from the 1980's is my observation. In due course I'll investigate further.

[GreyDog]

Just an update. Well, the old Sportco 7.62 shoots OK thus far. But not without small dramas. I took the rifle to a range a couple months back and started at 50 metres to sight it in on paper after bore sighting it on a lemon sitting on my back fence at home. It was around the mark straight away and on target with some adjustment. The bad news was I had no left windage adjustment remaining on the scope. Knowing something must be wrong I took it home, pulled the scope off and eyeballed the weaver mounts. Sure enough they were crooked, not aligning straight with the barrel. Surely this wasn't the work of a gunsmith, but a home job by someone with inadequate skills(?) After earlier finding a botch job on the front lug screw, I wasn't surprised. One of the screw holes in the action (for the rear weaver mount) was particularly crooked, and the answer could have been fill that hole and redrill and tap it. But I took an easier option by drilling out the mount holes in the alloy weaver mounts and carefully filing the bases of the mounts to get an adequate fit of the mounts to the action. As well as the mount screws I also glued the mounts to the action with JB Weld. They won't come lose now and they are now straight. (sorry no pics of work in progress but a couple pics of the final job/rifle follow) I took it out to a range a week ago and sighted it in at 100 metres. The good news is the scope 'cross hairs' are centred and I have equal windage adjustment both left and right. Next range day I'll see how it groups at 200 metres.

scope and repaired mounts

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Sportco 7.62 with WestHunter 4-16FFP scope

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[wrenchman]

last time I seen a Sportco rife it was the 80s I like it thanks for sharing one of the things I do remember from the 80s was the cheep hard wood stocks I have a 870 shot gun I got in the 80s I painted it flat black because it would swell when it got wet it did seem to be a common thing.

[Maxjon]

If I was to get another Omark 44 I would look for an undrilled full wood one. A good one will outshoot RPAs, Barnards etc...I know because I've done it. Not for a long time though.

[fussy]

I picked up a couple of ex-club Omark 44s. On principle, didn't want them to go to the crusher.
Does anyone want them as a base for a varmint or club rifle?

[Clayton]

This is one of two Omark benchrest rifles i shot for years in either 6PPC or 6BR for long range matches since i built it in 96. Been a few barrels since then and will shortly be a 30 BR for some up coming HunterClass matches. Trigger is original but converted to 3 lever for around a 1 ounce release. The bolt throw is shorter to accommodate the shorter cartridges and this one is standard right eject. A later one i machined a bolt head and adapter to have cases drop through like a drop port Stiller Viper. That didn't really speed up the rifle for benchrest use but it did have spent cases fall neatly below the rifle. I never did a dual port but there is a smith up in Cairns doing them, one of which i saw at a 1000 yd benchrest match and it was very impressive for speed while running a string. Maybe one day when I'm bored.

Hi Wyliecoyote

I grabbed an Omark from a mates Nephew earlier this year, to save it from getting destroyed in the buy-back (WA new regs) and to use in FTR competions.
I've seen on some of the posts here that you have done some serious work on these rifles.
If you ever feel like having a play with another one just let me know.

Thanks
Clayton