Another project Trying a restoration

[Wrknrvr]

  Ok now I forgot how to type in the same post. Anyway I finally got to do some machine work.

  Ok I did lie about getting a barrel from Saint Louis some time back. But it took about as much time as it would to get the first shipment from there up stream after the spring thaw. On a side note?  I have had all these parts and thoughts for 40 plus years.

 After installation of the insert i need to see if the firing pin will work. If not then remove the old firing pin and make adjustments. So I do have 20 or so spent cases with the old primer still in the case. I have new primers with lots to spare. I even have some that may be 100 years or older. Will just use them for test firing the cases for fitting.

  The snow is slowly melting, so soon I will see if I can drive out to shoot somewhere.

  Maybe even a regular shooting range.

 

  Stay safe and protect others,   Vern in a T-shirt 

[Wrknrvr]

  We yesterday I found that both original shotgun barrels a bowed in the middle. The barrels are tapered to the end. So to get the barrels to line up and solder together they pulled the barrels together in the middle. So the barrel liner fits inside the barrel, but the breech end will not lineup to leave the shell section slide in where the 12 gauge shell fit.

  So sorta a lot of hand fitting to be done. But I did not get the bad word jar out yet. Hopefully I can get the liner to fit tomorrow. And maybe permanently installed. But I may need to go to work if the weather clears up.

 

  Vern in a T-shirt 

[Darryl&Rita]

Any chance of heating the solder (?) in the centre of the barrels, and allowing them to return to a straight condition? Do some woodworking to make room.

[Wrknrvr]

   So the idea of desoldering the center of the barrels to straighten one out.  Good idea sorta. Where they made bent? That is originally or where pulled together while being manufactured.

  Now I have studied Holland and Holland video about making a double barrel.  That could be out of my capacity. So separating barrels would need to be well thought of first.

  So back to my hand fitting of the barrel insert.     I found a very frustrating thing today. It could be a really dum, stupid thing I did.  I cut the target barrel to fit as a liner.  So with the barrel insert  not quite fitting into a curve barrel I decided to file and sand the liner to fit. So I put black magic marker on the barrel show where it needed to be filed. I got tired of the magic marking getting on my hands even with gloves on. Last night the DW said my face was dirty. Magic marker rubbed off and was deposited on my face. So I sanded the marker of the barrel this am. While I am fitting the barrel with filing and sand paper I noticed the darn barrel looks like the original wrist steel barrel. With my poor machine work some groves have magic marker still in them. 

 

  What the blank. If I had any idea I could sorta make the new barrel look old I would have at least tried.

 

  This sorta irks me that I did a dummmmm. Thingggggg.

[Wrknrvr]

I forgot how post a picture ]https://i.imgur.com/sANcnaxl.jpg  

Yep I did it.

 

live and learn,    Vern in a T-shirt 

Edited March 26, 2021 by Wrknrvr

[Darryl&Rita]

[Darryl&Rita]

I'm not sure how antique shotguns were made, as far as joining the metal parts. I've only worked with the wood and firing systems. It would seem that the barrels should be a straight tube, due to extra wear to the insides. Unsure.

[Wrknrvr]

   Now I don’t drink much anymore, and I was not drinking today. But at the last thing I figured out is the bore for the shotgun shell is offset to the outside of the barrel bore.

  I will check that in the am again after coffee. So the resident machinist is out of town for two weeks. There is a milling machine but I do not know how to operate it. So I am going to try and power sand the side of the bore tomorrow to allow the liner to fit as needed. I could tap the liner in place, but that could affect accuracy.   Sometimes one gets into stuff that ya just wonder what was I thinking.

 

   Have good day,    Vern 

[RV_]

I just found this and will follow. Good job thus far. I like the pics to follow.

[Wrknrvr]

  Well today I was at restoration school. At least I think I was. So the subject of crooked barrels gave me a good lesson on double barrel shotguns. First thing today I put a straight edge on the outside of the shotgun barrel. About 10” from the breech the barrel is so bent that a nickel fit under the straight edge.

   So this afternoon I went to a gun show. Four 12 gauge shotguns had curved barrels. Today I have two 12 gauge shotguns with me. Both have curved barrels. I have owned a few other doubles through the years. Never ever thought of them having bent barrels.

   So I have glued 100 grit sand paper to a 1/2” od pipe. Then bent the pipe a small amount to help put pressure on the inside of the barrel. I can tell it surely takes a lot of strokes to remove a few thousands on metal from the bore. It has been two mornings of stoking that pipe to get close. Hopefully tomorrow afternoon it mite work.

   I am thinking this maybe laughed at a few months from now. I sure hope so.

  And there is sanding dust coming out both ends of the barrel. I could force it in ,but that may cause accuracy questions later.

[Wrknrvr]

 Just curious if you can figure out what tool this is. I get tired of polishing the barrel bore every morning, so I made something that was probably made by buffalo hunters.

[Wrknrvr]

  Well after mannnyy hours of sanding, filing, turning and no bad words it’s a test fit.

  I am still thinking about the final install. Maybe Monday am. It’s once and done as the adhesive will not let go.

 

 Then test a cartridge to see if the firing pin works. That will be with a spent primer, then if it looks good try just with a new primer.

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Wrknrvr

[Wrknrvr]

 The wooden tool I made is to reload black powder cartridges without a press. I have read where buffalo hunters reloaded there cartridges without a press. So I thought I would try it. First I needed to make a punch to remove the primer. Then it needed a centering guide. That was made out of lead, with a hole drilled in the middle to get the punch to find the primer easy. The wood base had a hole drilled to 1/2” diameter. Then I had to cut that round piece of steel off a bar for something else I was working on, so I drilled a hole to fit a cartridge in. I I have also read that if your are going to use paper patch bullets, do not size the casings if the cartridge was fired before. It is called a fire formed case. The paper patch bullet will fit in the case. Now I am just starting to work on this idea so I am leaving.

[Wrknrvr]

   So I installed a primer in a case. Then installed it in the chamber.

 

  And the firing pin activated the primer. Now I do need to test the primer in a loaded cartridge. That may be several days yet as it snowed in the hills again in western Montana. But it maybe gone til Saturday.

 

  Well my picture posting failed agin.

[Wrknrvr]

Edited April 6, 2021 by Wrknrvr

[Wrknrvr]

  It does work as I was hoping it would. Just picture posting has its own problems..

 

  stay safe,   Vern in a T-shirt 

Edited April 6, 2021 by Wrknrvr

[Wrknrvr]

  Well I finally got to my old shooting grounds to try this gun out. I did adapt the shell extractor to fit the new case. 

  So what sights should I use. Well I glued a 1/4” wood screw into a 1/2” copper coupling for a start. Then installed a sight tube to the rear of the coupling. Looking through the bore I got a good idea where to move the rear of the tube.   So I used painters tape to mount the sight assembly.

 

  I gotta start somewhere. So I had a box about 60 feet away. Put a x with blue painters tape. It the gun does shoot and hit just on both sides of the ex by 3”. Now when the sight tube is touched it moves. But just a test to get an idea. The front of the tube is centered over the old bed sight. The rear was nearer the left hammer.

[Wrknrvr]

  I did shoot 5 rounds through the gun. So I will work on what sights to make in the next bad weather days.

  Sure felt good to get out again to shoot. But the gravel road to get there took 3 times as long to get there because of ruts and pots holes. Sometime this spring they will grade the road again.

 

   Vern 

[Wrknrvr]

   So now I am in a predicament. I was invited to a 1000 yard shoot on Friday. It’s just a practice session. Saturday and Sunday are real competition.

  So do I go and just be a spectator. Or do I get out my 45/70.        Or maybe my muzzleloader.

 

  Heck should I even say what happened. Or that I could not even hit the target at 100 yards.

 

  I could just go fishing in the  River and wish I could catch a trout. While hearing the rifles firing.

 

  Vern in a T-shirt 

[Darryl&Rita]

Pack every piece of iron you can into the Jeep. Get some (Cordite filled) fresh air, make some new acquaintances, eat a hot dog. Maybe even get some advice on the projects. I guarantee you'll have an audience when they lay eyes on either weapon.

[Wrknrvr]

   So this is the final assembly. Fully adjustable for windage and elevation. How far it will shoot is TBD.

  Just cast some bullets for paper patching. Never ever shot a paper patched bullet before.

  It is possible to use the same bullet in muzzleloader also.

 

  Like I said before I may report on said subject. Unless things get embarrassing enough to go hide.

 

 

   Vern in a T-shirt 

[Kirk W]

Neat!

 

[Darryl&Rita]

That's just dead sexy, although I don't think that's a period correct apple box. 😆😂

[Wrknrvr]

Opps.  That is a dead giveaway.

 

  So I made a interesting front sight assembly for the scope tube. It is made out of brass. Put it in a solution to make it look old.

 

 Blank, blanktyyy blank it      It’s not in the jar that had the solution in. I removed other parts out of the jar and the front sight is not in there.

 

  I need to be out working tomorrow so I will think where it might have gotten to.

  I did find the first sight I made out of a copper coupling, as it was out running around for a few days.

  In the picture you can see it on the scope tube.  But it is hiding for the time being.

   Vern in a T-shirt 

[Wrknrvr]

  I really think Darryl flew a drone over my truck and blew it under the truck. Maybe a bird picked it up like a crow as they like shiny things.

 

  I guess I mite as well make a new one.  Although I will check Darryl’s tool box when I see him next winter at Ben Avery shooting grounds.

 

   I really like Darryl, but he does like playing tricks on me.

 

   Vern in a T-shirt 

Edited May 13, 2021 by Wrknrvr