CurtInAtl

I don't know anyone that makes one specifically for the 30-30 but a broken case extractor for a 30-06 would probably work although you would probably have to push it out with a cleaning rod since it will be long and the extractor probably won't fit.

Back about 8 or 9 years ago I bought a $5 raffle ticket from one of the smaller milsurp boards and low & behold I became the proud owner of an absolutely gorgeous Aztec non counter-bored M38 in a laminated stock. That was pretty much the only thing of any real value that I have ever won. I sold it about 6 months ago for $300+ so it turned out to be an excellent return on $5

Great pics

Duracoat came out great. I like the left side safety.

Spiris, have you seen Les Brooks'.pdf on threading and chambering a barrel blank using a mini lathe? It isn't the ideal tool for the job but it shows that it can be done if that's what you have to work with.

I understand the process of finish reaming and head spacing a short chambered barrel but how do you do the same with a long chambered barrel. I understand the basic concept of turning down the face and shoulder of the barrel to get the proper chamber length but how do you check the head space as you are turning it? Do you put the barrel in the receiver and check it with a gauge periodically or do you use measurements from the bolt face to the ridge that the barrel tightens against or something else?

My Sierra and Lyman books both have smokeless loads specifically for the trapdoor rifles.

Just an update on my project. I am still waiting for my bolt to come back. Jim does great work at a very reasonable rate but it is a side job for him and it can take 2-3 month to get your bolt back. I have put the first coat of JB weld on the receiver and most of the pits along with the receiver crest are no longer visible. There are a couple of spots that will probably take another coat and I still need to mill out for the bolt handle when it returns. I am having additional surgery on my right shoulder the 24th so pretty much everything will be on hold for several months. I have also been informed by my orthopedic surgeon that I will be on a 40 pound lift limit for pretty much the rest of my life. I guess those 60 pound packs are out and I am going to have to stick to 4 wheeler backpacking from now on. I am still waiting for my Grandson to pick out a color for the duracoat. I probably should have narrowed it down to just a few colors. It is hard to really tell anything from those tiny swatches but knowing him the brighter the better.

Wow, the floor plate looks great along with the rest of the rifle

The concept of taking a block of aluminum or steel and turning it into something useful just fascinates the hell out of me. I can do it with wood and I guess if you get right down to it, in concept, milling aluminum is really not much different than shaping wood with a router. Of coarse, like they say, the devil is in the details.

Great, Thanks Don

The bolt I sent for handle forging for my 1916 project was a strait handled '93 bolt that I sent instead of the original for two reasons. First the handle appears to be a bit longer and second the '93 bolt is a better fit and will take less lapping to get an 80% surface fit on the lugs. Unfortunately I didn't think about the gas vent that was added to the 1916. I an pretty sure that the '93 bolt does not have the vent hole that lines up with the gas port in the left side of the receiver ring. It appears to be just an oval shaped hole in the bolt body. I an thinking that I can put the bolt into battery then use a center punch to mark the location, drill 2 holes, and mill between them. The question I have is that I am pretty sure that this area of the bolt is hardened being that close to the lugs so is this going to be a problem? I have never drilled into a bolt before.

My 1916 with Lange Vizier sight had a blind pin rather than a screw.

Has anyone got a pic of the laser checkering?

I have no experience with this particular batch of 03 receivers but there are a lot of reactivated drill rifle receivers out there. If the finish looks too good for a 70 year old rifle then I would take a really good look at them particularly in the magazine cut off area and the front of the ring. You also would want to check the bolt face to make sure that the firing pin hole was not welded up at some point.

It's still cheaper than golf

Those Mini Mausers look nice but if I buy one that will be $400 or so that I can't use for tools and equipment. I had a chance to buy a small ring threaded barrel in .223 but the more I looked into it I realized that the barrel was just the tip of the iceberg. Besides I can probably get more energy from a mildly loaded 120gn Barnes triple shock in 7mm than I would get from a maxed out 80gn .223 with probably about the same recoil.

The more I check into this the more of a bad idea it looks like and the better mild loads in 7x57 sound. 6.5x55 would be a doable option but I don't think I would be really gaining anything in a deer rifle since they both shoot basically the same weight bullets.

What is involved in making a small ring Spanish action reliably feed .223rem? There would definitely be some bolt head work to be done.

Those ehow posts sure do make it sound simple. But then I guess something can be simple but not anything close to easy.

I am not a gunsmith but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express, I wonder if that counts.

Thanks, I have seen that but I wasn't sure if it is the same for a '93 bolt.

Timney buehler style safety I have heard everything from drop in to some milling of cocking piece required. The instructions on Timney's web site are just about useless, some pics would be great.

Wow, nice work. What is it going in?

Drilled and tapped the receiver for the scope mount this evening. Kept it as far from the locking shoulder as I could. I'll probably remove the iron sights and put plugs in the holes since they are pretty much useless now except for looks. I am going to work on filling the remaining pits with JB weld while I am waiting for the bolt to cone back. Have to make sure I have no metal shavings on me, MRI at 0700.