MorgansBoss

Many "regular" machine shops do not touch any gun work due to a misunderstanding of the law, which requires anyone working on another's gun to have an FFL. Of course if all they're doing is re-threading a barrel, they're actually just working on a gun part. Its a very fine line, but as I understand it, legal. However another overwhelming concern in such matters is liability. In our litigation crazy society I can't particularly blame them. That said, if you can find a shop to do the work they will likely do it cheaper AND better than a regular gunsmith. As Tink said though, if the C-note includes cambering, its a bargain.

Congratulations Jason! There's a real satisfaction in finishing a long project. Nothing though compared to when you successfully use it for its intended purpose - them hogs better watch out! What happened to the wood stock from the other photos?

You whittle that stock yourself? Are those fallen leaves or wood chips on the ground behind you? BTW - anyone wishing to try making a hinged floorplate from a mil-surp. one as Jim Carmichael described, it isn't all that difficult. The old-style lever catch is a royal pain in the arse though! I used to have one and the lever seemed to be right where I wanted to put my hand when carrying the rifle. Too many times I accidentally "bumped" the latch open and dumped the magazine - once while in the field is "too many" times! It does look neat and lends that classic old look, but its just not practical. I much prefer the plunger-type catch found on Mod.70 Winchesters. Its secure, out of the way and best of all an easy modification to a Mauser guard!

If you're serious about rolling your own hinged floorplate, PM me your email addy. Maybe I can help.

Nice work! Watch that band saw beau. Once while cutting out a goose head blank from hemlock (salvaged from old rafters no less!) the piece suddenly split and before I knew it my thumb tip was all but severed. The doc did a great job sewing it back on but it still thumps in the cold - even after eighteen years. You're right about the carving though. If you "have it" you eventually learn to somehow recognize "the right piece" of wood. Keep it up, you've got the touch.

Congratulations my boy! I learned long ago that there are times in life when things just refuse to work out. When that happens the best course of action is to simply walk away and come back later. The hardest part is recognizing when its time to do so.

Well, I was hoping someone with more info and/or experience would respond but since they haven't so far I'll throw in my limited knowledge on this subject. First off, YES Navy Arms or Gibbs Rifle Co. - as this division is called - is making these from mil-surps. While the action is strong and well made it is certainly capable of 45-70 performance exceeding "Trapdoor ballistics" by a considerable margin. I read an article on them about a year ago that gave a good report. SMLE's are still available at reasonable prices but take a lot more work to make a sleek-looking sporter than say a Mauser. I've toyed with the idea myself but really hope to get a usable P-14 or 1917 donor to build a true big-bore sporting rifle someday. Now there's a platform for a reliable dangerous game cartridge!

PLEASE tell us more of your experience. What solution? What "instructions"? Did the info come from here or elsewhere? Cold blue (as well as ANY blue) can get hokey sometimes, but the saving grace of it happening with the cold solutions is that they are not as "deep" as rust or hot blues and hence easier to clean-up. Tell us more, please.

Beautiful rifle DT! I'm sure FC can give some advice on improving your spark production but I can attest that black powder IS very flammable stuff indeed! Haven't bought any in a while and wasn't aware of heightened regulations. As far as I know though, BP has been required to be stored in a magazine for years. Most local jurisdictions also have provisions in their zoning and or fire codes that preclude it's storage and sale in many shops. That said, I know of a government facility (a national park no less) that has thousands of pounds in one location for use in civil war cannon and firearm demonstrations! BTW - Winchester is only about 45 min. from me.

Great story Jerry. Been wondering about you and how the trip was going. Got any pictures? I'd sure love to see em.

Here's a photo of one of my modified safeties. While its on a M98 action it was made from a M96 Swedish safety to take advantage of the nice checkered tab.

Here's the sketch I promised. It is a general layout. Actual position of cuts, bevels, etc. will have to be fit as you go. The key is to GO SLOW and take only the minimum off at a time, trying often. This goes for the slot in the shroud as well. Where it gets really tricky on the first couple is getting the cuts just right so the safety does not pop out between the "engaged" and off position (where it is retained by the slot).

"There are even good bullets available in 8mm" Yeah, there is a bunch of good bullets in 8mm. Some of the 8mm bullets however are intended for the higher velocities of the 8mm Rem. Mag and the new 325WSM. Be aware of this fact when making your selection! They will give disappointing results at 8x57 velocities - even those attained with hotter (but safe) hand loads. "Already my wants exceed my checkbook" Welcome to the club.

Yes, five shots. This will keep the scores consistant.

Sorry folks, I keep forgetting to do this, for those of you who missed the brief discussion or failed to read my mind the December postal match is the same rules as the first EXCEPT range will be 100 yards for rifles, 25yards for handguns. All handguns score the same - scoped or not. Same target, same address, targets due by Dec. 31. Good luck!

As an after thought... I used to be involved in small-bore target shooting. A lady at the club had an older M52 Winchester that had started slightly losing its edge. Envying they guys shooting top scores with Anshchutz' she decided to buy one - trading-in her Winchester. The guy handling the deal lapped the barrel (a 1" SS Hart) before I bought it from him. The first time I shot it competitively was in a bottle cap match where my son and I each won with it! She was visibly upset. A week or so later we beat her score again (badly) in a regular bench rest match. She was really upset with the guy who had sold her the new rifle (and me her old one). She finished the season but hasn't competed since. So yes, barrel lapping can make a difference. Just be careful not to do it to a poor shooting gun you've bought from a friend, then shoot against him! BTW - after several years that particular rifle once again began losing its edge. Did I re-lap it? Absolutely not! I sold it.

RTS, Over the years I think I've tried them all. There is no question that Oxpho is the absolute best. I prefer the liquid. There are various thoughts on application, most agree that warming the surface helps. I keep a 1/2 pint, wide-mouthed jar of the stuff on a shelf above my bench that is used to "dunk" smaller parts. Its particularly useful for screws. Another tip is to saturate the work with mineral oil (or YOUR favorite gun lube) and let it stand at least a day after the desired finish is achieved. Wipe the excess oil off with paper towels. Those rough brown ones used in public buildings seem to work better than the kitchen variety. I think there is a thread on this subject under the "tips" section. Good results demand a top notch polish job and total degreasing - as does any good blue job - and many disparagers of Oxpho can be traced to failure to prepare the piece. I use lacquer thinner to degrease. Be sure to degrease your steel wool first, if that's what you use to "card" the job. Though its not the preferred method, I've done several whole guns with Oxpho and have been satisfied with the results. Also of note, a friend who is a master gunsmith and is in "the business" once had a Winchester lever gun in the shop for hot bluing. The receiver (as they're famous for) refused to go black, instead coming out with a purplish-redish hue. This saga went on for weeks. After numerous frustrating attempts to "fix" the problem (this included consultation with the techis at Brownells) one day I suggested trying Oxpho. The receiver was degreased and Oxpho applied in several applications that finally brought the receiver to the correct color! Its not a replacement for more complex bluing methods and compounds but it is the closest you'll come without considerable expense in equipment and/or time.

Certainly not a "crazy old man", well not for this anyhow. Fire lapping is an established practice, as is simple "bore lapping" done with a cleaning rod and bullet, plug, tight fitting patches or brushes. Personally though I consider it a last resort as in any polishing process you are removing parent metal. That is to say you are making the bore larger - even if only by microns - and that is not necessarily a desirable thing. There is a place for this procedure in the arsenal of gunsmithing tricks, but I would not consider it as THE thing to do to every poor shooting rifle. Start with the simplest cure and work up until all easier to fix problems have been eliminated. There are companies who sell fire lapping kits. Maybe grandpa should have went into business!

Went to the mountain with my oldest son this morning. We sat on the point of a bench for 2 1/2 hours in sub-freezing temps without seeing a single deer. Finally, half froze, we gave it up and went to visit my dad. A friend called this afternoon and invited me to their farm for an afternoon hunt. I took a nap and overslept but did finally go. Walking in late (4:00PM) I spooked a huge doe right where I was heading. 1/2 hour before quiting time a six point and five does worked the field in front of me. The farm has an 8-point min. for bucks but two of the does were huge. Unfortunately they were too close to the top of a hill for me to feel good about the shot. Watched them for thirty minutes before finally heading in. The little buck spotted me at one point but couldn't determine what I was I guess. He covered at least 150 yards straight towards me and not taking his eyes off me, before stopping 30 yards away! Luckily something (presumably a mouse) in the field litter diverted his attention and I was able to duck behind the stone fence I was sitting by. The does started to follow him, which would put them in a safe shooting position, but then they all went back to the top of the hill. The meat pole is still empty but it was fun.

"...I have a 9.3x57 and the shoulder on that is very small and problematic..." Better yet consider the 9.3x64. While nearly 100 years old it is a decidedly "modern looking" case design that should negate any potential head spacing issues. Its just a tad long but works easily in a standard length action - as it was designed to. Additionally, it is nearly 375H&H ballistics in a manageable package. A true dangerous game cartridge - although a bare minimum for this task - it is an awesome cambering for "normal" hunting situations. As a final bonus, you'll almost certainly be the only kid on the block to have one!

The rules z1r has proposed for December sounds good to me. As can be seen, had we used groups size instead of actual score the results would be very different. Anyone else with suggestions get them posted by Friday @ 0900 so we can start with this first w/e of the month.

Fist place goes to DOUBLE TROUBLE with a 50-5X / 0.586" max. spread, shot with a scoped Tweede (6.5x55). He also claims the iron sighted bragging rights with a score of 49-1X / 1.67"! Congratulations Beau! How you do this with young twin boys is perhaps the most amazing!!!! Second and third place in the scoped category as; ELDORA - 50-3X / 0.607" - Rem. 700-.243Win. FC - 50-2X / 0.558" - Marlin - 17HMR Iron sight runners up are; FC - 48-2X / 1.412" z1r - 46 / 1.377" Congratulations and thanks to all who participated. Now lets here some suggestions on the format for the next match. I feel it should be 100 yards, but I'm open to any suggestions. I want to get it finalized before Friday night though to give everyone maximum opportunity to get their targets shot and mailed in by the end of Dec. BTW - I forgot to mention that DT shot his winning open sight score with a M-1 Garand!

Guess I should have read the whole post before commenting. As for the 7x57, yes it does have an actual SAAMI specification higher than some cartridges BUT, bear in mind this is the main original chambering of these rifles, so it follows that (IF the rifle is in good condition) it would be a logical choice. Any sub-50,000 chambering should be considered safe in good rifles. Again, YES the 8x57 is down-loaded in The States. The reason will vary with the person providing it but it is safe to assume every reason is directly related to litigation fears as stated previously. Just about all foreign 8x57 ammo exceeds SAAMI specs. Does this make it unsafe? NO, once again providing use in a good rifle. Likewise, hand loaded 8x57 ammo can safely exceed SAAMI specs to produce outstanding performance but of course you are then in unknown territory in regard to just what the pressure is. Thousands of M98's have been built in calibers in the 60,000 range which the action takes in stride. Many of these have been involved in "incidents" where considerably higher pressures were encountered (wrong ammo, chamber problems, etc.). No doubt good quality pre-M98's will safely handle much higher pressures than recommended as well but this is getting into dangerous territory. The pre-M98's biggest drawbacks are it's inferior gas handling characteristics and the lack of the (third) safety lug. Any way, to get back to your dilemma, there are a number of cartridges within the capabilities of the small ring actions. My suggestion is to first decide what you want the rifle to do, then choose an appropriate cartridge to meet your expectations. Good luck!

Posted this sometime back; http://mfrc.sizzlyhosting.com/index.php?showtopic=874

Whoa unc! Before rechambering (if you decide to go that route) be sure to check the BORE as well as the chamber. .22LR (as well as shorts and longs) use the "heeled" .223 "rim-fire" bullet while the .22WMR use standard .224 "center-fire" bullets even though it's a rim-fire cartridge. 0.001" may not seem like much but the WMR is a whole lot more potent than a .22LR and the added pressure of an undersized bore has been more than some old rifles can stand. Maybe this one is up to it, but approach such projects cautiously. Might want to consider relining the barrel before doing the ream job. Thus with a fresh bore she could be quite a contender. Could even go with one of the 17 rim-fires that way if you want to.