Kyle

I just got a stainless steel barrel off a Remington 700 on ebay for $33 shipped. I now know that it can't be used on a large ring action but I plan on picking up a Turkish M38 for around $80 and putting it on there. I know it will work on the Turk M38 as it is a large ring action with small ring threads (or something like that) but I'm not sure of the exact process of fitting it for the Turk. I have access to a lathe and CNC machines both of which can cut threads but I'm not sure exactly what to do. The CNC machine could cut more exact threads but it would be a lot quicker on the lathe so if that would work fine I'd prefer to use that. Can someone give me detailed instructions on what to do and include some photos if possible or give me a link to instructions? Once I cut the new threads to fit the Turk how do I remove the old barrel and fit the new one properly?

Thanks, that link was very helpful. What metal parts on the rifle should not be blued?

I'm working on my Gew 88 project and I'm wondering about the trigger. There is no such thing as a replacement trigger so I'll have to use the original military trigger. Any ideas on how I can make this trigger the best it can possibly be? In the photo below you can see what a Gew 88 trigger assembly looks like.

Could you share the formula with me? Where did you get the chemicals you need? Can you tell the finish is homemade or does it end up looking just as good as the bluing on new commercial rifles?

So parkerizing is probably the best finish I can do by myself with limited equipment? Can I parkerize all the metal parts like trigger assembly, etc as well as the outside? How about the inside of the barrel, chamber, bolt and things like that? Is parkerizing a good finish on its own or is it better with bake on paint over it? What do I need to parkerize?

I cut it to 20 inches but I still need to face it and recrown it on the lathe as it wasn't working right the past few days. In the mean time can someone post a photo of an 11 degree target crown done on a lathe so I know exactly how it should look? Why 11 degrees? Would 13 degrees provide the same results?

Is it ready to take photos of yet? I'm looking forward to seeing it. So you made it from a wrench? Could you tell me how to do that?

I'm working on my first sporter project and I'm wondering what the most durable metal finish is. I don't care much about the looks or ease of application I just want the strongest finish possible. Any suggestions?

Anyone else hear the news? North Korea is said to have detonated an nuclear weapon underground. NK officials called China and told them in about 20 minutes they would test a nuclear weapon. About 20 minutes later a small earthquake shook the ground apparently from an underground nuclear explosion. US officials have stated that they believe the test didn't go exactly as planned due to the smallish size of the explosion but nothing is for sure as of yet. This test really has Japan, South Korea and even China worried and with NK's recent tests of ballistic missiles this could them more then just a regional threat.

I have seen that site before. I'm planning on first trying to use the original handle first but if that fails I'll just cut it off and try that method. The butter knife handles look cool but how well do they work? I've never used one but to me they seem like they would be more difficult to grab and cycle the bolt then the regular ball at the end of the military handle.

Mark Foley Anyone else hear about Mark Foley, the now former Republican Congressman from Florida who it turns out was interested in homo-sexual acts with under-aged boys? This guy was actually in charge of the committee for missing and exploited children! The most deplorable thing is that the Republican leadership admittedly knew about his "activities" for several years and failed to do anything about it for fear of damaging their image!!! Wow, I can't believe that party that is supposed to stand up for morals put children at risk from this pervert for fear of looking bad!

Ok, I got it. I don't have access to a TIG welder but I have access to a MIG welder and a stick welder. Which would be best for welding on the bolt handle? In the tutorial in the link I posted above it shows there is a gap between the bolt handle and the bolt root which is then filled in with weld. How big a gap can you make there? The Gew 88 bolt is further up on the bolt body then the Mauser 98 so I'd like to make it longer and sweep it back further then you probably would want to with the mauser, could I make a larger gap and just build up the weld to connect the bolt handle with the bolt root? Where should I cut off the bolt handle from the stub to prepare it to be welded back on? The tutorial shows it being cut at an angle 3/8 up the bolt root but the Gew 88 bolt root is much shorter then the Mauser's and it seems like it would be very hard to cut it at an angle like that.

So basically like the method posted in this thread: welding tutorial I think wire feed and TIG welding are two names for the same thing. Maybe you thought I meant stick welding?

How do you crown the barrel with the lathe then?

Very interesting! Did you build the rifles from parts or beater Garands?

At work we have a lathe and a guy there has a couple decades of experience on it.

I'm planning on cutting the barrel on one of my Gew 88's to 20" and I'd like to put a target crown recess on it. I've been told that I first cut it to 20" with a saw, then use a 7/8ths counterbore to square the end of the barrel and finally a 1/2" counterbore for putting in the recess. Does this sound right? Anyone have a link or something on how to do that so I can see some photos of the process as well?

Tomorrow I'm going to try bending two Gew 88 bolts using a method similar to this: Wagner's site The measurements for cutting with the dremel won't be the same though as the bot is shaped differently at the base. The bolt handle is also further forward on the bolt then on the mauser. When closed the bolt handle is actually in front of the split bridge on the receiver. Will I be able to sweep the handle back closer to the trigger guard or will it still be a ways in front of it? After I heat it and bend like in the link how do I fill in the gap with weld and sweep it outward and rearward to complete the bend?

Has anyone ever heard of a .338 win mag case necked down to an 8mm bullet? I've never seen any info about a cartridge like that but I've heard that it would produce about the same results as 8x68S. It sounds like it would be a great choice if you wanted to have something inbetween .300 win mag and .338 win mag. Anyone ever tried something like this or heard of it being done? If I was to buy a Mauser in 8x57 to sporterize could I use the original barrel for this cartridge?

I need to bend the bolt for my Gew 88 project and I'm wondering what would be the best method to bend the bolt so a scope can be used. I think I'd somehow have to modify the original handle instead of buying a new handle like you can for Mausers. I have access to welders so that isn't a problem. Any suggestions are appreciated!

I'd love to be able to do it myself! If you anyone has any suggestions on how I could modify the existing 8x57 barrel to 9.3 I'd love to hear them! If I get a new barrel that also opens up another problem. I'll have to thread any new barrel (unless custom made for the Gew88) so that it will fit into the Gew action and since I've never done that before I'm worried I'd mess it up and ruin a new barrel. If I messed up the original Gew barrel I can just pay $20 and get another entire rifle. Any links to barrels I could consider for this project? I agree that a 9.3x57 Gew 88 would be a very cool and unique sporter but on the other hand I'm still wondering if it is really worth putting a $200+ barrel on a $30 gun. If I could find a way to do it cheaply then I'm good to go but if I can't do the conversion to 9.3 myself or find a way to do it cheaply I may just have to stick with 8x57 (which isn't a bad caliber by any means, just not exactly what I want). Also with a new barrel I may have a little trouble with the barrel jacket issue. The front action screw actually goes into a hole in the very back of the barrel jacket and if I get a new barrel it might not be the right size to fit the end peice of the barrel jacket over. If I use the original barrel I can just cut off the first inch of the barrel jacket, screw it on and solder it or something to provide a solid base. Without it the front of the action and back of the barrel aren't supported and there is only one screw holding the entire thing to the stock!

I've thought about keeping it in 8x57 but it seems 9.3x57 would be nearly perfect for what I want. Do you think it would be possible for me to convert it to 9.3 myself using CNC machines?

How can I get the barrel rebored for 9.3 bullets? I'm a CNC machine operator at a metal shop specializing in precision machining so I'm thinking it may be possible to do it at work??? I'm not using an 88 just because I really want an 88 sporter. I'm doing it because I want to build a very cheap but unusual hunting gun. If I get to the point where I'm spending more on building a sporter from an inferior design then I would just buying a new savage or building from a 98 mauser I'll have failed my goal. I'll try to use the original barrel if possible (since a new barrel would be several times the cost of the entire rifle) and do most or all of the work myself. I have acess to all kinds of equipment so unless I need something firearm specific I should have everything I'll need.

Could you please explain that to me? Was it the original ammo that made it dangerous or the design of the rifle? I think I'll build it in 9.3x57. It should be fine with moderate loads. Any idea on where I could get a 9.3 barrel?

I really like the idea of the 9.3x57. It should feed well based on case size but what about the length? Any idea where I could get a 9.3x57 barrel (not too spendy!)? Not really sure which Rockwell and method I'd specify. I planned on doing more research if I did plan to do it. I don't know about shooting threw the brush but personally I just think it would be a cool rifle to own.