Any projects ???

[Horsefly]

I’m getting ready to finish and start a couple rifles and was wondering what you cats may be up too. I’ve got a .35 Whelen to finish and starting a 1908 Brazilian in 6.5x55 for nephew. Also have most parts to put together another Geha. It’s finally cooled off enough watering and mowing has slowed down and except for peppers and eggplants, garden is completo. Could be picking okra but everyone is screaming enough. 

[Dr.Hess]

I find myself with "much more" "free" time rather suddenly.  I'm trying to catch up on projects.  It has long been my observation that one tends to have time or money but not both at the same time, thus when there is plenty of money, there is no time for projects.  When there is plenty of time, there is no money for projects.  I'm sort of there.  Anyway, I have this Spanish 1916 that I have been battling for a while.  I finally have a barrel for it that won't keyhole if I use long bullets, a Mexican barrel.  I need to work the stock some more and redo some bedding, solder the sights back one, etc.

I'm not an okra guy.  My wife loves the stuff, and she eats my share of it.

[Racepres]

Need to get a picture of a Stock I did last Winter.. About to complete an M98 8mm for Fun...and still have a Chilean as well as a Turk that need barrelled..

[Jeremy]

I'm currently working on another Spanish Mauser build. The pictures you are looking at are from my last post about 1893 Mauser extractors. I bought the stock, butt plate, spacer and the cherry fore end tip blank from the local gun show on Oct 2nd. I spent a total of $30 on the parts you see here. I wish I had met the smith that made this semi in-letted stock because it was done very well. 

 

 

The action is an 1893 Spaniard with a born on date of 1922. It has taken me almost a year to accumulate the parts to complete the action. The only exception is the barrel which I've had for about 5 years now. It is a Green Mountain barrel that I bought from Midway USA for $87.95 before they discontinued selling them it is short chambered in 7x57mm. I have now sanded the stock to 150 grit and now started in-letting the barrel channel to marry up to the trigger guard. The trick has been to be patient. Which by the way isn't my best quality. I'm pretty close to being done with that part of the project. Once I'm done with that part I'll fit the butt plate and spacer while I decide if I'll use the cherry fore end blank or not. It just doesn't seem to be a good match to me.

I do plan on drilling and tapping it for a scope using the jig I bought at the same gun show I bought the stock. I paid $30 for it also.

I'll post pictures of the progress I've made tomorrow.

[Dr.Hess]

Man, Jerry.  You're like the King Scrounger.

[Jeremy]

I do come by it honestly.

[Racepres]

Thanks to spec4 e4

I am renewing a Couple projects.. a Turk, and a Small Ring Chilean.. Finally finished an 8mm sporter... believe it or Not...all mine have been in full military trim..

Currently i find myself 2 Sporterized bolts Shy!!! both do Headspace (snug even) on current barrels.. but I need to weld handles on..

Anyone that has a Bolt "holding jig" I can Rent?? Maybe a Heat Sink for a large ring??? or... I have worked on Bolts without heat sink... Just go Much Slower..

[Dr.Hess]

I'm looking for a Turkish or Chilean small ring stock.  I have this barreled action....

 

[Jeremy]

6 hours ago, Racepres said:

Thanks to spec4 e4

I am renewing a Couple projects.. a Turk, and a Small Ring Chilean.. Finally finished an 8mm sporter... believe it or Not...all mine have been in full military trim..

Currently i find myself 2 Sporterized bolts Shy!!! both do Headspace (snug even) on current barrels.. but I need to weld handles on..

Anyone that has a Bolt "holding jig" I can Rent?? Maybe a Heat Sink for a large ring??? or... I have worked on Bolts without heat sink... Just go Much Slower..

I have also been looking for a bolt holding jig and the conclusion I've come to is that I'll have make one myself. Brownels has a heat sink for large ring Mauser's just not small ring Mauser's models 91, 93, 94, 95, 96, and the occasional 98. The same can be said for the bolt forging blocks. I've had no luck locating them for sale or rent either. 

I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Jeremy]

1 hour ago, Dr.Hess said:

I'm looking for a Turkish or Chilean small ring stock.  I have this barreled action....

 

A sporter stock or military? I'll keep my eyes open around here.

[Dr.Hess]

I'm kinda looking for a military Turk stock.  The action I have is COMPLETELY matching.  Bolt, everything, good barrel, and I sort of hate to hack it up.

 

The Brownells heat sink for large rings will work for a small ring.  It doesn't screw in perfect, but close enough.  Load the thing up with the heat sink compound stuff they sell, screw in the heat sink tool and go for it.  Some wet rags around critical parts like the lugs and the back of the bolt don't hurt either.  And the compound stuff they sell, for all I can tell, it's very wet clay.  Not a heat sink compound like used in electronics, which is really a thermal transfer paste.  That stuff's job is to transfer the heat from, say, your CPU to the heat sink, where the fan blows the air on it.  The stuff for gunsmithing is actually something to capture the heat, which it does by turning the water in the mud to steam, or at least heating the water up before it gets to something critical like the lugs.

 

I am Bubba. 

[Jeremy]

29 minutes ago, Dr.Hess said:

I'm kinda looking for a military Turk stock. 

I'll be on the look out. You never know what I might happen upon. I wish I got the guys # that I bought my most recent acquisitions from. There is a good chance that I might run into him in the future he's one of those guys on the gun show circuit up here. I remember him having quite a few military style stocks for sale. But I can't say with 100% certainty I think he had some Mauser stocks. I always take a tape measure with me when I go to the gun shows for that reason. That is how I knew the stock I bought last was for a small ring. 

There are couple of other sources that I have to check with also. 

Is your minion on guard duty? 

[Jeremy]

Here are the pictures as promised. Keep in mind that this is work in progress ant the stock wasn't in-letted for the action that have put in it and it was initially started by someone else and another action. This particular stock proves that all small ring actions aren't exactly the same dimensionally.  

You probably have noticed right away that I have some accrue glass bedding to do.

There has been a spot milled out for an after market safety. I am considering a tunney deluxe trigger for this build.

I still have some cleaning and jeweling to do.

Still more finish work to do. I made a feral and a pillar for the trigger guard. 

[Racepres]

The above stock puts me in a mind of the Intermediate action...tho the back of it...at the tang appears inlet for a Chilean..

the 1895's are different from '93's are both different from the '96's... so small rings are a bit tedious..

@Dr.Hess

I have here a never used...nor finish inletted...Turk stock (K.Kale I believe)..and maybe a sound Military trim one... looking.. I know there is a really Nice VZ24 stock!!!

But, I think the Eldest has his eye on that one!!!

 

[Racepres]

@Jeremy 

Looking at my Stash.. I am pretty sure the stock yuou show above is for an Intermediate..(M-48/M24-47) and they are in demand... Betting you can be money ahead trading that for a Small ring stock...maybe.. ensure you get a stock for a Spanish...not a Swede, nor Chilean.. Good luck..

 

 

 

[Jeremy]

57 minutes ago, Racepres said:

The above stock puts me in a mind of the Intermediate action...tho the back of it...at the tang appears inlet for a Chilean..

the 1895's are different from '93's are both different from the '96's... so small rings are a bit tedious..

Honestly I have only had experience dealing with Spaniards 1893 actions and none of the others with retrospect to building them from nothing more than barreled actions and I have built 5. Though I have owned two 1898 sporters. You are absolutely correct in stating that the 1893 Spaniards can be tedious. Sometimes that is putting it mildly especially when it comes to locating and acquiring parts. Stocks are no different. The last one I bought that was semi in-letted was for my third build and it was the same way as the one I'm current working on. The only way I could really solve my problem the Spaniard Sporter would be to buy a stock duplicator and use the Fajen stock from my first build as the template. I just don't have that kind of assets to fund something like that right now unless I experience a wind fall. 

I would consider trading this stock for an actual proper firing 1893 stock. But I have probably already screwed the pooch by going as far as I have with in-letting. It's something I'll have live with I suppose. I won't lose any sleep over it.

[Dr.Hess]

That's looking nice Jeremy.  Bubba (RIP) passed a bit over 3 years ago.  In that pic, he was saying "Gimme a cookie, or the Mauser gets it."  Meisje is just not that into Mausers.  She's a bit of a couch potato.  That Mauser he's standing over is the Spanish 1916 I've been working on.  I bought it from J&G about 2018 when we drove through Scottsdale.  It made beautiful keyholes with a tight 3 foot pattern at 20 feet.  I've been working on trying to get it to shoot straight.

[Racepres]

15 hours ago, Dr.Hess said:

That's looking nice Jeremy.  Bubba (RIP) passed a bit over 3 years ago.  In that pic, he was saying "Gimme a cookie, or the Mauser gets it."  Meisje is just not that into Mausers.  She's a bit of a couch potato.  That Mauser he's standing over is the Spanish 1916 I've been working on.  I bought it from J&G about 2018 when we drove through Scottsdale.  It made beautiful keyholes with a tight 3 foot pattern at 20 feet.  I've been working on trying to get it to shoot straight.

Cast..slightly oversize...

[Dr.Hess]

I tried that.  No sizing, etc.  Nothing but keyholes.  And I'm not talking about, oh, 6" groups at a hundred yards, or even 12" groups at 50 yards, I'm talking 3 FOOT groups at 7 yards.

[Jeremy]

Thank you. I'm trying to hone my skills. Sorry to hear about your minion.

I'm taking a Swag at this. Scientific wild ass guess this is in 7x57mm? What are the bullet weights you are using I'm just wondering. The group that you are describing bullet weight at the distances

20 hours ago, Dr.Hess said:

That's looking nice Jeremy.  Bubba (RIP) passed a bit over 3 years ago.  In that pic, he was saying "Gimme a cookie, or the Mauser gets it."  Meisje is just not that into Mausers.  She's a bit of a couch potato.  That Mauser he's standing over is the Spanish 1916 I've been working on.  I bought it from J&G about 2018 when we drove through Scottsdale.  It made beautiful keyholes with a tight 3 foot pattern at 20 feet.  I've been working on trying to get it to shoot straight.

you are talking about won't make a difference anyway. There is probably a combination of things going that are contributing to the poor accuracy. Bad stock, throat erosion, a dinged up muzzle crown and the list could go on. I'm also guessing that is why you are looking for a stock. 

I have noticed at least with my rifles that have the original barrels they seem to perform better with heavier bullets. The 170 to 175 grain range

[Dr.Hess]

7X57.  I have a whole selection of 7 mm bullets, jacketed store bought, from 139GR up to around 168 or so, and cast in the 139GR range.  I have tried them all.  Best they will do is shoot OK for maybe 2 shots, then open up to worse than shotgun. I tried everything I could think of.  Turned a thread off, rechambered, counter bored the muzzle until I could feel something resembling rifling, everything.  I think those barrels are just totally shot out.  I've been down this road before with a sporterized 1916.  Put a new barrel on it and it shoots great.  I was trying to keep this one (that Bubba is standing over) mil-spec.  The stock I need for the other action, Turk and all matching, which is pretty rare in my experience.  I hate to butcher that one.

[Jeremy]

That's what I expected. Finding one that isn't shot out or severely pitted above and below the wood line is like winning the lottery especially an all original # matching. I'll keep kicking over rocks. 

[Jeremy]

The rock I kicked over today that can stay covered. I don't know if the guy was just having a bad day or not and just hadn't sold anything. While I was looking for parts for myself I happened to ask if he had some Turk stocks and low and behold he had three. Two of which were for large ring Mauser's and in poor shape. Cracks oil soaked soft wood are some of the faults I can think of. The third one was for a small ring and was in fair shape but he wanted 3 C notes for it. He also has some Spaniard stocks and the prices were the same. I just parted ways with him and didn't even try to haggle with him because he wanted too much for the parts that I wanted. So much so that he was at least 65% over what Numerick and Sarco is asking for the same parts.

Not to worry I'll keep looking. There is always another day. Maybe it's just me but a stock duplicator is looking more promising after all and its high time I mastered my lathe for making my own screws, springs, pins and other parts. I have done fairly well with turning barrels to repair threads and remove up to moderate external pitting. It's time I quit playing around with it. I have mastered my cross slide vise on my drill press for light milling purposes. 

 

 

[Dr.Hess]

Yeah, I got this Elm tree that's down.  My plan is... Rifle Stocks.  I was actually out cutting on that wood pile today.  I'm getting down to the Elm.  It's big.  Probably close to or over a hundred years old, if I had to guess.  I figger I can get a slab out of it, shape it to a military configuration, sink the action into it.  Or, make a sporter stock and sink the action into that. 

 

I have a milling turret for my 6" Atlas-Clausing lathe.  A bit small for large work.

[Jeremy]

I've been working with the stock for the past couple of days. Being mindful to take it slow and steady so I don't mess it up. I used some scrap pieces of walnut and tight bond III to fill in the major gaps between the receiver and the stock so I don't have to use as much glasbed. So far it's working out as planned.  

A 6" lathe  with a milling attachment I'm envious. I have a 3" Harbor Freight lathe that has a 10" bed. But for longer projects I just take the tail stock off and place it on a riser block that I have made with slots in my bench to give myself about 26" of workable bed space from center to center if you will. It has a 3/4 horse power motor and a 3/4" through the head that gives me all the versatility I need without dropping a couple of thousand on a better lathe for now. 

My lathe with a 21" barrel chucked in it.

The drill press with the cross slide vise waiting for some work.

My home made bolt jeweling jig.