Whatcha Workin' On?

[Dr.Hess]

At Christmas, I got myself a takedown 1022 with a threaded barrel.  It's cool and everything, but the barrel to receiver lockup is not really that great.  I've put probably 10K rounds through an AR7, and as long as you rotate the barrel to the same spot each time you put it together (there's a slight left/right twist,) it hits the same spot each time and is quite accurate for what it is.  The 1022, costing a whole lot, will lock up rotationally OK, but if you do a proper hold on the forearm, the point of impact changes versus holding it somewhere else, sand bags, braced on a tree, etc.  I was getting 4 mils of impact shift.  That's a lot.  I called Ruger on it and they pointed out (RTFM) the part in the manual where you can adjust the lockup.  OK, I had assumed that it would come tight from the factory and not need adjusting when purchased.  Adjusting to the book spec of tight still wasn't very good.  Adding more clicks of tight helped, and I thing I have it about as tight as I can get it and still be able to put it together.  It's better, but nowhere near as good as a non-takedown, in my opinion.  Still a fun gun, and I bought it to hold the suppressor that is on it's way from Silencer Central in the next few months. 

 

Fortunately 22LR is available again and has settled in price to about 7 cents.  I can shoot my stash and buy a box to replace it at wally world and not feel bad about it.

[FC]

I never would've thought that would affect point of impact.

I need to get to my SKS with the removable magazine. You have to pull the bolt back some, then click the magazine in place, which is a real nuisance. One guy said to grind off the ridges that that get in the way. Not the easiest thing to do. I can see the logic of it.

I wish I could hire out getting my 5' long flintlock stock reproduced, but there's probably no one who does something that long?

[Dr.Hess]

I have not heard of a duplicator lately.  Last I heard, there was a guy doing it, but the results were pretty sub-optimal from people that used him.  He might have been the son of the guy that used to do that kind of thing, something like that.  Why don't you do it yourself?  You're good with wood working.  It's just: cut out rough shape, sink the action/barrel into the block.  I'm sure there's a bunch of you-toobes on people doing it.  There was a SGN article on it when they had gunsmithing in the magazine.  I have a plan to do it myself for a small ring, just another project I haven't got to.  I need to cut up that elm tree for the stock before it rots.

[inthe10ring]

1 hour ago, Dr.Hess said:

I have not heard of a duplicator lately.  Last I heard, there was a guy doing it, but the results were pretty sub-optimal from people that used him.  He might have been the son of the guy that used to do that kind of thing, something like that.  Why don't you do it yourself?  You're good with wood working.  It's just: cut out rough shape, sink the action/barrel into the block.  I'm sure there's a bunch of you-toobes on people doing it.  There was a SGN article on it when they had gunsmithing in the magazine.  I have a plan to do it myself for a small ring, just another project I haven't got to.  I need to cut up that elm tree for the stock before it rots.

 

[inthe10ring]

Setting up a carve now. Longest I can dup is about 47 inches

 

 

[Dr.Hess]

7 minutes ago, inthe10ring said:

Setting up a carve now. Longest I can dup is about 47 inches

 

 

Could you put a longer piece in just roughed out?  Like if you had a 5' long piece of wood but only duplicated the first 4'?  One could then just finish the last foot by hand.

[inthe10ring]

Setting up a carve now. Longest I can dup is about 47 inches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, no. The pattern and the blank need to rotate on centers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FC]

I can do it myself.. eventually. Problem is it is mesquite, and that means lots of power carving.

[Dr.Hess]

Well, you can always BBQ with the wood chips.

When I had 24 acres near Calvert, TX, I had a lot of mesquite.  Trees 2' in diameter.  I always thought it would make a nice gunstock.

[FC]

Really heavy, and brittle, but mesquite is my favorite wood. 

 

[Dr.Hess]

Here's the 1022 takedown.  I put a Hammers 3-9 mil dot 2nd focal plane scope on it.  I had it laying around.

[Dr.Hess]

Well, went to shoot the shop 22.  Remington 550-1.  Went bang, did not go bang again.  Bolt forward.  Found some drawings and disassembly instructions.  There's a screw in cap on the rear of the receiver that holds the recoil spring and the firing pin spring.  Apparently, sometime in the last 70 years or so, someone screwed the cap in cross threaded.  I had always noticed that it wasn't screwed in all the way, but it worked fine, so I always left it alone.  Well, the 2 threads holding it in let go and that jammed the whole thing up.

The threads are 3/4-20, or 3/4 UNEF (Extra Fine.)  I certainly don't have a tap/die in that, which I figger is what is needed to clean that whole mess up and get it to screw together again properly.  Brownells?  Not a chance.  I even tried my favorite go-to for oddball taps/tools, which has changed names, and their old web site is not cyber squatted by trojan infecting spammers.  After finding the new site, nothing.  A google-fu search led to... Amazon.  $24 delivered for a tap AND a die and it will be here in 2 days.  Can't beat that.

 

[FC]

That's a stubby little gun. 

 

[Dr.Hess]

Well, I fixed the Remington 550.  The end cap doesn't appear to be an exact 3/4-20. The cap wouldn't thread into the die, and the tap was a bit too small for the receiver.  However, I used my thread repair set 20 TPI file to clean up the cap, and I worked the tap in and mashed it into the wall enough to get the threads in there clean, or cleaner.  It screwed back in by hand when done.  Before it would only screw about 1 turn by hand, then basically nothing.  Putting it together, even with a good torque on the cap, it started to unscrew after a few rounds were fired.  So, back apart, cleaned up, blue loctite, let dry overnight and it works fine this morning.  I'm calling it fixed.

While I was working on this, I was getting tired of using rags to keep from marring gun parts, etc, in my vise.  I have some aluminum sheet that I cut/bent to work as soft jaws, but that will still leave a mark on things.  So, I drew up and printed some soft jaws for the vise.

They slide on from the side.

[FC]

What about thick cowhide?

[Dr.Hess]

I suppose that would work, if I had any.  But that would be back to the "wrap with something" for me, as I need the metal face usually for whatever I'm working on.

[ken98k]

On 2/18/2023 at 6:48 AM, Dr.Hess said:

Well, I fixed the Remington 550.  The end cap doesn't appear to be an exact 3/4-20. The cap wouldn't thread into the die, and the tap was a bit too small for the receiver.  However, I used my thread repair set 20 TPI file to clean up the cap, and I worked the tap in and mashed it into the wall enough to get the threads in there clean, or cleaner.  It screwed back in by hand when done.  Before it would only screw about 1 turn by hand, then basically nothing.  Putting it together, even with a good torque on the cap, it started to unscrew after a few rounds were fired.  So, back apart, cleaned up, blue loctite, let dry overnight and it works fine this morning.  I'm calling it fixed.

While I was working on this, I was getting tired of using rags to keep from marring gun parts, etc, in my vise.  I have some aluminum sheet that I cut/bent to work as soft jaws, but that will still leave a mark on things.  So, I drew up and printed some soft jaws for the vise.

They slide on from the side.

Now that is the coolest thing I've seen in a while!

I want a set!

[ken98k]

I've got two Mauser rifles and a 1911 pistol in the works.

I have all the needed parts and tools for the rifles, including brass and components for the ammo. They are, or will be, a 416 Taylor and a 257 Roberts. Now I just need the time and ambition to put them together.

I ordered a 460 Rowland kit for my new Tisas 1911. The kit includes a new barrel with compensator, guide rod and recoil spring. It should be a kitchen table conversion.

The 460 Rowland raises the 1911 into the 44 mag power realm.

[Dr.Hess]

1 hour ago, ken98k said:

Now that is the coolest thing I've seen in a while!

I want a set!

Give me the dimensions of your vice jaw inserts and I'll make you a set.  I'll need:  Full x,y,z dimensions (preferably in millimeters) of the insert, lip overhangs at top and bottom.  The bottom overhang I'm using there is 2.5mm at the top and 2mm at the bottom.

 

Do they list what frames can take the beating of that 460 Rowland?  I kinda think a lot won't take it.  I recall that some had problems with 10MM.

[ken98k]

19 minutes ago, Dr.Hess said:

Give me the dimensions of your vice jaw inserts and I'll make you a set.  I'll need:  Full x,y,z dimensions (preferably in millimeters) of the insert, lip overhangs at top and bottom.  The bottom overhang I'm using there is 2.5mm at the top and 2mm at the bottom.

 

Do they list what frames can take the beating of that 460 Rowland?  I kinda think a lot won't take it.  I recall that some had problems with 10MM.

I ordered my kit from https://clarkcustomguns.com/product/460-rowland-conversion-kit-for-1911/

They recommend against using "Filipino 1911's, other soft metal 1911's or aluminum 1911's."  The Tisas has a forged  steel frame and slide, so I'm going to give it a try.

[Dr.Hess]

I have a Chinese made Norinco 1911A1.  They are supposed to have very good steel.  I bet it would take it.  I'm not working right now, so I've kinda stopped peeing money off on stuff I don't need.

 

[ken98k]

5 minutes ago, Dr.Hess said:

I have a Chinese made Norinco 1911A1.  They are supposed to have very good steel.  I bet it would take it.  I'm not working right now, so I've kinda stopped peeing money off on stuff I don't need.

 

I have read that the Norinco is a good candidate for this type of conversion.

How can a Doctor and merchant mariner not be working? Have you had medical issues yourself or just taking time off from the  rat race?

[Dr.Hess]

Well, I was doing database work.  Actually, I've been doing IT work for >20 years now.  Doctorin' ain't all it's cracked up to be.  The company I was working for got bought by a big company, which only bought us so they didn't have to compete with us on a couple of very large open-bid projects.  They made back the whole purchase price on just one of those projects.  They didn't care about our stuff, just didn't want to compete.  There were about 20 people working in our office.  I think there's 2 left now.  Add to that the tens of thousands of IT workers that just got laid off in the US and there you go.

I could actually get a job sailing if I did about 3 weeks of paperwork getting my license current, physicals, a BS little safety course on the new emergency radio system that replaced me, etc.  However, sailing is a very difficult way to earn a living.  You can't even have a dog, really.  I have had some medical issues, but I'm doing OK now.

So, I apply for database jobs as they come up.  The thing I miss most about working is... the direct deposits.

[FC]

I can send cowhide if you want. I have scraps.

[Dr.Hess]

Thanks, but I don't really need it.  If I have to go that way, rags work for me, or aluminum plate or the plastic ones I printed.  I suppose I could find an old belt somewhere.  Anyway, it doesn't come up that often, but when you need it, you need it now, kinda.  I was working on the car I've been building for the last 22 years today.  Fixing up part of the suspension a little better.  I used aluminum for that to grab the 3/4" 304 tubing without marring it (much.)  Good enough for the job.  I'm starting to get back into the swing of working in the shop again.  Between COVID, cancer and diabetes, I sort of lost a lot of motivation.  And I think COVID was the worst.  I see report of loss of motivation post COVID in a lot of people.