homemade .22 rifle

[Busyhands94]

hello everybody! i am interested in building a .22 rifle for target practice and maybe even hunting. the stock will be American white oak, the barrel will be octagon and blued, the trigger guard will be brass and might swing up to eject the spent casing, and i have not decided on the action yet. however i do not plan to buy much except the barrel and maybe the sights. i am trying to decide on the action, i am thinking about making it have an action similar to a flobert rifle that swings up, however i am worried about the breech flying back and nailing me in the face. :banghead: does anybody know of any good and strong yet simple actions i might be able to build? i have plenty of experience in metalworking however i want this rifle to be a strong and safe as possible. also how can i build this legally? the last thing i want to do is get my right to bear arms confiscated over some home built rifle like this i also am planning a .177 caliber rifle that will fire lead or steel BBs using a 209 shotgun primer. it should be a really, really, cool gun.

 

[Busyhands94]

also i would like to know of a few .22 LR or .22 short cartridge brands that produce rather low pressures and get decent velocity, and i already know about using .22 CB ammo, but is there some that has powder that would be safe to use? thanks in advance ~Levi

 

[Sam1911]

also how can i build this legally? the last thing i want to do is get my right to bear arms confiscated

I don't think "confiscated" is the word you're intending, but anyway...

According to federal law, you may build "Title I" firearms -- that is, rifles, shotguns, pistols -- anything not under "Titile II" of the National Firearms Act '34 (like machine guns, short barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns, etc.) -- for your own use.

California may have different laws, and anything you build must also be legal to own in that state.

 

[Busyhands94]

would i need to get it registered and shoudl i put a serial number on it? for my serial number i am planning to use the date i completed the firearm. i don't really think it shoudl be a problem to make a cartridge firing gun unless i plan to sell it (witch i won't do, i just want to build a .22 rifle)

 

[Sam1911]

would i need to get it registered and shoudl i put a serial number on it? for my serial number i am planning to use the date i completed the firearm. i don't really think it shoudl be a problem to make a cartridge firing gun unless i plan to sell it (witch i won't do, i just want to build a .22 rifle)

I don't know the swamp of CA laws. Some members here can answer for them (or CALguns.net).

Federally, there is no registration of Title I firearms. So you couldn't register it if you wanted to.

Federally, there is no requirement to put a serial number on it.

Federally, you can sell it if you want to. Just don't go making them with the intent to sell.

 

[Lovesbeer99]

I was planing on building a .22 handgun that replicated a stevens model 35 single shot a few years back and I browsed around 2 sights but the only one I remember is weponsguild. Some people build actual rifles and stuff but most people were looking to replicate the liberator.

 

[451 Detonics]

A falling block action would be the simplest I think but still very complicated.

 

[Busyhands94]

Lovesbeer99 if that looks rather interesting, i like the idea of building one of those! that may be a future project for me, and if i succeed in building said gun that would be great! and in .22 that would make a rather nice rabbit gun!

 

[Busyhands94]

i am really starting to like flobert actions, however i think making it a break action would be nice too. i am thinking of making a lever underneath sorta like a Winchester rifle that will break open the barrel, i saw it on a .410 shotgun one time. and i could make the lever out of steel and case harden it! that would look great! i think i will start drawing up the plans! now i still need a way to fit the extractor in there, and if all else fails i could just cut a little notch in there to help you grab the shell.

 

[Lovesbeer99]

Right now on gunbroker there is a flobert action for about 40.00 and it claims it does not need an FFL. It might be a good starting point.


Auction # 220629708

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Go here http://www.amazon.com/Single-Shots-Book-Rifle-Plans/dp/B000RH3WPG

 

[BrocLuno]

I like the enthusiasm and building a gun is a challenge. I agree that you might want to buy a used Flobert and rebuild it. That would give you a good start and the second one could be a falling block. Since it's an antique, it's outside of all the registration/tracking rules and regs.

I believe the Flobert is actually a type of rolling block. They (rolling blocks) are very strong actions when fitted properly and using decent metal.

There are good alternatives though - something along the Martini-Henry style might be a good project?

 

[Busyhands94]

i redesigned my action entirely, i will be using a falling block action but i will give it a western look by using a Winchester-style lever. i am not sure what the proper term is but i will be using that kind of lever as opposed to the kind of trigger guard that you would bind on a Sharps rifle. i just want it to look really beautiful and very western. i still need to design an extractor but i will have that figured out soon!