Old Firearm Projects in Limbo

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Not completely on the back burner, I was working on it yesterday.

I purchased a bubba’d and broken 1879 Hotchkiss rifle a while back. I’m reshaping the stock, reinforcing the wrist with a threaded steel rod, adding an ebony forend tip, there is no rear sight so I’m using an 1896 Krag rear sight. I’ll also be brazing on the front sight blade and using an 1884 trapdoor sight hood. Eventually I’ll rebarrel it to a 30” half octagon barrel.

The ebony tip is what I worked on yesterday

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This thread has motivated me to get a move on with the project. So thanks for that.

The stock is all done, aside from routinely applying Tung oil through the month. I’m also thinking of taking it to the next ‘level’ and bone/charcoal case hardening the receiver. Do you know what complications there may be? Would I risk ruining the receiver if it went south? I’d have it done by someone experienced in it
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This thread has motivated me to get a move on with the project. So thanks for that.

The stock is all done, aside from routinely applying Tung oil through the month. I’m also thinking of taking it to the next ‘level’ and bone/charcoal case hardening the receiver. Do you know what complications there may be? Would I risk ruining the receiver if it went south? I’d have it done by someone experienced in it
View attachment 847790
View attachment 847791

I guess Turnbull would be the obvious choice for a quality case hardened finish. I had Blanchard's reheat treat a Mauser 98 action for me back in the 90s, but that's as close as I've come to something like this.

https://www.turnbullrestoration.com/turnbull-finished/

https://www.bmproc.com/heat-treating
 
I have a couple. 1909 that needs to become a 6mm Rem, butchered Gew98 that will be a 6.5x55 Swede, and a Savage 110 that will be either a 280 AI or 6.5x284. Haven't decided yet on that one. I think I have a couple more, but I'll have to get to my gun room to remember. That doesn't include a few more that I need to make more accurate or AR-15 uppers/lowers that I need to do something with. :D And some milsurps with stocks that could use some more de-cosmolinifcation. And a 257 roberts that I need to re-rust blue so it's really blue and not more of a brown/plum (although that looks okay in its own right.) And....

Matt
 
SO many projects. Just a few:
  • MAS49/56 I got from a friend with no useful barrel. YEARS of looking, couldn't find a good 7.5 barrel, so I got a .308 and did a Century-like cut down. Now the gun runs, but the timing is just a TINY bit off, so I need to take it apart, chuck up the gun real good, stick some measuring gear on there, and twist the barrel ever so slightly to get it mechanically zeroed better.
  • I have a few guns with no rail mount capability, or rather I'd hate to have rails, but want to stick a light on. So, I am doing a version of an 80s trick I saw, a bayonet mount light. In the old days, you could get broken M7s for a song, but those dried up, so I got cheap M7 hardware (front loop and rear attachment) off eBay, had a friend laser cut a plate to resemble the handle of the bayonet, and sometime I'll file it to fit together, weld on a steel 1" ring base, and then I can clamp on a Surefire, clip the thing to anything that takes a US style bayonet.
But many other fun things like getting the new gas plug for the SIG 556/551, function checking that with the suppressor (and not) to see if I need to tweak the port sizes. And so on like that. So, many projects have to wait in line.
 
I still have a couple projects that have been finished but I never got around to actually shooting them, but I have only one incomplete project at the moment. I bought this contender as a complete pistol 2 years ago and sold the barrel, scope, and grip for almost as much as I paid for the complete pistol. I also got this stock and forend off an ebay auction. The plan was to get a barrel built in 5.7x28 and I even bought 1000 rounds of brass and dies, but then when hornet brass became availible again I started to think K-hornet or 20 hornet instead and I never made up my mind. I even have a scope and mount for it.

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SO many projects. Just a few:
  • MAS49/56 I got from a friend with no useful barrel. YEARS of looking, couldn't find a good 7.5 barrel, so I got a .308 and did a Century-like cut down. Now the gun runs, but the timing is just a TINY bit off, so I need to take it apart, chuck up the gun real good, stick some measuring gear on there, and twist the barrel ever so slightly to get it mechanically zeroed better.
Did you catch Ian's video last month on the experimental French 49/56 in 7.62 NATO? Sounds like they had some of the same problems as Century getting their's running reliably.

 
I finished some mild projects over the long winter and didn't get to shoot them. Now that summer finally arrived I am too busy to shoot them. I have a camper up North where guns are not allowed. Bummer.
 
Our project gun is a 1916 Newton Rifle in 30-06. Externally, the rifle is good. However, Bubba got to the works. That's a killer since the rifle is uncommon. Specific information is hard to find. Tons of history but little, if anything, about the guts.
This rifle is featured and profusely illustrated on page 65, 66 and 67 in the book "The Mauser Archive" by Jon Speed.
 
A 93 Mauser. I want to make it a scout rifle. All I have to do is get an S&K mount for the scout scope I have had for a full year now. I keep building AR's instead.
kwg
 
I had suppressed this one. This involves two Husqvarna 96 based Swedish sporters. One is in 8mm and the other is 9.3x57. Shot the 8mm first. That was not thrilling. Actually, it was downright horrible. Got to start from scratch by slugging the bore. Got dies for the 8mm. The second, the 9.3x57, has a Pecar scope on a side mount. Cases have been formed and everything is ready to go except me. These rifles are in good condition with the possible exception of the scopes. There is a third rifle. It's a FN based 9.3x57. It's gonna take some gunsmithing. The crown is damaged and some other features that need to have work done. This project is moving in geological time. Got other stuff done but these rifles are on some kind of intentional unintentional hold.
 
Gunny, thanks for the information. What's the problem is the bolt release has seen Bubba. We don't know what these parts look like. Hope this helps. Take care and be safe.

When you're ready to proceed, why not create a new posting with some photos of your rifle's bolt release (or the place where it should be) on Rifle Country? Somebody here may own a Newton with compatible parts, which they could then photograph and/or dimension to help you fabricate new replacements.
 
One of the stalled projects from the OP has moved out of limbo and onto my completed list: the custom TC Encore carbine barrel I ordered from Match Grade Machine arrived yesterday.

I took it to the indoor range this morning and initial results were entirely positive -- details in a future posting.

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As noted in post #14, I've been waiting on a new barrel from McGowen. Well, it arrived, and the threads were not cut correctly; wouldn't fit my trued 700 action. A local custom gun builder confirmed that the problem was the barrel and not the action, so back to McGowen. Just received the second shipping notification, though, so maybe next week I'll finally be able to assemble the new 22-250AI.
 
Well, it’s not one or two hundred. But I have been buying project guns for some time for when I retire. I guess I’ll have to get started on them next year.
I have others but don’t have pics of them.
Looks like the Louisiana State Armory aka Gunny's place has quite a backlog of projects. You really need your own cartouche and metal stamps.
 
FWIW, I have three projects at the gunsmith now for completion, a Colt New Police revolver getting a new barrel, a No. 2 Enfield (A No. 1 converted to .22 LR for training purposes) but I actually found a bare Ishapore .22 Enfield Receiver to complement the original .22LR No. 2 factory barrel. The gunsmith is completing the job by installing a barrel sleeve to restore accuracy to the old pitted and worn barrel, and fixing an early Colt Semi-Auto 1903. He will be getting my 1903 conversion mentioned in another thread to .22 LR using a 1903 receiver with m1922 M2 parts and barrel when he finishes those jobs.

I have several antique restorations going on including a Lebel, Trapdoor, Mauser 71/84, fixing some cracks, chips, and dings on a GEW 88 stock with a minor bolt head issue, and a restoration of a Lithgow DP Training Rifle (not to firing condition but as a completion of Enfield collection/wallhanger). Right now my fascination is more with the transitory 1860's black powder era for military rifles to the 1890's smokeless for future projects. At some point, I will probably switch over to percussion and then even flintlocks but I am interested only in some major changes in those.

I have several more modern bolt actions to play around with and am thinking that in the future I will probably use these to make various rifle projects that never existed in reality such as maybe a scoped RIA 03 Sniper for WWII, a Mauser 41 replica in .22 LR, and so on. I really do not care if these are single shots which are much easier to do as conversions as shooting them is part of the fun and as bare parts assemblages, these have little collector or historical interest anyway.
 
Update. Between guns and house, I made a list that is like 50 items long!

Knocked out two in the last few days. Now, need to get to the range.

1) Got a rail I didn't end up liking off the .300 upper (anyone want to buy a 10" MCSR rail?), put on a normal nut, my favorite rail, the suppressor mount, etc. Ready to go!
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The black one is the newly-updated upper
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2) Finally executed on a weird project to make a suppressor cover that doesn't trap the heat. Seems solid, need to try it out now.
 
I have one that could be considered in limbo I suppose. It's where I can easily see it. Does that keep out of limbo? It's been sitting in that corner for a looooong time. Years ago I assembled all I needed to build a black powder rifle just like I wanted. Douglas barrel, Triple X tiger maple stock blank, and all the assorted other stuff to make a complete rifle and even got started on it. All the metal work is done. Just need to get busy and get after that stock. Maybe this winter I'll get off my bubble and do something with it. Or maybe not.
 
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