mcb
Member
Not sure if this should be here or in the revolver sub forum? Both probably.
Last weekend I added a new tool to my shop that I have wanted for several years now. A 1965 South Bend 10K lathe. 1 HP motor and came with a decent number of accessories and tooling. Tooling especially. There was well over a $1000 of Kennametal carbide inserts and the associated tool holders. The only critical accessory missing was a drill chuck and that was an easy accessory to get.
Please excuse the mess. I have been doing alot of test and making sure everything was running true and level.
And keeping this on the topic of firearms my first mini project was a moonclip straightener. As most of you know I am a big fan of moonclip feed revolvers. In my years of flinging moonclips at cylinders I have collect a moderate number moonclips that have gotten kicked, stepped on, or otherwise abused. The pile was not big enough to justify the $100 for a commercial moonclip saver but it was the perfect little project for the new lathe.
It's a fairly simply design. I turned it from two cut-offs from some 4140 1.25 OD bar stock. It's a simple two piece gadget with a post and socket but the face where the two halves meet are at an angle instead of perpendicular to the axis. My version uses a 20 degree angle (140 included angle).
But does it work? Yeah, it appears to work pretty good. The angle was a guess having never laid hands on one. To straighten a moonclip you put the moonclip over the post and press the top down firmly, this will flatten and then cone the moonclip in one direction. Flip is over and repeat. Flip is over a second time and press it down but less firmly this time, increasing the pressure in increments, just enough to remove the cone shape leaving it flat.
Damaged S&W 610 6-shot 10mm moonclip. That does not look too bad but that is enough bend to make the double action trigger pull almost too hard to pull.
Straighten moonclip.
Damaged S&W 627 8-shot 357 Magnum moonclip. The thinner moonclips for rimmed cartridges are noticeably easier to straighten.
Straightened.
Well the first of many projects both firearms and non-firearms related.
Last weekend I added a new tool to my shop that I have wanted for several years now. A 1965 South Bend 10K lathe. 1 HP motor and came with a decent number of accessories and tooling. Tooling especially. There was well over a $1000 of Kennametal carbide inserts and the associated tool holders. The only critical accessory missing was a drill chuck and that was an easy accessory to get.
Please excuse the mess. I have been doing alot of test and making sure everything was running true and level.
And keeping this on the topic of firearms my first mini project was a moonclip straightener. As most of you know I am a big fan of moonclip feed revolvers. In my years of flinging moonclips at cylinders I have collect a moderate number moonclips that have gotten kicked, stepped on, or otherwise abused. The pile was not big enough to justify the $100 for a commercial moonclip saver but it was the perfect little project for the new lathe.
It's a fairly simply design. I turned it from two cut-offs from some 4140 1.25 OD bar stock. It's a simple two piece gadget with a post and socket but the face where the two halves meet are at an angle instead of perpendicular to the axis. My version uses a 20 degree angle (140 included angle).
But does it work? Yeah, it appears to work pretty good. The angle was a guess having never laid hands on one. To straighten a moonclip you put the moonclip over the post and press the top down firmly, this will flatten and then cone the moonclip in one direction. Flip is over and repeat. Flip is over a second time and press it down but less firmly this time, increasing the pressure in increments, just enough to remove the cone shape leaving it flat.
Damaged S&W 610 6-shot 10mm moonclip. That does not look too bad but that is enough bend to make the double action trigger pull almost too hard to pull.
Straighten moonclip.
Damaged S&W 627 8-shot 357 Magnum moonclip. The thinner moonclips for rimmed cartridges are noticeably easier to straighten.
Straightened.
Well the first of many projects both firearms and non-firearms related.
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