A Cowboy Coach

[Sharps40]

Well, now that half of the hard barrel working is done (rejoining is completed, bite is pending), and while I await the delivery of several action parts, I suppose its time to finish up the front end. (all the work listed is proposed under the assumption that the bite can be brought back to somewhere between acceptable and like new)
Next jobs will be to:
1 Install the bead front sight, a simple brass bead on the tip rib, centering, taping and drilling a hole 6x48 for the bead (also providing a stop for the snap on front sight light pipe to abut.)
2. Make up a front sling swivel mount between the barrels using the final section of the left over TC muzzleloader under rib as the mount.
3. Checking the muzzles for square cut and as needed truing them up and deburring the inner and outer circumferences.
4. Packing and filling the gap between barrels at the muzzle with epoxy.
5. Ream and polish long forcing cones just ahead of the chambers.
6. Initial polish of the bores interior surfaces.

 

[Sharps40]

The barrel to water table gap before final fitting of the loop and breech face to the action.

The 99% resting place of the barrels after fitting the loop and breech face to the action. With just a skif of metal removed in the right places on the loop and the breech faces, the rear of the barrels dropped about .015" to full contact with the recoil shields.

I wonder if the recoil shields should be scalloped?

 

[sw0596]

Awesome thread. You should consider taking this thread and all of the others you've done over time and have them published in a book. I would buy it.

 

[Sharps40]

Nah, its all here for free under my handle. One of these days the old fingers'll be too stiff with arthur-itus and the eyes too fuzzy with my-opia and I'll be lookin for one of yall to tweek something for me!

 

[Sharps40]

A little work this evening.

Front bead sight.....scissors jig does not fit the barrels or the low rib so counting grooves in the rib to find and tap a spot on center for a #31 hole that gets tapped 6x48 TPI. Naturally, an even number of grooves and the center falls on the top of one instead of in between!

After drilling and tapping, the bead is installed and the snap on snap off sight levered into place behind it.

View from the shoulder end...big bead for old eyes and the snap on light pipe just because it fits.

Like the Classy Coach, a bit of left over TC Muzzleloader Under Rib is drilled and contoured for use as a front sling mount between the barrels.

A bit more shaping of the mount to do and a sling swivel mount to screw and solder in place but with the screw heads domed here for a bit smoother shape.

And finally, I finished honing in the loop for the hinge pin. The pin is .324" and just to be sure I'm going to be happy in the long run, I'll make up a .326 or .328" pin and check the fit/closure. I'd rather have it a bit tight and let it work in to perfection than to chance a pin fit that's right on the edge of being too small. Besides, its only a 20 minute job and bolts are cheep, worth some experimentation.

I did smoke the barrel extension and check the fit of the top snap lever in the bite. No Go. No contact what so ever! So, I can't see further abuse of the extension. I'll have to hope a replacement lever or shiming of either of one of the levers or even dovetailing and soldering in a piece of tool steel in the extension will provide me enough metal to establish a good bite to hold the action firmly closed........otherwise......parts gun!

 

[Sharps40]

Much better. Made up a pin tapered from .326 at the tip to .336 at the fattest end. The bearing point between the water tables measures .328. Polished it out at 400g in oil and it fairly shines. Fit is great and with a drop of oil the gun opens and closes quite smoothly. Fit was so good I gave it a tremendous crunch with the Medium Smasher Wacker to set it in the action. No flop and the breeches still sit pretty darn good for a gun made in the late 30s or mid 40s.

So, for tonight, patient rework, not unexpected and worth a bit of extra effort. Now both the pin and the loop are well polished into place and the bearing is nearly full. Not as perfect as a hinge job done with a reamer but, this ain't no Perazzi or Ljutic neither.

The new polished pin, scavenged from a 1964 C10 front suspension, turned on the drill press with files and polishing paper and the dimensions checked regularly to bring in the size and taper I wanted over the 2"+ length of unthreaded shaft. Don't throw away good grade 5 or grade 8 hardware......they also make fantastic firing pins. Lightly tapped in place to check for looseness in the joining.....it ain't loose!

The original pin in the right knee that held the original hinge pin in place was drilled out. I redrilled the hole #29 to about 2/3 through the new hinge pin. Tapped the hole 8x40 and counter sunk the hole to bury the screw head so it don't rub the fore end iron.

An 8x40 screw head is back cut to fit the tapered shape of the bottom of the drilled recess, the top of the screw domed and thinned a bit and then its run in and snugged down. A touch of blue Loctite later will secure it and later, if someone wants to replace the hinge pin, they will thank me for not installing a blind pin that has to be drilled out again.

I have a snug .010" gap at the rear of the action to allow for fitting the bite later when the new top snap comes in.

Barrels are snug as a bug on their rejoin to the action, whole assembly works smoothly with a drop of oil in the right places, soot transfers where it should and I'm anxiously awaiting the ordered parts, tentatively scheduled to arrive this week.

 

[Sharps40]

Hmmmmmm....thinkin about scallops and beaded edges on the action again.....but, that durn bite just has to be first. Worst case, there is a nice set of spare Fox Mod B barrels with a lovely unmolested bite for sale.....

I wonder if I can brown the barrels and leave the rib black.....

 

[Sharps40]

No fighting tonight all is well and still waitin for parts that USPS said would be delivered today.....dayum priority mail, only guaranteed to reach the post office on time.....usually takes another day or two to get the last 5 miles from there to my mail box.

For tonight, finishing up the home made front sling swivel mount. I'll make it QD. Won't be buying any parts though, a trip to the junk box supplied me fine with a too large old school fixed loop screw (10x32 fixed loop and I need 8x32 QD stud) to modify and a pair of nifty Uncle Mikes QD Rings. Long time ago I spent $5 at Numrich and received a large box of assorted loops, QD swivels, studs, sling screws and mounts.....ain't bought none in about 20 years. I just pick what I need or modify one to suit. Tonight is modify.

So....an old style fixed loop spinning head sling swivel stud with the loop and spinny head removed. Leaves me with too big a head and too big a screw. So, first, over to the drill press to spin the head down some with a file. After which, I reversed it and turned the 10-32 threaded stud to .190"....the major diameter for 8x32 thread. Then run it into the die to put on the right size thread.

After using the scope mounting scissors jig to drill a hole where I wanted it, a check of the fit.....needs to loose some diameter and length. So, back to the drill press and file.

Spinning the head down and shortening it and contouring it with files and sand paper at 3000 rpm. ..... Gets done fast. Don't need a lathe neither. About as easy to do with a hand drill.

Final check fit looks great.

After threading it to the home made base with a bit of flux, I solder the stud into place so it will never back out or pull out of the base.....

Looks good. I'da been happy to have this shorty with buckshot when I got that bear. Heard it moan, knew it was dead. Walked over, checked, set rifle down unloaded, dragged Mr. Bear up onto the log for a photo, he moaned, I jumped, screamed and fell backwards in the crick with no rifle within 8 feet......nothing. Seems it was the air rushing out of the hole in his chest made the moan. Had I had this shotgun handy, I'da prolly shot it in the head while on my butt in the creek!

And just because it was raining and I have no spare parts yet.....I picked a length for the forcing cones and proceeded to ream them both into place. Just need to polish them out in the morning but they look pretty good. $90 for the reamer and tap handle, new in box.....that's bout $15 per forcing cone for the 6 I have cut to date. One day I'll find a set of TruChoke thin wall tooling at a similar deal, and I'll give her a whirl for sure.

 

[Redneck1919]

You could probably make a chunk of money with a Youtube channel.

 

[HERMET]

Where are you getting a stock from?