Woo, wait a minute. I thought youtube was free....you know, folks doing stupid stuff and their supposed buddies hangin it out there? Ya mean to tell me theys getting paid? That aint right!
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A Cowboy Coach
- Thread starter Sharps40
- Start date
Woo, wait a minute. I thought youtube was free....you know, folks doing stupid stuff and their supposed buddies hangin it out there? Ya mean to tell me theys getting paid? That aint right!
Been watchin gunsmoker. Numrich maybe but pretty spendy there. Looked over boyds, all pretty spendy too. Also lookin at Macongunstocks and gunstocksinc. Leaning toward gunstocksinc for both chunks of wood
It is free to watch. But believe it or not there are some smart folks on there doing interesting things a lot of people want to see and advertisers are willing to pay.
Finally. Parts. New used top snap lever and its larger and unworn and I believe this shotgun may well (I hope) leave the "Parts Gun" tag in the trash.
New used lever is always right in the photos.
Here, the underside showing significantly less wear and "fixing" applied to the new used lever.
Here on the top side, the New Used lever has not been "Fixed" by filing/polishing it down, or at least, not worn out! The old lever is a good bit thinner than the replacement. Likely age, wear and tear and past "repairs" to the gun.
The new used lever in place. Barrel shut and no work to the barrel extension done yet. I may still shim the barrel extension with tool steel, its been so abused, but I think this one is gonna be okay.....long as I dont' mess up!
New used lever is always right in the photos.
Here, the underside showing significantly less wear and "fixing" applied to the new used lever.
Here on the top side, the New Used lever has not been "Fixed" by filing/polishing it down, or at least, not worn out! The old lever is a good bit thinner than the replacement. Likely age, wear and tear and past "repairs" to the gun.
The new used lever in place. Barrel shut and no work to the barrel extension done yet. I may still shim the barrel extension with tool steel, its been so abused, but I think this one is gonna be okay.....long as I dont' mess up!
Shortening the pin at the arrow, slightly, opens the gun further and can allow it to remain fully open even with the heavy factory springs. How much to shorten....depends on the gun. Cut and polish and try.
As you cut, polish, try, watch the engagement at the arrow.....leave enough overlap to properly draw the hammers back.....watch the extractor, is it up high enough for shell rims to clear the top of the action and finally, will the lighter barrels hold the action open against the heavy mainsprings without help from your third hand.
Clean out between the barrels at the muzzle end.
Tightly pack in 0000 steel wool soaked in flux, if you'll be soldering the ends shut....note gold color of the solder holding on the ribs. This barrel is hard soldered/brazed. It can be hot tank blued and the gaps at the muzzle can be carefully soldered shut with soft solder if you like.
I just use JB weld, original slow set, not the quick set. Easy, blends well, holds permanent. So, I pack in tightly some DRY 0000 steel wool....keeps the epoxy from running down the barrels.
For JB Weld, I push the steel wool down about the length of the short arm on an allen wrench.
Mix, fill, tamp with a tooth pic to get out the air bubbles, add more.....build up a bit of excess and clean it off the rib before it hardens.
Hang it up and leave it alone for 5 to 6 hours till it firms up. It will be full strength in about another day.
Meantime, some other issues to consider.....
Broken left side trigger spring retainer ear....
Safety spring broken off in its hole and wedged in tight and made of spring steel so it ain't likely to be drilled out!
Both original and replacement lever bind in the top of the action at the same place. It appears the top of the action may have taken a blow in the past and one side has been swaged into the top snap levers, cutting the score marks you see here. Not only is the blue removed, the sharp edge is cutting into the top snap levers. Some clearancing is indicated before finalizing fit of the barrels to action.
As you cut, polish, try, watch the engagement at the arrow.....leave enough overlap to properly draw the hammers back.....watch the extractor, is it up high enough for shell rims to clear the top of the action and finally, will the lighter barrels hold the action open against the heavy mainsprings without help from your third hand.
Clean out between the barrels at the muzzle end.
Tightly pack in 0000 steel wool soaked in flux, if you'll be soldering the ends shut....note gold color of the solder holding on the ribs. This barrel is hard soldered/brazed. It can be hot tank blued and the gaps at the muzzle can be carefully soldered shut with soft solder if you like.
I just use JB weld, original slow set, not the quick set. Easy, blends well, holds permanent. So, I pack in tightly some DRY 0000 steel wool....keeps the epoxy from running down the barrels.
For JB Weld, I push the steel wool down about the length of the short arm on an allen wrench.
Mix, fill, tamp with a tooth pic to get out the air bubbles, add more.....build up a bit of excess and clean it off the rib before it hardens.
Hang it up and leave it alone for 5 to 6 hours till it firms up. It will be full strength in about another day.
Meantime, some other issues to consider.....
Broken left side trigger spring retainer ear....
Safety spring broken off in its hole and wedged in tight and made of spring steel so it ain't likely to be drilled out!
Both original and replacement lever bind in the top of the action at the same place. It appears the top of the action may have taken a blow in the past and one side has been swaged into the top snap levers, cutting the score marks you see here. Not only is the blue removed, the sharp edge is cutting into the top snap levers. Some clearancing is indicated before finalizing fit of the barrels to action.
Barrels were successfully joined previously. Last step is establishing a good bite between top snap lever and barrel extension to hold the barrels closed when shooting.
Once the inside of the actions lever slot was deburred and the replacement (and much thicker) lever was smoked and fitted for free movement, I install the old top snap spring and check to see that it moves freely under spring power and does not bind open. Success. I have to hold it open with my thumb or it snaps closed (since I have removed the top snap plunger for the time being)
The barrel extension, lower and upper, are smoked, fitted, filed and smoked again for more fitting and filing. I have to remove the rolled up edges on the lower extension caused by all the peening and see if there is still enough metal to engage the top snap lever and hold the barrels closed.
It takes several fits but eventually I have a nice flat surface that mates well with the top snap lever. The barrels will be held closed. Next time this one needs fitting, that poor abused barrel extension will have to be shimmed since it would be a fools errand to try to peen it again. (The underside of the upper extension is also fitted to just clear the top snap lever. Don't bend it......its old and may break off. Since it was tight, likely bent down in the past, I simply file and polish the contact points. Since the barrels faces are on the action, it'll simply serve to help limit downward motion. Ultimately, its mostly just a slot filler for the action, primarily cosmetic.
The barrel extension, cleaned up and smoothed. Looks a bit tired. But, it'll work and work well for quite a while with normal care.
There's and air bubble in my JB weld out front. When it hardens up, I'll drill it out and refill that spot with a dab or two to make it pretty.
Once the inside of the actions lever slot was deburred and the replacement (and much thicker) lever was smoked and fitted for free movement, I install the old top snap spring and check to see that it moves freely under spring power and does not bind open. Success. I have to hold it open with my thumb or it snaps closed (since I have removed the top snap plunger for the time being)
The barrel extension, lower and upper, are smoked, fitted, filed and smoked again for more fitting and filing. I have to remove the rolled up edges on the lower extension caused by all the peening and see if there is still enough metal to engage the top snap lever and hold the barrels closed.
It takes several fits but eventually I have a nice flat surface that mates well with the top snap lever. The barrels will be held closed. Next time this one needs fitting, that poor abused barrel extension will have to be shimmed since it would be a fools errand to try to peen it again. (The underside of the upper extension is also fitted to just clear the top snap lever. Don't bend it......its old and may break off. Since it was tight, likely bent down in the past, I simply file and polish the contact points. Since the barrels faces are on the action, it'll simply serve to help limit downward motion. Ultimately, its mostly just a slot filler for the action, primarily cosmetic.
The barrel extension, cleaned up and smoothed. Looks a bit tired. But, it'll work and work well for quite a while with normal care.
There's and air bubble in my JB weld out front. When it hardens up, I'll drill it out and refill that spot with a dab or two to make it pretty.
A final smoking check this morning before moving on. Barrels are pretty well joined and the top snap is hovering just shy of a 6 oclock position. It may set a bit after some shooting and still require a shim on the extension but I can check that out in a test fire before blueing and browning. For now, looking good.
I suppose the lesson is, takes a lot of effort to get this very simple action design back into shooting shape. Its so much better, even on a cheep single H&R, just to wipe away grit and apply a few drops of oil or dabs of grease so they stay tight for long and long.
In the meantime, and as I consider stock wood......a pair of nice, never used, soft recoil pads standing by. Looks like they will be just the right size. The thicker one a bit softer and may well be the one I wind up using.....plus it has the pad plugs to cover the screw heads. Much easier to neatly install without having to grease the screwdriver shank to protect the pad from tearing.
Finally.....found that pesky aluminum safety button on the floor of the shop. Gathered up a nice left over Ruger NMB trigger return spring to adapt for the safety spring on this shotgun and a nice hunk of O1 tool steel to carve out a new safety button from. This will be todays jobs, getting a functional safety back on. .... Later I gotta run down a pair of Firing Pin springs.....the ones in the gun are both wrong and smushed.
I suppose the lesson is, takes a lot of effort to get this very simple action design back into shooting shape. Its so much better, even on a cheep single H&R, just to wipe away grit and apply a few drops of oil or dabs of grease so they stay tight for long and long.
In the meantime, and as I consider stock wood......a pair of nice, never used, soft recoil pads standing by. Looks like they will be just the right size. The thicker one a bit softer and may well be the one I wind up using.....plus it has the pad plugs to cover the screw heads. Much easier to neatly install without having to grease the screwdriver shank to protect the pad from tearing.
Finally.....found that pesky aluminum safety button on the floor of the shop. Gathered up a nice left over Ruger NMB trigger return spring to adapt for the safety spring on this shotgun and a nice hunk of O1 tool steel to carve out a new safety button from. This will be todays jobs, getting a functional safety back on. .... Later I gotta run down a pair of Firing Pin springs.....the ones in the gun are both wrong and smushed.
Since a piece of the broken spring steel safety spring is wedged in the original hole in the cast iron frame, it can't be drilled out.....the bit will walk off the spring and make a larger hole beside it, chancing breaking out the top. So a new hole for a new spring is drilled beside the old one, just forward. you can barely see the broken chunk of spring in this photo. The original hole, at the rear, for the safety plunger is fine and a new plunger rod is made up and polished for a slip fit.
A section of the ruger trigger spring is clipped. The end heated and the bend increased so that it will wedge in the newly drilled hole for the safety spring. Additionally, the newly made plunger is given a v-groove to trap the end of the spring. Both will allow the spring to wedge in the hole putting tension on the plunger and making the safety snap back and forward in its groove in the top tang.
Here is the new safety assemblage.....gently tapping the bent end of the new spring into the new hole will wedge it snugly and the safety functions just fine. Below the safety, note the broken off ear on the safety rocker pin that captures the left trigger return spring.
A nail, with a large head, is turned down to a snug fit in the safety rocker holes, assembled and other than a broken left trigger return spring, all the parts (left spring, safety rocker, right spring) will be retained in place. On final assembly, I will head the other side of the nail, as I left it long, and it won't fall out even if the stock is removed.
Finally, the crack in the lower tang goes partly thru the tang. I stop drill it vertically, the vertical bit of solder and flux depicts the stop drilled hole that will prevent the crack from traveling further by relieving all stress in the metal at the end of the crack. The crack is then horizontally drilled and a snug fitting nail is tinned and driven in place. When heated, the vertical solder will fill the vertical hole and follow the tinned and fluxed horizontal nail, reinforcing the crack and I'll not worry about it again.
After slow heating with a small propane flame, the solder flows and after a bit of filing, the crack repair is complete.
Now to round up springs for triggers and firing pins. Once fitted, I can function check the action and perhaps move on to restocking.
A section of the ruger trigger spring is clipped. The end heated and the bend increased so that it will wedge in the newly drilled hole for the safety spring. Additionally, the newly made plunger is given a v-groove to trap the end of the spring. Both will allow the spring to wedge in the hole putting tension on the plunger and making the safety snap back and forward in its groove in the top tang.
Here is the new safety assemblage.....gently tapping the bent end of the new spring into the new hole will wedge it snugly and the safety functions just fine. Below the safety, note the broken off ear on the safety rocker pin that captures the left trigger return spring.
A nail, with a large head, is turned down to a snug fit in the safety rocker holes, assembled and other than a broken left trigger return spring, all the parts (left spring, safety rocker, right spring) will be retained in place. On final assembly, I will head the other side of the nail, as I left it long, and it won't fall out even if the stock is removed.
Finally, the crack in the lower tang goes partly thru the tang. I stop drill it vertically, the vertical bit of solder and flux depicts the stop drilled hole that will prevent the crack from traveling further by relieving all stress in the metal at the end of the crack. The crack is then horizontally drilled and a snug fitting nail is tinned and driven in place. When heated, the vertical solder will fill the vertical hole and follow the tinned and fluxed horizontal nail, reinforcing the crack and I'll not worry about it again.
After slow heating with a small propane flame, the solder flows and after a bit of filing, the crack repair is complete.
Now to round up springs for triggers and firing pins. Once fitted, I can function check the action and perhaps move on to restocking.
Getting itchy.......gotta round up springs but working some family stuff first. Thinkin it through, and since there is no trigger guard, I'm leanin toward a straight stock and perhaps either a Hawkins style trigger guard or one of the pretty shotgun guards I have hiddin around here somewhere. And amid all that, I'm getting a real bad itch to convert a Ruger Blackhawk to revolving rifle with perhaps, hand carved Damascus steel trigger guard and back strap assembly......
