A Cowboy Coach

[Sharps40]

Found it. LC Smith trigger guard blank for an SxS. Long time back, they was on sale at Numrich, back when it was still GunPartsCorp/Thompson Auto Ordinance (givin away my time in grade there) for about $2 each. I bought a double handful and have used em on everything from Mauser Rifle Customs to the current shotgun project. They are nice, and with a blank stud, threadable to most any action. Now they are $11.75 and a buncha shipping. So, a nice upgrade in the looks and usability department (the loop is large for gloved hands.)

So, after putting suitable 1/4-20 threads on the stud with a good sharp die.

Some light tweaking of the loop and a bit of reshaping of the mangled and bent triggers will be required. But it'll work fine for a straight or pistol grip stock.....and if not, Numrich has a lovely brass Hawken Guard that could be adapted.

Gonna be purty I think....

 

[Sharps40]

One last job, before I go see Dad, and to stop it naggin at me.

Had the top snap lever at 6 o'clock with much fitting of the old abused barrel extension and a new used top snap lever. Plenty good....I wanted it better.

So, make the barrel extension future repairable with a soldered on shim. New and thicker shims can be put into place in the future as needed, no more beating the barrel extension to adjust the bite.

A .003 steel shim was chosen, cleaned on the back with sandpaper, heated on an old file and tinned with acid flux and Hi Force 44 low temp solder.

Then the bite of the barrel extension was cleaned, roughed up and tinned.

The shim was wedged into the barrel extension with acid flux on both tinned sides and the stub heated until a daub of extra solder flowed down and through to the heat source.....here it is cooling down for filing and clean up.

After clean up and a touch of cold blue to see if the solder line is real thin....it is, I can't see a solder line! Thin is good, strong. After looking it over and over, I checked the floor to see if the shim fell off......it didn't, but is sure is hard to see if a shim is there or not.

Yep, shim is there.....lovely....5 o'clock on the top snap lever! Just where I wanted it to start and it'll seat good with the first session or two at the range and then be fine as fine can be for many thousands of shots. Happy Joy......now to go see Dad!

 

[Sharps40]

I think I might just have finally cut the head off of this zombie.

 

[Sharps40]

Got all the springs in. Gotta order wood. But that will wait a few days. Goin deer hunting!!!!!

 

[7pt62THOR]

Good luck brother!

 

[Sharps40]

Thanks. Had to delay Dads portion of the hunt till December due to some health issues, but he's gettin better and in the meantime, a buddy and I are gunning for the Big 16 thats hangin on the gun cameras for several months now! Dad is madder than billy be dayumed but I told him IF we see that Big 16 we's as liable to poop our pants as actually get off a good shot, so mebby he still has a chance at it! He says he hopes we poop.

 

[Sharps40]

Got back at it this morning....check running the new spring sets. Just a reassembly and function test and all went well.

Installing the new reduced power top snap spring with the help of a chunk of slotted brake tube.....I managed to get all the bends out of the top snap rod and now its the right shape, two bends, not seven, and long enough to properly function the safety.

Not the original springs for these spanking new firing pins, but slightly tapered so one end grabs the pin and the other end slides without binding. Screw heads needed polished down from .344 to .336 to clearance the new pins shafts. Both screw heads will need filed down slightly to adjust firing pin protrusion....mostly on the left barrel.

Pins and hammers back in place with new wolf reduced power main springs on the hammers.....the short barrels now hang fully open of their own weight, and since the actuating rod was slightly shortened, they hang open wider. No longer have to wedge the butt on a leg while camming the barrels down to extract the spent shells.

Broken left trigger spring needs replaced......

And here with new springs on both triggers and all function checks and safety checks passed.....time to polish out the bores.

 

[Sharps40]

Freed up some time, energy and a touch of cash. Stock wood is on hand and well machined. Very much oversized but close where it counts.

Initial fit.....

Prussian blue indicates not much contact.

After shaving away the blue spots, some contact on one side and still none on the other.

Keep shaving away at the blue marked wood until there is a good fit. I'll probably skin it at the end with a touch of glass bedding. Makes the fit perfect and seals the endgrain against oil.

Almost there, a touch more work to do on the left side.

A quick peak at what an English straight stock and splinter forend will look like. Gotta shave the butt though, it needs a vented recoil pad.

 

[cskiles]

Good to see you back at it!

 

[Sharps40]

Yep. Feels good. Working and huntin now. Saw a broke leg doe tonight. High alert and no shot. But she was right on time, 10 after 5 they move through. Tomorrow night, another sit in a fresh spot and some better cover. If she's three leggin it back through and close enough, I have a 395g bolt with her name on it.