Sharps Build

[Harry Eales]

Very nice work, I hope I can do as well

Verrrry Nice work, I hope to do as well.

Itt

Thank you also Cuzzin_itt, I was at one time in my life a professional Miller/Setter/Operator, I left engineering 30 odd years ago, but it's like riding a bike, once you have mastered it, you don't forget how to do it. Sharp, good quality tools are essential, you also need a lot of patience, you can spend half a day or more setting up a job that may only take a couple of minutes to machine. Often that's the only way a job can be done without special fixtures or jigs.

Sorry about the quality of the pictures. I am to digital photography what Adloph Hitler was to World Peace, i.e. not very good at it. It's very similar to my shotgun technique, point, squeeze and hope. :whistle:


May I wish you luck in your venture, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Harry

 

[Cuzzun_itt]

Just an quick update.
Still have a small production run on the mill. Don't have the solid model finished anyway.
I found some of the dimensions that were thought to be missing.
Getting closer.
Still havn't decided to use 8620, 4140 or 4340 for the receiver.

I'll post more later

Itt

 

[Harry Eales]

Just an quick update.
Still have a small production run on the mill. Don't have the solid model finished anyway.
I found some of the dimensions that were thought to be missing.
Getting closer.
Still havn't decided to use 8620, 4140 or 4340 for the receiver.

I'll post more later

Itt

Hello Cuzzun_itt,

In the replica gun making industry 4140 and 8620 seem to be the popular choices as both can be Colour Case Hardened or Blued. I haven't heard of anyone using 4340 for a receiver. But then again I may have missed it.

Harry

 

[Tom Griffin]

As long as you stick to black powder cartridges, there is no need to use a high strength steel for the receiver. Do yourself a favor and use an easy to machine mild steel and case harden it when it is finished. There is a lot of difficult machining in a receiver and the easier the steel is to cut, the better.

Tom

 

[Harry Eales]

As long as you stick to black powder cartridges, there is no need to use a high strength steel for the receiver. Do yourself a favor and use an easy to machine mild steel and case harden it when it is finished. There is a lot of difficult machining in a receiver and the easier the steel is to cut, the better.

Tom

That's really good advice, from TomG especially if your relatively new to machining. The only thing I would add, is stamp the barrel and possibly the action with the words for Black Powder Only. Eventually someone else may acquire your firearm and without that caveat could easily put modern loadings with white or nitro powder loads through it. No one wants a firearm to go KABOOM. The risk with modern mild steels is much less than in times of old, but better safe than sorry.

Harry.

 

[Cuzzun_itt]

As long as you stick to black powder cartridges, there is no need to use a high strength steel for the receiver. Do yourself a favor and use an easy to machine mild steel and case harden it when it is finished. There is a lot of difficult machining in a receiver and the easier the steel is to cut, the better.

Tom

That's really good advice, from TomG especially if your relatively new to machining. The only thing I would add, is stamp the barrel and possibly the action with the words for Black Powder Only. Eventually someone else may acquire your firearm and without that caveat could easily put modern loadings with white or nitro powder loads through it. No one wants a firearm to go KABOOM. The risk with modern mild steels is much less than in times of old, but better safe than sorry.

Harry.

I was thinking about using smokless powder. Black powder is so dirty!
I'm not real familiar with 8620, but i've cut quite a bit of 4140 and 4340.
I don't think I would call 4140 mild steel. Definitley not 4340. They arn't
tool steel but they are tough!! Plus they machine good.

I am still in reasearch mode now and a buddy uses maybe 30000 lbs of
4140 a year so a 3 inch dia bar end 8 inches long is cheap.
Hense, I'm leaning toward 4140. But not if it's not the right material.

As far as difficulty in machining, I plan on calling in a few favors and
maybe oweing a few by the time I get done, I do field service on CNC's
for a living so I have access to lots of other peoples stuff. By the time I
mooche a bar end here and 45 minutes on a wire EDM for the ejector slot
there, then pay back all the favors, I could have most likely have bought
a gun.

But buying one would take all the fun out of it.

However I found 2 at a gun show last weekend, a 45/70 Pedersoli saddle
gun for $800.00 and an Armii? Quigley 45/110 for $1250.00 Figured better
get out of there before I bought one.

Anyway, keep the advice and support coming. I really appreciate it!!

Thanks guys
Itt

 

[Tom Griffin]

On the other hand, if you intend to use smokeless powder in the rifle, you had better possess the necessary engineering knowledge and skills to determine if the action is strong enough to withstand the pressures of the cartridge you intend to use. Otherwise you'll just be building a bomb set to go off in your face. The book "Building a Single-Shot, Falling-Block Rifle Action" by Walter Mueller covers these exercises in great detail, you may want to take a look at it.

Tom

 

[bvd1940]

Got my prints (thanks to ranch):man: and working on a stock list for scrounging 4140 as I am comfortable working with that material :thumbsup:
Then I be ready to join the fun :welding:

 

[Cuzzun_itt]

On the other hand, if you intend to use smokeless powder in the rifle, you had better possess the necessary engineering knowledge and skills to determine if the action is strong enough to withstand the pressures of the cartridge you intend to use. Otherwise you'll just be building a bomb set to go off in your face. The book "Building a Single-Shot, Falling-Block Rifle Action" by Walter Mueller covers these exercises in great detail, you may want to take a look at it.

Tom

That's a very good point Tom, I don't know what would be involved other than building the receiver to print.
Anyone know if that book is still available?

But,,,,? When it was designed black powder was all that was available. That may be reason enough to follow
Harry's advice and lable "Black Powder Only"

As always, thanks and keep 'em coming

Itt

 

[44-henry]

Black powder is what makes those things fun to shoot and is what I use in my Shiloh. You could go with reduced smokeless loads that generate similar pressures to black powder, but why bother? If you are going to the trouble and time to build an action from scratch, a few extra minutes cleaning it after shooting shouldn't be too big a deal)