Author Topic: Rebuilding a Frankenrifle finally done. (Read 5044 times)

BJH · « **on:** March 26, 2023, 08:01:46 PM »

A customer of mine had the misfortune of running into a hack Gunsmith I mean butcher. He’s from the upper mid west so is the so called gunbuilder. The rifle was supposed to be a rendition of the Last of the Mohicans gun carried by DDL. As I should I’m starting with the breech, here’s pictures of how the plug was installed and the fine workmanship involved.

Note the huge notch cut out of the breech plug face. Continuing all the way across the breech face. Not to mention the offset tang bolt hole. The human eye will detect about .005 off center depending on the proximity of the edges. This was .040 off.

BJH · « **Reply #1 on:** March 26, 2023, 08:08:39 PM »

New plug fitted and installed, rebreeched deeper to eliminate the previous touch hole damage.

BJH · « **Reply #2 on:** March 26, 2023, 08:32:46 PM »

Quote from: BJH on March 26, 2023, 08:08:39 PM

New plug fitted and installed, rebreeched deeper to eliminate the previous touch hole damage.

BJH · « **Reply #3 on:** March 26, 2023, 08:44:20 PM »

The gun will be restocked as there are too numerous problems for salvage. Note the scabbed on cheek piece. I will end the bashing of the other fellows work here. It just makes my really angry that a person charged my customer really good money for this mess. All future posts of this project will be about the actual restock. BJH

rich pierce · « **Reply #4 on:** March 26, 2023, 09:04:57 PM »

I haven’t had the good fortune to run into something of that quality. Thankfully! Restocks are at least as much work as a scratch build in my view. Best of luck with it.

Mike Brooks · « **Reply #5 on:** March 26, 2023, 11:24:26 PM »

I restocked a few of those many years ago. I found my magic Woo-Woo stick to be really handy.

BJH · « **Reply #6 on:** March 27, 2023, 03:31:36 AM »

Ending the work for this evening. 3 am get up for work. Barrel tangs in now for pins tomorrow and inletting the lock if life stays out of my hair. BJH

Mule Brain · « **Reply #7 on:** March 27, 2023, 11:09:01 PM »

Yup, salvage what you can and start over. What were they thinking, oh wait, they weren't!

BJH · « **Reply #8 on:** June 23, 2023, 06:43:47 PM »

Here’s the first picture in a long time, breech plug and touch hole lay out. And first layout for lock. BJH

BJH · « **Reply #9 on:** June 23, 2023, 06:51:12 PM »

Barrel lug pin layout. To hit the other Guys holes in the lugs. Amazingly I hit each hole on the money.

Now on to inletting the lock plate. BJH
Oops looks like I repeated one of the pics.

BJH · « **Reply #10 on:** June 23, 2023, 10:08:47 PM »

Lock plate inletted. Time for a munch break before cutting clearance mortises for the moving parts. One minor error to fix. I’m out of practice I guess.

I had to solder his old lock bolt into the plate and cut it off. It will be hidden behind the frizzen spring. A misplaced 10-32 as a front lock bolt is not going to work with a 5/32 web. BJH

BJH · « **Reply #11 on:** August 05, 2023, 06:42:01 PM »

Lock mortise is complete. Trigger and plate were disassembled, old tang bolt hole filled with the old tang bolt, fluxed soldered and cut off, and filed flush. Trigger plate and trigger inletted, new holes drilled and tapped for the new tang bolt with the correct geometry. Trigger lever cut and filed to suit the sear arm. Temporary tang bolt installed. Trigger and lock work correctly. Possibly a bit more clearance will be needed when fly is in lock. On to the butt plate... BJH

BJH · « **Reply #12 on:** August 05, 2023, 06:51:22 PM »

Lay out for butt plate complete. Inletting is done. A challenging butt plate to fit. Cast steel does not allow much tweaking. Has to be fitted neatly no peening minor gaps shut like you can with soft brass. Screws installed, now time to do butt stock shaping lay out.

BJH · « **Reply #13 on:** September 26, 2023, 11:24:26 PM »

Sorry I didn’t record some steps. The electric Psyko beaver attacked, and chewed off most of the waste wood on the but stock. Then I went to work with the rasps and files, but stock is rough shaped. And lock panels are established, fore end roughing is next.

BJH · « **Reply #14 on:** September 26, 2023, 11:39:02 PM »

A few more pictures.

Oops looks like the pictures posted in reverse order. BJH

BJH · « **Reply #15 on:** September 26, 2023, 11:47:53 PM »

Elimination of old pin holes, by drilling and tapping the holes and soldering 8-32 steel bolts into the holes.

Then hacksawing and fileing away the waste. BJH

mountainman · « **Reply #16 on:** September 27, 2023, 02:28:17 AM »

Quote from: BJH on March 26, 2023, 08:08:39 PM

New plug fitted and installed, rebreeched deeper to eliminate the previous touch hole damage.

So would that mean the barrel is shorter than what it was originally?

BJH · « **Reply #17 on:** September 27, 2023, 06:04:21 PM »

The barrel was not shortened. As the touch hole was not lined, and was at the rear end of the gouge in the old breech plug. I extended the breech threads to 5/8 deep and drilled and taped the old touch hole for a 8-32 bolt. Shortened the bolt so it would end at the minor diameter of the breech threads. Ran the bolt in with lock tight red. Let every thing set up over night. Then I ran the breech plug tap in and threaded over the inside end of the bolt, effectively making it part barrel. This makes the plugged hole every bit of 5/16 or more, behind the face of the new breech plug. Then my liner was installed in front of the breech face. All this was done as the owner/customer was adamant about retaining all the barrel length. Plus the rear sight dovetail was already cut by the other guy and was pretty close to the practical rearward limit for middle aged eyesight. BJH

Steeltrap · « **Reply #18 on:** September 28, 2023, 02:09:37 AM »

Quote from: BJH on March 26, 2023, 08:44:20 PM

The gun will be restocked as there are too numerous problems for salvage. Note the scabbed on cheek piece. I will end the bashing of the other fellows work here. It just makes my really angry that a person charged my customer really good money for this mess. All future posts of this project will be about the actual restock. BJH

Well.....it is a rifle...by definition

BJH · « **Reply #19 on:** September 28, 2023, 05:15:48 PM »

I asked the owner if he wanted the remains turned into a war club, when I finish the rebuild. To be brought to him with the finished rebuild. Imagine that he declined GBG

Bob Roller · « **Reply #20 on:** October 17, 2023, 04:35:47 PM »

My attention to this thread has been almost zero but IF the maker claimed to BE a GUNmaker then that's another story.Making harsh remarks about a first attempt as happened to me with the first locks I made is harmful and out of line

.For me the learning curve was
long and having few tools and only a bench with a vise wasn't much help.Going to farce,whoever made this one took $500 in parts and made a $75 gun and id a great job

.
Bob Roller

BJH · « **Reply #21 on:** November 04, 2023, 11:14:50 PM »

A lot has been accomplished. We now have a shootable rifle in the white. Now it’s time for a sliding wood patch box. BJH

BJH · « **Reply #22 on:** November 04, 2023, 11:20:59 PM »

Two patch box lids were made, tolerances on all important dimensions on the dovetails and taper were held to .005. This assuring interchangeability between the lids. One will be destined to be a “period of use replacement”. BJH

Hungry Horse · « **Reply #23 on:** November 05, 2023, 12:48:20 AM »

The original rifle should be proof that there really needs to be an intelligence test for potential buyers of beautifully figured wood.

Hungry Horse

Jdbeck · « **Reply #24 on:** November 05, 2023, 01:58:17 AM »

Quote from: Hungry Horse on November 05, 2023, 12:48:20 AM

The original rifle should be proof that there really needs to be an intelligence test for potential buyers of beautifully figured wood.

Hungry Horse

🤣🤣

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Author Topic: Rebuilding a Frankenrifle finally done. (Read 5044 times)