[Rogelio]

Hi guys!

I have this wild idea...please don´t laugh at me but I think it could be really cool!

The thing is that I have always dreamed of having a gun that nobody else has...and I thought that customizing a gun would be a great idea, customizing both for looks and performance...

Ok, up to now there is nothing to laugh about..well, the crazy stuff is that I wan to start this "fantasy gun" using a bryco .380....:what:

Ok...laugh.....finished....not yet??? Ok...then read when you are...;)

Why chose Bryco? Because I like my Baikal (makarov)TOO MUCH and my glock 25 is WAY too expensive to play with...

So, I thought that there are some changes needed

a) Buy a replacemet barrel ( a STEEL one) but I do not know where to get one that fits...I would like one that was about 1/4 of an inch longer so I could get a Beretta barrel look....can a Makarov barrel (.380 auto, of curse) fit the bryco?

b) Get a afetrmarket trigger and have it adapted to the gun so it can have that look that 1911´s have with the aftermarket trigger...

c) Make it work! (And this is the part where I am asking for LOTS of help)

d) Install a tactical looking laser sight ( Just get a pic of a very cool one and make it out of resin..I am good at it...)

Well, there are ZILLIONS of things you can do to a gun...remember, this is not a carry gun but kind of a weird hobbie...just start with the bryco because I do not want to mess up a real pistol!!!

I know that a lot of people in this forum will just tell me to get another gun, but please..could you just play my game? Maybe we can come up with something kind of great, huh??

All ideas and pics are welcome..please help me out!

Thanks....

Rogelio

[Snowdog]

Ever hear the story of the white elephant?

Good luck with your project. :D

[Justin]

Getting a hardcore custom gun made costs a lot of money. Personally I'd pick something a bit better than a Bryco...

[HSMITH]

I polished a turd once to a luster that was blindingly brilliant, prettiest turd ever seen. Guess what I had when I was done? A TURD!!!

I would not put a dime into the bryco..............

[JohnKSa]

I've done stuff like that out of pure boredom, so I speak from experience.

Don't.

Let me ASSURE you that no one in their right mind is going to look at your finished product and think: "What a cool, one of a kind pistol!". They're going to look at the finished product and think: "What a piece of garbage--I can't believe he spent all that time and money on it."

What I'm telling you is that unless you are a tremendously gifted gunsmith you will not fulfill your dream this way. You will only waste a lot of time and money. There is just no way you are going to transform a Bryco into a "fantasy gun."

Some ideas.

Go find a beat up Ruger .22 autopistol and use it as the basis for your project.

Or maybe use a Ruger 10/22.

Or find an inexpensive used Makarov.

Or get a subscription to Shotgun News and see if any of the surplus guns tickle your fancy.

Something that would probably be very unique is a customized Arcus. One of the original single action pistols that accepted High Power mags. These are good sturdy guns that function well but suffer from a bad case of the uglies. You could probably make a pretty decent range toy if you spent some time with one.

You asked for help, that's the best advice I have.

[Newton]

If you want to trick out a cheap gun and end up with something useful in the process, don't mess with handguns, get yourself a Ruger 10/22.

The aftermarket accessories are plentiful (don't know about their availability in Peru though), and the 10/22 is a good cheap plinker to use as a starting point.

Brycos aren't worthy of your time and money, you will be wasting both.

[C.R.Sam]

Doable...In two steps.

Step one...Jack up the rear sight and put a different gun under it.

Step two...replace the rear sight.

Sam

[Old Fuff]

Before dismissing or ridiculing this poster’s idea notice that he lives in Lima, Peru and may not be able to exercise the many options that are available in the United States. The availability of guns, parts, accessories and other necessities to customize a handgun may not be available to him. While it may not be cost-effective to do what he wants here it may make some sense there. Look at this question again in the light of his circumstances, not ours.

[DDGator]

Bryco barrels, triggers and other custom parts are not going to be available anywhere.

By a .45 kit and build your own from scratch -- replace parts as you wish.

[Kamicosmos]

CR Sam!!! LOL! Spilt my damn tea...

[Snake Eyes]

Doable...In two steps.

Step one...Jack up the rear sight and put a different gun under it.

Step two...replace the rear sight.

Sam

ROFLMFAO*10

That is just freaking hilarious!

PT

[Rogelio]

Old Fuff is right....I CAN'T pay 678.77 USD to get a 10/22 (yes, gun in Lima are VERY VERY VERY expensive toys) and you guys have tons of parts ans stuff that I can only dream of getting access to....you guys are always complaining abouth the ATF..hell, if I only could get a third of the guns you can buy I would be the best armed man in Peru.....

DDgator....45??? Only in my dreams..the biggest handgun caliber you can legally purchase in Peru is .380 acp.....

JohnKsa: Same..9mm??? Cheap used guns??? LOL! We only dream about those here ...

I once was forced to build a shotgun out of metal tubes (I got the blueprints from a now deceased friend who got them from some guy in the net) and it ended up being a pretty reliable 12 gauge..only one shot but the reloading was fast...I will upload the drawings as soon as I can get a scanner...I thought that MAYBE a cheap pistol could be transformed into something reliable...

[Old Fuff]

Your Brcyo is not necessarily hopeless, although it is not likely to stand up to a lot of use because of the materials used in it. The first step is to go shoot it and see if it jams. If so, you need to watch it carefully to see if you can identify what is causing the problem. I expect it will work best with full-jacketed ball ammunition, and that may be all you can get anyway.

It might be possible to have the frame nickel or chrome plated. That would give your gun a two-tone custom look, with the black slide. If not, the frame might be bead-blasted or polished to make the same effect.

It would serve no useful purpose, but you could mount a simulated laser sight on the bottom of the frame in front of the trigger guard. It might also be possible to put what is called a trigger shoe on the trigger to make it wider and give it a custom look. Doing so will not effect the gun's operation, and may make the trigger pull feel better.

Additionally you can paint the grips with enamel (do not use lacquer or anything that might attack plastic - check on the inside first) in any color you like, such as ivory.

At least some of these things can be done with the resources you are likely too have. I regret that your situation in Peru done not offer more choices.

[Zundfolge]

Rogelio, I understand what you're trying to do, but the main problem with the Bryco isn't design or workmanship, the main problem is metalergy.

The quality of the metal used in a Bryco is so bad that any gunsmithing you do to it will probably end up weakening it to the point that it will be dangerous.

You will be better off finding another Makarov. Get a Dremmel and read the instructions on www.makarov.com and you can make the trigger on a Mak 1000% better. Plus (assuming you can legaly order the parts from the US) you can put Novak sights on it and even order nice Walnut grips from makarov.com.

[zxc]

Roge, Id rather get a revolver. can u get a .38 there?

[jercamp45]

I'd rather have a Makarov or a 4inch .38 revolver. And those are guns at the bottom of my list!
Why put money into something like that? But a good gun, ammo, and practise. You want to get fancy doodads......ok, but start with a decent foundation. A 1911 in 38 Super, now that is a great place to start!! Though I would prefer a .45.
A fancy cheap 380 is still a cheap 380...no matter how much you slice it, dice it and sugar coat it!
Jercamp45

[JohnKSa]

What are the laws on fully automatic guns there?

You could build yourself a STEN chambered in .380.

Shouldn't be that hard and would certainly be a one of a kind.

[Rogelio]

Thanks for all the advice!!!

OldFuff: I will try out your advice tomorrow...it looks great!

JohnKsa: No autos permitted for carry..but they are legal if owned by a security company (stupid, huh??)Well I can get the license because my girlfriend owns a security company "High Power". How can I build the sten?? It sounds like a really cool project to me..the only thing being that getting hold of some 9mm ammo will be tricky and expensive..can it be chambered for .380 auto??

Thanks everyone else for the advice, and yes, I do own a 4" .38 spl, a Glock 25 and a Baikal!!!I just want to have a really cool toy that nobody else has at the range!!!

Thanks...will be waiting for the ideas John!

[Rogelio]

Sorry i FORGOT..WHAT IS A TRIGGER SHOE??? Any pics???Where to buy one online???

[JohnKSa]

The STEN was a very simple gun.

It was a round bolt that moved in a pipe.

You should be able to find diagrams on the web.

There were several companies selling pipes of high quality steel that were marked where you need to cut out the metal.

You could take the rest of the parts from a STEN kit and build a STEN. I think that they have made them stop selling the kits and the pipes now.

To make it a .380, you would just lighten the bolt or use a spring that's not so stiff.

It fires from the open bolt which means that the bolt chambers a round and fires it when you pull the trigger. As long as the trigger is pulled the bolt keeps cycling. When you release the trigger the bolt is caught in the open position.

There doesn't need to be a firing pin, just a protrusion on the bolt face to fire the primer when the chambering process stops the round from moving forward.

You can probably get away without using an extractor if you get the bolt/spring calibrated properly but it will be less reliable when it gets dirty.

Magazines may be a problem, they could be hard to make. I think if you look around, you may be able to order some.

For this gun, to keep it simple, you wouldn't need a rifled barrel so you could make a barrel fairly easily from a pipe of the proper diameter. I suppose that you could even drill your own from some rod stock.

A trigger shoe attaches to the front face of the trigger to make it larger. Some triggers are thin which can make it seem like the trigger is harder to pull because of the trigger digging into your finger. By installing a trigger shoe on the trigger the pressure of the finger is spread over a wider area making it more comfortable which makes it feel easier to pull.

[Oleg Volk]

Heads up -- I am pretty sure Rogelio is playing with us. Originally, he pretended to be a Pervian reserve officer, then that supposedely deceased officer's girlfriend. I emailed him a few design sketches but he dropped out when I asked more questions. His net connection seems to be from Peru but his writing style and the choice of expressions are more gringo-style. Something is not right with that gentleman, so I advise caution. He could be on level or he could be a "friend of the people", but something isn't right.

As for "uploading drawings when he gets a scanner", why would he need to do that? The original drawings (http://www.olegvolk.net/newphotos/sg/?M=D) were provided to him in digital format. The original persona dropped out of sight when I asked for a picture of the completed weapon.

My name is Ildiko Egry, and i was the girlfriend of who in life was Rafael.
He died last wednesday while combating the terrorists in huancayo.the story
is very long, but he was wounded during combat and when he knew that he was
going to die he detonated a grenade inside Shining path´s ammunition room
killing himself and destroying about half the arsenal of the complete
terrorist arsenal.I still can not undersatand how much he loved freedom
because he had taken 2 AK shots in the chest and still crawled about 300
meters into the arsenal warehouse.
I found you email address in rafael´s papers and there it says that you are
the one who designed the weapons and the one who has been guiding us..please
help me by telling me what to say to the farmers because when Rafael died
they are all with fear.
I am sorry you had to know about rafael´s death like this, I know he is
still fighting from heaven.
He as a reserve captain but he re entered active service in
order to help his people better.I heard about his death when his commanding officer
came home to tell me everything about the happening.He was fighting besides rafael, and he saw the whole thing.
Yes,the people working with him have the expertise to continue the work produced,and
please do not worry because I will send you the pictures as soon as I can get a digital
camera,but please give me a few days.I hope I can keep up to rafaels place in live,i
will do my best because he loved that people..
Self-description (including which guns are owned) is a direct rip-off from Rafael's persona. I originally thought this person might be real, then thought he was a troll...now I wonder if his game isn't entrapment over NFA34 violations.
Rogelio, who are you, really?

[Rogelio]

Mr Volk, I thought you were a diferent person.

I joined this forum because you recomended it to me in one of your emails, and yes, I am a peruvian. If I can talk "gringo" is because I have studied english all my life since my education has always been bilingual and my grandmother won a resident visa to the US a long time ago..I visit her often.

About my choice of expressions, I was hoping better from you Oleg..how do you expect to survive in the REAL world if you can not change to fit your environment??I read and read as many posts as I can (You are a moderator,maybe you can check that) so I will not make a fool of myself when asking questions, ok?

Why do I need a scanner?? Because I payed 75 USD for a set of blueprints sold by Importaciones Mágnum (which by the way was owned by a now deceased friend of mine named Rafael de Bustamante, maybe he is your Rafael..and by the way he did not die in combat..he was a businessman) and they look kind of like yours..only that the one I bought is not drawn by hand and it is in blue lines....will get the files scanned so I can send them to you tomorrow to clean my name...

Copying weapons?? Come on! It is either Baikal or Glock down here, every other thing is crap! The things that are not crap are way over my income level, so I started out with my Baikal and then moved up to a Glock (which by the way, I am paying in 36 monthly payments). Sorry I don't live in the US where guns are priced right and you can get almost anything you can pay for...

So, I hope you can go ???? YOURSELF because I did not do anything wrong. I will never set foot here again...thanks to everyone who ever helped me, but you Oleg..you are an enormous ???????!

[nondescript]

:confused: Whoa whoa Rogelio, settle down. A lot of people here, including Oleg, are very nice and helpful indeed.
It is just that trolls show up and cause havoc and chaos everywhere on the net, and people tend to react strongly to the suspicion that a poster is being an imp.
It might be conflicting information from your posts, or that your choice of words changes from somewhat choppy English into smooth "casual American" and back again.
Oleg is cautioning people for a very good reason; it is easier to stay clear of trouble than to dig oneself out, and people that want to get information about things that are not allowed to civilians in the USA could be putting out bait.

[tomkatz]

Yes settle down a little bit. Oleg is not just a mod here he OWNS the site, so cussing him out is not a good way to go. In fact cussing anyone out is prohibited. If you are who you say you are you should not be so upset, if you are a fake then I can see where you would act just like you are acting after being found out.....tom

[Oleg Volk]

IP traces I did last summer confirmed that Rafael is from Peru. I am not sure what is going on, only that I have belatedely become suspicious. Don't wish to give offense but do want to findout what is happening.

[Rogelio]

Sorry about the bad languaje, it is just that I can not get any information here in Peru and when I try to surf the net for some I find out that some people think that I am some kind of troll (what does that mean, anyway?)

Oleg, please do every single check of Ip`s that you want, so I can be trustworthy again.

[Oleg Volk]

Thanks for clarifying. Sorry about he mistrust, but my experience with Rafael wasn't encouraging.

[Rogelio]

Sorry about the bad mood....no hard feelings?

[Brian Dale]

The word "Troll" comes from fishing. A fisherman who pulls bait, or a lure, behind a boat going through the water is trolling. That's just the fishing term for it. He hopes that fish will come and attack the bait; if they do, he can reel them in.

On the Net, a person who comes to a forum and makes a comment that's intended to "bait" others to respond is also said to be trolling. When people "take the bait," then he can reel them in like a fish that's been hooked.

There's also a play on words involved. Northern European folklore includes characters called trolls. In some old stories, they live under bridges, and they attack and eat people, goats, or other creatures who try to cross the bridges. They're reputed to be very ugly, strong and stupid, and they are associated with rocks and earth.

At some point during the old days of Usenet, people started to use the word "trolls" to refer to those who "trolled" for responses from unsuspecting users by posting statements or questions which were inflammatory, outrageous or disingenuous and insincere.

See also http://www.jargon.8hz.com/jargon_35.html#SEC42

Here endeth the lesson.
{/Pompous Terminology Historian Hat OFF}

[Grump]

Well done, Happy Bob.

As one who once bought a "poor man's SIG" shortly after graduating from college, I can fully understand the desire to get the most gun for the money.

It's a worthy enough project, a creative way around multiple obstacles. Sometimes we don't do it for the money or the resale value--we do it to see IF and HOW WELL it can be done. Betwixt the silk purse and the sow's ear, you *can* make some pretty good stuff from a sow's ear.

Our friend is at least picking a decent sow to begin with.:)

It's a better starting point than a Jennings, isn't it?

[Rogelio]

Thanks for the understanding Grump.....you also bought one of those??

To everyone: As my gun is nickel, I sent the frame to get a blue job.

Went to the range and discovered that the gun started to feel "weird" after I shot the 13 rounds in "quick mode", so I think it is about the metals...hmm.....it is a problem...

Will go to the art shop today and pick up some enamel....any color suggestions?? (OldFuff suggested Ivory that may look great...)

Can anybody please send me a photo of what in the lord´s mercy is a trigger shoe??

How do I install a laser sight on my pistol??

Thanks...

[JCM298]

I listed a site that shows a trigger shoe. It's merely a curved piece of metal,
usually alluminum, that fits over the trigger & is held in place by two hex head screws.

They make the trigger wider and, on some guns, gives you a feeling of a lighter trigger pull because it spreads the contact area over a larger portion of the finger.

It fine for Camp Perry-style bulls eye shooting and OK for combat matches, but it is strongly suggested that it not be used for self-defense guns. The screws can loosen with recoil which causes the shoe to pivot, and bind up the action. In addition, they sometimes are wider than the trigger guard and can make the gun fire when re-holstering

I used one on my Python but took it off. I still have one on my Magnun Carry but should take it off, too. I trimmed the one on the Magnum Carry so that it is narrower than the trigger guard and does not hang up when I re-holster.

I tried them on my Smith 340SC & 649 just to see how they worked. Since they are my carry guns, I took them off after one shooting session.

See a picture at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3629300701&category=36258

or go to Tyler's T-grip:

http://www.t-grips.com/


John

[ambidextrous1]

For what it's worth, I sent Rogelio a private message some weeks ago when I saw that he was in Peru. I asked him for advice regarding a trip to Peru that I am planning.

His response appeared to be genuine, forthright and consistent with my limited knowledge of Peru.

[Rogelio]

Thanks rich

Now, I thought that you guys were thinking that I was someone else...that really pissed me of..well, now I know that your main concern was that I was some kind of anti looking for info, huh??

Well, I AM NOT! I am just an ordinary folk who is trying to learn as much as possible about my firearms and my ability to use them . And yes, I do live in Lima, Peru.

If in doubt, my telephone number is (051) 1-97426144 -that's a long distance call to peru from the states...I would love to explain anything you wish...