1906 Winchester resurrection

[velocette]

As noted previously when I asked about a barrel drill, I finally broke down & ordered a nice new one from Brownells.
Then I began a closer examination of the barrel in my rifle. It has suffered greatly in its past. Beyond being ringed, it has
a section of it's barrel about 1 1/2 inches long that is much larger than bore diameter thus making it highly questionable for
re line. It also has heavy marks on the sides of its barrel where apparently someone clamped it in a vice to beat out the
bore obstruction. So - - - - I found another used barrel suitable for re lining without vice marks. Getting the old barrel out
of the receiver will not be difficult but getting the new one perfectly aligned may be.
Any suggestions on how to get the barrel indexed perfectly without a lathe?

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Being only subject to .22 recoil, I would think shims or crush washers would be doable.

 

[velocette]

Progress on the resurrection!
Several good milestones have been accomplished. First, a bit of wisdom arrived in my head. I located a well respected rifle smith within reasonable driving distance of my home. Talked with him about fitting the new barrel when I have finished relining it. Not a problem.
So, as soon as I finish with the relining work, that can be accomplished, Meanwhile, I found a vendor that stocks most of the parts for my rifle
(https://homesteadparts.com/shop/winchester-1906-c-1_133.html). I found and bought a nice upgraded unfinished stock from Boyds. First I had to fit it to my receiver properly which took a while. Then I began to put a nice oil finish on it. The photos are after two applications of Minwax Antique Oil finish with many more to come. The metal parts of the rifle are now cleaned of rust, grease, more grease, and old old old powder residue, all mixed together. Very messy and nasty not to mention difficult to remove. Then all the exterior surfaces were smoothed with 320 wet / dry followed by 600. I used Brownell's Oxpho Blue to color the metal and it works very well. Not quite as good as an expensive professional rust blue, but it will do.
So, slowly we move forward. This week, the barrel will be drilled for the liner so I can proceed with that.

 

[velocette]

Replacement barrel has been bored out in preparation to be relined. I then spent 5 hours with 320 & 600 wet / dry paper to clean up the exterior of the barrel. It's not perfect but far better than I got it. Amazing how much dirt / rust can come off an old neglected barrel.
Acraglas gel has been ordered from Brownells for the new barrel liner.
I now have 5 applications of Minwax antique oil finish on the stock and its beginning to have a nice soft sheen.
Small parts on order along with (finally) a walnut front hand piece from Homestead gun parts.
With any luck, it'll be shooting in a month or two.

 

[natman]

Acraglas gel has been ordered from Brownells for the new barrel liner.

Brownells sells two different formulations of Acraglas. The GEL is thicker and is ideal for action bedding. The original Acraglas is much thinner and I believe that is what is recommended for gluing in barrel liners, not the thicker GEL.

The instruction booklet gives complete, easy-to-follow details for either the old, classic method of soldering the liners in or, the more modern method of using ACRAGLAS® for the permanent bond between barrel and liner.

Barrel Liner Instruction Book details the systems used by gunsmiths Bob Schuetz, Willis Sprunger and Ralph Walker. Walker used a variable speed hand drill and ACRAGLAS to hold the liner in. Schuetz solders the liner in place. Sprunger extended a regular bit, drilled the hole in a lathe and bonded with ACRAGLAS.

REDMAN'S .22 CALIBER RIMFIRE BARREL LINERS | Brownells

Check out the REDMAN'S available Online at Brownells Today and many more Rifle Barrels & Parts products are available in our Gun Parts Department.

www.brownells.com

Acraglas is mentioned three times, but no mention of GEL. I'd recommend confirming with Brownells before proceeding.

 

[film495]

that stock has a lot of charater to it, with the grain in it. how is the tang area of the wood? I have an old 62A and the tang area has a tiny bulge in it. I still seep oil out of the wood every year or two, with the idea I'll seal it, but only after oil stops coming out of it. I'd seal that stock completely from the get go once it is done and fitted.

 

[velocette]

New barrel liner has been epoxied in place using Brownells Acraglas. In 24 hours, will cut off both ends of the liner & prep the feed ramp, muzzle crown and extractor slot. Work proceeds on finishing the stock with Minwax Antique oil finish. The front handpiece finally arrived and has been started in the finishing process. Meanwhile, a package of all the screws used in the rifle also arrived, correcting over 100 years of Bubba.

 

[velocette]

Film495; The stock at the tang area has been treated with varnish to seal it from oil, water etc. Applied twice with a small paintbrush.
It is a new XX stock from Boyds. The original gumwood stock and foregrip were severely damaged by previous owners. (What a shame, I was FORCED to replace the original with beautiful black Walnut)

 

[film495]

that is a nice stock. does the foregrip look similar? on my old Winchester I'd say the forgrip is a bit lighter color wood than the butt. Think it is a 49. How busted up was the original furniture?

 

[velocette]

Film4995; The foregrip was broken in half lengthwise, both butt and foregrip were deeply gouged and dented with black stains in the dented areas. With a lot of work, they could have been brought back to poor condition. However, I really enjoy working with nice wood so I chose to replace them with wood that ultimately would be very kind to the eye.

 

[velocette]

The action and barrel are off at a local (fellow club member) gunsmith to be screwed together, indexed & chambered.
The finishing of the buttstock proceeds slowly, now up to 17 applications of Minwax Antique oil finish with 0000 steel wool between applications. I'm on the final stretch of that finishing work, a wonderful soft sheen has emerged with only a few areas of the woods natural pores showing. The foregrip which arrived just recently is beginning show some nice sheen but still a way to go.
Thinking now about what sights to use. It has its original v notch rear and blade front. Not so good for my elderly eyes. Considering installation of a period correct tang mounted aperture sight.

Its not in stock now, but may be a good addition in the future.

 

[halfmoonclip]

The action and barrel are off at a local (fellow club member) gunsmith to be screwed together, indexed & chambered.
The finishing of the buttstock proceeds slowly, now up to 17 applications of Minwax Antique oil finish with 0000 steel wool between applications. I'm on the final stretch of that finishing work, a wonderful soft sheen has emerged with only a few areas of the woods natural pores showing. The foregrip which arrived just recently is beginning show some nice sheen but still a way to go.
Thinking now about what sights to use. It has its original v notch rear and blade front. Not so good for my elderly eyes. Considering installation of a period correct tang mounted aperture sight.
View attachment 1188945
Its not in stock now, but may be a good addition in the future.

This would be a superb idea. Have a Rossi version of your rifle; mine's a stubby 16" A buddy gave me a 19th century Lyman tang sight from his junkbox; installed it instead of the buckhorns. Much more sight radius, and really easy to shoot. A buddy calls it "the gun that won't miss". Your example looks a Marbles, which adjusts for windage as well as elevation. That is the way to go.
Moon

 

[velocette]

Tomorrow, Thursday, its off to the local range for its second maiden range trip. (the first was in 1919) It has a relined barrel, new buttstock & foregrip, all new external screws, the muzzle has an 11 degree crown. (many thanks to 4D reamer rentals) & all internal parts have been cleaned & de-rusted. As many original parts have been used as possible. Unfortunately, 'Bubba' got to this rifle sometime in it's over 100 years of existence, so not all parts are original. The buttstock has been finished with Minwax Antique Oil and LOT of rubbing, steel wooling etc.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Tomorrow, Thursday, its off to the local range for its second maiden range trip. (the first was in 1919) It has a relined barrel, new buttstock & foregrip, all new external screws, the muzzle has an 11 degree crown. (many thanks to 4D reamer rentals) & all internal parts have been cleaned & de-rusted. As many original parts have been used as possible. Unfortunately, 'Bubba' got to this rifle sometime in it's over 100 years of existence, so not all parts are original. The buttstock has been finished with Minwax Antique Oil and LOT of rubbing, steel wooling etc.

View attachment 1191161View attachment 1191162View attachment 1191163View attachment 1191166

Stunning wood and outstanding restoration!