Unicorn Parts

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commygun

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So for a year now, I've been searching for an original 7.62x38 cylinder for a M1895 Nagant revolver. Nothing terribly esoteric as tens of thousands of these have been imported in the last 20 years. I understand there's a demand for the 32 ACP cylinders but you'd think the Internet and the gun show parts guys would be awash with cylinders in the original chambering. Not a single bloody one, though.
Anyway, it made me curious about the parts quests of other folks. What were you looking for and how did you find it and why was it so difficult to find? If you have a taste for the old, the historic, or the unusual, it seems likely that you're going to have this challenge sooner or later.
 
I foolishly bought a barreled receiver for a cz99 .22 rifle thinking it would be fun to build...
Then I figured out that parts were nonexistent, and if I was able to find them they sure wouldn't be cheaper than the $150 the gun would be worth when finished
 
FBI Palmswell grips for S&W 1076.
I have one set on a 4566, and have been looking for another set for 10 years.
S&W "military" magazines for the model 39. Never seen one for less than $200.
 
Front wood for a M1886 Lebel
Small frame grips for a Merwin, Hulbert 32
Scabbard for a 16" 7mm Remington Rolling Block bayonet
Original grips for a Walther Olympia Pistole

Many more, I'm sure......
 
For any military weapons parts... the first place I'd look would be http://www.milsurps.com/

Get a look at their classified from items wanted to items for sale - pretty much soup to nuts and everything in between. You might not find what you're looking for but check back periodically...
 
Took my son two years to finally find a nickeled barrel for a Smith 19.

Installed, gun returned to service, but the original bbl was 6", replacement bbl was 4".

Oh, well. The operative phrase here was "returned to service."

Terry
 

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You'd think such a thing would be easy to find, but I can't locate a factory-strength mainspring for a plain old Taurus 85. Wolff has a reduced-power one, but not the standard one.
 
Ok I'll play. How about a rear sight blade for an Iver Johnson Viking 67. I had a buddy who is machinist make one for me. I would like to get a relacement just to say I got one.
 
While blued safeties for Makarov pistols are plentiful and easily found, the special "reddish" tinted variety that comes on Bulgarian Makarovs is pretty hard to find. Luckily I was able to find one the other day.
 
Outfits such as Numrich/Gun Parts Corp. (www.gunpartscorp.com) often get parts from cannibalized guns purchased from individuals or dealers. But since they may be one-of-a-kind they don't get listed on the Internet or print catalog.

So call them or send an e-mail request. If they don't have what you want keep it up. Sooner or later lightning may strike. :)
 
Firing pin for a Star PD 45ACP. I finally got one fabricated after fruitless searches for a factory part. (Don't dry fire the Star PD!:eek:)
 
Nice original stock and forearm for a 3rd series Winchester '73 that didn't cost a king's ransom, i.e., less than what i paid for the gun. Same for an original dust cover.
 
Well it took me about 5 years to find a magazine tip screw, for a winchester 1895
 
Mine is not unicor, not even really narwhal tusk, more like whole walrus tusk. Magazines for Mossberg M-44. Mossberg made zillions; crates of the things went to ROTC armories all over. But, apparently they were presumed to be as ubiquitous as paper matchbooks, and no body much saved them.

Numrich occasionally catalogs them, but that's because they seem to put other Mossy mags in the wrong bin (I've never gotten the correct mag from them in any of three tries).

So, the gun show price (when available) is about $49.95 apiece, which is steep for a 7 round .22lr magazine.
 
Remington model 14 rear wheel sight detent spring
Makes the click and tension work when raising and lowering the rear sight.
There's gotta be a way to even make one myself?
Can't find the dimensions or good image to give it a try.
 
Numrich occasionally catalogs them, but that's because they seem to put other Mossy mags in the wrong bin (I've never gotten the correct mag from them in any of three tries).

If you have a good magazine lay it on a piece of graph paper and either scan it or take a clear picture using a genuine camera and not a smart(?) phone. :uhoh:

With a good image to guide whoever goes sorting through the parts bins has a better chance of finding what you want.
 
Old Fuff,
Increasingly Numrich, aka GPC, is selling the small quantity items via Gunbroker and Ebay. Auctions on rare parts probably make them more money than waiting for someone to call them. They are now on the biggest sellers on Gunbroker and Ebay (for gun related stuff). I suspect at least a couple of the other big dealers for gun parts/ odd variants on the auction sites get their stuff direct from Numrich or Sarco.

Regarding the O/P's Nagant issue, R guns used to sell quite a few of these and might have one or two parts guns or simply parts ratholed or just keep checking Gunbroker for "parts guns". I have seen Nagants among them from time to time. The parts guns often turn up being cheaper to purchase than the individual items such as a revolver cylinder. There are a couple of sellers on Gunbroker or Ebay that buy part sets from the court order destruction of firearms and sell them as a set for a particular firearm (minus the frame/receiver/ATF serial numbered part which was destroyed) as well as those selling individual parts.

Fleabay aka ebay is also a website that can be useful but you have to wade through a lot of dross to find a bit of gold or be prepared to pay out of the wazoo with buyitnow option. The cheapest prices generally come from general pickers who sell a bit of everything but know nothing about the items that they are selling. Likewise, their part id for the Nagant cylinder may be something like vintage gun part thingie for a revolver. Gunbroker is the next best auction source but usually has experienced sellers that know what they are selling and it is priced accordingly. Other auction sites are hit or miss.

Last, but not least, for milsurps at least, the trading boards may be useful on website forums such as gunboards, milsurps.com as mentioned above, and other places. A lot of times members on these boards either have a spare part if you put a public beg for a part or disclose where you might buy one.

OP you might also try a few of the parts wholesalers who are not online (tends to discourage massive buying the parts then reselling them for more on fleabay etc. ) e.g. Jack First and Lee Gun Parts in Texas. I know for a fact that this has caused places like Numrich and Sarco to be depleted on common parts for popular models as individuals buy the stuff then try to resell it for more on auction sites. Springfield Sporters and some others now are imposing limits on purchase amounts for this reason.

I found out more than I needed to know about this stuff because I developed the odd hobby of restoring butchered and maltreated milsurp rifles after being house bound for several years. Couldn't shoot so spent my time piddling with multiple rebuilding projects over the years. I have used all of these methods above to get parts as well as haunting old-time gunsmith's shops who often have all kinds of stuff in parts boxes.

Good luck, O/P.
 
Increasingly Numrich, aka GPC, is selling the small quantity items via Gunbroker and Ebay. Auctions on rare parts probably make them more money than waiting for someone to call them. They are now on the biggest sellers on Gunbroker and Ebay (for gun related stuff). I suspect at least a couple of the other big dealers for gun parts/ odd variants on the auction sites get their stuff direct from Numrich or Sarco.

All true. :)

But if you keep pestering them sometimes it pays off. Also sometimes they list a part "out of stock" for a particular model when it's listed for another. People don't understand that a manufacturer will use as many parts as they can between different models.

Case in point: One of our members was looking for a hammer for a certain model S&W revolver, but under that model hammers were listed as "sold out." However that part was common to all revolvers made on the same frame. A quick check found what was needed listed as available for a different revolver. Given this clue the above member became a happy camper.

The point is: When looking for a part, common or otherwise, check all of the possible as well as probable sources. It may take time, but hopefully at some point you'll hit pay dirt. ;)
 
Carrier dog for a Remington Model 11 shotgun in 20 ga.

12 ga parts are easy. 20 ga not so much.

I haven't given up hope, I got an original trigger spring for a Westley Richards Martini Cadet the other day from a Rimfire Central member, so anything is possible.
 
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