What gunsmithing or repairs have you done today

Brownells only had the .610 bushing available, so I fabricated a set of 20 & 12 ga. shotgun muzzle facing bushings for a Clymer square cutter. McMaster Carr easy-to-machine bronze tube stock and off to the lathe to turn down a few diameters.

 

Reactive Shooting as taught at the elite Rogers Shooting School is shooting at human reaction times.

Reactive Target Sights (RTS) were only developed for the Glock. I like Glock, have a bunch of them with RTS's, but also enjoy using the same profile rear sight on Walthers, S&W M&P’s, Leupold Delta Point Pro Back-Up-Iron Sights (BUIS) as well. Initially just used needle files to shape the sights than transitioned to using the Bridgeport and fabricated a universal front / rear sight clamping jig to securely hold the sight with mill vise, which was a lot easier to mill the stand-a-lone sights than when fitted on the slides.

First up a quick video demonstrating what an RTS sight is and how it works.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i9ttx9got7mfjxh/Rogers School Test 9 Grip Force Reactive Target Sights (RTS) Bill Rogers Shooting at 7 Min Mark copy.mp4?dl=0

 

I'm house bound because of a very bad case of Gout. So, I decided to finally do the pre-travel adjustment on my EAA Witness Hunter 10mm. Easy job that requires a 1.5mm allen key for the adjustment. My fixture came in handy for making the adjustment.

 

The sight jig above is just a 3/8" dovetail-picatinny mount turned on its head, so the dovetail can be used to engage dovetail shaped sight bases in order to securely work on them.
I use various shim thicknesses and it also has an underside 8-32 set screw for additional engagement to rigidly secure the work object. A small amount of depth relief on either side of the set screw for simple thru drill holes.

 

Reduced the trigger pull from 6 down to 4 lbs. On my Compact 1911.

 

I'm not a gunsmith, more like a parts swapper. Today I switched the hammer, sear and disconnector in my Walther (Colt Gold Cup Trophy) and got my trigger pull down from 9 pounds to 4.5 pounds. I was having trouble with hammer following when it was down below 4.5 so I'm hoping this fixes my problems.
I get to test it tomorrow.

 

If it doesn’t, you might look as SVI trigger components and bearing main springs. I have them as low as 1.25lbs without following, 1.5 is a better bet though, further from the edge of reliability.

 

I was using a needle file today and thought I would share some of the files and stones (india style and shaped ceramics I use). Must have a small fortune in Brownells screw slot / depth files, dove tail files of various angles, checkering files, safe-sided, diamond coated, Boride Engineering for stainless / tool steel / cast iron, Swiss / German, Nicholson etc. Don't forget to use the chalk. For the small needle files , in addition to using the Starrett pin vise tools, I fabricated some handles to keep the user-end from going thru my palm and managing the desired file orientation to the part. Also, there is a 103 page Nicholson Treatise on Files describing every type and their usage, 1878 !

 

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How do you like those EZE-Lap diamond hones? I’m looking at the DMT hones for some fine sharpening work.

 

There's Certain things I've always liked to have or collect, like axes, lanterns, hand vises, old fishing reels and so on. I've always like files, shame there's not many good ones anymore or I can't afford them. I'll start looking for some rusty I we at yard sales after finding the place that sharpens them. It's actually pretty cheap to.

 

Some of the diamond ones from harbor freight aren't to bad if you look though them for a good set. They don't give as smooth a finish as steel files, I've never used high end diamond ones so not sure if just the cheap ones are ruff. They will cut about anything tho.

 

Fixed the safety on my Arisaka Type 38 carbine by noting that the button didn't rotate far enough clockwise for the lug to completely engage in the receiver channel, and troubleshooted why by comparing with same style safety on my Arisaka Type 99, which showed a difference in the size of a notch, so with a little Dremeling and filing I enlarged the 38 safety's notch, and voila - the safety now can be fully rotated to engage and function normally:

 

I was disassembly a Glock yesterday and thought I would show one of favorite tool modifications; started life as a Grace Glock Pin Removal. It was good at that task, but what about re-installing the two different diameter pins ? I counter sunk two different diameter steel rivets serving as roll pin starter punch tips and a brass rod on the end for final tap in flush for the pins.

 

Don't have any experience with the DMT hones. But, EZE-laps are nice if you have enough free real estate to use them; that's why I also have the narrower profile Boride Engineering styles. Both good for cast iron, hardened tool steel, stainless etc.

 

Clever!

 

Did you get the parts set from The Rifle Shoppe? Is it a custom barrel? I am working on a Fergie as well, customising it to make it mine so to speak. Does the lock feel solid or is it a bit sloppy? Mine has some play in it at rest that I don't like.

 

The barreled action is custom made, I do not know who made it.
The lock is a R.E. Davis, John Twigg and is not sloppy at all.
I carved the stock from a blank.

Let us see yours

SC45-70

 

In 2011, Smith & Wesson introduced the M&P22, chambered in .22 Long Rifle. The internal construction and blow-back operation of this rim fire cartridge variant has many similarities to the Walther P22, as it is manufactured by Carl Walther GmbH (Germany) for its U.S. distributor, Smith & Wesson.

It is dimensionally identical to the M&P9 (9 mm). I have several of them with 100,000+ rounds thru them.

I was fully disassembling and cleaning one the other day and thought others might be interested in a couple of related issues.

First, the firing pin spring is located in a channel in the breech block (Sig-like), the firing pin is located by the breech block -slide retaining roll pin. The channel is slightly too wide which allows the firing pin spring to buckle at both ends during the internal hammer strike. This firing pin spring fractured @ 11,000 rounds. Easy to replace but I fabricated a brass guide rod for the spring, the length of which is precisely long enough to not allow spring buckling at its end and not interfere with function. Guide rods are used in many other firearm applications for the same intent, why not the step child M&P22?

However , in order to change out the firing pin spring the breech block has to be removed from the slide, easy!. Installing the breech block with a spring loaded extractor on its lateral surface is a gunsmithing cussing session. So, I fabricated a few methods to retain the extractor under tension for much easier

Installation assembly. Tie wraps initially, then a modified crescent wrench which is nirvana, transforming a cuss-laced task into a one-handed easy-peasy operation.

A short review of the M&P22 full size breech block anatomy, the spring fracture, the easy repair solutions.

 

In stalled a pic rail on my Savage 223 axis. I needed more adjustment for my scope. I was able to move it back 3 inches. Bench rest shooting it aggravated my neck. (I have cervical spine issues) From trying get a full sight picture. Tomorrow i plan on testing the relief and re-zero the scope.

 

I will try to get some photos shortly.

 

^^^Volquartsen has some nice niche products. They make a nice Remington 870 extractor, which for the past decade or so Remington has used MIM extractor which is probably okay, but belt & suspenders but why not on the home defender?

 

Okay, riddle me this. How is it a prestige sight pusher mfg. not look right & left with their premier offering. I have been using the Maryland Gun Works (MGW) sight pushers for a long time; initially you had to use a pistol-specific pusher , then the single purpose Pro-Sight model with specific pistol slide "shoes" which was a great iteration. I believe I have now acquired all the available "shoes". However, they forgot to add sight-centering indices that were present on all the simple models AND seemingly overlooked the notion that some front sights are much longer than simple front sights, effectively neutering their top-of-the-slide fixation support polymer disk for such long sight applications. I modified the polymer disk on the mill to accommodate the long TFX sights I prefer on the Sig's and etched some indexing marks on the sight block to increase installation efficiency.

 

Not quite gunsmithing but I made a steering wheel adapter to go from 65 Chevy to big truck , I forgot how much fun it I to jig bore bolt patterns