Here's another of those parts that just can't be bought: a barrel band for a Winchester 76 SRC (saddle ring carbine). How did the original become missing? I don't have a clue, nor does it really matter because, just as knowing the motive behind a crime doesn't change the fact that it happened, knowing how it got missing doesn't change the fact that it's missing. It might be an interesting story but it doesn't change the facts on the ground. Now, on to it...
The first step is to determine the needed dimensions.
They are:
- barrel radius (easily calculated by dividing the diameter in half)
- forend radius (measured using a radius gauge)
- the center-to-center distance of the barrel and forend (done by finding the distance from the top of the barrel to the bottom of the forend, then subtracting the barrel and forend radius from that)
- and lastly, the location of the internal step (found by measuring from the bottom of the forend to the top edge of same).
These numbers are then used to mark the raw material (1020) using a height gauge and surface plate. With the material marked, the next step is to chuck it in the lathe with the barrel CL indicated and then bore the barrel hole.
Once the barrel hole is bored to a sufficient depth, the forend CL is indicated and its hole is bored.
With both holes bored, the material that will become the part is sawed from the parent material, leaving enough thickness to clean up the front and rear faces.
The front and rear faces are fly cut on the mill to the finished width (sorry, no photo, not enough hands). After this, it's all hand work.
I made a template of the forend's curvature along the sides and filed the internal contours to match, checking the fit on the rifle as I went. Once the fit was satisfactory, the exterior contours are filed and all surfaces are polished.
The band installed on the rifle.
Excellent work
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