Un-botching Another Parker Repro Single Trigger

 Yes, yet another Parker single trigger that must be un-fucked, thanks to the efforts of multiple so-called "doublegun/Parker specialists".  This design is so elegant in its simplicity (unlike the rest of a Parker) that it literally baffles me that there are those who call themselves "professionals" that clearly do not, even remotely, understand how it functions. 

 This particular gun had initially suffered from the doubling issue that is so common to the Repros.  This problem is NOT an inherent fault in the design.  It is caused by a single part, more specifically, it is caused by the method of the part's manufacture.  

Had the gun come here first, the repair would have been less than 300 dollars but, because of the ham-fisted half-assery and guesswork that had been visited upon it, the cost was significantly higher.  Price shopping some things (like paper towels, or maybe gunsmithing) is really just false economy.

In this particular case, the sear noses had been shortened to the point that the hammers' fall was shortened by almost half of their travel, the single trigger's interceptor piece had been filed into uselessness and, naturally, at least one screw was destroyed (luckily, only one).

Since welding these parts is verboten (unless you're a hack that thinks all steels are weldable), making new parts was the only option, so let's get to it.

The sears and interceptor piece were machined from O1 and fit and finished by hand.  They are then heat treated and completely polished before final assembly (because that's the way it should be).  Yes, the mouth-breather that last worked on the gun left the sear tails in those pretty torch-heating colors.

The sears, blanked out

 Creating the raised bearing pads on the outboard sides

 All filed up and ready for initial fitting

After fitting the sear noses to their respective hammers (with sufficient overdraw), it is readily evident how much the original sears were shortened.  "Aw hell, that ain't much", says our halfwitted, mouth-breathing gun-plumber, obviously unencumbered by any understanding of geometry.

 Next is the intercepting piece.  This is the part that is attached to the rear of the lifting plate and stops against the anvil during the first shot, limiting the lifting plate's movement before the shift.  It's a small part but not particularly simple and has multiple fitting points.  Drilling the pivot pin hole is a non-event but the hole for the upper leg of the tension spring is a bit of a different story, due to its being 0.9mm in diameter.  That hole was drilled in a small precision drill press of my own design and manufacture (I actually made it for watchmaking work).

The breechscrew is the last part that needed to be made.  It is made of 1018 and case-hardened after making, fitting, indexing and engraving.  Notice that the frame must be stripped bare in order to gain unencumbered access to the top strap.

Winchester 1876 SRC Barrel Band

 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.

 

 

A New Bolt for a Winchester 1873 in .22 Short

 Apparently, the bolt for a .22 rimfire 73 is an item that is very difficult to find.  When a part cannot be found, the only choice is to make one, which is what, through photos, I will describe in this post.  The original bolt and extractor were "modified" beyond salvage but, luckily, the customer had another rifle that could supply a bolt to use as a model.

The bolt itself was machined from a bar of 1018, while the extractor was made from 1095 and heat treated as any other spring.

The new bolt installed.

Repairing a Colt 1849

 This one had a few issues.  The cylinder would not carry up, nor would it lock into position and, the mainspring was broken.  The carry up issue was, as expected, due to a broken hand spring (not an uncommon issue in these old Colts).  The cylinder stop malfunction was not however caused by any issue with its spring, but with the screw upon which it pivots.  It seems that the cylinder stop screw (as well as the trigger pivot screw) had, somehow, developed multiple bends.  

Obviously, these need to be replaced.

New screws were turned and threaded on the lathe (the blank for the new hand spring has also been made and fit).

Then I finished off each end of the screws and engraved them in the appropriate pattern before heat treating them.

Then, it's on to the mainspring, which is made from 1095.

Machining the thickness taper...

Heat treated and finished...

After reassembly, it functions (and looks) as it should.  Yes, the grips are factory ivory, which I find repugnant.  Sadly (and shamefully), people seem to prize ivory today just as much as they did back then.

What to do When Midnell's/Brownway Doesn't Have What You Need

 When dealing with old and/or unusual guns, one doesn't simply order parts from the amateur's supply catalogs.  

Case in point: A customer needed a pair of ramrod hangers for a Ballard No.5 Pacific rifle.  He also requested a slightly increased wall thickness (to make them less prone to damage).  Here I'll detail the creation of those parts.

The original sample, sitting atop the billet of 1018 from which the new parts will come, the bore has already been drilled and finish reamed.

 Machining the areas that will become the integral dovetail bases:

The dovetails are then cut and the bulk of the material that will become the raised bands is machined off.

The parts are then cut free, the ends squared and the bands are hand profiled, as are the bases.  They are then temporarily attached to a mandrel for turning of the barrel portions on either side of the band.  Those portions actually have a very slight (one half of one degree), but readily noticeable, taper.  The barrels are cut to their final length and the ornamental rings are then cut.

 The final step is to nitre blue (oh look, they're black) the new parts.