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January, 19: A shotgun build


When there is a shotgun offered at an auction for $20 and no one is bidding, I cannot just let it pass. It wasn't much to look at and the stock was cracked and the blue was all worn off. I decided that I could make a new buttstock and forearm for it from an old mil-surp Yugo Mauser stock.

I also decided to refinish the metal. Deceptively easy it may seem... Cold blue refinishing is not for the faint of heart. You have to be prepared to scrap a days' work and start over because there comes a point at which the metal just doesn't take any blue; and if you are not happy with the finish (or what you can make out of it by polishing it with steel wool), then you just have to re-do it.

Anyway, here are some "before" pics:

Here is the stock roughed in:

Trying to see what it will look like:

And here are the pictures "after":



I think this one turned out real nice.

I bought this as a 12ga shotgun. Imagine my surprise when I realized that a 12ga shell just doesn't fit in the chamber. The chamber is actually 16ga.

 

March, 20: Finally took some pics of the new Bulgarian build


This is a kit from Ohio Rapid Fire, it was in near new condition. I sandblasted and refinished the metal with moly resin flat black. Wood was sanded and then treated with six coats of tung oil and four coats of polyurethane matte coating. I may refinish the buttstok with some stain to match the color to that of the handguards slightly better.

 
 

This picture shows how you can use a vise to press the barrel in. Slowly keep cranking the vise up, then tap with a heavy mallot, then crank some more, tap, etc.

This method may even be better than using a 12-ton press. The vice jaws do a good job. Use aluminum or brass inserts to protect the receiver and the rear sight block that come in contact with the vise.

January, 3: FAL Build Update

The FAL has been assembled, all large parts painted, all small parts blued, all required US parts installed. This is one good-looking rifle.

Here are some pics of my new Safe Queen:

November, 27: Yugo Underfolder Build Complete

The milled yugo underfolder built on a stamped receiver has been completed (more milled on stamped build info here).

The rifle has been painted with Norell Moly Resin, has a new set of century plastic furniture and a yugo-style US-made pistol grip:

Top, nice all-black rifle, with yugo-style pistol grip and Century plastic handguards.

Left, same rifle but with the original wood handguards, stained dark walnut. The handguards were very beat up (and cracked).

November, 15: FAL Build Progress Report

The receiver is here, and other US-made parts for the build are trickling in. Here are some pictures (more info here).

The infamous Century receiver. The hand-threading of the barrel into the receiver on this one has got to be the worst ever, but I was prepared for that. At $250 shipped, this was still a really good deal for a FAL receiver. Always fun to lay out the kit, the receiver and all, and try to imagine what the rifle is going to look like.
I have a lot of work ahead of me with "chasing" the threads on this receiver. I don't have a tap, so I will just use the barrel, the vice and wrench, and slowly work the threads. I was fortunate to acquire a receiver wrench and a barrel vice, for $90 shipped, from a fellow member on Fal Files