GunLab

Parts wanted and for Sale!

Looking for G-43 fire control parts. Hammer,trigger,sear. This is for one of the projects we are working on. A friend of Gun Lab has helped out with this. Thanks

Continue reading Parts wanted and for Sale!

We are now taking reservations for out reproduction VG1-5 rifles! Price is $4000, and they will be ready to ship once ATF gives final approval on the design. The get on the priority list, contact Matt or Greg at Allegheny Arsenal – (814) 362-2642. No payment will be taken until the guns are ready to ship.

Gun Building Site

I came across another gun builder here in the Phoenix area and made arrangements to meet up with him. What some of you may not know is that I happen to like all types of firearms, from match locks to modern machine guns. I also like to look at how firearms are made. So when I had the opportunity to do a meet up I jumped at it.

I find it amazing what can be built with nothing more then just basic hand tools.

Here are a few pictures of some underhammer weapons that he made with a drill press and files.

Underhammer shotgun he made.

A real simple fire control group.

Underhammer pistol

Close up of a couple of his fire control groups

You should check out his site. He has some very nice toys that he has made for himself.

http://idezilla.blogspot.com/2016/08/small-bore-really.html

Router Table update

I spent most of this weekend working on my router table. The VG1-5 is coming along and one of the major next steps is the stock for the rifle. I need the router table to do this. I did not have much of an opportunity to work on it last weekend, so it was full steam ahead this weekend. I finished all the drawers and built the cabinet.

The three larger drawers need drawer runners and they have not been installed yet.

I had one set of drawer runners. Now I have to actually but something for this project, 2 more sets.

Went through my pile of drawer runners and none of them are heavy duty enough.

There are enough spots for short and long 1/2 and 1/4 router bits.

Hope to have the drawer runners mounted as well as the trim put on next weekend. I still have to make the table and cut all the openings.

A great animation of a semi auto handgun

Mac, a friend of gun lab, found this on you tube and thought the viewers of gun lab would appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed the graphics and work that went into making this video as much as I did.

Timberline Hawk survival rifle

Not much is known about the company Timer Line Hawk. So this is as much of a history as I could gather. The registered agent of the company was John A. Mc Gerty and the filing date was March 29,1983. It was a company formed initially by four men to take over the assets of the old Armalite company when they closed their doors. Initially they did the warranty work for Armalite on the AR-180 and 18. What is not generally known is that they also design and built guns other than the AR180 series rifles. This article is about such a rifle. This is the 2 shot rotating barrel 22lr survival rifle.

There are a few draw backs to this rifle. The first is that the point of aim is different for the two barrels. The second is that you have to be careful when loading as it is easy to get the cartridge not properly placed to allow the action to close.

The side of the rear barrel support. You can see the pins that pinned in the barrels to the support.

The barrel release latch on the bottom of the frame.

Looking at the end you can see the machined area for the extractor.

The barrels are actually AR-7 barrel liners.

The retaining notch is cut in behind the made in USA. Looking at the machining of this notch you can see that these were prototype weapons only.

An interesting logo used by Timberline Hawk.

The storage tube that was also the stock. To be used to store survival items.

The rubber cap that acted as a butt plate

The rifle taken apart and next to it’s storage bag.

As it would be stored in the back pack.

This is a limited prototype weapon that I don’t think ever went into serious production. The number on this rifle is 42 and it is the only one that I have ever seen or heard about. There were a few spare barrels assemblies made, I have one in my collection.

This rifle came out during a time period when small light weight survival rifles were all the rage.

I want to thank Pete, a friend of Gun Lab, for letting me photograph his very rare rifle.

Weapons man has an interesting write up on the original derringer that was the initial idea for this rifle here.

http://weaponsman.com/?p=34197

VG1-5 stock making

When we made the first couple of stocks for the VG1-5 we used a fixture to hold the stock. This fixture held the wooden blank that we cut using the bandsaw and then using a hand held router we cut the radius on the out side edge of the stock.

This procedure was a little harry to say the least.

The router bit and ball bearing guide.

The fixture that the router bit would run around on using the bearing as a guide.

After doing a couple of stocks this was it has been decided by me not to do this again. I have a cnc router that I have been working on and will use it for the hand guards, but for the stock it was not going to work real well.

While at a job I saw this in a guy’s garage and knew that this would be perfect for my stock project.

This last weekend I started working on it. I managed to get all the wood cut for it and the real good news is that most of it came from my scrap pile.

All the wood is cut to size and next weekend I will start cutting the groves and rough assembly.

WW1 Trench magazines

I was reading on of my favorite go to sites a while back and saw this short write up he did on trench magazines.

This is the link to the short write up that was done at.

http://laststandonzombieisland.com/2016/03/28/mmmm-trench-mag/

I thought I would add some to his post.

This is a GEW98 Mauser with an extended 20 round magazine from the Gun Lab reference collection.

The makers mark. W co DRP

Made in 1916

The stock repair behind the front band

While heavy and awkward they did provide additional fire power for the troops in the trenches.

Things that go on at Gun Lab

I have been spending the day working on projects and needed to take a few pictures. As I was walking into the machine shop to do just that a friend showed up and wanted to be photographed as well.

Not exactly a small bob cat.

VG1-5 update fire control group

On our last update we discussed the newly design disconnector, http://gunlab.net/update-on-the-vg1-5-project/.

With this new disconnector we have now hand fitted all the fire control groups. Once this task was completed we then took apart all the fire control groups to do the last heat treating.

Disconnectors

Safeties.

Safety detents.

This now finishes the last of the fire control group parts manufacturing. So the components that are finished are as follows.

The complete fire control group

The upper receiver and bolt assembly as front support

The lower receiver

Currently we are working on finishing the rear top cover, some welding is required and then hand fitting it.

Soon it will be down to the stock and hand guard and then flute the barrel.

Zulu Shotgun

A while back I picked up an interesting single shot shotgun with a bronze receiver. A little research showed it as a ZULU shot gun.

The history of this weapon goes back to the end of the muzzle loading era. With the civil war ushering in the era of the breech loading metallic cartridge firearm. With large stocks of muzzle loading weapons on hand countries needed a way to convert these weapons to a breech loading weapon. One of the first methods was the Snider or Tabatiere conversion.

By the late 1870’s large quantities of French converted rifle were on the surplus market with no buyers. A decision was made to convert them to a inexpensive shotgun. This was accomplished by reaming out the rifling in the barrels to make them smooth bore, scrubbing all the original marks off the rifles and then proof them with Belgium proof marks, cut down the stocks to a sporter configuration and removing the rifle sights and installing a front sight bead.

This example is a bronze receiver that was made during the Franco-Prussian war from French church bells that were donated because of the material shortage at the time.

Right side view

Left side view

Close up of the receiver area

Belgium proof marks on the breech block

Marking on the inside of the breech block

The spring that acts as a breech locking device and firing pin retaining pin.

The angle of the hammer and the lack of a gripping surface make it very difficult to pull the hammer back and to drop the hammer by hand. The spring pressure on the hammer is quite high

The trigger guard is from a M1857 rifle musket

The standard butt plate from a M1857 rifle musket

The front barrel band looks like a piece of copper pipe hammered to fit.

Lend lease pistols part 1

During World War II after the Dunkirk evacuation the British military was in dire straits for weapons that were lost.

There was a shortage of revolvers. Smith & Wesson was contracted to provide replacement handguns for England. Due to the urgent need there was no time for Smith & Wesson to design a new revolver so the M&P pistol was used. This weapon was designed to shoot the 38 special and with some minor modifications implemented to convert this handgun to the British caliber .38/200.

The initial orders for this handgun were for South Africa but the British military staff in Washington DC diverted it to the United Kingdom.

Originally the Smith & Wesson M&P model came in four, five and 6 inch length barrels, with checkered would grips and commercial bluing. Due to the demands for faster and more economical production Smith & Wesson changed to a plane wood grip, 5 inch barrel and a phosphated finish.

The pistol were talking about today is one of the standard ones that were made.

There were 586,200 Smith & Wesson M&P pistols produced. This is one of the of the 8000 pistols that Australia received.

You could see that it’s marked United States property which is part of the lend lease package to the United Kingdom.

Looking at this photograph you can seal the stampings that indicated it was used by Australia.

You can see the broad arrow stamp on the bottom of the frame.

For more information on Smith & Wesson victory models please look at the following books:

https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Handguns-World-War-II/dp/0917218752/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472402174&sr=8-1&keywords=U.S.+handguns+of+WW2

https://www.amazon.com/Timothy-Mullin-K-Frame-Revolver-Phenomenon/dp/B00RWQZEZ6/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472402271&sr=1-2&keywords=The+K+frame+revolver

Or go to the webpage.

http://forums.gunboards.com/

Recent Posts

Categories