The whole week of events went great. It started with the pre-show shoot. This is just a little get together where the [...]]]> This is a quick update. The first 5 finished VG1-5 rifles were at the SAR show and were quickly picked up by there owners. One of the Groto 6 rifles was also sold.

The whole week of events went great. It started with the pre-show shoot. This is just a little get together where the guests just have fun shooting machine guns  as well as the latest rifles we have built.

In this case I brought out my Webley Fosbery and anyone that wanted to shoot it could.

In addition the Sterling and Bren gun were brought out making it a British weekend.

Thursday is vendor set up day and all the guests were at the show setting up. Friday through Sunday was the actual show. The general chat about the show was how good it was, actually my best show ever for both selling and buying. I obtain a number of books for the reference library, both at the show and the week prior. These are from the show.

And the ones ordered.

The reading material alone made the show a success for me. How ever at this show is when I generally spend my saved gun money. I was able to obtain a number of missing pieces for the reference collection. Three new rifles were added.

A sporter 1941 Johnson rifle Also a SKS that uses AK magazines

And last but not least is a French Lebel rifle converted to 7.5 French

Enough for now but more to come on the show.

On to the pictures.

The feed tube.Left side.

a nice close up of the left side of the receiver and the [...]]]> Once again an interesting cut away rifle has shown up. In this case it is a M1886 Lebel rifle. It is the only one that I have seen.

On to the pictures.

The feed tube.Left side.

a nice close up of the left side of the receiver and the feed mechanism.

There are a lot more pictures at Gun Broker. Check it out.

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/628797995

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. [...]]]> 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.

a Destroyer carbine,

a Vickers cut away lock,

Hand drawn prints for a weapon

or a French MAS 36 22 trainer cartridge adapter.

Anything and [...]]]> Here at gun Lab what we do is study weapons and at any time you could come across anything. A set of EM-2 locking flaps,

a Destroyer carbine,

a Vickers cut away lock,

Hand drawn prints for a weapon

or a French MAS 36 22 trainer cartridge adapter.

Anything and everything can be found in my office area. So today we are going to be looking at a MP-44 half of a receiver. I enjoy studying parts and looking at this part it is very interesting to see how the Germans made this part and the interior design that you hardly ever get to see.

A couple of views of the back of the mag well housing and the added pressings.

A look at the front of the mag well and the added strengthening plate spot welded on.

A good view of the press work on the inside of the trunnion and magazine housing area.

The out side view. Nice trunnion curvature.

Look at the internal and external rib stampings

This is a nice photo of the magazine housing ribs.

Look at the transition between the receiver body and the trunnion.

As complex as this weapon is I am amazed at the quality of the stamping. This is actually a beautiful stamping