The first and really exciting item is a brand new AR-10 Sudanese hand guard.

There are still 2 of them left.

I am working on a couple of Enfield projects and was able to pick up a few items toward [...]]]> Here are a few of the interesting items that I found at Dealer Showroom.

The first and really exciting item is a brand new AR-10 Sudanese hand guard.

There are still 2 of them left.

I am working on a couple of Enfield projects and was able to pick up a few items toward completing them.

I also found a missing piece to my Mk7 Enfield.

The missing magazine.

I also came across some 15 rd Hotchkiss feed strips.

And a 22lr Enfield barrel.

This as well as some very interesting books and rifles. That will be in later posts.

I was down on [...]]]> After the last machine gun shoot with the Hotchkiss I made a decision that what was really needed for this gun is a tri-pod. I did a post a while back about ideas for the tri-pod, http://gunlab.net/hotchkiss-portative-tri-pod-ideas/, but now I am on to the project, in my spare time of course.

I was down on a job a week ago in Tucson and when I finished I stopped by Omega, Don Bell’s shop, to say high and check in on him. While I was there I came across this little beauty that Don offered to me at a really good price,free, for the project.

The pintle support prior to cleaning.

With a basic set that was with in my price range I could not say no. It is a Chinese tri-pod for a recoiless rifle.

The first step in the process was to clean all the rust off and paint a coating of primer on it.

With the tri-pod back together for a quick photo op. I kind of like the look.

It will require a yoke and cradle of some type.

I wanted to paint it the same color as my Vickers, a Syrian desert brown.

A close up of the color.

I lost out to my wife and went with basic black.

This is after the first coat. A couple of more coats this coming weekend

The first part to solid model is the pintle support’

with this part complete I could start working on the basic pintle design.

This is all that I have left after the new computer ate the rest of the solid models. Actual it is not much of a loss as I was going to change the basic design from what I started with.

My biggest complaint with it is that I just don’t like getting down into the dirt to shoot it. The butt stock is uncomfortable to use and the little [...]]]> I own a Hotchkiss portative machine gun and with it now fully operational it has become one of my favorites to take to the shoot.

My biggest complaint with it is that I just don’t like getting down into the dirt to shoot it. The butt stock is uncomfortable to use and the little tri-pod that came with it is really useless.

A close up of the yoke.

On of my personal projects that I have been working on is designing a new tri-pod for it. I use to own a 1914 French Hotchkiss and let it go a number of years back, a mistake but we all do it. So I have taken four different paths in the design of a new tri-pod for my weapon. There is always the original British design for an adapter to a  Vickers tri-pod.

Actually this just looks like a great deal of work and really complex. The patterns to make the bronze castings would take a great deal of time to work out then the fixtures necessary to machine it would be numerous.

Then there is the idea of designing the patterns to cast a new yolk assembly based upon the Hotchkiss 1914 machine gun and the French 1907 St Etienne.

This is a project I might tackle once the cnc router is up and running after the other major projects are completed.

The third idea is one that I found on the internet. It uses a yoke from a Hotchkiss portative and attaches it to a Vickers tri-pod. It is an interesting idea, but I really want something a little lighter and generally when I go to a shoot I usually bring my Vickers as well.

So this leads us to the forth and final concept I am thinking of. This is using the concept of the Vickers-Maxium light machine gun tri-pod. It could be done by making an adapter to use the original yoke assembly and attaching it to a new column. The idea would be something like this.

This yoke would be changed to use an original

I would modify the legs so they would fold back against the sides.

A rear basic traversing set up

The elevation set up would have a handle to make it easier.

  It would not be done by the up coming shoot, but by the end of the year if I can find any time.

So since last December I have been working on a couple of accessories for it. Well it happen that on [...]]]> I happen to own a Hotchkiss portative light machine gun. Now that I have it working, with the help of my friend John, I find it one of the more fun guns to shoot.

So since last December I have been working on a couple of accessories for it. Well it happen that on Sunday I had a little Chuck time and went out and finished one of the accessories that I have been meaning to build. In this case it is a feed strip ammo box for the gun. I have looked at the original design and want to make something that would at least look time period correct.

I did not like this style of box.

A couple of pictures of an early American feed strip box.

Another view. This basically the style I wanted.

A Japanese ammo box. I found this one to be to basic.

In my collect of old ammo boxes I had a couple of Czech 8mm wooden boxes that were almost perfect in size.

A quick check with a few strips of 303 showed that this box would be excellent.

So some measurements were made and a solid model was made to allow be to design the spacers.

Then it was out to the wood shop to have a little fun. Now on to finding material from the pile of scrap stuff that I have. The side panels came from some material that Axel, a friend of gun lab, found on his last trip out to Arizona.

The dividers were already in my scrap pile from some cabinet building I did a while back. As is always the case nothing was the correct thickness, but a trip through the planer solver that problem.

Once it was the correct thickness it went to the table saw for the width then off to the radial arm saw for length. Cutting the groves was a little bit of a challenge as I don’t have a router table. A little changing on the radial arm saw and we got the dado blades from the table saw to work on them. Next a real basic fixture was set up on the saw and we cut all the groves to the proper depth and spacing.

So now this is the final product. I need to add a felt pad on the bottom of the trays as soon as I find enough. I have a few pieces of felt from 303 Vickers ammo cans, just not enough.

A fun project and it will definitely make it easier on range day with the Hotchkiss.

New lights were installed over the HAAS and Sharps machining centers.

Installed one over the cnc lathe.

Went back and re-mudded the ceiling where we put the lights earlier.

I spent time working on the [...]]]> Not much fun stuff this weekend. Work was accomplished in the machine shop by adding even more new led lights.

New lights were installed over the HAAS and Sharps machining centers.

Installed one over the cnc lathe.

Went back and re-mudded the ceiling where we put the lights earlier.

I spent time working on the dust collector system for the wood shop.

The dust collector building was built a while back. This weekend was the first opportunity I had to get it all set up.

When I built the wood shop I put in a underground dust collector system. It has been a time coming to get it all hooked up, but now it works.

My crt tube for the wire edm came back I got it in stalled and all hooked up.

I powered it up and tested it that it worked properly.

I really want to thank the guys at McWilliams, http://www.mcwilliamsedm.com/index.html, for all there help and quick service. Great guys that really know customer service.

The only fun project that I started on was a new ammo/feed strip box for my Hotchkiss protatve light machinegun.

I needed the wood shop to build what I wanted for the box. Unfortunately, by the time everything else was completed it was late and I was exhausted. My project for next weekend. I did manage to get a few more posts written and a couple of videos for posts, but more on that this week.

We are testing out a new ejector design for the VG1-5. The original design that we used started to experience problems after several hundred rounds. The newer one will be a little more robust and a slightly better design. [...]]]> This is the run down of the fun and excitement that went on this last weekend.

We are testing out a new ejector design for the VG1-5. The original design that we used started to experience problems after several hundred rounds. The newer one will be a little more robust and a slightly better design. It needs to work with a variety of magazine manufactures as well as our own magazine. So testing was conducted on the bench first and when we think we have all the bugs worked out it will be off to the test fixture.

I have not been able to solve the wire edm problem on my own. So now it is time to send it to the factory to be tested and repaired as necessary. I removed the monitor and it’s circuit board, packaged them up and sent them off to Mcwilliams to check it out.

I would really like to find away to change it out to a flat screen, but no luck yet with that idea.

The new circuity for the cnc router has come in and I have started working on the new layout for the control circuit.

This set up comes from Smooth Stepper (http://www.automationtechnologiesinc.com/products-page/breakout-boards/ethernet-smoothstepper-motion-control-board-with-terminals-for-mach3). With the help of my friend Orin I hope to have the basic wiring completed this next weekend.

I also got back onto the kitchen project and finished the molding for the cabinets.

Then I started on the tiling.

I am also making a parts box for the Hotchkiss portative. I wanted something on the line of a British design Vickers or Lewis box. I have finished about 1/2 of it is solid works and actually cut and planed the first two wood pieces. As the wood is coming from old pallets it took a little time.

Enough for one weekend and it’s back to work for the week.

As I walked around I came across a guy selling French 32acp magazines, now I really don’t need an French 32acp magazine I could not pass on [...]]]> The second day of the show is over and here is another update report. There were a lot of great guns to buy so I bought stuff instead.

As I walked around I came across a guy selling French 32acp magazines, now I really don’t need an French 32acp magazine I could not pass on the price. 5.00. I mean where can you buy a 5.00 magazine. So I bought all of them, 50 magazines. They will go great with all the other magazines I have and don’t have a use for. The only bright spot with this deal is that they look a lot like Spanish pistol magazines and those I can use.

The next useless items I bought was  pile of Chinese type 68 rifle parts. No one has a type 68 Chinese rifle, but I have the market cornered.

I also picked up a FN MAG tripod. That will be used for a mounting set up for the Hotchkiss.

Other then the useless parts and magazines the real find at the show for me was the books. This set is currently being brought in, however only 20 sets are being brought in. It is a 3 volume set, 4000 pages, on the AK and all it variations.

Here are a couple of pictures of what is in the book.

The set of books is not cheap by any means, but it is worth the money. The price for the set is 295.00 delivered.

I also picked up a 22lr trainer that is cute. It is Bulgarian.

And a couple of feed strips for the Hotchkiss.

If anyone has some of these they want to get rid of cheap let me know as I need 20 or so of them.

The last item I picked up was an inexpensive MG-42 gunners kit.

It has been a good show so far.