Comments on: next op on the front barrel support.

By: Storm

Storm — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 14:10:52 +0000

Wow, that kind of life experience could easily yield a whole book, not just an article…

By: Harry Connors

Harry Connors — Sat, 28 Dec 2013 01:22:58 +0000

Since then I have been stationed in 42 different countries around the world to include three tours in RVN, eight months in Yemen and in the Katanga provide of the former Belgium Congo with the last 28 years being in Germany as an advisor to the US Army there. I no longer have a lot of personal items from that period. I do have some drawings that I made back then of the Gustoff model that I have seen recently when we retired back home to Tucson. Once we get moved into the new place I will see what I can find and send to you. Since we were not allowed to have a camera then I do not think I have any photographs. Harry

By: Storm

Storm — Sat, 28 Dec 2013 00:00:38 +0000

@Harry, that are very interesting informations.

Perhaps you can maybe try to remember all the details and compile the story along with some pictures (if you have these resources)?

It would surely make a great article on ForgottenWeapons…

@Chuck

We eagerly wait for new info and videos !

By: Chuck

Chuck — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 02:39:31 +0000

I really need to do up-date. We have been really busy here. All the rear barrel supports are completed as are the front barrel supports. All the barrel material is now here and we will be starting on that phase soon. The new cutting tools are also here for the hammers as are the new tools for the bolts. The bolts will be completed this next week. We have been working on a few other projects as well and will be posting about them soon. Videos have been had on all the steps we have taken and I am editing them. A great deal of info to get on this site and out to you. Chuck

By: Harry Connors

Harry Connors — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 20:36:50 +0000

When I was working at InterArms back in the late 50’s and we tested them, the recoil was very violate when the gas ports would get closed by powder residue. We were testing them to see if there was a possibility to sell a new made similar but better looking rifle to third world countries however there were so many surplus weapons on the world market at the time it was a wasted effort. The only real problem we had with them was the lacquer protective coating on the steel WWII German rounds coming off inside the chamber and that caused the case to stick in the chamber after about 40 shots. Again because of the old dirty powder there was a lot of residue that would gather at the gas ports. We used some Egyptian ammo that worked great as the lacquer on the case was newer or better. I cannot wait to get one of these reproductions. Harry

By: Storm

Storm — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 19:23:23 +0000

@Harry Connors

“The distance between the end of the chamber and the gas ports was critical but not much.”

I suppose gas ports placed closer to the chamber rather than the muzzle achieve better results in “delaying” this blowback.
HK pistol ported barrel near the chamber, and GB pistol somehere in the middle, and our VG is closer to the muzzle.

What I would really like to see are the results if you Gun Lab boys are gonna try to fire your rifle that has barrel without the ports drilled.
And then compare the results to the standard ported barrel, to really see if the rifle “in practice works like an oversized blowback pistol”, just like Ian said in the video where he fired the gun, thus hinting that the gas delayed blowback system (in his opinion?) in VG 1-5 is actually working only in the theory and paper.
Or the truth is somewhere in the middle ??

By: Storm

Storm — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 12:21:53 +0000

Chroming the inside of the front barrel support sounds like a good idea, to help with hot powder gasses fouling and corrosion…

By: Harry Connors

Harry Connors — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 22:02:43 +0000

The German made reproduction had a 16 and a half barrel on it plus a good portion of the legal guns here in the States have an extension welded onto the barrel to keep them from being a NFA weapon. When we were testing them in the early 60’s the barrel lengths ranged from 14″ to 18″ with no difference in performance. The distance between the end of the chamber and the gas ports was critical but not much. The 14 degree angle of the gas ports that allow the gas to blow on the end of the cylinder was important. Bottom line is that the barrel length extension has no impact on the function of the weapon. Harry

By: Storm

Storm — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 21:35:31 +0000

Thats reasonable,
but do you suppose that the longer barrel could put more force and pressure on the “delayed” blowback action ?
Some common reasoning by various persons on the internet forums described the shorter than usual barrel was needed to mitigate the effects of the blowback action.
Maybe that was the same thinking by the designer, but again, could approx. 3 cms make so much (dangerous) difference ?

I also remember that german replica (bd 1-5) was 5.5 kg opposed to the original that is supposedly 4.6 kg unloaded (haven’t had chance to measure either one so I cannot say sure). It also has 16 inches barrel.

That’s almost 1kg more, so maybe they beefed up the “slide” to be on the safe side (or did not succed to delay the blowback action at all ??),
bcos I don’t think 3 cm longer barrel added so much mass to the whole rifle.
Anyway, like it was said that things in cad on computer and in the production often end up not completely the same, I suppose when you end the rifle and begin test-firing it, you’ll get the complete picture. And unfortunately, be prepared for further tweaking and modifications… but that is also a whole lotta fun !

By: Chuck

Chuck — Sun, 22 Dec 2013 23:15:03 +0000

The barrels will be 16 1/4″ in length. It is not worth the aggravation for an SBR.