GunLab

The usual weekend update

Another weekend has come and gone. I just do not know where the time goes anymore. The weekend ends seem to take forever to get here and in a flash they are gone.

There were two main projects that I needed to complete this weekend. The first is re-work and finish up the router table. The second was to finish the siding and roof of the fab shop addition.

This post will deal with the router table.

I started out with the table looking like this.

There is only a miter track and a piece of scrap lumber for a fence. In addition there is no dust collector system on the router table.

Installing the dust collector parts.

Now for the new fence.

With the new Table fence and tee slot/miter slot added

Just a quick video of everything.

More on the Beretta model 57

A friend of gun Lab dropped me a line looking for some information of the magazines that the Beretta model 57 30carbine used.

Here are a set of pictures that I took of the issue magazine.

I hope this helps.

The Ermawerke Carbine.

If you have had the opportunity to read collector grade publication the last ditch rifles are brought up in there. This guest post write up is about the Ermawerke carbine in 7.92×33 kurtz.

Right and left side views of the rifle.

Close up of the left side of the receiver.

Bottom view of the receiver showing the added safety.

another close up of the safety.

Many thanks to John and Dave for sharing this rare rifle

One of the more interesting finds at the show was a semi auto Villar Perosa. This one is in 9×19 instead on the Italian 9mm cartridge. A very interesting piece and one that would look great in any collection.

Here come the pictures and there are lots of them.

There is nothing better looking then brass on a gun. This weapon has some brass.

That is one heck of a grip assembly.

Even the cocking handle with the two different materials is such a nice touch.

The front angle view of this weapon.

The front bi-pod swivel is even brass.

This is one of those toys that I wish I had money for. It is seriously sexy.

SAR show update

Sorry for the late post on the SAR show, I have just been very tired and busy making up for the lost time in my primary business.

The really interesting items I got at the show was a Japanese type 96 light machine gun parts kit. There was a gent there selling Japanese type 96, 97, 99, 11 and there copy of the MG-15 parts and magazines. My type 96 was missing a number of small parts and a magazine so I was able to obtain everything I needed to get it back in working order.

I do have a post with pictures of differences in 96 parts coming up.

I also managed to find and buy two pistols that I did not have in the reference collection. A Campo Giro and a Danish model 1910/21 pistol. It is always good to find something that you don’t have for the collection. There will be posts about them as well.

I was hoping to have the first 10 VG1-5’s ready for the show. That was not meant to be however. While fluting the barrels I managed to break the only fluting tool that we had. Three more fluting tools are now at heat treat and will be here this next week. I need to add stiffing plates to the fluting press and continue on. There is a post coming out on the current state of the VG1-5 project.

Curtis Wolf has once again come up with another interesting historic gun for collectors. In this case it is a semi auto Villar Perosa in 9×19. I have a number of pictures on that and it will be a post this week.

The Pizza party on Saturday night went over very well. About 50 people came and I think everyone had a good time. Everyone left by 12:30 and it was on to the last day of the show.

A number of posts coming this week. Chat with you all soon.

Machine gun shoot 11-30

With the SAR show coming up we have a group of people staying at the house. So the Wednesday prior to the show a couple of us put on a small machine gun shoot, just to have some fun. Some of these shoots have ended up being a couple of hundred people in attendance. This year we wanted to keep it a little smaller so only about 50 people were invited.

Everyone at the house was allowed to choose one weapon from the reference collection to take out. In the past it has actually required two vehicles to haul out all the guns people wanted to take. This year it was kept small due to the amount of work that had to be accomplished along with everything else.

The weapons that were taken was the SIG AMT, the early roller lock family of weapons ( Gerat 05, 06 and the STG 45) A Beretta AR-70, the MP-44 as well as a variety of handguns. There was a number of machine guns at the shoot as well.

Here is a quick video of the fun that was had.

Part 1 on making the stocks for the VG1-5

This last weekend I started making the stocks for the VG1-5. This is a multi step process in which the basic board is measured, have the edge squared, re-sawed, planed,and generally set up to then make the stock.

This is the video for part one.

So I am starting with this.

And end up with the blanks ready to cut into stock blanks.

Update on the fluting press

With the last of the fittings here I was able to hook up the hydraulics to the fluting press.

I have a short video of it operating.

The next step is to finish attaching the dro. then to fluting barrels

Happy Thanksgiving from Gun Lab

Here at gun Lab a terrific day was had. My wife cooked an outstanding meal using her new and almost completed kitchen. There was ham,turkey,stuffing,potatoes,and all the necessary fixings to go with them. Friends and family were her to enjoy the meal.

As for myself The day off was perfect. I was able to get the fluting press working, I have completed the first few ops on making the stocks for the VG1-5 using my new router table and the chamber issue with the Vg1-5 barrel was solved. A really good day.

I hope all of you enjoyed the day as much as I did.

Interesting Shotgun

Normally I don’t write a lot about over and under shotguns. I am making the exception for this shotgun. I found this at a shop when I was doing some work there. The owner could not remember the cause but he thought it was either the wrong ammo or bad reloads. Hard to tell but what a mess.