GunLab

Machining the first die for the FG-42 1st model butt stock

Today’s post is deal with machining the 1st die in a series of dies to make the FG-42 1st model butt stock. It will take a total of 8 stamping dies to make the complete butt stock. Enjoy the video.

Part 2 of pressing the Gerat 05 receiver

With the first stamping completed on the Gerat 05 receiver it is now time to complete the second stamping. As you could see in the photos there were a couple of items that needed to be corrected.

With the second set of dies we press in the correct angle for the magazine housing, both in the front and back of the receiver.

The angle is not great but it make a very large difference to proper magazine placement.

This what it not looks like with the magazine installed.

You can see in this picture that the magazine has proper contact through out the entire receiver.

The rest of the second stamping also bent the bottom of the receiver.

Here is a look at the second set of stamping dies.

This close up shows the new angle for the front of the dies.

So today I am back out finishing the second pressing for the second stamping op. More to come.

Pressing the Gerat 05 receiver.

In this video you will be watching us press the e receiver . We took vidoes from around the die. As you are watching it you can see the movement of the metal in the die. This is the first stamping. To finish the parts a second stamping will be performed. That will be in the next post.

Video of machining Japanese type 99 magazine male die

You can see the new video here. In this video you will see the cnc machining process to making the male stamping die.

If the flats come in this week I hope to be pressing them this weekend.

Making the Gerat 05

In the last post I showed you some of the parts that had been made for the 06, this time we will chat about the o5 and do a little more detail about the making of it.

The life of the 05 starts out like any other pressing as a water jet cut flat. The initial flat were made with my band saw and file until it is some what close to what I need. Then they were stamped and checked.

Then drawings are made up based upon our findings and 10 flats are water jetted out. They are pressed and cut to determine if the metal is moving properly in the die. The final pressings are checked and measured to see if it correct. Then the drawings are again changed and 10 more flats ordered and re-stamped and the process is started all over again. Some where between the 8th and 12th time we finally have a product that we want. Once we have the flats are correct and we feel that they are ready I determine the number that I am going to make. In the case of the 05 I want to make 50 complete rifles with the possibility of making 100 total if they sell. So I order 120 flats. In theory that should make 60 receivers. However, if truth be know I am hoping to get 50 complete rifles at of that number. With each step that we take, fixtures have to be made, milling has to completed, welding set ups need to be design and tested so by the time I get to the final product a certain number of them will be reduced to scrap.

In this picture you can see one of the test sets that we stamped a year ago. This is 3 out of 4 receivers that we made. All of them have problems of one sort or another. On the center one the cut for the mag housing was to far back and the lower on has a similar problem but to close to the mag housing. There was also a tearing problem on them as well. the top of the mad well was not pressing correctly and we changed the design and dimensions of the front angle piece. At the end of this process we though we had a correct design, that was not to be correct.

These 5 receiver flat are the latest batch of test pieces that we made. This group came after doing a series of test pieces were we changed the flat design and the stamping dies. There are also major problems with every one of the flats. All but the last one tore and they all had problems with the upper corner of the magazine housing.

This picture shows the tearing.

Another problem was the design of the flat.

This one shows that the flat design was not correct and would have to be changed as it left to much metal up close to the barrel extension.

In addition to the visible problems we have to cut a few of them to check metal thickness after stamping.

The dies were changed again to insure the proper metal thickness.

A few more pictures of the same stampings before and after modifying the dies.

So now with the stampings checked and re-checked we are ready to stamp out the right side receiver. From start to finish the process has taken about a year and over 100 bad stampings have been made. The good news is with the right side completed we can now used that knowledge to reduce the number of bad stampings on the left side of the receiver. Until next time.

The Gerat 06

Now that I have spilled the beans concerning the Gerat 06 here is the progress so far on the rifle. All the receiver half’s have been pressed.

Here are a couple of close up pictures of the receiver.

The sight bases have also been pressed.

The end caps for the butt stocks are completed.

The triggers are completed.

The inner mag housings are completed.

And the barrel end caps are completed as well.

We are currently keeping the cnc machining centers busy with the VG1-5 parts, however as soon as we have completed those parts the 06 will be next.

The other projects at Gun Lab

I did a little slipping in the machine gun shot video about one of the projects that we are also working on. That is the Gerat 06. There was only 4 of these weapons ever made before the Germans shifted to the STg45 instead. We are planning on doing 14 of them.

The other rifle that is also on the production line is the Gerat 05. This was a concept rifle only as no were ever made. This rifle is the only copy of one and I like it so much that I decided to do a run of 60 of them.

This is a picture of me shooting it.And a close up of it.

Both of these rifles are gas operated roller lock design. the little wood stocked one is pattern after the Gerat 03 that was made in 7.92x57mm. Both of these rifles are in 7.92×33 kurtz. Both rifles take the standard stg magazine as well as the 10 round ones that we make.

So as we are finishing up the VG1-5 I will also start posting about both of these weapons. Until next time.

Video from the machine gun shoot.

I have finally managed to complete a basic video from the machine gun shoot.Now it is back to work for me.

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What I did last weekend

I know, I know. I should have chained myself to the milling machine or the lathe and work through the weekend like I normally do, instead I went out and had some fun.My son, wife and I went to a local machine and cannon shoot and had a great time. I am working on a video to show all the fun we had. As a teaser I shot and played with the following toys.MG-42, MG-34, Gatling gun, 13.7 Japanese machine gun, 50mm Krupp cannon, full auto Fal, Bren, STg-44, 1950 madsen smg, pps 43, and 30 or 40 other weapons that slip my mind. Video to follow.

Up date on the project.

Here at Gun Lab. net we have been working on a number of projects. Quite a few videos have been made and as soon as I can get Ian down to help me correct the problems with Pinnacle studio they will be posted. Some of the projects are new stamping dies for various parts that have to be made and a number of them are the actual parts that are now completed.

I thought I would give you an up date on the rifle that we are currently working on. This next batch of pictures deals with all the parts that have been made and the various stages that they are in.

All the rear barrel supports are completed.

All the hammers are machined but not heat treated.

The cross pin for the rear barrel support is machined and threaded.

All the front barrel supports are 90% machined. the retaining notch needs to be cut and that will be done after all the upper receivers have been machined.

Misc cross pieces and been cut and stamped.

The gas pistons are machined. We just received the tap in this week. We will have it threaded this coning week.

All the rear sights are machined.

All the extractors are here, we are using H&K extractors as they are the same basic style.

All the extra extractor springs are here, again H&K.

All the rear top covers have gone through the first stamping op and 20 or so have been completed.

All the end caps for the rear top cover have been cut out,

All the barrel blanks are here. We are using MG-13 barrels are our basic blank. No they are not rusted just covered with grease and dirt.

The receivers have been stamped.

Mag catches are complete. The button and post are in the works.The triggers are completed and heat treated.

The front barrel support take down spring are finished.

The buffer springs are here as well.

All the upper receivers are cut to length and turned to the proper diameter. And the first 10 are turn on the inside. Only one has been completed and fully machined. This our test and fit sample.