GunLab

Saying Good bye to some old friends

As with the end of every year we look back to think of friends that have past to say good bye one last time.

Larry Kaufman. He was the owner of Windsor Arms of Phoenix. I have spent a time or two in his store.

Gordan Herigstad. If you ever owned or looked at a 21 Thompson then you have met Gordan. What a passion he had for that weapon.

Tom Spengel was a regular at all the machine gun shoot. He could come up with some of the more interesting stuff to shoot.

Beyrl Barnett. I have known Beyrl for over 30 years. He will be missed the most.

Good bye, more good guys lost.

Part 2 of the Volkspistolen

In this report we will be writing about the frame and fire control part of the pistol. Again the pistol was made with out the use of an actual milling machine of lathe. It was made from hand tools, welders, and a drill press. Once again to get an idea of the final product here is a picture of the completed pistol.

The first step was to draw out a basic concept of what you wanted the shape of the frame to be. Next using this paper pattern trace it onto the sheet steel and then start drilling a number of holes to make it easier to cut it out.

Do this step 4 times two right and 2 left

With all the patterns cut out the next step is to make them all the same.

An idea of the basic concept to work toward to.

Four steel metal patterns completed. Notice the match holes that were drilled in the four patterns. frame 5s Welding the front radius on to the grip panel.

The front grip radius after filing and sanding.

This shows the relationship of the magazine to the front grip radius and the barrel extension/barrel.

A look at the inside on the right side frame panel.

The front and back magazine guides welded in place.

Cutting out the inner grip panel for the trigger mechanism.

The cut out complete.

A look at the out side grip panel withe the barrel support screwed on and the inner grip frame welded in place.

The other frame side showing how the inner panel is attached and positioned to the outer frame panel.

The basic assembly put together with the trigger guard.

The pistol as finished with out the wooden grips installed.

A couple of pictures showing the fir control mechanism disassembled and assembled.

In part three of this series we will have a few video’s of the trigger mechanism and of the pistol cycling manually. So stay tuned.

Building a small Volkspistolen

Our friend Axel was here a while back and in one of our many conversations I mention that what was needed was a small 32 acp pistol that could be built with a minimum of tools, something like a WW2 German volkspistolen. Also being a fan of Impro guns, https://homemadeguns.wordpress.com/, I knew that it was a doable task. So leaving with nothing more then a magazine Axel was tasked with designing and making a non-firing prototype pistol with nothing more then the tools he had on hand. Those tools being a cheap table top drill press, a disk grinder, a dremel tool, a cheap tig and mig welder, a vise and a variety on hand tools. I want everyone to understand that this project was done as a non-firing prototype pistol only thus keeping with in the laws of his country.

This is what the final product ended up looking like.

This is his story. He wanted to come up with a Volkspistolen that was simpler then existing ones and adaptable to a variety of calibers.

Starting with a piece of steel pipe he cut the basic opening in the slide with a disk grinder.

His milling operation was completed using a drill press. With this set up he finished cutting the opening of the slide to the proper size.

This set up was also used to open up the ejection port. Hand fitting is the word of the day when making a pistol like this.

This is his press set up to form the bends necessary for the rear barrel support.

Using a drill of the correct size he was able to press the upper portion of the rear barrel support

Then using his tig and mig welder he welded to the lower block which would later become the completed lower barrel support and feed ramp.

After a number of hours of filing and clean up work.

The piece of material shaped to be a dummy barrel support.

The complete rear support after a great deal of filing and fit up.

A basic concept of the pistol design.

The making of the bolt for the slide. Again a piece of steel was fitted to the slide to start the making of the bolt. The bottom of the bolt was flatten with a die grinder and the grove cut into the bottom was done with a dremel tool.

After all the work is completed this is what you have.

Next the bolt face is made.

And welded on.

You can see how well the cartridge sets into the bolt face.

More hand fitting and it is set into the slide.

Test it against the barrel and rear support for proper fit up.

The next step was to weld the rear of the slide on. This fixture insured proper alignment prior to welding.

With the bolt welded it was time to hand fit the extractor.

A picture of the extractor and spring.

Part 2 dealing with the frame and parts of the fire control mechanism will be tomorrow.

VG1-5 update more hand fitting

With this post we are chatting about hand fitting the magazine to the VG1-5 housings. There is a wide tolerance variation between MP-44 magazines. The housing is then set for the largest width magazine this allows any magazine to work. The magazine catch is also checked and fitted to insure proper set up.

One of many steps to insure proper fit and operation.

MERRY CHRISTMAS from Gun Lab

Another gunsmithing site “Rifleshooter”

I have been reading this site for quite some time now. In fact it is one of the few sites that I actually print out and save hard copies of his projects. I find his write up’s to be well done and articulate. I just wish my photographs were as good as his. You should really stop by and have a read. So head over and expect to spend some time. http://rifleshooter.com/

Museums or private collections

Recently there have been a couple of post concerning small arms and there disposition.

Ian at forgotten weapons.

http://www.forgottenweapons.com/should-guns-be-in-museums-or-private-collections-video/

And Matt at

http://www.historicalfirearms.info/post/135341711584/how-should-historically-important-firearms-be

They both had some interesting things to say about the subject. I have taken a different approach. Here at Gun Lab we have always felt actions speak louder then words. We not only chat about small arms but also talk about building them and the equipment to build them.

A while back Trevor from the Royal Armouries was at the house. He had come to the states on a mission to find some items missing from their collection. A couple of specific items he had wanted were some Enfields that had been converted by Turkey to 8×57. Recently a collector had passed away that had them in his collection. After spending a great deal of time with the executors and having no luck dealing with them he stopped by the house for place to stay and a cold beer. It was at this time he mention what the trip was for. My response was to go into the gun room and find them. After a long discussion about would I be willing to sell them to the Royal Armouries my answer was no but I would give it to them instead.

So with the on going discussions and paper work requirements first with Trevor then with Jonathan the two rifles have been sent to an exporter to ship to the Royal Armouries in time for the anniversary of Gallipoli.

Now most people would think I am nuts for giving away a couple of rare pieces. Here is my reasoning that I am doing this. There is not another working museum in the world like the Royal Armouries. I have been able to examine,study and photograph weapons, that while here in the states I have no access to.

There are some exceptional museums here in the states.

The Smithsonian, I have been there but no access to the reserve collection and not allowed to disassemble or photograph.

The NRA museum, have not been there yet however on the list.

The Cody museum. Nice museum. Everything was behind glass and I was unable to photograph any other way. No access to the archival records.

The Springfield armory museum. Have been trying for over 20 years to gain access to photograph a couple of pieces with no luck. Most if not all of the collection boxed away.

Aberdeen. Was there once when it was open now it is boxed away. Unable to photograph except behind glass.

Even our own local museum here in Phoenix. Everything is behind glass and that is the only way you can take a picture of it.

During a conversation with Ian from forgotten weapons his concern was if they went to England there was a chance that the law would change that would require deactivation. My response was what is the difference where it is deactivated where I can still study it or it is boxed away and I can never study it.

I generally spend a couple of weeks at the Royal Armouries every couple of years. I pay the fee to go, cheap for what you are gaining. Photograph and study small arms to my heart’s content. Spend time at the library where I can spend hours reading and studying. This is what a museum should be. A place to study. A place to learn.

To understand the scope of what I have gained all you have to do is look at the pictures on this site. Or you can go to Forgotten Weapons http://www.forgottenweapons.com/ as I have given thousands of pictures to Ian for his use. You can also see my stuff at Rick’s site http://ar180s.com/ and at Matt’s site http://www.historicalfirearms.info/

For me the study of small arms is important. I also want everyone to enjoy it in my pursuit.

I treat my own collect as the Royal Armouries looks at there collection. A working collection.

The Royal Armouries is an experience that every gun designer,writer and historian must see. It is where portions of my collection, that they don’t already have, will go. It is where my donations go. It is this museum, you as people of the gun, should donate money and items to.

More work accomplished on the VG1-5

In this video we are milling the hole for the magazine release button. A basic but very important operation as it allows for proper alignment between the magazine catch and the button that operates it.

F.N.A.-B model 1943 submachine gun

Of all the submachine guns that I have played with or examine I find the F.N.A.-B model 1943 to be one of the very interesting ones. This submachine gun was design and made by Fabbrica Nazionale d’Armie in Brescia,Italy between the years 1943 and 44. The entire receiver was machined out of bar stock making it very costly to build.