"Geez these are neat rifles. "
Well, I'll certainly go along with that....
Here's a piece I wrote recently, that may answer a question, or two....
Steven's single shots are good raw material, a slong as one works within their limitations, stregnthwise, that is.
Hope this is of some assistance, GTC <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />
Old Rifles, Re-barreled or Re-lined, Let�s Look at Practical Limitations, and Safety
There�s something intriguing and wonderful about an old �Brown Gun�, whether located at a yard sale, flea market, show, or off the used rack at the local emporium. I think we develop a special squint, a slight blurring of clear vision that can see past chipped wood, rust pits, missing screws and parts, and, when exercised in the right light and dust conditions, actually imparts a warm golden glow to the piece at hand. That others might shake their head and declaim as to its� �rough� condition, we prefer to view that as a temporary situation. �Why, with a little elbow grease, and a few bucks, I can turn this into a fine shooter�, is the spirit of the day. I, for one hope that you have many of these days, and that, burning brightly, your spirit never flags.
Now there are what should be considered some practical limitations as to just how brightly we let the �glow� obscure cold hard economic fact. If a $300 (three hundred dollar) rifle, hauled out from underneath a table, will require $1000 dollars as a �Project rifle� the more pristine example on the front row, at a price double that, is obviously the bargain. If one is inclined to do all his own restoration, and doesn�t charge himself for his own labor hours, prices for parts and pieces will be the deterministic factor. Farming the job out to a custom shop specializing in restoration and rebuilding of vintage iron will not come cheap, and that should be understood.
I�m not saying that one should by-pass a hard run, �rode hard, put away wet� rifle. If the action is basically sound, and one can live with the dents scars and hickeys accrued over a century or more of hard service, go for it! Thanks, for all the hard work of suppliers and service organizations advertising in this, and some other fine publications!
Due, in large part to your unflagging efforts, �waking up� an old brown gun has never been more practical. Whether one chooses to configure his latest find as a working gun, or go the distance and totally restore it, these ARE the good old days.
Prior to strategizing the overhaul of any vintage arm one should have a good understanding the characteristic strengths and weaknesses of the particular type chosen. I cannot think of a better source of this information than that found in the writings of Frank de Haas. At the very least, one should have a copy of his �Single Shot Rifles and Actions�, read, re-read, under one�s belt, and thoroughly digested.
In this article I�d like to focus on the weaker full sized rifles, the �intermediate� sizes, and the smaller �boys rifles�. I will leave it to you to do your initial legwork and bookwork and getting the basic feel for which action styles are less than optimum, but will comment that the boy�s rifles in all their assorted types should be looked at very critically. The intermediate and full size would be typified by the Remington Number 2 (two) and Number 4 (four) (two) Rolling blocks, the Stevens Favorite 44, and 44 �, The Low Wall Winchesters, to name but a few. Please do not get the idea that I�m criticizing the breeching strength of some of the aforementioned types, far from it. The area that we should be evaluating, in any of these, is the extractor cut, that area of the chamber cut away, and it�s area of �unsupported case head �. Whether the original extractor swings in at 9:00 (nine o�clock) or 6 :00 (six o�clock) care should be taken in caliber choice. Modern center fire brass is reinforced by the �web� in this area, and while this doesn�t dismiss the esthetic and cosmetic appeal of a properly fitted extractor, the safety aspect of an unsupported case head is small to nonexistent. Rimfire caliber choices are an entirely different kettle of fish, and poor execution of the extractor cut, and extractor geometries can result in a dangerous situation. I have no idea what the chamber pressures of original Black Powder rimfire cartridges run at, but can make an educated guess that they lay far below that of modern rimfire ammo.
Coy Getman, a Technical Representative for CCI, Lewiston, Idaho got me right up to speed on current standards this morning. We had an enjoyable, and (for me, anyway)
very educational dialogue about pressures. The humble and ubiquitous .22 Long Rifle cartridge is assigned a SAMMI �M.A.P.� (maximum average pressure) of 24,000 PSI.
The 22WMR ? Surprisingly, the same 24,000 PSI, M.A.P..
The .17 Mach 2? Again 24,000 PSI M.A.P.. The 17 HMR ? Aha, a 2,000 PSI jump upwards, to 26,000 M.A.P..
At those pressures, a poorly fitted extractor can see a nasty and malevolent phenomena crawl to the fore����.ruptured case heads. Few of the old original action designs handle gas all that well, and one is placing his eyes at risk by ignoring this all to frequently encountered situation. The normal wear and tear and wear on originally close fitted parts is inevitable, and a fact of life. As an action runs in, and �slicks up�, Some support will be lost. Obviously, the best close tolerance practice should be used on initial setup, to minimalize this loss. When a fresh out of the box rebuild / restoration job evinces this filthy behavior you�ve got a real problem, and one that can only get worse. Do not continue to fire a rimfire that does this. Park it, and have the problem evaluated, and correctly rectified. A good rimfire extractor installation should show no sharp edges, particularly in the case head bearing areas. Once fitting is accomplished , a discrete radius should be stoned on these areas. You may ask:
�Doesn�t that just increase unsupported case head area?� Well, in a word, yes. The benefit of slightly rounding of the edges on the extractor, and the extractor cut outweigh the negative aspects. Sharp edges can subtend to a �can opener� effect , and any wearing in and slight change in the basic geometry of the setup can bring this roaring out of the darkness, with attendant bad results.
I was pleasantly surprised to here that CCI has factored the potential for the events discussed, and done something fairly wise, in terms of a �Firewall�. Apparently their long, and extra long rimfire cases have been graced with a �web�, of .040 to .050� (forty to fifty thousandths of an inch) in front of the rim face. That�s good news for me, and I hope it�ll tickle your innards, too. I guess that their forty plus years of assembling fine rimfire ammunition has not been wasted, or devolved into a �rest on the laurels� corporate mindset. It�s always nice to hear that design improvements go forward.
Look for an upcoming article, �Rimfire Cases, a Look Inside�, and pretty pronto, at that.Some jeweler�s saw work and macro photography, in synch with some blade micrometer work are certainly in order. My curiosity is certainly aroused, and I intend to have a look at this in depth. It�s a daunting task, theres a vast array of manufacturer�s, and types to wade through. Yes, the cases will be fired prior to cross sectioning, so a good baseline study for brass hardness, and ductility will be right there as well, the depth and profile of the firing pin strikes should provide same, at least adequate to getting a good seat of the pants �feel� for things, anyways.
Next up, in terms of picking an action type would be consideration of the system�s long term survivability. Some of the likely candidates for a rebuild will, on researching, show that they didn�t stand up all that well to the original larger calibers offered by the factories way back when they were fresh out of the box, They tended to �shoot loose�, and in some cases, in short order. �Swinging blocks� like the Stevens Favorite, and 44 are one example. Check out the pin size on a Number 4 Remington Rolling block ((they�re screws, actually, with the minor diameter well below ��, and a �shear point� built in, by design, where the threads engage the right side receiver wall.
I�ve seen interest, and intent shown by more than a few adventurous (albeit unwise) characters to �Magnumize� very old, very worn, and questionable vintage actions. That�s been the impetus for genning up this little treatise, and I do hope that it will be effective, and save someone some potential grief. �Ragged Edge� pressures and velocities should be reserved for very strong, well designed action types. And we certainly have no shortage of those available, for play in that area. All possible attention should be paid to safe and well designed gas handling breeching, the Niedner Mann �safety firing pin conversion� being an example that immediately comes to mind. Small diameter �bushed down� firing pins should at the very least be incorporated. Old original priming compounds were not as sensitive as those today, and the outrageous firing pin energies required to imprint the proportionately thicker cup materials used back then, combined with original firing pin tip geometries can get one in all sorts of hot water (I should probably say, hot gas). This will apply to both center and rimfire iterations. This is one area of �restoration� where �originality� should be tossed out the window, and modern design incorporated.
Here�s a very good hands on example of what I�m getting at. I just went out to the shop and measured the firing pin bore in the center fire breechblock from an original (rode hard, put away wet) Number 2 Remington Roller. It is a whopping .122� (one hundred, and twenty two thousandths of an inch) diameter, the original pin is .102�,
(One hundred, and two thousandths) diameter. The firing pin is a rather sharp looking thing, and protrudes .112� (One hundred, twelve thousandths) at its� extreme upward angled stroke. This is not good. Worse, though, is the fact that a modern small rifle primer (Fed 205) measuring .175� (One hundred, and seventy five thousandths) diameter will have only a .0265� (twenty six and a half thousandths) outer radius supported by this thin section of this old breech block. This is a guaranteed formula for pierced primers at best. In the worst case, a blown out firing pin (and THAT could leave
a mark!).
So, if any of the material presented here is leaving you in doubt as to the feasibility and safety of a caliber choice, don�t shrug it off. Seek advice from any number of fine sources, and satisfy yourself that your efforts at the bench will result in a refurbished accuracy tool, that�s �good to go�, for another century or two, and safely, at that.
Authors note: I�m tossing in a photo or two of a �Pickle Fork� extractor design that I�ve been playing with. There�s nothing really new under the sun, and you will find it somewhat reminiscent of the big Martini style. I�m liking the fact that, with this design, no material is compromised at the rear portion of the chamber, and full circumferential support is maintained for the case head. The one pictured was installed in a relined heavy barrel, for a Number 4 Remington Rolling Block action. Having the liner in place makes for a �cut and mill to the parting line� sort of situation, but, by no means made it an easy extractor cut. In point of fact, it was a complicated, and took a bit of figuring out. I reckon, though that if this setup can be shoehorned into that miniscule little rascal of an action, that it can be fitted into its� larger brethren, and quite handily at that. I think this might lay to rest future concerns about unsupported case heads.
