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Thread: 80% falling block receiver... is it possible

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
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    80% falling block receiver... is it possible

    Does anyone sale a 80% falling block action ...is it possible...any thoughts ???

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    I sure wish they did at a reasonable price.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master pertnear's Avatar
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    80% AR lower receivers are made of easy to machine aluminum. A falling block would have to be made of steel destine to eventually be hardened. Possible but not probable. I wish too...

    JIMHO
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  4. #4
    Boolit Master Jedman's Avatar
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    Cost wise it will never happen. For all the expense to get ready to produce a mostly finished receiver and then maybe sell a few hundred of them ?
    I have studied many single shot actions and some would be quite simple to make in 2 halves where all of the machine work could be done on 2 pieces of flat stock then assembled with internal hidden dowel pins and just a few screws thru the extractor pivot, hammer pivot and trigger, and the area below the bore for the barrel shank.
    Some actions like the Hepburn could be machined in 2 halves and then TIG welded together and you would never know it wasn't a one piece forging.
    I have wanted to do something like this for years and have a 25 % finished receiver in a ziplock bag but realized that I don't have the energy and drive to ever finish it.
    It would never be profitable to try and produce a 80 % single shot action.

    Jedman

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    Most things are possible if you put your mind to it. I just wanted to be that guy for once with the smart answer.
    Stop being blinded by your own ignorance.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master Moleman-'s Avatar
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    Someone could used 4140 prehardened that can still be cut with HSS tooling and would require no further heat treating. If it were me I'd want a square hole at a few degrees of an angle to the barrel hole broached and the barrel hole drilled. Likely couldn't thread it without becoming a receiver, so you're looking at a chunk of steel with two operations done to it. Someone could do it and be profitable without being stupid expensive.

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I remember kit recievers for sharps and hepburns that were available. these were unfinished and up to the purchaser to finish up. A lot of extra work to build a rifle. The Highwall could be done the same. I'm not sure you could find just drilled holes and simple machining to come up with the 20% though

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy
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    Upper Missouri trading has Hepburn Kits for sale. You can get the machined one or just the castings, whichever you prefer.
    Here is the website:www.uppermotradingco.com/

    MVA has high wall actions for sale and C Sharps has high wall, low wall and Sharps actions for sale.

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  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy
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    There was a fella named Frank De Hass that wrote a book on building a single shot action mostly in a home workshop and with common tools as I remember . The steels were commonly available but probably have to be ordered in.

    I have seen some of them and they would look good in my guncase.

    Maybe when I retire I will get a chance to make a few for my grandkids.

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy Toolmaker TN's Avatar
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    I've had a couple of the De Haas actions on the project list for longer than I'd care to think about now. I've got all of his books, the man was a true inspiration. After looking at the plans again recently, I still want to build a couple. He designed his guns to be built with a lathe, drill press, and hand tools. Would work, but certainly would use my mill to make life easier. Someday.....
    Have looked at the kits as well. They all seem solid, probably easier than DE Haas's plans for a first attempt at building a rifle.
    He suggested 4140 as an action and breech block material, on the Vault Lock actions anyway. CRS for the non-critical parts, with critical parts being made from tool steel.
    “The State that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools.”
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  12. #12
    Boolit Master

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    Bolder river foundry use to sell 1885 castings.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master

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    I have built three Highwall rifles from scratch using raw bar stock as a starting point and at least two other folks here have done the same thing except those two guys have not only built more than three rifles like mine but several Sharps replicas and a few Stevens replica rifles to boot! The point is that if you have the desire, minimal machinery necessary and the ability to finish a falling block castings kit then building one completely from scratch is doable as well. In fact I firmly believe that building from scratch is just as easy as building from a kit and likely would take very little more time to complete! The reason I say this is that, IMHO anyway, finishing a falling block castings kit without the set-up and holding jigs that would be normally used with them in a factory setting makes set-up to properly finish these parts annoyingly difficult. Besides getting raw stock machined to the starting point of the castings kit is not as hard as finishing a "kit" anyway and it's waaaaay cheaper! Of course the Highwall castings kits that have been available in the past and I think maybe still might be are not going to be 80% finished so if a weekend type project is what you need I doubt any falling block kit would meet that requirement unfortunately although the Missouri trading post Hepburn "machined" kit seems like it might be close.

    How much of the work would you be willing to do yourself? There are blueprints available on Ebay for the 1885 Highwall as well as the Sharps and several others all from the same seller. I truly believe that starting from scratch is in many ways just as easy and in some ways even easier that building a castings kit because set-up is much easier with a bit of planning ahead.
    Statistics show that criminals commit fewer crimes after they have been shot

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    The prototype Contender actions were machined as 2 halves and were welded down the middle.
    EDG

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check