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Thread: 22 Lady Bug Rifle Almost Completed

  1. #1
    Boolit Master


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    22 Lady Bug Rifle Almost Completed

    I found a Glenfield Model 25 barrel on Ebay for $25 and finished the bolt conversion!
    Worked on finishing 15 rounds of brass and now just need to do the chamber conversion.
    It won’t be pretty but I am just working on getting it to go bang!
    I have only been working on it for about 4 years or more.
    A change of address halted progress but NoZombies work made my project move forward quickly!
    I want to thank him for sharing information with me!

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master bedbugbilly's Avatar
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    I hope you'll post some photos of it - an interesting project for sure and a lot of us wold like to se it! Thanks!

  3. #3
    Boolit Master


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    I wish I could, don’t know how to do it!
    It is kind of ugly right now, it went through hurricane Katrina that’s why it was a candidate for the conversion.
    The barrel will be the best looking part!

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by deltaenterprizes View Post
    It is kind of ugly right now!
    Function before form.. Always time to make it look presentable afterwards. What loads you assembling for it? Todd/3leg

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
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    Marlin 25 action ?

  6. #6
    Boolit Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by beechbum444 View Post
    Marlin 25 action ?
    Only says Glenfield 25, no Marlin marking.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by 3leggedturtle View Post
    Function before form.. Always time to make it look presentable afterwards. What loads you assembling for it? Todd/3leg
    I am going to use 22 cal pellets with only a primer like 22 Colibri ammo made by Aguila to start so I can plink in the back yard first, then I have a 35 gr mold I picked up that I will try with 1gr of Bullseye or 231 and see how that works.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master


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    I have not been working, trying not to get the virus and it’s possible complications so I have had time to work on projects!
    I rechambered the barrel yesterday and finished removing burrs from the brass that would not chamber.
    Next job is to attach the barrel to the receiver and put the trigger and other parts back on and then it is time to test fire to see if a primer goes bang!
    This has been a lot more work than I expected but thanks to NoZombies excellent description of his endeavors I had a path to follow and I have gotten favorable results!
    Last edited by deltaenterprizes; 06-07-2020 at 08:31 PM.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    Sorry I hadn't seen this Thread before! Looking forward to hearing how you like it once you get it shooting.

    Does the brass you made feed through the Marlin magazine?
    Nozombies.com Practical Zombie Survival

    Collecting .32 molds. Please let me know if you have one you don't need, cause I might "need" it!

  10. #10
    Boolit Master


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    Experienced a couple of set backs today!
    Sear spring was missing so I had to make one bu trial and error! After making a spring and trying to fire a primer all I got was a “click”!��
    Firing pin is .100” too short ��!
    Blanked out the part to make a longer firing pin and should be finished tomorrow!
    Hoping to have a bang up good time!

  11. #11
    Boolit Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by NoZombies View Post
    Sorry I hadn't seen this Thread before! Looking forward to hearing how you like it once you get it shooting.

    Does the brass you made feed through the Marlin magazine?
    No, I have been trying to get it to feed from the top of the magazine but it is going to take a little work to get that to work. The magazine has intentions to make the interior smaller than the rim.
    I think I will make a single shot follower and be happy with that!

  12. #12
    Boolit Master


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    Success today! I got a primer to go “BANG”!
    I also got a primer powered pellet to go down the barrel!
    I need to make a set of dies to load some ammo and work on feeding issues.
    Brass does extract and eject reliably so that is one less obstacle.
    The firing pin was .030” too short, I soft soldered a piece of copper tubing that was the proper thickness for a temporary fix and it worked!
    Next thing is to finish the replacement firing pin and disassemble and clean up the parts and finish the receiver!
    Thanks to Tony for his guidance!

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    If it went Bang and sent a projectile through the bore I think that you're pretty darned close!
    Nozombies.com Practical Zombie Survival

    Collecting .32 molds. Please let me know if you have one you don't need, cause I might "need" it!

  14. #14
    Boolit Master


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    Minor setback!
    Following my mentor’s path I was sizing brass to.247” and using a chamber of.250”, but when we seat a .224” boolit in the case the OD is .252” and would not fit into the chamber!
    Talking to my mentor I found out he reams that mouth so the OD will fit the.250” chamber! I don’t want to do that!
    I tried to make a “D” reamer twice and had no success. A .254” reamer is $50 and I don’t want to do that! I ordered a “F” reamer and will try to remove .0015” from each of the 6 flutes with a sharpening jig I built, I hope that I am successful!

  15. #15
    Boolit Master


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    I recently received a .254 reamer and will post details of a previous failed attempt to modify a “F” reamer.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master


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    I finally had time and energy to ream the chamber to .254''!
    the dummy cartridge feeds and extracts perfectly! Problem is that I don't have any ammo or dies to make it yet!
    next project is taking some old pistol dies and make a expander and bullet seat and taper crimp dies.
    We are going to have weather in the high 60s next week in the morning so I should be able to got a few things done.

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master
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    I'm s-l-o-w-l-y working on a couple of Ladybug projects.

    Last winter when I was loading some .22 Hornet with a Lyman 310, I spied a .25ACP case and thought "What the heck, try it." Surprisingly, without adjusting the dies, it formed a sort of bottle necked case, enough that I plan to shorten one of the two sets of Hornet dies I have to load .22 Ladybug.

    It won't prime them, but I plan to use an RCBS hand primer anyway. I don't foresee the Ladybug to be a high volume project anyway.

    Robert

  18. #18
    Boolit Master


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    Ammo is slow and tedious! I need to get back making a set of dies so that I can load some ammo!

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master 303Guy's Avatar
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    Is there a reason why the 25 case cannot simply be necked down to take a 22 boolit? Another question if I may, how would shortening and necking down a hornet case compare? I ask this because I have a barrel and hornet cases (not too many pistols in NZ).

    If I were to consider the ladybug or ladybug inspired type cartridge, I would make the chamber as a separate piece from the barrel. That way, I could do it in my lathe without the need for reamers. I would also look at a dedicated air rifle pellet firing rifle. I have a tight enough barrel or two and an action body I could re-purpose.
    Last edited by 303Guy; 08-12-2020 at 05:44 PM.
    Rest In Peace My Son (01/06/1986 - 14/01/2014)

    ''Assume everything that moves is a human before identifying as otherwise''

  20. #20
    Boolit Master


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    Bottle neck cases are a pain to reload! Also making the chamber is harder.
    A straight wall case is easier to make the chamber, dies and brass.
    I am actually making .Ladybug Improved cases that have a rim the size of a 22LR so it also has an extractor groove z.
    The Ladybug uses the rim from the 25ACP case and will work in a single shot but may need extractor modifications and/or bolt face modification. The Ladybug Improved eleminates these modifications and will feed better in a magazine fed firearm.

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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