Winter Time Rifle Project

[Rockindaddy]

A fellow walked into my shop a couple of weeks ago with an old Remington No.4 32 Rim Fire rifle. The gun was a disaster. The bore looked like a sewer pipe. Think there was a hint of rifling left. The wrist had a real nice electrician repair. Several layers of black friction electrical tape covered the broken wood. I offered him $150 for the gun just to get the little rolling block action. He was happy. After a couple of days I started to measure up what I had. I removed the extractor and turned up a 4" piece of 22LR barrel to 32 caliber complete with a rim on it. It slid into the chamber flush. A 22LR chamber reamer cut a chamber in the insert. Wanted to see if the rimfire firing pin was wide enough to crush the rim and fire the 22 LR cartridge. Walked outside my shop and pow! The 22LR fired into the dirt. So now I need a barrel. Figured if the 32 Rim Fire pin in the breech would fire a 22LR it should easily fire a 22 Win Magnum round. The rim of a 22LR is .275" and the rim on a 22 Win Mag is .290" Cup cake of a restoration. Now I am looking for a 22 center fire barrel .224" about 27~28" Will have to make a new butt stock and forend. Pulled an old brass telescope off the shelf that I had found at a flea market. This old scope looks like 19th century. Optics are clear about 6 power. Should work good. Maybe come Spring this project will be looking like a shooter. Will try and post my progress.

[uscra112]

It was an interesting feature of #4s and some Stevens boys rifles that the firing pin size and location covered all 3 rimfire rounds. We found this out making "adapters" for the .32s, using at first .22 blanks and then 6mm acorn blanks. Early efforts machined a reformed .32 S&W case with the hole offset, but somewhere in there we discovered that the hole could be on center, because the firing pin would still catch enough of the .22 rim to fire it. All this explains why Stevens never offered spare breechblocks specific to caliber. Nor did Remington, I assume.

[Gewehr-Guy]

I hope the single tang isn't cracked and brazed under that tape, like the one I bought many years ago

[Rockindaddy]

Good thought Gewehr Guy! Will have to peel off all that friction tape and look at the tang. If it is; I can TIG weld most anything. Can't fix broken hearts though. Am looking for a 26~27" 22 cal. centerfire barrel blank. Ordered a 22 Win Mag chamber reamer from Hansen. The woodchucks around here are in big trouble if this little rifle works out.

[nuclearcricket]

Check Green Mountain barrels. they may have a blank that fits your needs.
Sam

[littlejack]

Great project.
What's the scope mounted on it?

[Rockindaddy]

Littlejack: Was looking at the scope mounts. They require a screw down dovetail. Thinking of machining up a 90* opposed dovetail mount. A pair of dovetails machined into the barrel top flat should be ok for 22 Win Mag. Found a 22 centerfire blank at Midway USA made by Shilen. Will cut octagonal flats and taper to round.

[ebb]

I hear that Green Mountain now does contouring to their blanks. I have a new 45 that needs contoured I wonder if I can send it back?

[Nobade]

Why not get a liner from TJ's and keep the outside of the barrel looking original?

[Rockindaddy]

Thought about using the original barrel and just lining it but it is deeply pitted. Would take a lot of draw filing. The new barrel will have a larger octagonal barrel than the original and I think I will turn it to a tapered round from forward of the forearm. I made a Remington barrel address many years ago. Am an old die maker and still have most of my old roll dies and roll press to restore barrel addresses and caliber markings. I'll make it look factory. New wood too.