anyone here build parts kit guns?

[arjacobson]

After scratch building my 50 bmg I needed a new project. I bought a demilled M31 suomi kit. I have already machined the bolt to be striker fired-I am in the process of machining an undersize receiver tube and have the FCG converted to semi auto only complete with 922r blocks.. It has been a GREAT learning project. Does anyone else here build parts kits? I am already planning my next build using what I am learning on the suomi.. I am thinking a suomi type bolt-tube body-ar FCG-and glock 45acp mags. I am going to machine almost everything except the ar trigger assembly and barrel.. Should be fun..

[seagiant]

Hi,
I've built a few rifles here's an STG-58 Steyr Damiler Puch Austrian Kit on a Brazilian Imbel forged reciever!

[JohnFreeman]

I've built a couple AKs...

[tomme boy]

I have done a few AK rifles and pistols. Back when parts kits were 80$ for a new kit that included every single part. I bought a bunch of the AMD kits from Centerfire Systems.

[seagiant]

Hi,
Yea,Parts Kit glory days are gone I'm afraid! Fun while it lasted!

[olereb]

I have done many AK's,a few Stens and am working on a KP44 currently. Next year I have a few Sterlings that i'm gonna tackle after the KP44 is finished,i have been off and on with that thing for a year now,lol.

[arjacobson]

NICE work fellas! I would LOVE to build a 1918 bar in honor of my uncle. That stg is REAL nice. OLEREB-How is the kp44 build going? I have been looking at those also. It is too bad that the parts kit thing is going away.... I do have some ideas though..LOL

[olereb]

The KP44 is going ok,just keep getting sidetracked,lol. There is a guy on theweaponsguild that has worked out all the bugs and sells modified bolts and fcg's so its not to bad of a build,i just haven't done one before so I cant slap it together in a afternoon like a AK. Its going to be a fun gun though when its done,i bought a aftermarket barrel so its going to be a rifle rather than a pistol so I can keep the original folding stock.

[Artful]

I too think the golden age is now gone due to .Gov

I've done some minor stuff (FAL, AR, AK and the like)

Some Bubba'd/mod'd Mausers or SMLE
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/FAL/th_762x39MauserWASRconversion.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rowdyfisk/media/FAL/762x39MauserWASRconversion.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/FAL/SMLE45SIAConversion_zpsd36e4ef1.jpg

[arjacobson]

I like the smle. 45 acp?

[Artful]

Yep, 45 ACP's a fun toy, a few of us have 'em on this board
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?125881-SMLE-No-4-mk1-45ACP-conversion

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?67686-45-ACP-in-a-long-gun-or-Destroyer-info

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?2546-Enfield-4-carbine-45-acp

[tomme boy]

Do you have to use a #4?

I was thinking about doing a Mauser. But they seem to have feed problems. Do you think taking off the bottom lug and filling in the bottom lug recess would work? Don't know if the one lug would be strong enough?

[Artful]

Several have Rhineland's conversion's for Mauser, the short case has issues with ejection and jumping the lug gap. I have heard the mausers work better as a 45 win mag.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?131079-Rhineland-45-ACP-Kit

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?169229-Rhineland-45-ACP-Kit-revisited

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?136193-Mauser-45-ACP-conversion

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?215740-Show-Us-your-Rhinelander-45-ACP-Mauser-Conversions

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?183447-My-45-ACP-Arisaka-Action

The best two actions for 45 ACP conversion on bolt actions are the SMLE #4 or Spanish Destroyer 9x21 Largo - both have rear bolt lugs.

You could try something different, or look at something to convert Mosin into like 45 colt

[johnson1942]

does it count if you have built muzzle loaders your self without a kit. i buy the barrel cut to my specs and a trigger and lock and breech plug. i get a block of wood i want and go to work. two of them shoot a 700 grain cast bullet and have 100 grains of 2f black behind it. a lot stronger than even a 50/90 sharps. accurate and hit hard. its fun to build your own guns and have them. turn out. thanks for the post. oh yes, it is addictive, i have more plans in my head than money.

[Artful]

Heck yes Johnson1942, that's good stuff I remember my first Thompson Center kit, Sold that gun to a friend as I am not a fan of holy black to clean up after. You got any pic's of you big boomers?

[94Doug]

I did a '41 Johnson with only a receiver, after building a few AR's, 1911's, Garands, and Carbine. It wasn't fun, and the search for all the parts took years. Still, nothing better for learning function of a weapon.

[johnson1942]

artful, thanks for the reply. go to pineridgeblackpowder.com and you can see part of a target muzzle loader i made for my self.

[Artful]

This one is a beaut'
http://www.pineridgeblackpowder.com/images/hp-rifle.jpg
I don't recognize the wood - what kind is that?

[johnson1942]

thank you for posting the picture. it really surprised me to see it when i clicked on it. the wood is my favorite. western quilted maple. the forend comes from australia and the name slips my mind now. it supposed to be the second mose beautiful wood in the world. did you click on all the pages as their is a picture of the othe side of the gun also. it is .50 cal 1/23 twist. i was shooting a 724 grain paper patch bullet in it but ive decided to go to a cast of my own design. im haveing a mould made for it in the near future. the bullet will be 1.42 long and front is very slightly over .50 so it really is a bore rider and the back of the bullet is as a .493 diam. roundball. you patch it like a roundball and it shoots really good. i have a .50 1.28 twist and i had a bullet mould made like this design 1.2 long. it loads as easy as a round ball and shoots very very accurate to any distance cast bullets shoot to. on the gun in the picture i just took the lands out for about 1.2 into the bore just like the modern inlines. as i dont have the mould for it yet i havent shot it to to see if that affects accracy but im sure it wont. my sons inline is a tack driver and its muzzle is the same way. the gun weighs 11 lbs. and their isnt much of a recoil. i have a dead mule inbedded in the butt stock. the weight plus the dead mule really works. it has a sister gun in that cal. but with a tiger stripe maple stock and shorter barrel as it is a hunting gun. really too big for deer and ment for elk and bigger game. i dont like the single set trigger so this winter im going to rebuild the trigger into a straight pull one. as a older man i know some one is going to inherit it some day and i dont want them to kill them selves or some one else with a light set trigger. i shoot this, the pictured gun, as one would shoot a black powder cartridge rifle off of cross sticks. the nipple is a 209 conversion mag spark nipple. the gun has two tiny vent hole at a 45 degree angle in to the back of the barrel. this makes it an even faster ignition as the fire from the primer blows out the air in the powder through these hole and their fore goes into the powder faster. no resistance. the only drawback to this is a louder bang. the 2 vent hole make noise also. i wear ear plugs. you got me going now, got some stuff to sell so i can get that mould and start shooting that gun again. sorry to be long winded but i really like that gun. if you ever have any kind of gun built look up quilted maple for the stock, it is very tough, doesnt splinter, and is very beautiful. also easy to carve and work with. i saw a lever action marlin with that wood for the stock on the internet recently and it as as the kids would say awsome. thanks again for posting the picture

[Artful]

Yes, I saw the other side - looking it up lots of people say that is way softer than Red or Sugar Maple unless you find a source of slow growing trees - where would you recommend looking for some blanks to make a L1A1 - FN FAL stock set from?
http://www.silvercrescentindustries.com/product.php?line=FAL-L1A1
https://www.apexgunparts.com/images/FALL1A1/L1A1_USA_Poly_Stock_Set.jpg
as I like that western quilted maple look more than Walnut
http://www.silvercrescentindustries.com/gallery/L1-BR-WAL/FAL-L1A1-BRIT-WALN.jpg
it just needs to be hard enough for 308 battering.

[johnson1942]

it is softer but not so soft that it is not good for a strong stock. i try to stay away from briddle. walnut is semi briddle and ive had to repair walnut. stocks. i made a oak stock once and it was a pain. it looked very nice but every dec. when i hunted with that gun a piece would fly off from vibration. i would fix it and it would look good again but i got sick of it so i deep sixed it and restocked it with western quilted maple. its only a .44 cal and shoots a cast bullet and doesnt have the recoil my .50/s have but the oak didnt take it. cherry is the most stable but rather plain in looks. i also put hidden pins glued in stress areas on stocks so they hold together under vibration. they use beech instead of walnut to day on a lot of production guns. they never finish it to its potential. it can shrink alot but is very tough.it can be very good to look at. thanks for the reply. my ansestors were furniture makes in france and ive inherited the love of working with wood.

[Artful]

did you see this?
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?212410-Woodwork-s-triumph&highlight=swiss

[johnson1942]

thanks, thats a interesting piece of wood and mechanical work.

[MtGun44]

Now THAT would make an unusual FAL!!! (western quilted maple)

Bill

[johnson1942]

what is a FAL?

[johnson1942]

one thing i wanted to mention that i forgot when i posted about my target rifle. everyone may know this so forgive me if im saying something everyone knows. i use leather dye for shoes to stain my stocks. i usually use medium brown with a drop of red mixed into it. dixie guns works taught me that years ago. it really brings out the grain in the wood. it almost makes it 3 demential like you can look down into the wood. really soak it with the die, then let it dry. wash it down, then wet sand it with 600 grit, let dry and finish with the sealer and the oil you like.

[MtGun44]

Fusil Automatique Lieger or something like that. "Light Automatic Rifle"

FN FAL is the .308/7.62 battle rifle that was used by all the non-Soviet world except the US of A during the
50s and 60s.

Bill

[Artful]

what is a FAL?
Fusil Automatique Leger (FAL)
or Light Automatic Rifle (LAR)
or SLR Self Loading Rifle

http://www.arizonaresponsesystems.com/smith/fal/galleryfal03.jpg

AKA - The Right Arm of the Free World
- adopted by more than 90 countries as their Main Battle Rifle.

The previous ones I built I used Plastic Furniture
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/FAL/th_349.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rowdyfisk/media/FAL/349.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/FAL/th_364.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rowdyfisk/media/FAL/364.jpg.html)
- as this is my last kit to build, I'm thinking of going fancy on the Inch Pattern L1A1 Style

sometimes I like to pretty up the old war horses
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/FAL/th_SMLE303.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rowdyfisk/media/FAL/SMLE303.jpg.html)

[coleman]

+1 on the weapons guild a lot of good info and projects.

[johnson1942]

i think any gun would be a knock out with properly done quilted maple for the stock. yours looks good now but if you ever get another to fix up you may want to try that kind of wood. i bought my two blocks of maple from a oregon co. a friend of mine got his off of ebay. he bid on it and got it for less than half of what it is worth. i also love birds eye maple but all of that is going to italy to build rich mens dream yachts.

[Garyshome]

I would love to But having never done this before and trying to stock up on TP and soap and beans, Oh and wanting to get an AR, no available funds or time. Maybe one day!

[johnson1942]

i know what you mean, the things i build in my mind go way beyond what my income will let me. i have another gun already built in detail in my mind. im selling some stuff to get the barrel. if i get that the rest will fall in place. i love douglas barrels. they are a no fuss easy to shoot accurate barrel.

[MtGun44]

Artful,

What uppers do you use? I am thinking about dropping the bucks for a DSA, but also looking
at Entreprise.

Bill

[seagiant]

Hi,
I would stay away from Enterprise! Coonan makes a nice and affordable reciever they are cast?! DSA is forged but more $$$! Really miss the $200 forged Imbel Recievers from Brazil!

http://www.coonaninc.com/index.php/cPath,7

[johnson1942]

you knowlegeabe shooters will have to forgive me as i only know custom muzzle loaders and blackpowder cartridge guns, what is a DSA?

[seagiant]

http://www.dsarms.com/

[Artful]

My Inch is Dan Coonan's
Adam762 know of a fancier stock set for sale for $400
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii10/adam762/Marks%20parts/woodLH1_zps6b972e27.jpg
But doesn't excite like johnson1942's stock

- Blue Monster over on Fal Files has a picture of Maple he did long ago says won't do another and won't do inch just metric.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r61/bluemonster2003/Fal%20Furniture/Blues%20wood%20work/stocklefta.jpg

He suggested I look at different "Exhibition Grade" Circassian walnut stock blanks as some has similar figure to the quilted maple - anyone have any thoughts on that?

[johnson1942]

that is beautiful quilted maple, has deep whirls in it. the stock almost looks 3D. ive never found it hard to work with. i have another stock i did that turned out more like the one in the picture in the post above. the one on my .50 cal turned out a little darker but still beautiful. again if you want the perfect wood to work with get a good piece of figured cherry. its the most stable wood out their. quilted maple is used alot in high end custom les paul guitar clones. on stocks that are two piece and smaller like you shooters with the para military rifles, might want to have the wood stablized before you carve it. any wood becomes a lot tougher and will still carve after it is stablelized. stableizing make even brittle wood unbrittle.

[Artful]

Hmmm - someone suggested I look at Hydro Dipping a regular synthetic stock - Anyone have a thought on that - they do have some interesting patterns
http://www.watertransferprinting.com/wg_gallery.html

[tomme boy]

It works well as long as the person doing it knows what they are doing. If the prep is not done right, it will be coming off with any kind of contact.

[MtGun44]

Those water transfers look amazingly good. The birdseye maple is impressive. I saw
one FAL years ago with wood stock and plywood handguard, but not nice wood.
It would be a standout with even the printed furniture.

Bill