Building a Remington Hepburn from a kit

[rbertalotto]

I've wanted a Hepburn for quite some time now. And it has kind of a LEVER! But the prices keep going higher and higher. Seems they go up 10% a week!


These is a company called 'Upper Missouri Trading" that sells a cast parts kit. You buy it and do the finish machining and build your own Remington Hepburn. Well, I bought one and it showed up a few days ago.


http://www.uppermotradingco.com/index.html


Lots of folks are asking for pictures of the as delivered Upper Missouri Remington Hepburn kit so they can get an idea of how much work this will entail. Your wish is my command!


This is not a "sandpaper" and Craftsman screwdriver project. It could be done with files, but you best have lots of time, elbow grease and know your way around a file. A milling machine is going to make this go a lot easier and more accurate.


The cast parts are taken from the molds, a slight amount of internal machining is done on the receiver, holes are drilled and taped.


The lower tang is about 1/16" proud of the receiver. I haven't looked at the specs yet to see if the receiver needs to be opened or the lower tang reduced in width.


The smaller cast parts are as delivered from the molds. These will easily be the most challenging.


The screws, springs and pins are of extreme high quality. Well finished and very hard.


Here are a few pictures:


http://images49.fotki.com/v302/photos/2/36012/13555438/P1160003-vi.jpg


http://images59.fotki.com/v543/photos/2/36012/13555438/P1160009-vi.jpg


http://images58.fotki.com/v450/photos/2/36012/13555438/P1160008-vi.jpg


http://images14.fotki.com/v146/photos/2/36012/13555438/P1160012-vi.jpg


http://images53.fotki.com/v695/photos/2/36012/13555438/P1160013-vi.jpg


More pictures here:
http://public.fotki.com/Rbertalotto/things-that-go-bang/remington-hepburn/


I bet I've talked to a dozen folks that bought these kits and they have been sitting in a drawer for 10 years! Waiting for the time and courage to undertake it. But none of them wanted to sell the kit......"I'll get to it one of these days!"


The kit is available in two versions. "Machined" and "Un-Machined". This is the Machined kit. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to locate holes etc on the Un-Machined kit without some type of jig.


So, anyhow.....I'll get back to you in ten years or so and let you know how I'm making out!.... ;D


Hopefully this what I'll have to show!


http://images61.fotki.com/v665/photos/2/36012/13555438/8787753_2_jpgv8CC7EC1980CF050-vi.jpg

[waksupi]

I had forgot Doc sells those. I should get one, to store in the back of MY closet!

[rbertalotto]

Lol :-)

[KLR]

I'm going to make you an offer in 11 years...

[Chill Wills]

Roy, I am glad you are giving it a try. I hope you get going on it and post the set by step.
I have wanted to build the Hepburn kit you have but never thought the price was right. Just out of my reach. I keep finding and buying real Hepburn actions in various states for the same money. I have had a number of those actions I found built back up into target rifles buy Mike Lewis and John King. I still have two actions waiting in the wings and I hope I get the courage to begin them myself.

I understand you have plans. Do you have a Hepburn you can look it for reference?

One of the Silhouette shooters here in Colorado had an unstarted Highwall Kit from Boulder River foundry for just about 10 years when he said he would like to sell it. Now I have it - un-started.... Hmmmm. No building plans came with mine. So before jump in and start on it, I am trying to work out and write down a step-by-step, so when I do start, I do not get ahead of myself and wish I done things in a different order. It is harder to put the metal back on. :groner:

Please keep us posted.

Michael Rix

[Artful]

Chill Wills, your high wall action has some stuff on the web

http://www.assra.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1277051090

http://www.assra.com/yabbfiles/Attachments/Shiloh_Sharps_made_1885_KitHighRes2_001.jpg
http://www.assra.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1265661083/27#27

http://www.assra.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1289716593

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/hobby-discussion/51863-winchester-1885-falling-block-rifle-blueprints.html

http://www.bpcr.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1234

http://www.uberti.com/sites/default/files/originals/product-manuals/1885_single_shot.pdf

some other threads on this site
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?173434-Field-Stripping-a-Browning-Highwall

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?146263-cast-actions

[M-Tecs]

I should keep you out of trouble for a weekend or two. Keep us post on progress.

[oldred]

I am presently working on my third High Wall which like the first two is being made from raw stock instead of castings, the first two were built from 4140HT (pre-hardened) but I have decided on 8620 this time. My reasoning was that getting a blank piece of stock roughed out to the point of the casting is the easy part and after that it should be as easy (or hard as the case may be!) as working from a casting, considering the set-up requirements on those castings without using a factory jig it might even be easier. HOWEVER, just looking at the pics of those castings they sure look like a good starting point and having those holes drilled/tapped and located properly is a MAJOR part of the headache factor out of the way!

Another advantage to raw stock vs a casting is it makes custom mods a lot easier, that second High Wall is scaled down quite a bit from full size which would have been impossible to accomplish from a kit. The larger one was intentionally modified to not look like an original, a decision I regretted later, while the small one is more true to Winchester's design but scaled down 70%-80%, it varies from 70% to 80% in different areas because it was impractical to scale it proportionally and still be a comfortable fit for an adult.

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh269/dwmiracle/bhw3_zps1e94bd31.jpg (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/dwmiracle/media/bhw3_zps1e94bd31.jpg.html)



http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh269/dwmiracle/bhighwall_zps39cc62c7.jpg (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/dwmiracle/media/bhighwall_zps39cc62c7.jpg.html)

[Chill Wills]

Chill Wills, your high wall action has some stuff on the web
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?146263-cast-actions

Artful, thank you, thank you!
At the risk of hijacking this thread I will keep this short.

thank you for taking the time to post those links! I checked them out. I do not post on ASSRA anymore but I look now and then. I think I had seen these but I took the time to reread them.

A fellow rifleman locally learned of my project and had built a Boulder River Foundry himself. He had the 1885 drawings and I had them copied.

What will really be helpful is to find a written order of operation. In other words, a written step-by-step plan. I am trying to create one based on what I imagine and show it to my few rifle builder friends to see if they can edit it - trouble shoot it, before I start the first cut...... and then regret I got my cart before my horse. I know there are some tricks to make this easier.

OK- hijack over - back to the Hepburn kit.

[John Taylor]

I did one of these for a customer many years back. It's a labor of love, you'll never get out of it what you put into it. Hunter restoration can do the color case after you got all the parts fit together.

[Artful]

Artful, thank you, thank you!
Your welcome
see if your local library can get this book
Building a Single Shot, Falling Block Rifle Action by Walter Mueller (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Walter+Mueller&search-alias=books&text=Walter+Mueller&sort=relevancerank)
from 1998
or check for a used copy
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0941653544/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&sr=&qid=

[oldred]

The pics of both those kits are quite interesting indeed! Is there a set of plans included with that Hepburn kit? Have you decided on a barrel/caliber? Those castings appear to be of excellent quality and I have no doubt that a high grade rifle can be built with them, this project is going to be fun to watch and I predict that a very nice rifle is about to be born!

[Artful]

I'm sort of hoping we get to see two

[rbertalotto]

Hey fellas....HiJack away! I find all this banter interesting. Keep it going!

I'm doing a kit because I've not been able to find an affordable Hepburn in ANY condition to build a 38-40 on. Wish I could!

[Chill Wills]

Hey fellas....HiJack away! I find all this banter interesting. Keep it going!
I'm doing a kit because I've not been able to find an affordable Hepburn in ANY condition to build a 38-40 on. Wish I could!

Would that be 38-40 Rem Hep? Hmmmm, a fitting caliber if it is!