80% falling block receiver... is it possible

[beechbum444]

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

[KenH]

I sure wish they did at a reasonable price.

[pertnear]

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

[Jedman]

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

[Outer Rondacker]

Most things are possible if you put your mind to it. :bigsmyl2: I just wanted to be that guy for once with the smart answer.

[Moleman-]

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.

[country gent]

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

[Deadeye Bly]

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.

[500Linebaughbuck]

http://tippmannarmory.com/rolling-block-rifle-complete-receiver-action-only/

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index/page/product/product_id/8843/category_id/314/product_name/CR1331+SHARPS+RECEIVER

http://therifleshoppe.com/catalog_pages/single_shot_parts/(single_shot_parts).htm

thats about all i have for falling blocks.

[mulespurs]

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.

[Toolmaker TN]

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.

[John Taylor]

Bolder river foundry use to sell 1885 castings.

[oldred]

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.

[EDG]

The prototype Contender actions were machined as 2 halves and were welded down the middle.