KCSO
07-13-2010, 09:27 PM
Well it was another hopeless job. I wouldn't have done anything with the gun at all but Bill ( a buddy) said it was no use and to give it up. That was all the incentive I needed.
First the gun... A Flobert Warnant action 22 rifle. Thats Flow bear, Warnay. They were made from the 1880's to the 1920's and were sold here in the states by both Sears and Monkey Wards. The rifles were originaly chambered for everything from 9MM smoothbore to 22 short, and most of the American rifles will be 22 short and long chambering. The European rifles will be 6mm and thats where the rub comes in as the 6 mm case is just enough fatter than a 22 so that a 22 fired in a 6 mm chamber will split. Hence the rifles unwarranted reputation for bulging chambers. In addition the rifles sold in 1895 for $3.40 and were advertised as not up to Remington quality. The action needs close fitting to be safe with smokeless 22's and most were not closely fitted from the factory. So much for the bad news now for the rest of the story...
More Bad News
Bill sent up a Flobert/Warnant and last year I finally got it from his Dad. The purpose was to reline the rifle to make a shooter. The bad news was that when I took it apart the rifle had been pieced together from several other guns( serial numbers 28 18 and 31) and it had a FEW defects. The frame was broken through the attachment pin and had been crudely brazed together. The hammer was cracked through the root. The extractor was ate out from B/P shorts and the barrel was shot. In addition the action pivot screws were replacments that didn't fit right so the rifle would not headspace properly. The firing pin hole was eaten out and there was a lot of windage around the pin.
Some Good News
Since I now have a little shop time and since I was able to scrounge some parts I decided to make this a shop project to show what can be done.
I relined the barrel with a 1-16 Redman ( don't use a GPC cheapie) liner and re cut the breech dead square on the mill. I then welded up the extractor and cut it to a tight sliding fit to the breech, much tighter than the original rifle. I then cut the chamber with the extractor in place so the chamber is fully supported at the breech, no gap to cause case splittng. I then turned new breech block piviot pins and re fitted them to the breech. The breech was a little pitted so I smoothed it with stones and when I cut the chamber I set it to headspace on the new breech face. This left just a fraction of the ctg. rim exposed but the cases now fit solid in the breech and headspace is set to 4 thousands, tight for a 22. The frame is what we today would class as wrought iron and with the bird **** brazing I couldn't weld it so I cleaned it and did a good job of brazing the frame. I had to make a jig to hold it together but it came out OK and is straight and solid. I welded up and reshaped the hammer where it was cracking off and then re fitted it tight to the breech block. On the Warnant as the hammer falls it locks the breech shut so the closer the fit the safer the gun. The sights on the gun were a broken front barley corn and a bent flat rear blade. I used a rear sight I had from a German schutzen rifle and made a brass based silver blade for the front sight. The hammer notches had been DINKED with and so I re-cut them and hardened them. The stock was from a different rifle than the action and someone had drilled a 6-32 hole through the escutcheon and that and a wood screw were al that held a 4 pound barrel to a light wood stock. The stock escutcheon was loose and the wood a little punky so I cut away the soft wood and fitted a new escutcheon with a 10-32 screw. I filled the old 6-32 hole and re cut the new hole on center. Unfortunately the bolt ended up just a little off center on the finished job. I should have, and probably will re do the job with the stock on the action and do both holes together on the mill but for now it's solid and way better than it was. The gun is now chambered for 22 long rifle and with the action properly fitted and with the high quality liner the rifle will stand the pressures of modern ammo. I test fired the rifle and at 20 yards 22 shorts cut 1 ragged hole. I shot a few long rifle loads to check the chaber and there were no problems but I will recommend shorts since I have not yet reamed and re fit a new firing pin. The retainer screw is froze so bad I will have to drill and re tap it and then turn and fit a new pin. I had other work to get done so I just haven't tackled this yet.
Now my cost on a liner is $40 delivered and it takes me 3 hours to lathe bore and fit an INVISIBLE liner. From the front in the white you simply cannot see the liner. I charge $90 for a job like this. As to the rest of the gun, welding fitting ect I figure I have about 10 hours of labor and I I were to sell the sights I would be asking 25 bucks so here we are... A Mint Flobert will go maybe $250 tops and here we have close to 3 in labor and the job isn't done yet.
But I did manage to make some neat fixtures for holding Flobert's in the mill.
Next a new firing pin in a reamed hole and it will be all done.
First the gun... A Flobert Warnant action 22 rifle. Thats Flow bear, Warnay. They were made from the 1880's to the 1920's and were sold here in the states by both Sears and Monkey Wards. The rifles were originaly chambered for everything from 9MM smoothbore to 22 short, and most of the American rifles will be 22 short and long chambering. The European rifles will be 6mm and thats where the rub comes in as the 6 mm case is just enough fatter than a 22 so that a 22 fired in a 6 mm chamber will split. Hence the rifles unwarranted reputation for bulging chambers. In addition the rifles sold in 1895 for $3.40 and were advertised as not up to Remington quality. The action needs close fitting to be safe with smokeless 22's and most were not closely fitted from the factory. So much for the bad news now for the rest of the story...
More Bad News
Bill sent up a Flobert/Warnant and last year I finally got it from his Dad. The purpose was to reline the rifle to make a shooter. The bad news was that when I took it apart the rifle had been pieced together from several other guns( serial numbers 28 18 and 31) and it had a FEW defects. The frame was broken through the attachment pin and had been crudely brazed together. The hammer was cracked through the root. The extractor was ate out from B/P shorts and the barrel was shot. In addition the action pivot screws were replacments that didn't fit right so the rifle would not headspace properly. The firing pin hole was eaten out and there was a lot of windage around the pin.
Some Good News
Since I now have a little shop time and since I was able to scrounge some parts I decided to make this a shop project to show what can be done.
I relined the barrel with a 1-16 Redman ( don't use a GPC cheapie) liner and re cut the breech dead square on the mill. I then welded up the extractor and cut it to a tight sliding fit to the breech, much tighter than the original rifle. I then cut the chamber with the extractor in place so the chamber is fully supported at the breech, no gap to cause case splittng. I then turned new breech block piviot pins and re fitted them to the breech. The breech was a little pitted so I smoothed it with stones and when I cut the chamber I set it to headspace on the new breech face. This left just a fraction of the ctg. rim exposed but the cases now fit solid in the breech and headspace is set to 4 thousands, tight for a 22. The frame is what we today would class as wrought iron and with the bird **** brazing I couldn't weld it so I cleaned it and did a good job of brazing the frame. I had to make a jig to hold it together but it came out OK and is straight and solid. I welded up and reshaped the hammer where it was cracking off and then re fitted it tight to the breech block. On the Warnant as the hammer falls it locks the breech shut so the closer the fit the safer the gun. The sights on the gun were a broken front barley corn and a bent flat rear blade. I used a rear sight I had from a German schutzen rifle and made a brass based silver blade for the front sight. The hammer notches had been DINKED with and so I re-cut them and hardened them. The stock was from a different rifle than the action and someone had drilled a 6-32 hole through the escutcheon and that and a wood screw were al that held a 4 pound barrel to a light wood stock. The stock escutcheon was loose and the wood a little punky so I cut away the soft wood and fitted a new escutcheon with a 10-32 screw. I filled the old 6-32 hole and re cut the new hole on center. Unfortunately the bolt ended up just a little off center on the finished job. I should have, and probably will re do the job with the stock on the action and do both holes together on the mill but for now it's solid and way better than it was. The gun is now chambered for 22 long rifle and with the action properly fitted and with the high quality liner the rifle will stand the pressures of modern ammo. I test fired the rifle and at 20 yards 22 shorts cut 1 ragged hole. I shot a few long rifle loads to check the chaber and there were no problems but I will recommend shorts since I have not yet reamed and re fit a new firing pin. The retainer screw is froze so bad I will have to drill and re tap it and then turn and fit a new pin. I had other work to get done so I just haven't tackled this yet.
Now my cost on a liner is $40 delivered and it takes me 3 hours to lathe bore and fit an INVISIBLE liner. From the front in the white you simply cannot see the liner. I charge $90 for a job like this. As to the rest of the gun, welding fitting ect I figure I have about 10 hours of labor and I I were to sell the sights I would be asking 25 bucks so here we are... A Mint Flobert will go maybe $250 tops and here we have close to 3 in labor and the job isn't done yet.
But I did manage to make some neat fixtures for holding Flobert's in the mill.
Next a new firing pin in a reamed hole and it will be all done.