Butchering and Butchered guns

[ggggr]

As some of you will know,I like to tinker with some of the older stuff (well mainly guns of youth and a bit before) and its mainly the cheap and cheerful stuff. I have a couple of contacts outside the BBs who let me have stuff cheap that have come as job lots etc. I have had a lot of guns with self tapping screws in them,wrong screws forced in and woodscrews used as stock screws or pivots and metric screws fitted. I really dont like to see that abuse but I have to try to make the best of it. Sometimes threads have been tapped out and I have to work round that. I dont like to put the wrong screws in a gun but sometimes I have to and it still makes me feel a bit bad. Its not so bad as these are mainly plinkers that will not be sold on and if they were sold on by me I would let the buyer know which threads were wrong. doing a Webley mk3 that the front stock bolts were chewed and the rear stock screw (the lh thread one) had been tapped to 3/8 Whitworth R hand and its screw to 1/4 Whitworth. I think that was probably done as the thread had stripped. I managed to clean the front ones with a tap and got the right screws and have made something for the rear that might be 2ba or something a bit bigger. The stock was completly broken off on the right side and has now been epoxyed and touched up with varnish. I am also doing a Diana 27 that the threads were gone on and the rear stock screw tapped to 1/4 Whitworth. The cocking arm pivot had a nut and bolt through. I tapped the fronts to 2ba and used Cheese heads but the threads for the cocking arm screw were gone so 5mm cheesehead seems best for ease of screws although ME would be great if they were easier to get. As these are not collectable and Im no engineer its not so bad ----What do you think?

[Pad. E]

I think you are a perfectionist., and fair play to you . So your mentality is of a higher standard to others & you will always try to rationalise to why something has been done that way.

For me, if it works then it's fine. It my not be the best looking or the proper way, but aslong as it's safe then it's ok.

If I was like that I wouldn't of done any Jackal modifications or projects as I would be too concerned if I had the right screw & not well that screw fits & lets just cut this off ( I used to watch the 'A' Team ). If you know what I mean.

Regards
Paddy.

[keith66]

Not an airgun but the worst butchered gun i ever saw was an very elderly double barreled belgian 12 bore hammer gun that had a tapered bicycle cotter pin hinging the very loose barrels to the action, it had hair triggers that could go of if you so much as blew on them and actually had a hole in its right barrel near the end. The worst thing was someone had actually shot it like that & survived. I cut it up with a 9" grinder.

[edbear2]

Here..fix this fecker!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3122848...7612720070636/

[ken69]

Recently swapped an unseen FWB 127 for a mint CP88 pistol. The FWB was described as in good condition. Unfortunately when I received it I was more than a little disappointed to say the least. The barrel was rusty, had been shortened and had at one time been fitted with a moderator. The barrel hinge bolt was bust, front stock screw threads had been tapped out to 6mm, the gun was low on power and the stock was a mess.
Not to be deterred the stock was cleaned up and given a few coats of tru oil. Rust rubbed out with a little wire wool and the blueing touched up. I fitted a new piston head and reused the spring which did not seem in bad condition. I managed to get a new barrel hinge bolt from Chambers and found a couple of cheese head screws to replace the brass 6mm screws in the stock. One nice rifle saved from the scrap heap which although isn't perfect looks well, shoots like a dream and is pushing near the legal limit. Quite chuffed the way it turned out.

[johnbaz]

Recently swapped an unseen FWB 127 for a mint CP88 pistol. The FWB was described as in good condition. Unfortunately when I received it I was more than a little disappointed to say the least. The barrel was rusty, had been shortened and had at one time been fitted with a moderator. The barrel hinge bolt was bust, front stock screw threads had been tapped out to 6mm, the gun was low on power and the stock was a mess.
Not to be deterred the stock was cleaned up and given a few coats of tru oil. Rust rubbed out with a little wire wool and the blueing touched up. I fitted a new piston head and reused the spring which did not seem in bad condition. I managed to get a new barrel hinge bolt from Chambers and found a couple of cheese head screws to replace the brass 6mm screws in the stock. One nice rifle saved from the scrap heap which although isn't perfect looks well, shoots like a dream and is pushing near the legal limit. Quite chuffed the way it turned out.

Of course, we need pics

i was looking at a very nice FWB127 on saturday but unfortunately, i don't have the £200 that the shop was asking for it (i'd just bought a very nice BSA Goldstar )



john

[ggggr]

Edbear2 ---Interesting! What calibre is it and where would I get spares from?
Seriously though,I have some 2ba and 3ba cheeseheaded screws that I use as front stock screws if the threads are gone. I got a Webley Falcon off here
last year that had the front screws tapped to 5 or 6mm and countersunk socket heads. I knew that the screws were wrong because the bloke told me (No problem with that). I didnt see the point of going any bigger so I got some plated pan heads from the local shop (about 6p each) and cut them down to fit, polished and blued them. I did a spare pair as well as it was for my niece. I fitted a Diana 25 mainspring for her and its a lovely plinker.
I know that this thread will get hijacked so Im going to hijack it----WHATS THE WORSE REPAIR/MODIFICATION YOU HAVE SEEN. A local shop told me of a Relum Tornado (No jokes about fence posts but why are they butchered so often?) with a cut down barrel. "Thats no so bad" I said. It turns out they had shortened the barrel and the cocking lever

[edbear2]

Edbear2 ---Interesting! What calibre is it and where would I get spares from?
Seriously though,I have some 2ba and 3ba cheeseheaded screws that I use as front stock screws if the threads are gone. I got a Webley Falcon off here
last year that had the front screws tapped to 5 or 6mm and countersunk socket heads. I knew that the screws were wrong because the bloke told me (No problem with that). I didnt see the point of going any bigger so I got some plated pan heads from the local shop (about 6p each) and cut them down to fit, polished and blued them. I did a spare pair as well as it was for my niece. I fitted a Diana 25 mainspring for her and its a lovely plinker.
I know that this thread will get hijacked so Im going to hijack it----WHATS THE WORSE REPAIR/MODIFICATION YOU HAVE SEEN. A local shop told me of a Relum Tornado (No jokes about fence posts but why are they butchered so often?) with a cut down barrel. "Thats no so bad" I said. It turns out they had shortened the barrel and the cocking lever

It WAS a mk 1 webley pistol..on the 2ba screw theme.......On prewar BSA's, if the triggerguard screws have been loose and the gun used, or the screws are not started by hand.these can crossthread, and are often in poor condition......a 2ba cheesehead turned down a bit and radiused, makes a hard to spot replacement once you tap the block out.....a lot of junior guns, say up to meteors and their equivelent seem to suffer the most IHMO, from bodges, I don't know if this is because the owners are younger, or because "quality-read expensive" guns are better looked after/sent back to the shop

[Phil Russell]

I sympathise with you. I have found the worst offenders to be auction buys that look OK from the outside but inside they can be rogues. Sometimes you can get a feel for a problem from a gentle movement of the cocking arm, taking care not to cock the rifle or engage the anti bear trap. A slight grating can be put down to a broken spring or lack of lube but it can hide many other sins so we always try to factor for the worst if bidding. I have seen a grating noise turn out to be an oversize ox spring that was jamming on the cylinder as it compressed, leaving a nice pattern in its wake. But it was cured by a new, correct spring. I have also gambled on a broken trigger .. would not cock due to the sear being fitted incorectly.
We have a Haenel that has BA threads on the barrel pivot. That surprised me as I did not expect BA threads on a German gun ... but they fit nice and snug. I thought they might have been replacements but other signs suggested to me that the rifle had never been stripped since new.

While on the point of cocking a rifle, we were at an auction where Crosman pump ups were for sale. One 'visitor' put about 4 pumps into a rifle and pulled the trigger. He seemed quite shocked when a steel BB hit the floor just in front of him. Twerp!
Cheers, Phil