Prewar machining excellence

[45flint]

I just acquired a prewar FLZ rifle and I just noticed a machined screw that was contoured to the tube to make it almost disappear except for the slot. Curious have any of you seen this in another airgun? I’m sure its not unique but I can’t remember seeing it anywhere?

[benchstop]

Very nice touch, on a very nice rifle.
I wonder why they didn't provide the same treatment to the other screws, too?

Regards Mike

[Lakey]

A quality rifle indeed.

Another nice touch is the fact that the rear sight blade runs in a slot that is blind ( doesnt run all the way to the bottom of the base ), which is different to most of the other turret rear sight's that you see. Another mark of machining quality. I bet it was an expensive rifle in its day.

Very interesting thing.

Lakey

[isobar]

that is a nice touch,any wear in the breech would need taking up with a shim.these look very nice rifles,top quality old school craftmanship.

[edbear2]

I just acquired a prewar FLZ rifle and I just noticed a machined screw that was contoured to the tube to make it almost disappear except for the slot. Curious have any of you seen this in another airgun? I’m sure its not unique but I can’t remember seeing it anywhere?

Probably just flashed over by linisher (after being tightened into the action) pre bluing, a simple and quick process if you think about it, means the screw needed to be kept in the action it fitted though afterwards.



ATB, ED

[45flint]

A quality rifle indeed.

Another nice touch is the fact that the rear sight blade runs in a slot that is blind ( doesnt run all the way to the bottom of the base ), which is different to most of the other turret rear sight's that you see. Another mark of machining quality. I bet it was an expensive rifle in its day.

Very interesting thing.

Lakey

Look at the machining on the front sight, the little bevel on the post! Crazy detail that few would ever notice? Machining art.

[Lakey]

Look at the machining on the front sight, the little bevel on the post! Crazy detail that few would ever notice? Machining art.

Love the attention to detail. Very nice indeed.



Lakey

[Garvin]

I love those details too. Especially where the work is done on several planes - and so I imagine must be very complex to do without CNC hardware.

Such as this pre-WW1 Diana trigger block:





And the front sight on this postwar HW35 1st series.

[ptdunk]

The WRHP front sight, and the miniature 1905 Britannia rearsight are both nicely machined too.






Matt

[Garvin]

The WRHP front sight, and the miniature 1905 Britannia rearsight are both nicely machined too.



Matt

Talking of which, another postwar sight that is machined with prewar skill is the Falke 80/90 rearsight:

[ptdunk]

Talking of which, another postwar sight that is machined with prewar skill is the Falke 80/90 rearsight:

Very nice,
The reputation of that rearsight is well deserved.

[Powderfinger]

Impressive work. Thank you for all these fascinating photos.

[MDriskill]

One of my favorite machining touches - on a comparatively ordinary mid-range model, the pre-war Diana 27.

1. Top of the breech block is cylindrical, on a larger diameter concentric with the round barrel.

2. This contour makes a straight line where it meets the flat sides of the block.

3. The top of the breech forks have neat narrow horizontal flats that exactly meet the same line; a neat and lovely styling detail that continued onto the first generations of the post-war, ball-sear model 27.

[Garvin]

One of my favorite machining touches - on a comparatively ordinary mid-range model, the pre-war Diana 27.

1. Top of the breech block is cylindrical, on a larger diameter concentric with the round barrel.

2. This contour makes a straight line where it meets the flat sides of the block.

3. The top of the breech forks have neat narrow horizontal flats that exactly meet the same line; a neat and lovely styling detail that continued onto the first generations of the post-war, ball-sear model 27.

I totally agree Mike and would add one other small distinctive detail on Diana breach blocks that is very pleasing to the eye and strictly-speaking 'unnecessary': the front edge of the breech block is rounded forward of the link pivot/keeper screw holes.

Diana made this feature progressively more pronounced over the decades.

You can see this detail clearly here on a postwar mod 27:



As opposed to this later breach block where the manufacturer (Webley) hasn't bothered:

[Jerry Cornelius]

All of this reminds me of a sadly now departed relative who was a shipwright in a naval dockyard, apprenticed before the war. He hated the phrase “that’ll do”. In his world, things were either done correctly or, well, actually they were always done correctly

A good attitude if you are building submarines I suppose