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Double Rifles, Single Shots & Combinations >> Paradox and Bore Guns
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transvaal
.300 member


Reged: 19/01/13
Posts: 131
Loc: South Carolina
New 20-bore DR I built and engraved
      #225579 - 20/02/13 02:27 AM

Gentlemen;

I am a new member and this is my first post. By way of introduction I retired 5 years ago and last year I decided to build a double rifle. I chose a bore rifle as I thought that that would be best for a first effort. I met "Birdhunter50" of this BBS via another BBS and he shared some very important tips me on turning barrel blanks down on my lathe as well as barrel profiles. He also added tips related to regulation and other points.

My main hobby is the restoration of English vintage shotguns and therefore I have a small machine shop with milling machines, lathes, and other associated equipment. (If you are in Australia, UK, or South Africa, a small engineering shop is like the term you will use instead of the American term "machine shop".) 3 years ago I also began to learn to engrave.

The 20-bore DR is based upon a Yildiz 4140 alloy steel 12 bore action action, Verney-Carron 20 bore barrel blanks, mono-block from the Yildiz barrels and the wood from same. I did all the work, engraving and nitre coloring of the DR; and Turnbull did the action case color hardening and Dan May did the barrel blacking.

I am now going to try to add photos of the completed DR and the final regulation target (at 100 yards). The engraving and machining BBS' that I a member have other ways of adding photos directly instead of the indirect way of using a Photobucket type service and I can get along with them OK. The method used here is new to me, so I may not get it right the first time and have to ask my friend Bob--Birdhunter50 to help me.

Best Regards;
Stephen Howell













Edited by CptCurl (03/06/13 08:45 PM)

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rigbymauser
.400 member


Reged: 15/05/05
Posts: 1972
Loc: Denmark
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: transvaal]
      #225580 - 20/02/13 02:34 AM


..ready for action!!.

Looks really great.

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DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 27005
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: rigbymauser]
      #225581 - 20/02/13 03:14 AM

Beautiful job Stephen. I really quite like it.

Say, in one picture the barrels appeared to be 'blackened' or blued - modern term, but in all the others, they appear to have been browned. So - brown or black - sometimes photo's screw with the actual colour.

Have you tried 20 bore bullets or balls?

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

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tinkerModerator
.416 member


Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: transvaal]
      #225588 - 20/02/13 03:48 AM

Stephen-

Welcome to Nitro Express and thanks for bringing this nice rifle!
I look forward to hearing more about this rifle and the workshop where it was built.





Cheers
Tinker

--------------------
--Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--



"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...

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transvaal
.300 member


Reged: 19/01/13
Posts: 131
Loc: South Carolina
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: tinker]
      #225600 - 20/02/13 07:18 AM

Tinker;

My shop is very small as you will be able to see from the photos I am going to attach. You will be able to see the equipment I have that includes a Burke vertical mill and a Burke horizontal mill, South Bend 9" and Heavy 10" lathes, several drill presses, workbench, engraving vise and microscope and so forth. I will add a photo of turning the Verney-Carron barrel blank in the 10 lathe and milling the extractor slot into the barrels with the horizontal mill.

Best Regards;
Steve Howell






Edited by CptCurl (03/06/13 08:46 PM)

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DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 27005
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: transvaal]
      #225605 - 20/02/13 09:24 AM

That is a NICE shop Steve, and soooo clean.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

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tinkerModerator
.416 member


Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: DarylS]
      #225609 - 20/02/13 10:26 AM

Great little shop, nice small machines too.
What stereomicroscope is that? I use an olympus.

What are the floor dimensions in that shop?


Cheers
Tinker

--------------------
--Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--



"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...

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transvaal
.300 member


Reged: 19/01/13
Posts: 131
Loc: South Carolina
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: tinker]
      #225613 - 20/02/13 12:29 PM

Mr. Tinker;

It is a Meiji EMZ-8TR microscope. Are you an engraver?

The shop is about 15' x 21'

Regards;
Steve Howell

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tinkerModerator
.416 member


Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: transvaal]
      #225624 - 20/02/13 05:22 PM

Steve-

I was a jeweler in a past life, trained with a German-guild engraver years ago. I'm still learning.

Great deal of workspace in such a small room for you!
Hat's off...





Cheers
Tinker

--------------------
--Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--



"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...

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vikram
.300 member


Reged: 29/07/04
Posts: 105
Loc: Warwickshire,England
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: transvaal]
      #225719 - 22/02/13 12:25 AM

Excellent job,Steve.And you are a testament to the fact that one is never too old to learn.Thank you for sharing.



Best-
Vikram

--------------------
"Routine is death to Heroism."- P.G.Wodehouse

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transvaal
.300 member


Reged: 19/01/13
Posts: 131
Loc: South Carolina
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: vikram]
      #225734 - 22/02/13 03:28 AM

V;

Thanks for your kind words. Lovely area of England you live in. I lived in Surrey for 6 months in 2002 and I would drive up to Warwick, park my car at the train station and take the train up to Birmingham to Snow Hill station; and then I would walk down the hill to Price Street to visit my friend Malcolm Cruxton one of the last of the gunmakers still working in the old gunquarter.

Kindest regards;
Steve Howell

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Birdhunter50
.375 member


Reged: 03/06/07
Posts: 815
Loc: Iowa,U.S.A.
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: transvaal]
      #225824 - 23/02/13 11:29 AM

Steve,
That first conversion of yours is simply outstanding. Of course I have been following along as you made progress on it, but this is WAY better than I expected! I am especially impressed with the regulation you achieved on your first time doing a conversion. The engraving is first rate also and is on par with many profession engravers' work. I love your shop and the machines in it, you have it well laid out and I can see you have put a great deal of thought into the arraingment of your machines. Very Nice! Bob

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transvaal
.300 member


Reged: 19/01/13
Posts: 131
Loc: South Carolina
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: Birdhunter50]
      #225826 - 23/02/13 12:19 PM

Birdhunter Bob;

Thanks for your help.

I worked for weeks (part time) getting the barrels regulated to where I could get 1 1/2 to 2 inch groups right and left at 100 yards (see photo of target abvove); and I had to use a rifle scope as my 71 year old eyes are not too great. I get the same grouping at 50 yards as I do at 100 yards, so I do not know how far out beyond 100 yards the projectiles will cross. An interesting issue with these Verney-Carron barrels is that they love high velocity--the higher the more accurate; and secondly although I have the barrels regulated for the Remington 3" 260g .45caliber Accutip at 1900fps, the rifle shoots and groups just as well with the with the Hornady 2 3/4" 250g .45 caliber FTX--I just have to move the sight elevation a bit, same right and left group though.

The Verney Carron barrels that I used are some of the finest barrel blanks I have ever worked with, although they are very difficult to turn on the lathe even with a steady rest and a follow rest.

Regards;
Steve Howell

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paradox_
.375 member


Reged: 12/05/07
Posts: 645
Loc: Australia
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: transvaal]
      #225843 - 23/02/13 06:55 PM

Steve

Well done!!, very keen to see your next effort!

Best
Eric

--------------------
Walk softly and carry a big stick

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4seventy
Sponsor


Reged: 07/05/03
Posts: 2210
Loc: Queensland Australia
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: transvaal]
      #225844 - 23/02/13 07:16 PM

Steve,
You have done a very fine job with that rifle! Well done.
To be able to build a rifle like that is a real achievement, that's for sure.
Your engraving is very well done too.

From the photos it looks like you have used a vertical regulating wedge similar to the H&H style? Very nice system in a number of ways compared to the more common horizontal wedge.

Your workshop is unreal!

Thanks for showing us those great photos, and welcome to NE.

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Even
.300 member


Reged: 28/12/12
Posts: 175
Loc: Canada
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: 4seventy]
      #225845 - 23/02/13 07:30 PM

Lovely work indeed, and great shop! I love the efficient use of space.

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transvaal
.300 member


Reged: 19/01/13
Posts: 131
Loc: South Carolina
Re: New 20-bore DR I built and engraved [Re: paradox_]
      #225851 - 24/02/13 01:58 AM

Paradox;

As you might expect I have started on another DR project(a month or so ago). It will be a .30-30 or .30-40. I found a 20 gauge AyA Matador ejector gun for the donor action. The Matador does not have a third fastner, so I have now cut the slots in the action for a Purdey style third fastner, as well as started making the third fastner. To my mind a Purdey style third fastner should be fitted as the very last step of fitting barrels to an action. So it will be several months before I fit up the third fastner. A Purdey third fastner is activated by a slot in the bottom of the top lever. Of course since the Matador action did not have a third fastner, the barrels did not have a third fastner barrel extension. Although the barrels of the Matador are chopper lump, I would not have used them to build a monoblock for a rifle, as the extractor hole is much too large--taking away too much metal from the barrel walls. Therefore, I have machined a monobloc from a 2.5" diameter bar of 4140 alloy steel, which includes a rearward barrel extension that will be 7/32" wide. The barrel extension will also act as a top guide for the new extractors that I will build making it unnecessary to bore two holes in the monobloc for the extractors. I will limit the diameter of the single extractor hole between the barrels to 7mm, and make the extractors from high strength alloy steel to compensate for a small size diameter of their shaft.

The Matador 20-bore gun that I am using as a donor also has the Zanotti style rear extended barrel lumps and the extended Zanotti lump slot machined back into the bottom breech face of the action. Combined with the added Purdey style third fastner all of this will give the DR significant more barrel locking leverage than a typical 20-bore double gun.

The down side of using an AyA Matador action is that I have to make double triggers and safety slide components to convert it from single selective trigger to double trigger.

Kindest regards;
Steve Howell

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