1917 barrel fork broken in 3 pieces - Page 2

Alx · 06-14-2009, 11:48 PM

'got called away to New Hampshire for a week, but next week after , 'will take photos of breechblock face, receiver lug, and frame areas. As far as the gunsmith that installed the barrel, He evidently did not have the correct equipment to turn out the barrel with leverage alone, and used a torch to expand the fit.

John Sabato · 06-15-2009, 11:29 AM

Quote:

As far as the gunsmith that installed the barrel, He evidently did not have the correct equipment to turn out the barrel with leverage alone, and used a torch to expand the fit.

...then he wasn't a gunsmith he was a garage mechanic who occasionally worked with guns! 30+ years ago I apprenticed with a master gunsmith, and believe me they are not the same thing!

Alx · 06-15-2009, 05:16 PM

He works at a nearby gun shop, but I tend to agree, stictly speaking ...
When he installed the barrel into this gun, that later broke, he told me he needed to turn the shoulder of the original barrel off, lathe it down to relieve pressure off the receiver, so he could spin the barrel off without risking damaging the extension.
My own receiver vice, which I bought afterwards, (last year), has the receiver shape milled into it, and was provided with a brass shim around the top part, plus came with a brass block to place inside where the bolt would be, to support the sides of the extension against the side pressure of turning. With it I was able to smoothly and slowly spin out the original shot-out barrel from an export 1916, completely undamaged, and no heat needed, and re-install the Bohler barrel.
With a bore-sight laser, I got it oriented north/south, lined up the extractor notches, (the Bohler has no index line) and fine- tuned it to align the sights to the laser poi, using a Mauser P08 front sight pusher. I will be until next week before I can check further, re-check the head-spacing, and actually fire it to precisely adjust the windage.

06-15-2009, 05:16 PM	#23
Alx User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Nashville, Tennessee area Posts: 263 Thanks: 5 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	He works at a nearby gun shop, but I tend to agree, stictly speaking ... When he installed the barrel into this gun, that later broke, he told me he needed to turn the shoulder of the original barrel off, lathe it down to relieve pressure off the receiver, so he could spin the barrel off without risking damaging the extension. My own receiver vice, which I bought afterwards, (last year), has the receiver shape milled into it, and was provided with a brass shim around the top part, plus came with a brass block to place inside where the bolt would be, to support the sides of the extension against the side pressure of turning. With it I was able to smoothly and slowly spin out the original shot-out barrel from an export 1916, completely undamaged, and no heat needed, and re-install the Bohler barrel. With a bore-sight laser, I got it oriented north/south, lined up the extractor notches, (the Bohler has no index line) and fine- tuned it to align the sights to the laser poi, using a Mauser P08 front sight pusher. I will be until next week before I can check further, re-check the head-spacing, and actually fire it to precisely adjust the windage. Last edited by Alx; 06-16-2009 at 08:01 AM.

06-14-2009, 11:48 PM	#21
Alx User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Nashville, Tennessee area Posts: 263 Thanks: 5 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	'got called away to New Hampshire for a week, but next week after , 'will take photos of breechblock face, receiver lug, and frame areas. As far as the gunsmith that installed the barrel, He evidently did not have the correct equipment to turn out the barrel with leverage alone, and used a torch to expand the fit.