Author Topic: PICS! PICS!! PICS!!! My $60 DIY 44 Spl. Trapper Carbine! (Read 2894 times)

maglvr44 · « **on:** September 23, 2009, 09:26:50 PM »

She started life as a H&R 058 20ga./.22 Hornet combo., she's now a sweet little 17" BBL .44 spl. Straight grip, Trapper carbine! Yessir boys and girls she's got all the bells and whistles! Including, my famous cheap-peep rear sight (made from a copper wire connector soldered to a screw) a front sight fashioned from a piece of scrap, galvanized, rain gutter, and that relatively worthless feature we all know and love, the saddle ring!!! The barrel has even been thinned and tapered on a DIY "metal lathe" made of WOOD!(why not? they make wood lathes out of metal don't they?)

Not to mention......... PLENTY of glue, screws and paint to keep her all together and lookin' purty!!! Should have pics on in a couple of days if anyone is interested in seeing another DIY, Handy-Dandy-Handi.
Happy tinkering!!!
MagLvr

Hope you enjoy!

the lone gunman · « **Reply #1 on:** September 24, 2009, 01:46:19 AM »

Should be interesting..

billy_56081 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 24, 2009, 01:48:54 AM »

Thanks again for sharing Maglvr.

briannmilewis · « **Reply #3 on:** September 24, 2009, 03:36:02 AM »

Quote from: maglvr44 on September 23, 2009, 09:26:50 PM

She started life as a H&R 058 20ga./.22 Hornet combo., she's now a sweet little 17" BBL .44 spl. Straight grip, Trapper carbine! Yessir boys and girls she's got all the bells and whistles! Including, my famous cheap-peep rear sight (made from a copper wire connector soldered to a screw) a front sight fashioned from a piece of scrap, galvanized, rain gutter, and that relatively worthless feature we all know and love, the saddle ring!!! The barrel has even been thinned and tapered on a DIY "metal lathe" made of WOOD!(why not? they make wood lathes out of metal don't they?)
Not to mention......... PLENTY of glue, screws and paint to keep her all together and lookin' purty!!! Should have pics on in a couple of days if anyone is interested in seeing another DIY, Handy-Dandy-Handi.
Happy tinkering!!!
MagLvr

We ought to just call you the MacGyver of Handis!

Spanky · « **Reply #4 on:** September 24, 2009, 11:36:32 AM »

Spanky

Dweezil · « **Reply #5 on:** September 24, 2009, 11:39:28 AM »

What?! No J-B Weld???!! No duct tape??! I thought you said you were a Redneck?
Ougtta be awesome. Keep the projects coming.

maglvr44 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 24, 2009, 01:11:21 PM »

Quote from: Dweezil on September 24, 2009, 11:39:28 AM

What?! No J-B Weld???!! No duct tape??! I thought you said you were a Redneck?
Ougtta be awesome. Keep the projects coming.

No duct tape, but JB-Weld..........it's in there!!

maglvr44 · « **Reply #7 on:** September 24, 2009, 09:27:53 PM »

Quote from: billy_56081 on September 24, 2009, 01:48:54 AM

Thanks again for sharing Maglvr.

No thanks needed Billy, always happy to share, my pleasure!
Just gave the barrel a good coating of low gloss, black Epoxy tonight and it looks pretty sharp to me.
Some pics will be here later this evening, after I get her back together.
Cheers!

Oldshooter · « **Reply #8 on:** September 24, 2009, 11:59:18 PM »

Quote from: maglvr44 on September 23, 2009, 09:26:50 PM

She started life as a H&R 058 20ga./.22 Hornet combo., she's now a sweet little 17" BBL .44 spl. Straight grip, Trapper carbine! Yessir boys and girls she's got all the bells and whistles! Including, my famous cheap-peep rear sight (made from a copper wire connector soldered to a screw) a front sight fashioned from a piece of scrap, galvanized, rain gutter, and that relatively worthless feature we all know and love, the saddle ring!!! The barrel has even been thinned and tapered on a DIY "metal lathe" made of WOOD!(why not? they make wood lathes out of metal don't they?)
Not to mention......... PLENTY of glue, screws and paint to keep her all together and lookin' purty!!! Should have pics on in a couple of days if anyone is interested in seeing another DIY, Handy-Dandy-Handi.
Happy tinkering!!!
MagLvr

OK you just are gonna have to refrain from these types of posts without Pics, Its just aint right is all! and i wanna see some paper with holes punched in it too dag burn it!

zoner · « **Reply #9 on:** September 25, 2009, 02:24:28 AM »

we want pics

deadrabbit · « **Reply #10 on:** September 25, 2009, 02:07:29 PM »

Thats a cute rifle! The short forend really adds to it

mannyrock · « **Reply #11 on:** September 25, 2009, 02:22:49 PM »

What happens to that peep sight when a branch thumps against it?

Spanky · « **Reply #12 on:** September 25, 2009, 02:46:00 PM »

Quote from: mannyrock on September 25, 2009, 02:22:49 PM

What happens to that peep sight when a branch thumps against it?

Be careful with it.

Spanky

mechanic · « **Reply #13 on:** September 25, 2009, 03:56:30 PM »

Tell me more about that peep!

Oldshooter · « **Reply #14 on:** September 25, 2009, 05:22:29 PM »

Very nice, see pics are so much more betta!

maglvr44 · « **Reply #15 on:** September 25, 2009, 06:25:57 PM »

Quote from: mannyrock on September 25, 2009, 02:22:49 PM

What happens to that peep sight when a branch thumps against it?

I'm not sure how you hunt, but personally, I don't gallop through the woods, wildly swinging my gun like a fly swatter

I've never lost a sight or even a bead off a shotgun in over 40 years in the woods, so i'm not real worried

Rex in OTZ · « **Reply #16 on:** September 25, 2009, 07:54:35 PM »

Looks very interesting, What was the most challangeing portion during your modification
What was the glue used on and what did you use?

maglvr44 · « **Reply #17 on:** September 25, 2009, 09:16:39 PM »

Quote from: Rex in OTZ on September 25, 2009, 07:54:35 PM

Looks very interesting, What was the most challangeing portion during your modification
What was the glue used on and what did you use?

Hi Rex:
I can't say any of it is really challenging, however, the fitting of the ejector pin can become a real pain if you are tired and not seeing the straightest. Slimming the barrel down took a considerable bit of time also.
The "glue" used was JB-Weld, it along with silver solder, blind pins and set screws join the barrel and stub as one. The JB is just a gap filler on one end.

Dweezil · « **Reply #18 on:** September 30, 2009, 06:34:55 AM »

maglvr:
Did you have to spot anneal the ejector before drilling for the extension pin? I was able to grind a flat face with an abrasive cutoff wheel/Dremel to give a flat face for drilling but when I tried drilling last night, TiN bits barely made a dent. Really hard. The rest of the project has been ridiculously easy.

maglvr44 · « **Reply #19 on:** September 30, 2009, 03:00:48 PM »

Quote from: Dweezil on September 30, 2009, 06:34:55 AM

maglvr:
Did you have to spot anneal the ejector before drilling for the extension pin? I was able to grind a flat face with an abrasive cutoff wheel/Dremel to give a flat face for drilling but when I tried drilling last night, TiN bits barely made a dent. Really hard. The rest of the project has been ridiculously easy.

Yes, I had to anneal the ejector(heat til red/orange, then air cool).

Dweezil · « **Reply #20 on:** October 01, 2009, 06:22:42 AM »

Kinda figured that. I annealed/drilled it last night. MUCH easier. No too worried about durability with the softer steel because the extension is a hardened 1/8" dowel pin which will only be touching brass case rims. Sweated it in with silver solder. Not too bad for an amateur. On to sights. I'll be attempting a flip-up rear sight with 2 sights, one calibrated for low velocity .38 special loads and the other for high velocity .357 loads. This project has been too easy so far. Must. Complicate. Things.

I'm taking photos of the whole process and will post when done. Thanks for the inspiration.

bljc27 · « **Reply #21 on:** October 01, 2009, 06:32:47 AM »

VERY NICE!!!

mtbugle · « **Reply #22 on:** October 01, 2009, 08:39:28 AM »

I used weld to build the junction from stub to barrel profile. I was thinking of leaving barrel in white. what kind of protective from rust is used on guns left in white finish?
Thanks Don.

maglvr44 · « **Reply #23 on:** October 01, 2009, 06:32:45 PM »

Quote from: mtbugle on October 01, 2009, 08:39:28 AM

I used weld to build the junction from stub to barrel profile. I was thinking of leaving barrel in white. what kind of protective from rust is used on guns left in white finish?
Thanks Don.

Some say car wax works good (it doesn't last).
Shoot a coat of low/no gloss clear spray paint over it, best thing there is!

maglvr44 · « **Reply #24 on:** October 01, 2009, 06:37:56 PM »

Quote from: Dweezil on October 01, 2009, 06:22:42 AM

Kinda figured that. I annealed/drilled it last night. MUCH easier. No too worried about durability with the softer steel because the extension is a hardened 1/8" dowel pin which will only be touching brass case rims. Sweated it in with silver solder. Not too bad for an amateur. On to sights. I'll be attempting a flip-up rear sight with 2 sights, one calibrated for low velocity .38 special loads and the other for high velocity .357 loads. This project has been too easy so far. Must. Complicate. Things. I'm taking photos of the whole process and will post when done. Thanks for the inspiration.

Sounds like its coming along great! can't wait to see the pics. Rear sight will probably be the hardest part of all, sounds mighty cool though!

pvtschultz · « **Reply #25 on:** October 02, 2009, 02:23:46 AM »

Quote from: Dweezil on October 01, 2009, 06:22:42 AM

Kinda figured that. I annealed/drilled it last night. MUCH easier. No too worried about durability with the softer steel because the extension is a hardened 1/8" dowel pin which will only be touching brass case rims.

If you want to reharden it, heat it back up to red/orange and drop into a bucket/sink full of cold water. That will martensize the steel which will need to be tempered some by reheating for a bit. It is hard to know where you are without a hardness tester, but doing some amount of reheat will reduce the brittleness of the steel.

Dweezil · « **Reply #26 on:** October 02, 2009, 06:23:35 AM »

I can't really do that because the hardened dowel pin in held in with silver solder...and the temps required to reharden/temper it would make the solder run. The dowel pin touching the case rim is fairly hard though although I'd honestly rather have these parts relatively soft/tough and wearing down slowly than have them brittle and fail catastropically during a hunt. Unrelated note: this is my first Handi with an ejector vs. extractor. This thing really throws the empties. Love it.
Oh yeah, the planned adjustable rear sight will be built with common parts from Ace Hardware and will require no tools more complex than a drill press/dremel tool/ and taps. The whole idea of this build is to make the project accessible to those without specialized tools.

pvtschultz · « **Reply #27 on:** October 02, 2009, 09:05:44 AM »

^^^Good Point!^^^

I sort of forgot about that silver solder...

mtbugle · « **Reply #28 on:** October 02, 2009, 10:12:08 AM »

or reharden then resolder.

Dweezil · « **Reply #29 on:** October 02, 2009, 01:41:09 PM »

Right, I could easily do that later if I find that it is wearing excessively but I don't think it'll be a problem.