Build thread for PHPD1295

[grit]

Bill suggested he'd enjoy a thread of his build. Because I take devilish pleasure in showing customers bits and pieces as rifles come along I agreed. This is how the rifle arrived. You can see the bolt's on the wrong side. I can't imagine how he runs it. The rifle has seen some obvious use. Opening the case, I was hit by a wave of memories. I stood holding the rifle for a minute, smelling woodsmoke, leather, and the tangy sweet smell of Hoppes #9. I thought, I'm going to have to ask Bill to share a hunting story.... One of the best parts of this job is hearing hunting stories, discussing possibilities and plans for the rifles I build.

 

[grit]

Re: Build thread for PHPD1259

One thing Remington excels at is joining barrels and actions. They did a particularly fine job with this rifle, perhaps making the top three for stubborn barrel removal. Here's a photo of the action with the barrel removed. You see a healthy dose of Kroil, a whole lot of Remington loctite, and a bit of brown (rust). You can see about 1/3 of the receiver has a flat surface. Perhaps fifty percent of the receiver shows light to no contact, with little flat surface.

 

[grit]

Re: Build thread for PHPD1259

Here is the freshly trued action. I have squared the receiver face and lug abutments to the bolt raceway. Threads are single point cut concentric and parallel. Bolt face and lugs are squared. This receiver required .006 off the face, .003 off the lug abutments, and .012 off the threads (about average). A tiny shoulder at final thread depth provides a measuring point for a precise thread tenon diameter. A heavy, precision ground, recoil lug will be pinned in place. I also lap and polish friction points for smooth operation. The best part....it's shiny!

 

[WildRose]

Re: Build thread for PHPD1259

One thing Remington excels at is joining barrels and actions. They did a particularly fine job with this rifle, perhaps making the top three for stubborn barrel removal. Here's a photo of the action with the barrel removed. You see a healthy dose of Kroil, a whole lot of Remington loctite, and a bit of brown (rust). You can see about 1/3 of the receiver has a flat surface. Perhaps fifty percent of the receiver shows light to no contact, with little flat surface.

400F, lots of patience and a cheater bar?

 

[WildRose]

I'm certainly going to enjoy this thread as it develops. Thanks.

 

[Outlaw6.0]

WildRose, I couldn't have said it better. I will most certainly enjoy this thread. Chad Dixon of LongRifles Inc does the same thing, albeit on Snipers Hide. It it truly enjoyable to watch someone's dream come to fruition. Well done so far Grit, keep it up.

 

[phpd1295]

Grit,
I wish I could tell you great hunting stories where I used this rifle on a hunt but I can't. This was the first deer rifle I ever bought and I bought it because it was a good brand (Remington) and I got the deluxe model (BDL) and looking back now it was the "perfect storm" of everything that could go wrong with a rifle. I bought this rifle new from Carter Country in the mid 80's so I could use it on a deer lease I bought in on. I put a basic 3-9 Redfield on it and I could never get it to group. I thought it was me and my shooting but when I borrowed friends and relatives rifles I was dead on. The rifle was unreliable and I just kept it in the safe and stopped deer hunting for a long time. Now that I've been lurking on this site and I've gotten more educated in what makes a rifle accurate I now know some of what was wrong with this rifle. For starters the barrel is a very thin sporter barrel. To add to this problem the stock is wood with no pillars or bedding and it is fully touching the barrel from action to the end of the stock. There is no room to allow for wood expansion and with the super thin barrel it just shot all over the place. Now that I am getting the work done on it Grit is showing how far out of true the action is. All of these things plus a cheap $100 scope made for a very frustrating experience that turned me off from deer hunting for years until I got married and started hunting with my inlaws and I bought a better rifle. I can't wait to get this rifle to the range and see what it can do. I really have to give a shout out to Lorenzo for this build. This was the first rifle I ever bought and I bought it in left hand to fit me and it just never shot well for me. My 308 I had to get it in right hand and it shoots like a dream but i shoot it left handed and the cheek rest and bolt are on the wrong side so followup shots are slow and awkward and I can't get a solid cheek weld.
I know that with some gunsmiths who have been n business for a long time it turns into just a job but with the two smiths I spoke with about this build (Lorenzo Young and Kevin Cram from Monitor County Rifles) they both have the passion and love for that they do and it shows.
Lorenzo, once again thank you for taking this project on and for not treating it as just another job. You're making my dream of a custom rifle built just for me a reality. I have a Browning A-5 shotgun that my mother gave my dad on their first wedding anniversary that was passed on to me when he passed away and now I will also have this to pass on my son along with his grandfathers shotgun.

 

[grit]

Re: Build thread for PHPD1259

400F, lots of patience and a cheater bar?

I started with Kroil (It smells so bad it must help). I spray it through the base hole and anywhere it can soak into the threads. I milled flats on this barrel and clamped it in a vise. I heat the action from the bottom until the loctite melts and bubbles through the base hole. With the action supported, an action wrench and 3' bar provide the torque. The secret is a brass mallet. The big bar allows me to apply leverage with one hand, while tapping the action with the brass mallet. They let go with a pop.

 

[WildRose]

Re: Build thread for PHPD1259

I started with Kroil (It smells so bad it must help). I spray it through the base hole and anywhere it can soak into the threads. I milled flats on this barrel and clamped it in a vise. I heat the action from the bottom until the loctite melts and bubbles through the base hole. With the action supported, an action wrench and 3' bar provide the torque. The secret is a brass mallet. The big bar allows me to apply leverage with one hand, while tapping the action with the brass mallet. They let go with a pop.

That's what I thought. Not many things as "nice" as 30 year old red loctite and thirty plus years of grit and grime to help hold something together!

I had a 700 BDL 7mm Mag that was made circa 1977 that was out of true so many ways it was utterly impossible to get it to shoot decently. By the time I added up everything I'd spent on it over the years before finally getting it to shoot decently I literally could have bought three very nice customs. Remington's QC was so bad during that period I'm seriously surprised the company survived.

Thanks again for starting up this thread. I think it will help a lot of people begin to understand the difference in an of the rack gun vs something crafted by an artisan.

 

[phpd1295]

Re: Build thread for PHPD1259

I started with Kroil (It smells so bad it must help). I spray it through the base hole and anywhere it can soak into the threads. I milled flats on this barrel and clamped it in a vise. I heat the action from the bottom until the loctite melts and bubbles through the base hole. With the action supported, an action wrench and 3' bar provide the torque. The secret is a brass mallet. The big bar allows me to apply leverage with one hand, while tapping the action with the brass mallet. They let go with a pop.

So I guess what you are saying is that the barrel is no longer good?
I am just glad you were able to get the barrel and action apart without any damage to the action. By the way you were right. It is a form of devious torture to see bits and pieces while waiting for the finished project! gun)
I still want to be surprised with the final look of the build. I know you have some color schemes in mind that will set this off.

 

[grit]

Fist step in chambering is to map the thread tenon. This one is .960 long, 1.07 in diameter, with a .705 counterbore .150 deep.

 

[grit]

The barrel is dialed in for maximum .0002 run out. The .0002 is sometimes necessary for bushing clearance. Once dialed in, I turn the thread tenon to length and diameter. I will go through the process rather quickly, as I covered it well in my muzzle brake thread.

 

[grit]

I indicate the barrel at every step to catch it if it slips. Barrels are held lightly to avoid cutting them while under stress. Threading is next. This is my first test fit. The action has just picked up a thread and turns on about a quarter turn. I cut the threads by advancing the compound along the thread angle until this point. This eliminates cutter chatter. From this point, I will advance the cross slide directly into the threads to clean both faces. Very light cuts are taken to provide a tight thread fit and avoid chatter.

 

[silvercreekguide]

GRIT, this is also getting me excited for my edge that you are putting together! It is always great to be able to see the progress of your build.

Mike