.458 winchester silk purse from a sows ear project

[Nhoro]

I am actually going to be adding weight in the form of lead filled copper pipes, hard epoxied into the stock, both foreand and butt until I get the gun to balance correctly. Mercury recoil reducers have always been a little gimmicky to me. I understand how they're supposed to work but it seems to me all the do is reduce the overall recoil and dont do much for the impulse (the initial rate of acceleration rearward). Lead weight epoxied in will reduce both. The idea is to bring the whole gun up to about 10 lbs nd balance it so it still handles well.

I used 3 old win mag cases and filled them with lead. I had the correct drill bit and drilled 3 holes behind the recoil pad. Added about 1/2 a pound I think. I also understand the physics of the mercury reducer ( vs the marketing story). I think you are doing exactly the right thing. I tested the balance by cello taping the weights in place. My rifle was nose heavy so adding to the butt made it balance better. Felt recoil is much reduced (subjectively) It was a 458 win mag -now a Lott. I have shot a 515 gr solid at 2350 fps and it was lively but manageable. My rifle weighs about 9 3/4 lbs to maybe 10 lbs (I only have the bathroom scale so please forgive the vague weight) It balances on the magazine just before the trigger guard and I find it easy to carry in the hands but mostly use a sling anyway.

 

[ChrisG]

Been away from this project for a while, but I just finished up the sanding on the barreled action, degreased and then applied the first coat of Brownell's Rust blue solution to it. I have to do one more in an hour then let it sit and rust until a nice coat of rust forms (shouldn't be too long, we have hurricane Henry coming in so lots of humidity.) Then I will steam it in my steam chamber and card it off with some fine steel wool. Then repeat about 6-10 more times until a deep rich blue comes out.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Been away from this project for a while, but I just finished up the sanding on the barreled action, degreased and then applied the first coat of Brownell's Rust blue solution to it. I have to do one more in an hour then let it sit and rust until a nice coat of rust forms (shouldn't be too long, we have hurricane Henry coming in so lots of humidity.) Then I will steam it in my steam chamber and card it off with some fine steel wool. Then repeat about 6-10 more times until a deep rich blue comes out.
View attachment 419554

Making progress! Can’t wait to see the final product

 

[CBH Australia]

I am actually going to be adding weight in the form of lead filled copper pipes, hard epoxied into the stock, both foreand and butt until I get the gun to balance correctly. Mercury recoil reducers have always been a little gimmicky to me. I understand how they're supposed to work but it seems to me all the do is reduce the overall recoil and dont do much for the impulse (the initial rate of acceleration rearward). Lead weight epoxied in will reduce both. The idea is to bring the whole gun up to about 10 lbs nd balance it so it still handles well.

It would be good if someone can elaborate on the physics of Lead vs Mercury for this.
Real or perceived opinions, has anyone found one to work better after trial and error?

Which is heavier for a given quantity or has more mass, density?

Cheers,

 

[Shootist43]

Lead weighs approximately 708 Lbs. per cubic Ft. Mercury weighs 854. However there are other issues / concerns to consider. Namely that airlines generally ban liquid mercury from being shipped because if its deleterious effect on Aluminum. Adding the same weight of either to a rifle has similar results.

 

[ChrisG]

3 cycles in and the rust bluing and still have a few more to go. It is a slow process. Degrease 3x, apply rust blue in thin even strokes, let it rust (the darker the metal becomes, the longer each coat takes to rust), then put it in the steam chamber, steam it for 20 minutes, card off the loose black magnetite. Then wash, rinse repeat. The first coat is always the most dramatic. each coat after adds less and less darkening to the metal and it takes longer.

That said. 3rd coat and I have a nice gun metal gray going on right now.

This is the caliber stamp after steaming, but before carding. You can see the thick layer of loose material on top.

This is after carding the same area of the barrel.

Slowly coming along!

 

[baxterb]

Nice @ChrisG

I must say, I like "Calibre" vs. "Caliber"...adds a certain panache... even to a sow's ear... ;-)

 

[Shootist43]

Chris, rust bluing is a totally new thing to me. What do you mean by "carding?"

 

[ChrisG]

Chris, rust bluing is a totally new thing to me. What do you mean by "carding?"

Carding is using a fine brush or superfine steel wool to remove the loose "dust" clinging to the surface. There are remnants of red rust that expand off the surface of the steel when the solution rusts it. When you steam the barrel, the red rust turns to black magnetite and the loose red rust becomes a fine black dust. It is attached to the barrel similar to the way black soot clings to the bottom of a cooking pan. You have to card it off with something abrasive enough to remove it but not so harsh that it affects the bluing job underneath. I am using super fine steel wool, but Brownell's sells a carding wheel that would speed up the process and is basically a wire wheel with .0025" bristles. You can actually run your hand into the wheel when it is spinning and it won't abrade your skin. I may eventually get one of these as they aren't that expensive, but the drill press to mount them on is a little big for someone who already has a shop full of tools and not a ton of left over room.

 

[ChrisG]

Nice @ChrisG

I must say, I like "Calibre" vs. "Caliber"...adds a certain panache... even to a sow's ear... ;-)

I do too. It is a Whitworth, made in England and so that is the proper way to spell "caliber" in Britain. It does add some legitimacy to a safari rifle in my opinion though! Plus the fact that it is actually engraved (or more likely etched) rather than stamped and is in a classic engravers font is a nice plus too!

 

[Shootist43]

Thanks for the explanation Chris. I hope I wasn't the only "dummy" in the group.

 

[ChrisG]

Thanks for the explanation Chris. I hope I wasn't the only "dummy" in the group.

I wasn't familiar with rust bluing until a few years ago and it is a game changer for those of us who don't have a whole room devoted to hot bluing and thousands of dollars to invest in bluing equipment. Plus rust bluing is more durable than hot bluing! Double win!

 

[MRBlack]

Larry Potterfield of MidwayUSA has some excellent videos explaining and showing the process on YouTube. I believe he did for his “Nearly Perfect Safari Rifle” series. You can find it fairly easy by searching- How to Rust Blue a Rifle MidwayUSA.

 

[ChrisG]

Larry Potterfield of MidwayUSA has some excellent videos explaining and showing the process on YouTube. I believe he did for his “Nearly Perfect Safari Rifle” series. You can find it fairly easy by searching- How to Rust Blue a Rifle MidwayUSA.

Yes, I love his gunsmithing videos. There is also a company called "rust blue" (rustblue.com) that has a very in depth history and instruction. Larry boils his rust blued stuff in distilled water. I still do that for smaller pieces. But the guy on Rust Blue recommends steaming them as Winchester used to do. It is much more efficient than using gallons and gallons of distilled water and produces an excellent finish. That is what I do and I can do up to two barreled actions at one time in my little steamer. This is my steamer setup:

 

[ChrisG]

So the barrel and receiver are all done! You can't even tell where the pitting was! It looks like a whole new gun. Currently it is soaked in WD40 (I don't have a 40" long vat to fill with Automatic Transmission Fluid) until sopping wet every morning for a week, then I keep it well oiled with WD40 for the next week and then it should be pretty well stable and can just be oiled with regular gun oil until I coat in a layer of wax. Now I just need to do the bottom metal, which shouldn't take anywhere near as long, and wait for my roughed out Claro Walnut stock to come in!

 

[Badboymelvin]

That looks awesome mate

I'm really enjoying this thread...

Russ

 

[ChrisG]

That looks awesome mate

I'm really enjoying this thread...

Russ

There is more to come! I can't wait for the stock to get in and get going on it! I am hoping for some very nice wood! I have to blue the bottom metal and the bolt handle I welded on. I still haven't ordered the 3 position safety from pacific tool and die yet but that will have to be blued to match. I may wait and just blue all the little bits together. I will probably do the bolt handle separately though as I want to see how it looks all put together.

The stock is going to get a slow cured oil finish. probably with Tru-oil or Tung oil. Oil, sand to fill in the grain, wipe once to remove excess, dry for a day, then repeat for about two weeks at least. Then a layer of wax over it all, then checkered. Still haven't picked a checkering pattern yet, and as much as fleur de lis checkering looks pretty slick, I am likely going to do the classic wraparound british diamond pattern. Its functional and beautiful in its simplicity. I just need to get a few replacement checkering tool files, mine have been used pretty heavily and they cut a little slow now.

 

[Shootist43]

Chris, like I've said before you do damn nice work for a hobbyist. I wish you lived closer.

 

[ChrisG]

Chris, like I've said before you do damn nice work for a hobbyist. I wish you lived closer.

Thanks! I keep work on improving my skills and efficiency. Practice makes perfect!

 

[Inline6]

Fine job you are doing.

You have more patience than I!