11/4/14

So, a gun story.  I stopped off at Elk Castle and Panther City Firearms to see about buying a hammer strut and pin on Friday.  I bought the strut from EC but neither place had the pin.  PCF had a pin we agreed could be cut to fit so I bought that.  I took the gun and parts to Winchester Gallery’s gunsmith on Saturday and discussed options with them.  They had an actual pin in another hammer but they also had matte-finish stainless grip and thumb safeties.  I asked them to install those along with my hammer and strut.  I then went back to the shop to look at the bullpup 870 barrel situation.  I scrounged around but could not find anything I could use as the spacer.  Finally I gave up and went to Lowe’s.  I took the barrel nut, with mag tube extension, figuring I would size up some PVC pipe to it.  1” schedule 40 PVC would not go over the mag tube but was a nice outside diameter compared to the barrel nut.  1” schedule 30(?) PVC fit over the mag tube but is thin and floppy on there.  We tried some clear rubber hose which was a snug fit on the mag tube and considered a possibility.  The guy sent me on my way with 9” of clear and schedule 30(?) for free.  Overnight I thought about it and decided that the schedule 40 would be better even if I had to cut a kerf to allow it to slide onto the gun’s magazine tube.  So Sunday morning I stopped at Lowe’s again and bought a 5’ stick of schedule 40 PVC and headed to the shop.  I tried the clear tube first.  It fit on the magazine better than it did ever the extension so I cut a piece to length and fastened it down.  The gun cycled until the top cover was reinstalled.  The follower for the fore end/cocking handle fouled against the bulge of the rubber.  I removed it and gave a test fit of the schedule 40.  It slid right over the magazine tube!  I cut it to length and installed it.  Again, the weapon cycled until the stock was reassembled.  I wound up shaving the bottom of the pipe where the follower travels and tried again.  Now, with the added thickness of the PVC I guess, the barrel nut fouled the follower.  I ground it down some more until the gun cycled with the top cover in place.  It does get tight when in battery but hopefully it will wear in.  We’ll see.  While I was waiting for the paint to dry on the PVC and barrel nut, I took the Mosin Nagant bayonet to the chop saw.  I figured out a way to align, sort of, the “solvent trap” to the bayonet lug and welded them together.  Unfortunately the alignment was not as good as I had hoped and we might have a $40.00 piece of “art” on hand.  Also, when I cut off the bayonet, I cut through the detent spring so I have no way of locking the unit to the gun.  Also, it turns out that the “solvent trap” is slightly smaller in diameter than the barrel and it won’t go on the gun at all… but that wasn’t discovered until later.  I reinstalled the painted parts in the 870 once they were “dry” and sat back to look at ways to make the detent work on the Mosin Nagant “solvent trap.”  While thinking on that, my phone rang.  It was Winchester Gallery saying my 1911 was ready.  I cleaned up, packed up, closed up the shop and headed out.  That 1911 is really cool!  After paying for the services, I asked the gun range if they had any .45 ACP ammo.  They did so I bought 50 rounds and a lane.  The gun shoots very well.  I love the sights, even though they shoot a couple inches low.  My windage seems to be spot on but elevation is not… and they are not adjustable.  I need to remember to aim high with that gun.  After shooting it, I went out to get the 870 and show it off to the guys.  They had looked it over on Saturday with the short barrel and seemed impressed with the gun in general.  I was offered a clandestine trip to the other building to pop off a few rounds and jumped at the chance.  A target was set and I was positioned fifteen feet or so back.  I loaded up all six of the Fiocchi buckshot rounds I had and racked one into the chamber.  I squeezed the trigger and… nothing.  Of course that is what is supposed to happen when the safety is on.  I flipped that off and tried again.  BOOM!  Shuck-shuck.  BOOM!  Shuck-shuck.  BOOM!  Shuck-shuck.  Boom!  The thing is awesome!  It, unlike the 1911, shot high though.  Unfortunately I didn’t have an Allen wrench to adjust the optic.  I offered the guy a shot thinking it was the last round but he declined.  I racked it again and fired then half-assed the back rack causing the case to stove pipe.  I didn’t short stroke it, because I wasn’t going back into battery, I just weak stroked it open… sort of thing.  Then I noticed one more round because apparently I miscounted the shots.  I racked it in and fired, soft stroking again.  The guy asked if it was beginning to have extraction issues and I explained the “soft stroke” theory.  I think it will be fine if racked with authority.  With all of my ammo depleted I went home via Academy where I bought 30 more rounds of Remington 00 Buckshot.  At the house I cleaned the guns and put them away.  A little oil on the parts where the follower was fouling the adapter and barrel nut of the 870 made it rack considerably easier.  It was at this time that I discovered the Mosin Nagant “solvent trap” wouldn’t fit that gun.  Oh well, I’ll finger something out.  Then there is the SKS.  Ever since I had Murray’s Gunworks install their sear into the trigger group, I have been unhappy with the trigger on the thing.  It is sometimes kind of “mushy” and other times it hits a “wall” and won’t fire unless released and re-pulled.  So I decided to buy yet another replacement trigger group.  I found one on e-Bay for $50.00 and went for it.  It was an gamble which I lost.  It arrived yesterday and looked like it had spent a few years at the bottom of the sea.  The rust pitting was… well, I can only think of a few items I have ever seen as rusty as this.  The seller didn’t misrepresent it in any way, but… aw hell, it was half what others were selling for, I should have known better.  Anyhoo, it wouldn’t work in my gun so I put the other group back in… and now it seems to be working fine!  I’m not sure if it sensed a “Straighten up and fly right” situation or if it got installed in a position it preferred, but now it has a nice crisp brake every trigger pull.  I’m happy with it.  I think I am going to bring it with me to the shop Saturday and go burn up some 7.62x39 ammo sighting in the optic.  I might take the Kushnapup Saiga as well to do the same on that gun.  We’ll see.