5 Attachment(s)
Barrel Band, magazine, & Bolt Release
I went through almost a lb of 4350 before I decided I needed to get back to work. I like this puppy, and I will name her Rosey (deceptive, heh?) because she makes me smile:icon_lol:.
I tippy-toed down to the hardware store and bought some solder paste. I tapered the barrel band to fit the barrel by turning it on sandpaper wrapped around the barrel (one layer), chamffered the outer edges a bit, tinned it, and soldered it on. I need to clean it up and she is ready for the hunt.
I made the initial cuts on the magazine box (pics below) and will make the front nose piece and the rear plate tomorrow. I moved the rear plate back as far as possible (thickness of rear plate) to lessen the metal that must be removed from the receiver ramp. The nose piece will enable me to load two rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, for a total of three available shots. To have gone for four rounds would have required widening the magazine, and this stock won't allow that. Note the homemade hinged floorplate and latch:icon_scratch:. I will have to move the pin forward about 1/4". I will use a standard Mauser spring and follower and should have no problems. Once it is all together, I can start the rail alteration to allow feeding the larger diameter rounds, which includes cutting back and reshaping the ramp to the chamber:eek:.
I thinned the stock to almost flush with the bolt release, but left it proud for finish sanding. It will be a flush mount:banana100:. That's about it until tomorrow.
jt
5 Attachment(s)
Altering the Feed Rails of "Old Rosey"
The one thing a DGR must do is feed reliably every time - no exceptions. Old Rosey holds two rounds in the magazine, which means each one will feed from a different side. I also chose to alter the standard Mauser follower rather than buy a "magnum" follower, which Brownells sells. Simultaneous to altering the feed rails, I had to alter the extractor for operation with the Rigby round. That would prove to be a challenge also.:icon_twisted:
The job is finished except for polishing the rails and everything else in the vicinity. If anyone is interested, I will devote a post on how to alter the feed rails for one of the largest rounds that comes down the pike. I will tell you this - it is much easier to get a round to feed from the left than to feed from the right (last round). Tougher yet is to get a soft point round to feed effortlessly and slowly, which Old Rosey will now do. I believe I have done a good job, and I am considering making a video of the rounds feeding into the chamber from firing the 1st round in the chamber to firing the 3rd round from the magazine. If anyone is interested, let me know. By the way, I did 100% the work while Hurricane Irene was trashing my little farm. I worked until the power failed, went out and drug the generator from the shop, cranked it, set the back-feed prevention, and went back to work.:eusa_dance:
The rifle will now accept 3 factory 3.720" rounds, chamber each round from its relative position, and hopefully put all projectiles within a 2" circle at 100 yards (416 Rigby's are inherently accurate), which is way better than minute-of-Cape Buffalo accuracy from a rifle that will deliver over 2 1/2 tons of redneck kickass every time you pull the trigger.:eek:
All the work that remains is cosmetic or simple in nature (except for the checkering). I will have a bench rest session fairly soon, complete with chronograph data. I expect the rifle to be very accurate, and will accept nothing less.:63:
Semper Fi,
jt