- Joined
- Mar 8, 2010
- Messages
- 201
- Reaction score
- 207
A steady customer who likes to challenge us (buys manure old guns, cheap) to repair and make shootable his "treasures."
He bought 2 old cap lock drum conversions, both in very poor shape. A .36, and a .40....obviously flint conversions to 1/2 stocks.
The .36 wasn't too bad, it was cleaned and I pulled the breech plug to inspect and clean out the rust and dirt. Plug went back in tight.
The .40 was a back action, with a modern drum, split stock that had been over sanded and had lots of modern screws and white glue in it.
When I pulled the plug with brazed on tail extension, on the .40, the plug came out in a shower of orange dust. The plug just fell apart...
He paid$100 for the gun... The plug thread is over 1/2 " and under 9/16"..Too bad, as the barrel and rifling look good...
Needs a 9/16-18 tap in the bbl, and a new plug turned and welded to old tang section. And the drum is loose, over tapped..
Lock has been through many hands, bad bridle screws, rust, etc. double set triggers rusty but OK..
More money to rescue it, than the repaired gun will ever be worth. and it has no sentimental value...
So, I reassembled it as I could, and put a red tag on it...UNSAFE....
Plus my 3 other gunsmiths said they would slap me around if I took it on as an "I bet I could rescue this wreck of a gun!" for no profit...
He bought 2 old cap lock drum conversions, both in very poor shape. A .36, and a .40....obviously flint conversions to 1/2 stocks.
The .36 wasn't too bad, it was cleaned and I pulled the breech plug to inspect and clean out the rust and dirt. Plug went back in tight.
The .40 was a back action, with a modern drum, split stock that had been over sanded and had lots of modern screws and white glue in it.
When I pulled the plug with brazed on tail extension, on the .40, the plug came out in a shower of orange dust. The plug just fell apart...
He paid$100 for the gun... The plug thread is over 1/2 " and under 9/16"..Too bad, as the barrel and rifling look good...
Needs a 9/16-18 tap in the bbl, and a new plug turned and welded to old tang section. And the drum is loose, over tapped..
Lock has been through many hands, bad bridle screws, rust, etc. double set triggers rusty but OK..
More money to rescue it, than the repaired gun will ever be worth. and it has no sentimental value...
So, I reassembled it as I could, and put a red tag on it...UNSAFE....
Plus my 3 other gunsmiths said they would slap me around if I took it on as an "I bet I could rescue this wreck of a gun!" for no profit...