Stevens Crackshot 16 Rebuild

[NorthCoastBigBore]

Hopefully someone finds this interesting or useful: I picked up this old sidelever Crackshot 16 a couple of years ago for dirt cheap because the fellow experienced an autoeject with it. This photo is jumping ahead a little bit to my first sidelever replacement but you get the flavour; I thought I had way more "before" photos...?

This thing was a tomato stake, the pictures don't do the rough condition justice. It was one step away from the scrap heap or an eternity on the wall with a bead of weld in the chamber These are not high end collectable rifles so save the hand wringing on this one. If it was gorgeous I wouldn't touch it. Not the case here.

I had my suspicions so I took my chance. It was missing the sidelever when I got it and it appeared the pin was heavily worn; it was actually the broken end of a nail set in there - really the only thing keeping your face from the fired shell...
Not sure if it's that clear in the pic, but I kept the original "part" for posterity:

First of all, I made a sidelever assembly for it. Good milling machine and lathe practice. I also made a new hammer pivot pin, using drill rod hardened & tempered... the original pivot hole in the hammer only measures .160" or so... LESS THAN 1/8" ... hence my warnings about using anything over subsonic ammunition in these things... I went somewhat larger on the replacement but there is only so much room to move...

OK well stop cringing and wringing your hands when you see this, it was rusted, pitted, dented, scratched, and to make it safe I've had to do some more work to it, sooo....

Next, see my thread on the DIY rust browning. I simply heated, applied, carded, repeat until I get my nice even brown...like a muzzleloader...

then... I steamed it; and to get the desired darkness/blue I just kept repeating until I got here:

Here is the steam chamber I made for the barrel:

Finished barrel:

OK, well with that out of the way I decided "no way" do I want to keep the factory sights, but they don't make a tang sight for these... ya I COULD mount a red dot on there couldn't I? But instead, I decided to make my own tang sight...

annndd I just last night finished rust bluing that sight:

Here she be on the finished product:

Hope y'all enjoy the project - keep yer powder dry.
NCBB

 

[bross]

Excellent project. Thank you for posting. I will be copying your design for a steaming chamber. I've got a mostly finished yew bow that corkscrewed on me before I got around to sealing it.

 

[NorthCoastBigBore]

Excellent project. Thank you for posting. I will be copying your design for a steaming chamber. I've got a mostly finished yew bow that corkscrewed on me before I got around to sealing it.

I can give you some more photos if they help but it's pretty straightforward. I tried it a few different ways before I ended up with that, the problem I had was keeping the steam even.

The best way I found (contrary to that photo) was to have the object horizontal not vertical; sorry that photo is a bit misleading, I just realized it is that vertical one. I unfortunately don't have any of the horizontal set-up. Here I took one just now, I kept it all together "for next time" . I just hung it off a set of sawhorses when I used it. For a barrel, I had a brass rod through it threaded on one end with a nut and washer just to help in putting it in/out. Less of a problem for a bow I would think.

You will notice that it is not entering right in the middle, but it was still well balanced in the bluing.

 

[mooncoon]

I am suitably impressed. what did you use to start the rusting? I vaguely remember the thread but not the details

cheers mooncoon

 

[NorthCoastBigBore]

I am suitably impressed. what did you use to start the rusting? I vaguely remember the thread but not the details

cheers mooncoon

Thank you Mooncoon; I use a mixture of household ingredients:
1/2 TBSP salt
2 TBSP Vinegar
8 TBSP Hydrogen Peroxide

I have found that heating the metal first really helps it along and promotes an even coat.
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[Fargone4sure]

Very nicely done. Great to bring these old gals back to life.

 

[BCRider]

A nice detailed rebuild thread. And thanks for the browning solution recipe again. As it happens I need that for a project.

Love the simple tang sight too.

 

[NorthCoastBigBore]

Thanks folks; and glad it's useful.

Well I had about exactly one minute of range time today, the #@$% phone range just as I showed up and so I fired exactly 6 rounds 25 yards offhand. CCI CB Longs. The holding to the left is my hold; and the elevation correction will be achievable. The bore is lousy (one day soon I'll reline it, probably make a liner from a 10/22 or some such donor) but even so I think I can shrink those groups. A big improvement over the "issued" notch rear sight (I'm a little biased of course, but hey...)

 

[BCRider]

That's not at all bad a group for off hand at 25. That barrel may still have at least a little life left in it yet.

 

[NorthCoastBigBore]

That's not at all bad a group for off hand at 25. That barrel may still have at least a little life left in it yet.

Thanks and I think you're right. I had to take some thread off the post and shorten the base a little and ended up a lot closer, not a horrible group either. Need to play around around with it a little more but promising.