NorthCoastBigBore
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- Location
- Northwest BC (Rural) 103-I-##
(Updates) Winter Project ("Rat Rod") Medium Frame Hopkins & Allen FB to .32 S&W
Built from an assortment of orphaned and broken parts....
Last year I picked up a medium frame H&A falling block action. It was originally a "44 XL" aka a "Taxidermist" or "Lady's Shotgun" depending on the catalogue. The barrel wasn't there, but from the size of the extractor and the marking on the breech block face from the old cartridges, it appears to have been in .44 shot.
Although these are a true falling block design, unfortunately (from what I've read anyway) these are soft actions so breech thrust should still be kept low. With that in mind I had a piece of .308" barrel blank (~1:10 twist, a little fast but...) someone else had started to profile. I'd practiced some tapering on it, decided it should have a home. I chambered it in .32 S&W, thought about .32 Colt but I'd have to make the reamer and although I make .32 LC brass, it's an extra step. So I went with S&W. For anyone wondering... .308 is fine for .32 S&W as a matter of fact even my Favorite in .32 Colt (originally .32 RF) has a .305" bore.
Stock is orphaned from an ~1880's vintage double Belgian shotgun, it was busted up by the tang so nobody need get too upset about that, what else was it going to do? Sit on the bench until one of my kids threw it in the firewood pile? Naw, time to use it - if this thing shoots OK then I'll look at getting a proper stock on it. Forend will likely end up being modified from a broken Winchester 1894 forend I have laying around.
I turned the chamber end to fit the receiver (these are slip in not threaded) and cut a dovetail for the front forend hanger and the one for the front sight...
I had to make my own sights, I milled the front sight (still rough since I need to finish the rear sight yet) and I have the rear sight base roughly completed, have yet to mount it. Working on the staff.
I've had about 25 rounds through it (light loads and lead bullets). First groups (aiming without sights) show some promise, about 2" at 25 yards.
With that in mind, here's the chronology:
Stock cut back from the break & fitted:
Freshly chambered:
Shaping the new extractor (original one was for a MUCH larger rim) - using QT400 steel that ended up getting polished, quenched & tempered (after fitting):
Fitting the extractor:
Extractor completed, compared to the old one:
Locating the barrel "lock" hole (after cutting the dovetail for the forearm hanger... making sure everything was lined up was a bit of a hail Mary but I got it):
Cutting dovetail for the front sight:
Making the front sight from a block of steel.... next time I think I'll make a much smaller base and use flat thin stock for a front blade, just to save on time & material:
Front sight blank on the barrel (clearly way too high, it's been shortened since):
First Function Test!!!:
Now, onto the rear sight - I had already made some bases up:
Rear Sight Base contouring:
I'd made this base originally to replace a factory one on my Pedersoli Sharps but decided to use it here, but this is compared to the factory Pedersoli one:
https://i.imgur.com/9o2fQuO.jpg[/img
Starting on the staff:
[img]https://i.imgur.com/G5nHLBz.jpg
This is as far as I got, but I have no doubt I can shrink these groups down once the sights are on it - fast twist notwithstanding
:
Hope someone finds it interesting!
Built from an assortment of orphaned and broken parts....
Last year I picked up a medium frame H&A falling block action. It was originally a "44 XL" aka a "Taxidermist" or "Lady's Shotgun" depending on the catalogue. The barrel wasn't there, but from the size of the extractor and the marking on the breech block face from the old cartridges, it appears to have been in .44 shot.
Although these are a true falling block design, unfortunately (from what I've read anyway) these are soft actions so breech thrust should still be kept low. With that in mind I had a piece of .308" barrel blank (~1:10 twist, a little fast but...) someone else had started to profile. I'd practiced some tapering on it, decided it should have a home. I chambered it in .32 S&W, thought about .32 Colt but I'd have to make the reamer and although I make .32 LC brass, it's an extra step. So I went with S&W. For anyone wondering... .308 is fine for .32 S&W as a matter of fact even my Favorite in .32 Colt (originally .32 RF) has a .305" bore.
Stock is orphaned from an ~1880's vintage double Belgian shotgun, it was busted up by the tang so nobody need get too upset about that, what else was it going to do? Sit on the bench until one of my kids threw it in the firewood pile? Naw, time to use it - if this thing shoots OK then I'll look at getting a proper stock on it. Forend will likely end up being modified from a broken Winchester 1894 forend I have laying around.
I turned the chamber end to fit the receiver (these are slip in not threaded) and cut a dovetail for the front forend hanger and the one for the front sight...
I had to make my own sights, I milled the front sight (still rough since I need to finish the rear sight yet) and I have the rear sight base roughly completed, have yet to mount it. Working on the staff.
I've had about 25 rounds through it (light loads and lead bullets). First groups (aiming without sights) show some promise, about 2" at 25 yards.
With that in mind, here's the chronology:
Stock cut back from the break & fitted:
Freshly chambered:
Shaping the new extractor (original one was for a MUCH larger rim) - using QT400 steel that ended up getting polished, quenched & tempered (after fitting):
Fitting the extractor:
Extractor completed, compared to the old one:
Locating the barrel "lock" hole (after cutting the dovetail for the forearm hanger... making sure everything was lined up was a bit of a hail Mary but I got it):
Cutting dovetail for the front sight:
Making the front sight from a block of steel.... next time I think I'll make a much smaller base and use flat thin stock for a front blade, just to save on time & material:
Front sight blank on the barrel (clearly way too high, it's been shortened since):
First Function Test!!!:
Now, onto the rear sight - I had already made some bases up:
Rear Sight Base contouring:
I'd made this base originally to replace a factory one on my Pedersoli Sharps but decided to use it here, but this is compared to the factory Pedersoli one:
https://i.imgur.com/9o2fQuO.jpg[/img
Starting on the staff:
[img]https://i.imgur.com/G5nHLBz.jpg
This is as far as I got, but I have no doubt I can shrink these groups down once the sights are on it - fast twist notwithstanding
:
Hope someone finds it interesting!
Last edited:
