So I was looking for a project to toy with when I dropped by my local gun shop in time to stop the smith from destroying this barrelled receiver. Supposedly it USED to be a vet bring back that was clearly improperly stored. It included the receiver, barrel, front sight assembly and rear sight assembly MINUS the sight ramp (!?!). No bolt, no bottom metal, no stock, etc. Evidently the smith sold the stock to someone and the owner that brought it in and gave it to the smith sold the rest on e-bay some time ago.
everything (receiver included) looked like the barrel before I started cleaning it, but hte barrel exterior is FAR worse pitted than the receiver which is mostly intact.
The barrel, believe it or not, had a bore that WAS like new before being stored with a clot of mud up near the muzzle, so 80% of it is perfect (despite outside looks) and the muzzle is fatally pitted with heavy corrosion rings for 1cm of the bore - in other words, the bbl is toast. The receiver only had minimal scattered light pitting and is a cool salvageable late-war byf44 receiver that hasn't been buffed, sanded, capture marked or anything.
An action screw was broken off in the receiver - I got it out, but DAMN. Not easy.
This is NOT economically a good idea, but it will be fun, so I'm going to save it and build a ZF41 from nothing. I have SOME of the parts already. I have all the bits to build up the receiver, I have bottom metal, spring, follower. I also have a take off barrel from an East German refurb of another byf44 with an as-new bore.
I have a real ZF41 mount base on the way and repro scope and mount from Germany also en-route. Trying to reach mario for a stock (god he's hard to contact!!!). Still no luck finding a bolt. I really only need a stripped bolt, have virtually all the other parts. I'll post some pics as I progress.
Tonight I sweated the front and rear sight base off the "new" barrel while I wait for parts. The receiver is soaking in evapo-rust to clean out the remaining pits. The solder work on the bbl is going to necessitate a blue job for the barrelled action anyhow. It's going to get a caustic dip blue like originally used in late 1944 before going to the phosphate finish to match how this gun originally shipped.
It's a "shooter" but I'm trying for period correct and maker correct parts for a byf44 zf41, where feasible
everything (receiver included) looked like the barrel before I started cleaning it, but hte barrel exterior is FAR worse pitted than the receiver which is mostly intact.
The barrel, believe it or not, had a bore that WAS like new before being stored with a clot of mud up near the muzzle, so 80% of it is perfect (despite outside looks) and the muzzle is fatally pitted with heavy corrosion rings for 1cm of the bore - in other words, the bbl is toast. The receiver only had minimal scattered light pitting and is a cool salvageable late-war byf44 receiver that hasn't been buffed, sanded, capture marked or anything.
An action screw was broken off in the receiver - I got it out, but DAMN. Not easy.
This is NOT economically a good idea, but it will be fun, so I'm going to save it and build a ZF41 from nothing. I have SOME of the parts already. I have all the bits to build up the receiver, I have bottom metal, spring, follower. I also have a take off barrel from an East German refurb of another byf44 with an as-new bore.
I have a real ZF41 mount base on the way and repro scope and mount from Germany also en-route. Trying to reach mario for a stock (god he's hard to contact!!!). Still no luck finding a bolt. I really only need a stripped bolt, have virtually all the other parts. I'll post some pics as I progress.
Tonight I sweated the front and rear sight base off the "new" barrel while I wait for parts. The receiver is soaking in evapo-rust to clean out the remaining pits. The solder work on the bbl is going to necessitate a blue job for the barrelled action anyhow. It's going to get a caustic dip blue like originally used in late 1944 before going to the phosphate finish to match how this gun originally shipped.
It's a "shooter" but I'm trying for period correct and maker correct parts for a byf44 zf41, where feasible
