This is s great looking rifle. I've been kicking around a similar project. I have a few books and plans that I've been staring at, trying to decide. Your photos sure clarify things a lot. Thanks for posting them. My plan is to do a45-70 build, so I have a little math to do to ensure safety.
-
Welcome back Guest! Did you know you can mentor other members here at H-M? If not, please check out our Relaunch of Hobby Machinist Mentoring Program!
Maynard civil war era carbine, hobby machinist built
- Thread starter Alphawolf45
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2012
- Messages
- 161
This is exactly why I posted this thread, to help inspire others to do gun projects.. There is a satisfaction in it that a capable metalsworker shouldn't miss out on...Odd ain'it how many well equipped and talented hobby machinists are out there and such small percentage of'em ever build a gun of any kind.
- - - Updated - - -
dtberry, what action are you building in .45-70 ? I am 80% completed building myself a Highwall in .45-70 for BPCR Silhouette competition...It was not easy to decide what action to build, If you can build one you can build any of them ,there is a good number of worthy choices.
I've been looking at Sharps, Maynard or other types of falling blocks. I'm a big fan of those old design single shot rifles. I'm not familiar enough with high walls yet. my local club does silhouettes as well and I would like to get that my desire, is to build something in black powder( cartridge), that will match my 50bmg at 600 yards.
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2012
- Messages
- 161
Highwalls are a PITA to build but are nice rifles.. Stevens mod 44 and 1/2 are much easier project.. Remington Rolling blocks I believe would be quickest BPCR project to build from barstock...I have not built a Sharps, have the plans on my desk, I been looking at it.. Dunno if there anything about it that would trip up a capable fellow. It does have class going for it though which might help to justify the effort ......I finally joined a gun club with a 535 yard range, looking forward to competing with a .45-70 on steel targets at the longer ranges.. Presently shooting .38-55 with black powder, finally found a bullet that is giving good groups off the bench. That's my homebuilt Stevens 44 and 1/2.
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2013
- Messages
- 8
question: ALPHAWOLD45
what would it cost me to CCR on original 2d model Maynard ???? Pic attached, I hope
Last edited:
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2012
- Messages
- 161
1644 I don't do any work of any kind for anybody and don't know what anybody else charges for CCH work so I cant answer your question.
awander I color case harden like most everybody else does it. The tutorial stickey on top of this sub-forum is as good as any as a guide to doing the work... I have electric heat treat furnace. .Pack the parts in a mix of bone and wood charcoal inside a steel box and into the furnace.. Hours later remove and quench in water... It gives a nice hard wear resistant skin.. Its a quick and easy process to get good results as a heat treatment but frustrating to achieve uniformity of appearance on all sides of your part...
awander I color case harden like most everybody else does it. The tutorial stickey on top of this sub-forum is as good as any as a guide to doing the work... I have electric heat treat furnace. .Pack the parts in a mix of bone and wood charcoal inside a steel box and into the furnace.. Hours later remove and quench in water... It gives a nice hard wear resistant skin.. Its a quick and easy process to get good results as a heat treatment but frustrating to achieve uniformity of appearance on all sides of your part...
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2012
- Messages
- 161
View attachment 60569View attachment 60570I finished another home build. This Highwall in .45-70 took 18 weeks working fulltime to make everything. .Again I worked with a rifled barrel blank but made every piece, bolt and spring.. I built this one for BPCR silhouette competition.. Still more tweaking to do on it including will build a nicer rear sight for it.
I show these builds hoping more guys will get interested in building these old rifles. So many of you on this forum have all the right tools and awesome skills but you don't ever build a gun..Youre missing a fun challenge.. There are thousands of hobbiests building modern guns entirely or partially from kits of parts.. Few choose to build the whole thing although many guys could if it were something they wanted to do...If youre wanting to do a metalsworking projectView attachment 60567View attachment 60568 that just not everybody else is already doing then this option may be for you.
I show these builds hoping more guys will get interested in building these old rifles. So many of you on this forum have all the right tools and awesome skills but you don't ever build a gun..Youre missing a fun challenge.. There are thousands of hobbiests building modern guns entirely or partially from kits of parts.. Few choose to build the whole thing although many guys could if it were something they wanted to do...If youre wanting to do a metalsworking projectView attachment 60567View attachment 60568 that just not everybody else is already doing then this option may be for you.
Thats am impressive piece of work alphawolf, it is a credit to you. Nothing like a falling block for elegance or simplicity. How did you cut the mortice for the block in the receiver ? While i agree with you about hobbiests building firearms as projects, the lack of detailed drawings a information on materials etc can make such projects daunting.
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2012
- Messages
- 161
Yes bonny like most metal projects there are challenges to be met. Drawings don't exist for most rifles but there are drawings available for some very popular rifles.. And the advanced metalsworker with some CAD skills can build from pictures pulled from the internet if he chooses to build one that isn't drawn yet.. I go on Gunbrokerdotcom and pull pictures of gun parts for the civil war era rifles that I admire.. Pull picture into AutoCAD, scale'em, trace'em , fool with'em and then convert the drawing to G-code to spot in holes and cutout perimeters and pockets with the cnc milling machine...One way or another it can be done.
The Highwall is far tougher build than its simple appearance would lead one to believe.. There are a lot of close fitting , interacting parts buried up inside that cant be seen when it is assembled.. Making the parts is easy enough, making it work flawlessly takes some considerable thinking. I built this Highwall from plans bought from ASSRA. There were significant errors and omissions in those drawings but I fought through them. Determination is more important than skills when youre talking metal.
But consider... I am simply a die hard metals working hobbiest..Hobby gunsmith. So now I have built this Highwall and will use it to compete against men shooting $2500.00 rifles manufactured by some of the best names in the firearms industry...That's mighty pretentious for a good ole boy that hacks steel in his garage dontcha think? ....This rifle is up to the task. I am proud of it.