54R Bren Issues

[TactAdv]

Tom,

Have you tried welding the bolt yet. Technique and type of rod?

Joe, Yes on the bolt weld. Did one so far. Only the locking area seems hardened to any great degree. I did not pre-anneal. I am going to actually send out my other bolts to a trusted friend, who is much better set up for these than I am.

TIG-ed, using my favorite old standby rod "Super Missile Weld".

Super Missileweld | The Harris Products Group


Only because I have access to it, I used a CNC surface grinder. One could also mill, or stone grind, or use a power wheel if you can get a good fixture for the proper angle presentation. Your only building up a VERY small amount, and taking back down even less, heat input control is the game, so go slow both ways.

[djandj]

That's a very valid point BAR. On the same track, then surely if steel was as good as brass, we'd ALL be using it. But it's not. As you say, a reasonable good substitute.

I say that DJ ought to at least try a mag full of brass cased stuff, even if it is to eliminate the steel case proble.

Incidentally DJ, did any of the successfully fired steel cases show signs of belling outwards at the unsupported extractor way part?

Thanks Peter. As far as the casings go, when things go well, they go very well. NO signs of bulging or undue wear of any sort. (until things DON'T go so well) That's the maddening thing. If the steel weren't good enough, then ALL (or most) of them would fail. One in 60 or so is a different story. As for using brass, that is another option. I saw a sale on Yugo brass surplus 54R for about .33 each. I could do that. Of course, it still defeats the purpose of having the bloody thing built to shoot Soviet 54R surplus to begin with. Furthermore, IF the rifle is firing out of battery as we suspect, merely changing to brass won't solve the problem. But point well taken, it WOULD eliminate the ammo from the equation as a factor.

[Vincent]

Those are stick welder electrodes. Here are the TIG rods 3SMW | The Harris Products Group

[TactAdv]

Those are stick welder electrodes. Here are the TIG rods 3SMW | The Harris Products Group

Yup, Mea Culpa. I just quick searched the name. ;-0

[Joe H]

Joe, Yes on the bolt weld. Did one so far. Only the locking area seems hardened to any great degree. I did not pre-anneal. I am going to actually send out my other bolts to a trusted friend, who is much better set up for these than I am.

TIG-ed, using my favorite old standby rod "Super Missile Weld".

Super Missileweld | The Harris Products Group


.

Thanks Tom for the Heads Up on the Super Missile Weld. I'll get some TIG rod and see if I can save my very short LS from the scrap heap

Joe

[djandj]

OK gang - while I am awaiting either a shorter LS (or someone to properly grind down mine), I ordered a bunch of Yugo surplus (brass case). I'll take it back out and see what happens. This way we will eliminate the ammo as a variable. (and either give me or the ammo was the problem crowd a big told you so)

I'll report back in a couple of weeks.

Thanks,

[Peter Laidler]

When you're putting the LS back in DJ, don't forget that it doesn't need to be tightened like Jumbo/747 wheel-nuts. It's just got to be hand tight.
(Some senior Armourers used to say that the screw should only be finger tight in order to allow the shoulder some degree of articulation. I don't agree with that because even if it's hand tight, the screw is additionally retained in place by the screw being staked). Additionally don't forget that it's not the screw that takes any of the recoil load. It's the rear surface of the LS that is tight up against the recess in the body that takes the shock of discharge and spreads it along the gun body.

Getting off the subject a bit, but you'll find that the screw is a bit of a sloppy fit in the screw hole. All the best with the brass cased ammo trial. I'm keeping my fingers crossed

I will look through a big box of LS's next week to see what sizes are there so don't fret if you can't find anything locally

[Vincent]

Have you compared the Super Missile rod to 309 stainless? Quite a few people think that is what it is.

[djandj]

When you're putting the LS back in DJ, don't forget that it doesn't need to be tightened like Jumbo/747 wheel-nuts. It's just got to be hand tight.
(Some senior Armourers used to say that the screw should only be finger tight in order to allow the shoulder some degree of articulation. I don't agree with that because even if it's hand tight, the screw is additionally retained in place by the screw being staked). Additionally don't forget that it's not the screw that takes any of the recoil load. It's the rear surface of the LS that is tight up against the recess in the body that takes the shock of discharge and spreads it along the gun body.

Getting off the subject a bit, but you'll find that the screw is a bit of a sloppy fit in the screw hole. All the best with the brass cased ammo trial. I'm keeping my fingers crossed

I will look through a big box of LS's next week to see what sizes are there so don't fret if you can't find anything locally

Thanks Peter. We'll see how it goes and report back.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Steel is CHEAPER as a material but its physical characteristics require that all of the case-forming tooling be Tungsten Carbide.

The Soviets, having limited domestic supplies of copper and zinc, (better used in electrical equipment than being sprayed all over the steppes), but the lion's share of the world's Tungsten supplies and, somewhat importantly, a "command economy" took to steel cases for EVERYTHING from pistol to artillery sized cases.

Their "satellites" and fraternal cousins followed suit.

The US produced a sizable quantity of steel-cased small arms ammo as well during WW2 as they also have Tungsten and "the technology". Somewhere in the cartridge "collection" are a few steel-case .30-06 and .45ACP rounds of US origin.
Carbide was better employed for MAKING ammo rather than BEING ammo.