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Thread: How would an AR-18 with different metallurgy handle compared to the ordinary one?

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  1. #1
    Legacy Member kilopi505's Avatar
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    How would an AR-18 with different metallurgy handle compared to the ordinary one?

    Ok. I have questions regarding about how an AR-18 with different metallurgy should handle.

    This is the scene in my work in progress that I'm asking about:

    ================================================== ======

    “And that is the result?” I asked while looking at the disassembled set beside the Type 89.

    The upper receiver and all the parts that belong to it were colored in various shades of grey, as opposed to the all black of the ordinary Type 89. The lower receiver, on the other hand, was made of a bronze colored metal that seemed to be twice as thick as the ordinary Type 89 lower receiver. And the handguards and the butt stock were made of wood.

    “I’m just as surprised as you are kid,” the armorer stated. “Mr. Krauncha, could you please explain what you did here?”

    “Sure. For the lower receiver I used gunmetal bronze because I’m not confident using the steels I know of for any structural frame that thin. I also used wood in place of steel and plastic for the stock and the handguard because of the same reason. As for the upper receiver, the action and all the screws, I used the various steels and irons involved in creating the metal parts of a ‘Smellie’ rifle for the analogues of said parts in the Type 89.”

    “And those alloys are?” the armorer asked in the manner of a skeptic. He was promptly surprised by the torrent of information that came out of Krauncha’s mouth.

    “There’s BSS51 Wrought Iron, both grades A and B. There’s three different kinds of black cast steel. Black mild steel, mild steel, black rolled cast steel, steel with 1 percent carbon and point 2 percent manganese and silicon and very little others , bright cold drawn mild steel, crucible steel, bright colled rolled cast and bright colled rolled mild. Any problems?”

    Due to a lack of knowledge on the subject, all I could tell from what Krauncha said was that he replaced the aluminum and polymer with wood and whatever steel the internal parts of a Type 89 was made of with various other kinds of steel I had never known about before.

    “...why did you change the metallurgy of the Type 89 for your copy?” The armorer asked as he looked at Krauncha’s disassembled copy of the Type 89 with an uneasy, worried look on his face that was mirrored by his two companions.

    “Because I’m a musician by trade – wait! I’m not finished explaining,” Krauncha said as the armorer was about to react to his words.

    Once the armorer calmed down Krauncha continued talking.

    “As a divine musician of the Sanatana Dharma, I’m expected to be competent in woodworking, leatherworking, weaving, animal processing and gold working because knowledge of those skills are needed to create classical Indian musical instruments by hand and magic. Metalworking outside of gold is mostly outside of my expertise, and I’m ignorant on how plastics are made, so I can’t completely copy the Type 89.”

    “And yet you mentioned several different types of steel.”

    “I did say the word 'mostly,' you know?"

    The unimpressed look the armorer gave Krauncha made the Indian man sigh and explain further.

    "I gained my knowledge of those steels from my part time job as a workman at Rifle Factory Ishapore, from 1909 to 1919. During those ten years I was able to watch every stage of the fabrication of a Short Magazine Lee Enfield Mark Three rifle.”

    ‘Oh. So that’s where ‘Smellie’ came from. SMLE the acronym.’

    After several moments passed, during which the armorer and his companions just stared at Krauncha, the armorer finally asked Krauncha a question that visibly took the Indian man aback.

    "Well...are you a qualified gunsmith, Mr. Krauncha?"

    “Which definition of gunsmith? The original one or the watered down one used nowadays?”

    "The original one?" the armorer answered after a few moments of thought.

    "Tvastar, the god of craftsmen in India, told me he would officially certify me as a gunsmith when I pass his test. That test is to craft a gun from raw materials without using magic,” Krauncha proudly stated.

    "So you're still an apprentice gunsmith?"

    "Almost graduated apprentice gunsmith."

    After a moment of nodding in reply to Krauncha's words, the armorer and his companions went into a huddle and discussed something quietly. The huddle ended after a couple of minutes, and then the armorer started assembling Krauncha’s Type 89.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The armorer had finished assembling the copy Krauncha made. And it looked...functional.

    The armorer pulled back the bolt and then gently let it go back to its normal place, and then tested out the balance of the weapon.

    "What do you think?" Krauncha asked with a smile on his face.

    ================================================== =====

    All I could think of was that the copy of the Type 89 would definitely be heavier than the ordinary Type 89 or AR-18 rifle, because of the materials used.

    I have no idea if this is heavier in a good way or a bad way. An assault rifle is supposed to be light, right? But I also read that for a rifle with light ammo, a heavier rifle is what is desired.

    I'm also not sure if the bronze lower receiver would deform if you start firing at full auto or even when you start firing single shots, because Bronze at the thinness of an ordinary AR-18 lower receiver assembly...it deforms easily, right? Or is Bronze tougher than that?

    So, realistically speaking, what should I expect from this hypothetical copy of the AR-18/Type 89?
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    A Collector's View - The SMLE Short Magazine Lee Enfield 1903-1989. It is 300 8.5x11 inch pages with 1,000+ photo’s, most in color, and each book is serial-numbered.  Covering the SMLE from 1903 to the end of production in India in 1989 it looks at how each model differs and manufacturer differences from a collecting point of view along with the major accessories that could be attached to the rifle. For the record this is not a moneymaker, I hope just to break even, eventually, at $80/book plus shipping.  In the USA shipping is $5.00 for media mail.  I will accept PayPal, Zelle, MO and good old checks (and cash if you want to stop by for a tour!).  CLICK BANNER to send me a PM for International pricing and shipping. Manufacturer of various vintage rifle scopes for the 1903 such as our M73G4 (reproduction of the Weaver 330C) and Malcolm 8X Gen II (Unertl reproduction). Several of our scopes are used in the CMP Vintage Sniper competition on top of 1903 rifles. Brian Dick ... BDL Ltd. - Specializing in British and Commonwealth weapons Specializing in premium ammunition and reloading components. Your source for the finest in High Power Competition Gear. Here at T-bones Shipwrighting we specialise in vintage service rifle: re-barrelling, bedding, repairs, modifications and accurizing. We also provide importation services for firearms, parts and weapons, for both private or commercial businesses.
     

  3. #2
    Advisory Panel browningautorifle's Avatar
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    You aren't by chance a jungle gunsmith building things are you? Strange questions...this one and the Lee Enfield metallurgy...what is a gunsmith... Sounds like you're building.
    Regards, Jim

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  5. #3
    Legacy Member kilopi505's Avatar
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    Thread Starter
    Quote Originally Posted by browningautorifleicon View Post
    You aren't by chance a jungle gunsmith building things are you? Strange questions...this one and the Lee Enfield metallurgy...what is a gunsmith... Sounds like you're building.


    Nope. I'm an aspiring fiction writer with an obsession with technical details. Or my writing style is plot, down to the lines of my characters themselves, is/are affected by factual technical details.

    Would you believe I was talked out of writing in story a rifle with either an all bronze or wootz steel rifle just because of the character's age and immortality? I was told step by step how bad an idea that was in real life, and the only plausible idea I got was a Bronze lower receiver, seeing as bronze will never rust.

    In here, well...depending on the answer a lot of the plot will have to change.

    Besides, the Danao gunsmiths are several islands and provinces south of my province.
    Last edited by kilopi505; 07-07-2018 at 12:53 PM.

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