1933 SA 1903

[browningautorifle]

Jig looks just right, the glue is just a carpenter's type so it should work fine. Looks like it's almost ready for assembly. Color looks right too.

[mrandig]

Absolutely killed it.

Attachment 112565Attachment 112566Attachment 112567Attachment 112568Attachment 112569Attachment 112570Attachment 112571Attachment 112572Attachment 112573

More to come. This went along so quickly, I hadn't really thought beyond this point.

For sure, the joint needs some clean-up. You can already see some of the marks where I've been at it with a rasp. This is just to smooth out the transition between the old stock and new forend. It may actually not be needed if the lower band sits OK.

Once it passes a full fit-up test, then we'll clean and re-oil the existing pieces, and get some BLO on the new handguard.

[ssgross]

looks real good! I may suggest filling the top end of the lightening cut, where your dowels protrude, covering the ends with epoxy to strengthen. That way the entire length of the dowel is locked in with the stock, and may lessen the chance of cracking when you go to test bayonet fighting potential.

[mrandig]

looks real good! I may suggest filling the top end of the lightening cut, where your dowels protrude, covering the ends with epoxy to strengthen. That way the entire length of the dowel is locked in with the stock, and may lessen the chance of cracking when you go to test bayonet fighting potential.

Haha! I had totally forgot about the using the bayonet. I'm off to ACE for some epoxy and will be back... Thanks SS for that suggestion!

[mrandig]

So, just a few "to-do's" for tonight.

First, I'm going to use a rasp to blend in the transition between the old stock and replacement forend. Note that my glasses have their own light source. I'm that many years old.

Attachment 112590

[mrandig]

To blend the transition between the old stock and new forend piece, I'm going to grind on the stock side, working parallel to the shoulder. The old, sporterized forend I removed was slightly wider than this new one, and this created a "step" right underneath where the lower band is supposed to sit. Not only would the band sit unevenly, it would also clamp unevenly, so this step needs to go.

I want to avoid any grinding on the new forend, obviously, taking down only about 1/16" of the stock around the forend, creating a new shoulder. I don't think I can avoid a few scratches on the forend however, but these should hide under the lower band.

Attachment 112591Attachment 112592

[mrandig]

Yep, that worked just fine.

I'm using the old band to check this, but it's fine just to verify the work. I think that's going to be perfect.

Attachment 112593

[mrandig]

For tonight's final act, I'm gong to add some epoxy behind the dowels that hold the splice together, thanks to the sage advice provided by ssgross. I think this is a great idea, and with a bond strength of 3300psi, this should keep everything from coming apart during bayonet practice.

Attachment 112594Attachment 112595

I'm using Gorilla brand epoxy. Wasn't a particular choice on my end, just what they had at the store. Supposed to set in 5 minutes, but I'm leaving overnight.

[mrandig]

To keep the epoxy contained and off the stock, I'm going to mask the lightening hole prior to adding any epoxy. I had intended to mask this off nicely and precisely, but it didn't end up that way. The end results was instead ugly and sloppy, but it will still work.

I'm going to yank this tape off as soon as the epoxy is applied, just so I don't have to worry about the tape not coming off later.

Attachment 112596Attachment 112597

[mrandig]

I ended up applying the epoxy in three pours, as it's easier to apply more, than it is too remove if I add too much. I didn't see any point in trying to fill the entire channel, only the section with the dowels.

I have the stock sitting at a slight angle, so I'm letting gravity help with the work.

Attachment 112598Attachment 112599Attachment 112600

That should do it for tonight. Looks good.