graycrait

I wanted something that I could shoot everything from Colibras to 60grain SSS again.  And I like the H&Rs, the single ejection models just flat work and the 9 shot simultaneous ejection ones are just plain fun.  With a speed loader and loading blocks those 9-shot H&Rs can go through ammo faster than you can with a semi-auto, well not quite if you have one of those Ultimate Clip Loaders for the Ruger.  I hope to be able to buy Colibras again someday that won't cost me 20 cents a round.  A digression: Who are those people selling that stuff?  I saw some dude trying to trade 1600 rds of bulk .22LR and a Mosin for a Glock.  I felt like asking him if he had the other 350 bucks in cash it would take to buy a used Glock along with his trade fodder. Imagine thinking 1600 rds of .22 and a Mosin worth 450-550.00? If that is the future of shooting I am going fishing for a long long time.

I traded a friend of mine who lives just a mite south of Nashville for them.  We did a one for one swap of .22 handguns.  The Special can be found on Gunbroker sometimes, as can be the Sportsman/999 and the 622.  I can't remember what year  the Sportsman picked up the number designation 999 but it was later on its production. I like shooting the Sportsman/999 more than I do a S&W 17.  Mostly the accuracy is about the same for me and I like the 9 shot simultaneous ejection when you break open the revolver.

Top is pre-1940 H&R Sportsman .22LR DA/SA 9-shot simultaneous ejection Middle is pre-1932 H&R Special .2LR DA/SA 9-shot simultaneous ejection Bottom is pre-1972 H&R 622 .22LR DA/SA single round ejection

There is good stuff?

My number one rule.  Never do gun work while drinking cheap red wine:)

Major Kong, thanks.

Will Ron Mahovsky do small parts like sears, hammers, etc?

.22LR or 12 gauge

I'm not sure on this but if a fella brings you a gun and stays with you while you work on it then I don't think you have to bring it under "ATF" control.  But if someone drops off or ships you a gun that you take possession of that is where the ATF logging and control comes in.  Then there is the business end of it Jonnin mentions like liability insurance.  Which if you run a business then you have tax liabilities, even higher "business" prices for utilities, business licenses, phone service, etc.  The overhead is daunting and quite expensive.  When you go into business everyone wants a piece of your action. 

This is a fella a couple of us on TGO know.  He does some interesting things and look at the small parts he makes that probably pays the bills.   http://www.ewkarms.com/

kcraig,   I am not a gunsmith but am an armorer of sorts on a couple guns and am not afraid to tear into them either. I have several gunsmith friends. Two Denver School of Trades fellas and one recent grad of the program at Trinidad, CO.  And another but never asked where he went to school or if. 1st rule told to me by one long time gunsmith, never buy an expensive tool unless you absolutely know you will be able to pay for it by having enough work to use it.  The guy who told me that showed me a couple of tools he purchased when he was younger and there they hang/sit. A lot of the newer handguns are pretty modular and really don't require machining.  One fella I know builds rifles and does lots of barrel work including threading.  There is always someone wanting a threaded barrel for their suppressor, you might want to start there.  But if you are not on center you just bought someone a barrel..   Also, Ruger 10/22s are always getting their bolt faces trued up, barrels recrowned and rechambered and there are 6 million 10/22s out there, just sold by Ruger and tons of clones the last few years too. Seems 1911 guys are always wanting new dovetails cut in their slides but this can be expensive if you make a mistake or mar something. Good thing about slides and barrel is that you don't need an FFL to do those.   The two best 10/22 guys that I know of: http://www.ct-precision.com/ https://sites.google.com/site/quesplace/   The two gunsmiths who are Denver SchofTds grads both work for the US government, one for Dept of State and the other for a special unit based in NC. I met both of these guys when they were working for 5th Special Forces. The recent Trinidad grad works at a gunshop in AL.  I'm really pulling for the fella in AL as he is building me a custom .22mag on a BSA Martini Cadet receiver, full custom Mannlicher stock too.  There is retired deputy sheriff who lives down near Viola, TN.  A tornado took his gunshop a few years ago, but he rebuilt a tidy little operation on his property which I visited.  He is the one who told me to watch what tools you buy.    I asked a local guy who teaches snipers on FT Campbell how long it took for him to thread my 10/22 barrel and he told me about 10 minutes maybe.  He did a better job than the other 10/22 barrel I had from a professional barrel builder.  I also asked him how long it would take to cut down,, d&T for new sight placement and thread my Ruger MKIII, he said about the same time, cause he has done quite a few of those.  However, the upper on a Ruger MK series is the FFL item, unlike most handguns where the frame is the FFL item. So you need to be cautious if you don't have an FFL.   It seems that successful gunsmiths, and I don't think there are that many who make a living at gunsmithing, seem to get into a niche and go from there. Here are couple of examples: https://www.geminicustoms.com/ http://www.coolguyguns.com/About-Us_ep_7.html http://www.grantcunningham.com/ http://www.chestnutmountainsports.com/   I just read this book by Calfee:  http://www.killoughshootingsports.com/index.php/misc/the-art-of-rimfire-accuracy-by-bill-calfee-hard-cover-book.html http://www.rimfireaccuracy.com/Forums/showthread.php/1919-Question-for-Bill-Calfee

Try this dot it has a nice 3 MOA dot and is pretty crisp. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/459296/millett-compact-red-dot-sight-1-tube-1x-3-moa-dot-with-weaver-style-rings-matte Mine is on a 10/22 on long term loan to some folks who live out in the country. Frankly, the best dot I have used on 10/22 is a C-More (wish I would have kept that rig). C-More gives you real nice two eyes open and fast at 50 yards on golf balls. Here are the dots I have had on 10/22s: Matchdot Ultra Dot, Aimpoint Comp 3, Aimpoint Micro, cheapo BSA, Millet, C-More, Mueller Quik Shot halo, Sig halo,, cheapo halo and probably one or two more. Two best scopes I have had on carbine length 16-18.5" 10/22s are the Weaver 2-7x28 or the Nikon Nikoplex 2-7x32. I like the Weavers small size with clear enough glass but really like the turrets on the Nikon P22. If it were me and I had one gun and a budget I would try and squeeze out a Weaver 2-7 and then get a cheap BSA red dot. The BSA does what it needs to do for fun shooting 10-50 yards for minute of golf ball, while the Weaver will let you go out to a 100 yards in decent light, while giving you good accuracy closer in. Here is my Mannlicher in its current incarnation: Tactical Machining receiver, Nikon P22 Nikoplex scope, Green Mountain Running Boar barrel, Kidd trigger group in a Ruger polymer housing, Ruger Mannlicher with the last inch cut off. I opened up the channel to free float the barrel and cut the last inch off after trying to modify the metal end cap, imbedded nut and stock, They impeded a free float no matter what I did. Cut the end of the stock off. I might taper the fore end someday - maybe.

OK, where can a 58 yr old guy and his 55 yr old wife of 33 yrs go to have good eats, good Nashville-style music (could be blues/jazz/country?) and get a good bed for the night without driving to East Hey Zeus, fight 22 yr olds, without listening to interstate traffic all night, or having to hang out with blue hairs?  I'm looking for a middle ground here, help me out.   Craig in Clarksville

The main RIvers here in Montgomery county, the Cumberland, the Red and the West Fork of the Red.  Other than that we will likely use it in bays over at LBL so motor isn't a big deal there.   There are some interesting things to see on the smaller rivers where bass boats can get to though.  Even saw a 4 or 5 foot caiman on Red red once.  The really lousy thing about all the rivers nearby is that there aren't many or convenient put in or take out points. So it would be easier to take out the same place you put in.

What I have been reading though is that small lightweight outboards like the now defunct Cruise and Carry 1.5HP can push harder than a trolling motor for a longer time.  However, I simply don't know.  The thing about the trolling motor is that you not only have to get the trolling motor, but then there is a charger, marine batteries and a program of battery management, which may be simple, but I do not know anything about. I can fix a lawn mower engine.  The only boats I ever owned were canoes, a canvas wood ribbed job back in the late 60's and this Mohawk.  I did the Gunflint Trail but used the typical big lake outfitters aluminum canoe.  When I went canoe shopping 12 years ago I wanted a Kevlar 1 person We No Na but had to opt for this big Mohawk when the wife intervened.  All I know is that going upriver is a bear for a 58/55 yr old married couple paddling. Still, I would rather carry my boat, be able to throw it in nearly anywhere and have the option of using a motor in a river.  I was in bass boats twice. One time going 73mph across a lake.  It did nothing for me and probably jolted my spine. Then there is the boat ramp fight, parking lot adventure, etc.  When Dale Calhoun (Reelfoot Stumpjumper) was still alive I had a long talk with him in his shop close to the ranger station at Reelfoot.  But then those boats were pretty heavy, requiring a trailer.  When the wife looked at it she said to me, "So, we are going to be Humphrey Bogart and Kate Hepburn in The African Queen?"  There was probably a lot of truth to that.  The 2 hour FTF talk with Dale Calhoun was worth trip to Reelfoot itself.  Dale really got tickled telling us about his role in "US Marshalls" with Tommey Lee Jones and Wesley Snipes.   Anyway, just looking to see what works and what doesn't so I don't fritter away more money like I have on all the guns I have tried out and found wanting.  So, I'll need a variable speed trolling motor preferably with some kind of Digital Maximizer like the Minn Kota Endura Max, then get a couple of good batteries, a charger and a battery box I can afix to the floor of the canoe.  Good thing I have a 16 footer.  I like the quiet of the trolling motor and hope the fiddling with the batteries isn't too convoluted.  As long as I can head up the Red River or Cumberland is all I ask. It doesn't have to be quick but I want to be able to river fish by myself without reenacting a scene from "The Last of the Mohicans." 

I was hoping there was someone on the forum that could answer some questions about how to rig up a standard canoe for motorized fishing?  I have 16' Mohawk Nova made or Royalex.  It does not have a square stern.     1) I'm thinking I need outriggers and am looking at Yak Gears oversized outriggers: http://www.yak-gear.com/OUTRIGGERS.html   2) I am trying to figure out what is best, small 2-cycle or 4-cycle engine or trolling motor.    3) Trolling motors carry a lot of baggage.  Then there are the other hassles of charging, battery maintenance, etc. I've seen some say that the trolling motors have little ability running against current with a loaded canoe.   4) This company makes several style of lightweight outboards, both 2 and 4 cycle. Noise and pollution are the two negatives I see.  However, weight and power are the pluses as these outboards don't weigh any more than the 50lb Minn Kota.   http://www.smalloutboardmotor.com/index.html   I was wondering if anyone has cracked the code on this?  Want to carry the canoe and not have to trailer and seeing as I already have the canoe I figured why not outfit it so that 1 or sometimes 2 can go fishing in this thing without having to plan on upriver paddling against the wind etc.  Been there and done that at night a couple of times.         Craig

http://muelleroptics.com/mu83244td   the top rifle http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=251736

Go CZ, have had at least 3, 2 were Ultra Lux.  Don't know why I let folks talk me out of them.  This was an excellent package:  http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/vbclassified.php?do=ad&id=54754

Currently I have only 3 10/22s, all with Ruger polymer trigger housings with Kidd Trigger kits  (got them when they were on sale for 89.0 each).  If you have a stock Ruger metal trigger housing the most cost effective trigger job is to put in a Volquartsen hammer - period.  I have tried the whole kit, the Power Custom kits when the VQ kits were out of stock, etc.  They are all a waste of money in my opinion.  The best thing is a VQ hammer in a stock metal Ruger trigger housing, which should get you a shade at or under 3lbs.  Metal Ruger trigger housings have quite a bit of variance, so you can only approximate unless you buy and fit oversize pins, which requires fitting the pins and then you have to open up the trigger and sear holes, which is a PITA. In a stock polymer housing the best trigger job is to put in a Kidd kit. This will get you a pretty clean 2.5-2.75lb trigger. Once and only once did I buy a complete custom trigger housing, a mistake I will not repeat.  I also have a jig that allows me to cut a stock trigger and sear to improve trigger pull.  This is a slight PITA.  The Kidd kit in a Ruger poly housing is the way to go. Ruger poly trigger housings have more consistent specs than the Ruger metal ones.  Once I put a 300.00 barrel, 275.00 trigger housing, 100.00 bolt and other stuff into a 10/22.  I will not do that again. 

Redfield 3200 12X scope is 23.5" long.  The rifle had Unertl-style mounting blocks that were even too far apart for my somewhat monstrous Tasco Varmint 6-24x40AO scope.  

Don't forget the striker channel liner, best to just put in a new one if you "dug" the old one out.

Updated photo Got this from TGOer surfcityred. 1947/48 Stevens 416 badged as Ranger for commercial sales through Sears & Roebuck. 6 groove, 1:16 twist 26" heavy target barrel. Came with complete iron sights, including Stevens 106 rear aperture, but I had to try the Redfield 3200 12x AO, about a 1968 vintage. The rig as pictured weighs 10lbs 13 oz. TM 9-280, Caliber .22 Rifles, All Types, 16 March 1944, lists the Stevens 416 along with Win 75, Rem 513T, Springfield M1922M1 and M2. http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/wwIItms/TM9_280_1944.pdf One story I read but can't verify is that US Army contracted with Stevens for 10,000 416s in something like '42. However, Stevens produced 18,000 with the 8,000 extras being sold as Ranger through Sears with a slightly different stock with barrel band. I've got a couple of aftermarket flush fit 5 rd mags coming. Anywho it is a pretty cool rifle and I should know later this week how it shoots. This is one clean rifle.

I am guilty of this very thing.  I don't know how many times I have done it looking for the perfect gun.  I finally quit looking in self defense handguns.  I doubt I will ever quit lookng when it comes to range toys, especially .22s.  However, a Glock 19 with grip reduction and Fulcrum trigger, Ruger LC9 with Galloway trigger bar, new recoil spring and RTK trigger, along with a Keltect  P32 with a Keltec P11 trigger shoe remain my mainstays now and I won't even look at alternatives.  Well, I do like to have a G17 and G26 around too, but don't carry them. 

Why not try and blue it at home? You can still rattle can it if you need to. However, tenifer treated steel might not take bluing well.  I have had 3 slides that were stripped, one for a very long time and I never had rust on them.  Although never having tired it I think bluing might not work too well on tenifer treated metal.  You might want to try Brownells Gunkote, follow the directions, it works pretty well or just use some metal paint and pay attention to the metal cure times between coats. 

I talked to a gunsmith about this once.  Hammers are rarely bent, but the hammer pin can be bent with mistreatment, abuse or jackleg gunsmithing (this describes me).  One guy old me that to remove and solder a new one requires refinishing and with a stainless this requires particular care.  I dunno, but sounds good to me. Another gunsmith said he did one but it required too much care and refinish and said he won't do another due to cost in time and recommended a trip to S&W.  A retired LEO friend went to the weeklong S&W revolver armorer school back in the day.  He said that when replacing parts in S&W revolvers that each part they replaced would require a swipe or two at key points with a stone, then replace, then disassemble and another stroke or two, then assemble, and so on.    If it were me and I thought the pin was crooked I would do as Dolomite said and carefully try to straighten it.  What have you got to lose?  If that doesn't work send it to S&W.  I have tried to insall a NIB hammer in one of my S&Ws and for some reason I can't get it correct, but this hammer is a more recent manufacture and my revolver is 30 years old.  I would like to go to the S&W revolver armorer school but that isn't likely. Give straightening the pin a try and do a function test.  If that doesn't work send to S&W.