# Gunsmithing?



## TheLocalDrunk (Aug 26, 2019)

My Current active project is turning a stock Sportsman Versamax into a match winning 3gun shotgun.
Is this something people here are interested in seeing?
(Its not overly complex but does have some milling and turning)


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## Chicken lights (Aug 26, 2019)

I’d be interested


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## Brian H (Aug 26, 2019)

Me too


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## PeterT (Aug 26, 2019)

For sure, bring it on.


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## DPittman (Aug 27, 2019)

Yup!


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## historicalarms (Aug 28, 2019)

Me toooo.


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## YYCHM (Aug 28, 2019)

Go for it!


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## TheLocalDrunk (Aug 28, 2019)

Alright, I guess here it goes.
Started off with a Remington VersaMax Sportsman. On sales for 1050 and another 100 rebate put it at 950. Figured I would start with this and turn it into a gun for Multigun matches.

First thing I wanted to work on is the loading port. Traditional single shell loading requires you to stick your thumb into the loading port so you can push the shell past the shell latch. I want to remove enough material so that my thumb can rest sideways on the loading port and slide far enough forward that the shell passes the latch.

To start this I took everything apart and started to measure out how much room I had between the shell latch and the loading port. Once I had that number I taped off everything exposing the material I needed to remove. 

This show what I was taping off.

















 Mostly the depth and angle. How far forward I push was a "by feel" thing as I couldnt measure. There is a ring that stops the follower from coming out with the shell. I need to remove material, feel the ring, remove some more and repeat.

Cause this was done by feel, a lot of it was done "Precisely by eye" lol.
The angle was roughly 8 degree.
Lined it up in the mill and started making chips.

Like I said above we stopped before the tube and after did separate passes pushing our way into the loading tube.


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## TheLocalDrunk (Aug 28, 2019)

I can JUST barely load sideways and get past the latch. So it needs to go back in the mill and we need to push that back a little further to make it easier.

Also, needed to take the foreend to the belt sander to create the clearance for the thumb.
Also needed to sand the front of the forend down to allow proper contact with the new extension tube.

Next I am going to make a new button for the bolt release and drill and tap it on there.
Also the shell latch is going to get a radius and polish to make loading the shell require less force.
And the forend is going to get a hole drilled into it and a matchsaverz will be mounted to it.
And a new pic rail on the top for optics (I shoot "unlimited Division")


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## YYCHM (Aug 28, 2019)

Nice job!  How did you get that opposing angle milled in there so nicely?


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## TheLocalDrunk (Aug 28, 2019)

receiver was mounted in the vise with port straight up and tilted at 8 degrees. The End mill would then pass over one side then the other in the same setup. Once the long parts were done we tilted the head of the mill 45 degrees, touched off, then started pushing up into where the mag tube is.

(I hope that was clear enough)
As I said we need to push it back a bit further, when that is done we will be doing it at less then 45degs as we are super close to that follower retention ring.


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## TheLocalDrunk (Aug 29, 2019)

My Buddy just finished Milling out his receiver. This is how far back I want to push mine too. Here you can clearly see how much of the shell is exposed now eliminating the need to stick your thumb into the tube.


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## Brian H (Aug 29, 2019)

Nice Job!


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## TheLocalDrunk (Aug 29, 2019)

I just tested his setup tonight. It’s fast. Me likey. Mine will match very very soon. Will update when I can.


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## TheLocalDrunk (Sep 3, 2019)

Busy weekend. Might split this up on a couple posts.

Milled out some more this weekend. This time it was on my round column mill. (Which sucked for this operation)
My first problem to overcome is hard to describe.

With a head that rotates. I can adjust my work piece so the first angle is flat to the bed. Then I can tilt the head 45deg and then I push forward it will continue along the same axis as the first angle. (Follow the blue line)






With my personal round column mill I have to setup the work piece to the second angle. But then when I move the bed around it will cut 90deg to that angle. (again, the new blue line).







To combat this, I just taped off the 8deg line for a visual reference. Came in high with my end mill and left a little prism shape. Then set the work back to 8degs and removed the prism. I had to do this by eye balling and it was not using exact numbers. Not sure if someone else has an idea for how I could have done this better. At the end of the day I am happy with my end result.


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## TheLocalDrunk (Sep 3, 2019)

Here it is after the milling.
You can see my lines didnt line up perfect because of the method above. But I was able to hand file it and put a radius in there too which is nice to have.





I then went to work hand filing a bevel and removing tooling marks.




Then worked my way with some coarse, med, fine emery cloth


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## TheLocalDrunk (Sep 3, 2019)

Next up was my shell latch.
I drilled and tapped the button. (Which I broke one tap on a practice piece and had to run out and buy some more.)
Also, because I didnt want to drill all the way through this piece I really wanted to get the threads as far down as possible. BUT i couldnt find a bottoming 6-32 tap easily on the weekend. So I tap with a normal tap as far as I could, then ground it down into a bottoming tap. Huzzah!






Next on the shell latch was adding a radius to the catch itself. This allows shells to be pushed past it a little easier when loading.






Then on the lathe I grabbed some random stock and turned it into a enlarged button to be screwed on the shell latch.
I used my end mill to create the pocket for the cap head screw. Now I need to cold blue it or treat it with something so it doesnt rust. Does anyone have any options?


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## TheLocalDrunk (Sep 3, 2019)

Then I had to sand down my front grip down to allow a proper mating surface for the extention tube and clearance for the newly opened up loading port.










I hit it with some emery cloth as well and made it smooth to the touch but it is still discolored.... anyone have a tip for that?


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## TheLocalDrunk (Sep 3, 2019)

Then I just mounted up a new charging handle. (I could have made one from scratch but I have a match coming up and wanted to get this done) Also mounted a "Matchsaverz"






Oh, I also mounted optics to it. (I shoot open class)
The optics sit high so I need to raise the comb height now. Playing around with Kydex and forming and riveting it. (Not my final mounting solution.... but close.....


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## historicalarms (Sep 3, 2019)

....gamer gamer...Lol

    really enjoying the thread.  It sure is satisfying to take a firearm that grinds like an old ratchet and make it into a race gun,


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## TheLocalDrunk (Sep 3, 2019)

historicalarms said:


> ....gamer gamer...Lol
> 
> really enjoying the thread.  It sure is satisfying to take a firearm that grinds like an old ratchet and make it into a race gun,



Funny cause I make fun of gamers too. Im not wearing a shiney shirt yet 
Thanks. yeah, it has been fun and scary.
Could have easily gone too far and turning it into an expensive paperweight.

But i didnt and it works!
I do take pride in saying I did it. (And it doesnt look like a home job, except the sanding on my fore grip)


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## historicalarms (Sep 4, 2019)

Your pride will doubly increase when your buddies see what you've done and all want you to do theirs for them as well...that's how I got started into amateur gunsmithing & machining.

    In 02 the wife & I started Cowboy action shooting & like a lot of other folks raising families at the same time , we started out with buying every used cast-off we could find that fit the Cowboy criteria...we ended up with a motley collection of mis-matched calibers & models of the approved era. To be even moderately successful in the sport I had to become one of those kitchen table gunsmiths that some folks look down on, but it worked for us. 

      A couple of things helped make this doable, first is, like you I was a bit mechanically inclined from repairing farm & industrial machinery for 20 yrs...but the most important was that the wife & I attended a match in Wyoming, while there we were put into a posse with 15 folks from the original Cowboy Action club from California.  One of the guys there soon recognized our "newness" and the shortfall of our equipment. He offered both of us the chance to use his guns on a stage if we would like...wow...his rifle was done up by Bob Munden from Montana & his SAA,s & 97 were done by Bob Bell from Arizona...man those guns almost run themselves.

      Every gun I have done since then I have tried very hard to emulate their performance and I have had considerable success by the # of friends in the sport that are still using guns I did up for them. 

     Cary on with your "gamming" as far as I'm concerned its the best thing to keep a sport fun and gives all the newer shooters something to strive for... health reason as well as eye sight issues have forced me to give up the sport but the wife still tries to outdo Wobbly at every match...she can come close but no cigar...yet...Wobblies eyes are starting to narrow the playing field LOL.


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## TheLocalDrunk (Sep 4, 2019)

historicalarms said:


> Your pride will doubly increase when your buddies see what you've done and all want you to do theirs for them as well...that's how I got started into amateur gunsmithing & machining.
> 
> In 02 the wife & I started Cowboy action shooting & like a lot of other folks raising families at the same time , we started out with buying every used cast-off we could find that fit the Cowboy criteria...we ended up with a motley collection of mis-matched calibers & models of the approved era. To be even moderately successful in the sport I had to become one of those kitchen table gunsmiths that some folks look down on, but it worked for us.
> 
> ...



Lol
My first swing ever at "gun smithing" was slicking up a marlin 97 for CAS.
As for Wobbly, I shoot with him every Thursday and he comes out to a lot of our 3gun matches (When it doesnt interfere with a CAS match). He is among the few people that actually make me run to catch up to when I am RO'ing.


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## historicalarms (Sep 9, 2019)

So how did your "mods" work at the 3-gun on the weekend??


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## TheLocalDrunk (Sep 9, 2019)

VERY well.
Official scores are not released yet. But I am sure I finished First in my division and First overall. Next closest person was 30 seconds behind  (Out of ~50 shooters)
That shotgun def helped give me a bigger lead.
Again, things can change as the scores are not out. But I am fairly confident.


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## TheLocalDrunk (Sep 9, 2019)

Here are pictures of the config I used yesterday.


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