GUN CLEANING SOLVENTS FROM THE AUTO PARTS STORE

This is the spray type Top Engine Cleaner avalible at GM parts departments.  Not to be confused with the liquid that comes in a plastic bottle.  Good old Sea foam has been around for decades.  It's around $7 at any retailer.

            

The stores are full of solvents and cleaners that will clean the bore of your guns.  You pick one, try it, and it hopefully gets the gunk out.  I've found that most anything will clean the barrel of a well maintained gun that just had 50 rounds of decent ammo put through it.  Being a cheapskate, I've been mixing up "Ed's red" for years.  Basically a mixture of 1 part each ATF, kerosene, brake cleaner or acetone, and WD-40.  It's worked well for me.  But recently I acquired and old Chinese type 53, Mosin Nagant carbine and let's just say it was not well maintained.  The bore had a light frosting of rust and I could not see the rifling.  It literally looked like the rifling had been shot out of it.  I suspect that it had been given a quick cleaning and shot with a cosmoline coating in the bore.  That resulted in a hard black mess in the bore.  I tried Ed's red and a bore brush.  The patches came out black every time.  Still no rifling.  I hosed it with brake clean and scrubbed with a brush.  It got better, but still patches were black.  I soaked it in GM rust penetrant overnight.

This is probably the best rust penetrant made.  It stinks terrible, but it loosens rusted bolts very well.  Dissolves lead oxide according to the label.  Available at any GM parts counter.

It says it dissolves lead oxide.  It helped a lot, but still the black patches.  By this time I saw shallow rifling, but the bore still looked worn out.  So, I went out and shot the thing for the first time.  That helped quite a bit.  I could actually see all the rifling for the first time.  Still it was quite dirty.  So I went online and found some bench rest shooters raving about GM top engine cleaner and Sea Foam.  Since I work in a GM parts department, I have easy access to those products.  I mixed the 2 products equally and shook them up.  They didn't blow up, but they never combined either.  The 2 products separate in the bottle, but remain in suspension for quite a while if shaken.  I ran 3 patches of this mixture through the barrel and voila, the 3rd came out clean.  Now, I'm not sure how much of this miracle can be attributed to the 2 products and how much of my success is due to the hot fireballs that came out of the muzzle when I pulled the trigger 15 times.  Surely all that fire helped it.  But I was still impressed with the cleaners.  I never get a bore that clean in that few patches with Ed's red.  Even in well maintained guns.  I need more experience to declare one or both of these products the be-all, end-all of gun solvents.  But, I am hopeful that one or both of these items will become my go to solution for everyday cleaning as well as those hard to clean acquisitions. 

When you stop and think about what these products are designed to do, it makes some sense.  They clean carbon deposits from the valves of an engine.  And, whatcha know?  Carbon is a major byproduct of burning gun powder.  Seems logical to me that if it cleans carbon from inside an engine, it will clean carbon from the bolt of an AR 15.  As I say, I'm no scientist.  I didn't do a real experiment.  I just thought I should get this out there for all to see.  Please be aware that these chemicals will eat varnish off of your stocks.  Some will soften plastics and peel paint.  So use with reason.

98/22 MAUSER REDO

Update:  I sold the rifle due to it being just too much of a pain and the expensive of buying all the little parts to put it back into a wood stock.  Purchased a Mosin.



Back in the day, I purchased an old Brno 98/22 Mauser at Dunham's sports.  I paid less than $100 for it and was delighted.  Before long though, my Nephew and I began wanting to convert it into a black opps sniper gun.  We ended up buying an ATI stock that allows for a scope without drilling and tapping the receiver.  Besides that, it just looked evil.  Big and black with the cheek rest and huge 60mm objective scope to top it off.

Well, fast forward a decade and I still have the Mauser, but I'm not so into the huge scope, 1000 yard head shot thing.  Actually, I've be come a fan of just plain old sights. Problem is, the original stock and hardware was thrown out long ago.  So, in order to facilitate the transition, I began to look for stocks.

I ground the bolt knob flat to clear the stock

I bought a "K98" stock off of Armslist only to find that my action is a "long" action and the stock I bought is for a "Short" action.  The only difference is that a "Short" action measures just slightly shorter between the 2 receiver screws.  Rather than go buy yet another stock, I decided to just alter stock I have.  I just used a dremel tool to rout the wood and will fill in the gaps with a good epoxy.

I will be re-sectioning the trigger guard to put it to the right length.  Yes, I could buy the right length guard, but what's the fun in that?

The gun originally had a straight bolt handle, but we had bent it to clear the scope.  Rather than heat it back up, I have chosen to clean it up and shave it to clear the stock.

 For sights, I plan to use a mojo rear peep sight in conjunction with the stock front blade and add a hood to that.  I'm not a big fan of the original Mauser sight picture.  I absolutely love the peep sights on GI rifles, so the mojo makes sense to me.

You may know this company better as CZ.

More to come as the project advances.

My workbench is a disaster!!

At least the hand guard fits like a glove

I believe the "23" proof mark dates this rifle to 1923

THE BOLT STARTED OUT STRAIGHT BUT WAS PREVIOUSLY BENT TO ACCOMMODATE THE SCOPE.

Custom 8mm Mauser Handloads

 

Back around 2000 I picked up a Czech made "Turkish" Mauser.  It was just under $100 and surplus ammo could be had for around $15-$20 per 75 round bandoleer.  Needless to say, we shot that stuff like it was .22 LR ammo.  It seemed like everyone had it.  I could mail order it by the box full too.  It was truly a land of milk and honey.

Fast forward to 2014 and the supply of that old ammo is virtually gone.  You can go to your local gun shop and purchase a 20 round box of soft point hunting rounds for $35-$40.  No thanks.  Privi Partizan is available for mail order and is good stuff, but availability is spotty and it's still close to a dollar a round.  Yes you can still find Romanian surplus ammo, but I have not had great luck with it.  Lots of fail to fire in those 1950s rounds. Plus many of the rounds don't like to chamber in my rifle.

My best solution is hand loading.  I can convert 30-06 brass and load my own at a significant discount compared to factory ammo.  Brass is cheap and available.  Large rifle primers are around $3-$4 for a 100. Powder choices are numerous. Bullets are the pricey part.  I got a 100 pack of Hornaday 125 grain hollow points for about $20.  That is about as cheap as I have found.  I'm driving them with Winchester 748 at the recommended starting grains.  That load runs at around 2800 fps and is easy on the shoulder.  It's still not "cheap", but it is cheaper than factory rounds.  

The 125 grain bullets are available off and on at Midway, so I have to snap them up when they are in stock.

So, no, there is no cheap way to shoot 8mm Mauser anymore, but you can soften the blow, if you can find some bullets.

H&R BREAK TOP .38 S&W

Another blast from the past today.  This is a Harrington and Richardson break top in .38 Smith and Wesson.  Obviously it is in poor condition, but it is an interesting example of another inexpensive defensive weapon from the turn of the 20th century.  It is much like the Iver Johnson .32 that I posted a while back, but is far from identical.  First off, it is larger and in .38 rather than .32.  If you find one of these break tops, it is likely in either .32 S&W or .38 S&W.  There are some .22 rimfires out there, but the 2 S&W cartridges seem to be the most popular for defensive size guns.  The .38 S&W is not at all the same as the .38 special we all know today.  The bullet diameter is larger and it is far less powerful.    

Another key difference is the way in which this revolver functions.  When the trigger is pulled the hand rotates the cylinder into battery.  Unlike most revolvers, the cylinder lock is part of the trigger. The cylinder basically freewheels until the trigger makes its way all the way back.  The firing pin is part of the hammer and protrudes so that it touches the primer at rest.  For this reason, I would never recommend carrying one of these around with the hammer on a live round. Drop test FAIL.  This example is missing the hand so it does not rotate the cylinder and is not in firing condition.

I rather like these old break tops.  They are a useful design and a real part of history.  I would love to see the design brought back with modern materials and cartridges. Many people say that the design is weak and it is surely weaker than a solid frame.  But, remember that the .45 Schofeild is the gun that started this whole break top thing and that packed a punch for sure.

Pretty rough shape

.38 special brass fits nicely.  No .38 S&W in my inventory.

SS KRESGEE MODEL 151 SHOTGUN

Yes Johnny, you could buy guns at K-Mart when I was a kid.

My first shotgun.  I bought this little gem at a gun show around 2000 for $60.  I did not own a shotgun at the time and the price was attractive so I decided what the heck.

These were sold in K-Marts back in the day.  SS Kresgee was the founder of K Mart, so it only makes sense.  Just as JC Higgins guns were sold through Sears and Western field were Monkey Wards.

These guns were made in Brazil  by Boito and marked with the Kresgee name, much like many Jc Higgins guns were re badged High Standards, Marlins, etc.  I have always been impressed by the quality of the metal and wood in these guns.  They are not high end by any means.  But they have good blue and the wood is decent.  The plastic parts are not that great and some of them on my gun have broken. What can I say?  It's a cheap gun that is 30 years old.

I like the way that the gun functions very much.  It opens very smoothly and easily.  I need only pull on the release and it falls open and ejects any empty shell well to the rear.  Lock up is still plenty tight and I have not had any issues with it digesting any ammo I put in there.  Trigger weight and take up are nice.  I love the way the gun is taken down as well.  There is no screw to remove from the forearm.  It is held tight by a spring mechanism.  To remove it, you need only grasp the front and pull down smartly.  The forearm pops off and the barrel can be removed by opening the action at that point.  I think it is a superior design to the screw retained arm on the NEF Pardners.

These guns were offered in 12 and 20 gauge, as well as .410 bore.  I have seen them all for sale and none of them command much money.  That is a reflection on the low cost of the guns initially, but also the fact that most people don't know anything about them.  I like the NEF guns, but I would choose the Kresgee over them.  It's just smoother.

My gun came with a fixed full choke.  It disintegrated clays, but was a bit hard to hit with at short ranges.  You had to be very accurate, while others on the range could nick the target with their improved cylinder and modified chokes and score points.  I removed about 1 inch of the barrel to open the choke to approximately modified.  It seems to hit more easily now.  I did not pattern the gun before, so I guess I really don't know if my work did much good. But hey, it's a $60 shotgun, I'm not getting too technical.

My only complaint, other than the broken plastic, is the hammer.  It is a low profile design that is somewhat hard to get a grip on if you are trying to lower it on a live shell.  Coupled with the very strong hammer spring, it makes for some interesting de-cocking.  My thumb slipped off the hammer once and the gun blew a hole in the ground in front of me.  I had it pointed in a safe direction, so no harm was done, but it was embarrassing and a bit scary.  The gun has a transfer bar, but that doesn't help if your thumb slips off the hammer.  I have debated cutting deeper groves into the hammer to prevent a reoccurrence.  I do not like accidental discharges.

SAVAGE STEVEN'S MODEL 62, 64f

Around the year 2000, my Nephew and I were looking for a low cost, semi auto "critter-getter".  We both had experience with the Ruger 10-22 and loved it, but they were too pricey for our budget.  So, we headed to Wally World to check out the selection of cheap rifles.  We ended up coming home with a Savage - Stevens Model 62 in .22lr and a Simmons 3x9x40 scope.  Newer guns are marked as Savage model 64f.  As far as I can tell the guns are the same.  http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/models/

There is nothing too special about these little rifles.  They have a slender steel receiver with standard models wearing a generic looking tapered barrel.  Sights are your standard crappy leaf sight with an adjustable ramp at the rear and a fairly nice steel bead front sight. Both are fitted into 3/8 inch dovetails that are cut into the barrel.  The rifle is fed by a detachable box magazine that is made of aluminium and holds 10 rounds in a staggered stack arrangement.  I do not like the magazine or its release.  They are around $30 each and there are no larger capacity models available.  Basically, the release is counter intuitive.  After 10 plus years of ownership, I have learned to get the mag out quickly, but it should be easier to use.

I do like the safety and its position right where you can reach up and click it off with your trigger finger.  Savage offers different models with different stocks and even a heavy barrel.  Mine has a plastic stock that allows the barrel to float, lending to accuracy.  The rifle is far more accurate than I am, so I can't complain there.


Our initial shooting impression back in 2000 was not too favorable.  We had several failures to feed and failures to eject.  We cursed the gun for a while until we learned that all cheap .22 rifles need a little work to function smoothly.  Once I cleaned up the feed ramp and the magazine lips, she fed fine.  Lesson learned.  It rarely fails today, so long as it's kept clean and fed a diet of decent ammo.  Powder fouling in the bolt will cause jams if it is allowed to build up.

We originally mounted the scope on a set of see-through rings so that we could use iron sights up close or go to the scope for distance.  This arrangement was very effective until the scope was cannibalized for the Mauser.  The rifle currently wears a $6 tasco scope from Wal-Mart.  Woo HOO!  I am in the process of finding a decent set of sights for it.  Truglo or fireights or perhaps a red dot?


I have found the gun to be very accurate, though the trigger is not the best in the world.  I have done some work on the sear to get the weight of pull down.  It's not terrible, but it is not as smooth as I would like.

My main complaint with this rifle is that it is a pain in the ass to clean.  You can hold the bolt open in the recess and just clean the bore, but to really clean it there is more involved.   An Allen wrench will get the stock separated from the action, but to really clean the action, you must remove the trigger group, mag well, and barrel.  It's not technically challenging, just a pain. The trigger group and mag well are secured with screws.  One is a large flat blade, the other two Phillips with scar washers underneath.  Once you have that accomplished, you will need a wrench to remove the large nut/screw that holds the barrel on via a clamp.  Yank the barrel out of the receiver, pull the charging handle out and the bolt drops out.  If it's really dirty, a 20 gauge bore brush and patches may be needed to scrub out the inside.  The bolt gets dirty very quickly, as .22 rifles tend to do.  I have become pretty good at this operation, but it seems like a lot to go through, just to clean a gun.  Especially a  .22.

The action broken down for cleaning

Despite having thousands upon thousands of rounds sent through the barrel, it runs as well today as it ever did.  Accuracy has not suffered either.  Reliability is great as long as it is kept fairly clean and decent ammo is used.  Federal copper plated hollow points and Remington thunderbolts work well for me.  CCI is great stuff too.  These days you shoot what you can find.

 

Would I buy it again?  At the right price, sure.  I would not pay over $125 for it.  And yes, I would still rather have the 10-22.  The great thing about the 10-22 is the fact that everyone makes everything for it and everyone has been there, done that when it comes to customization.  The Savage is a great, accurate little rimfire rifle, but it is not a 10-22, so you are on your own with modifications.

Vintage Winchester 1892 Mfg. 1901

This Winchester 1892 has an interesting history.  It belongs to my Brother, who bought it from his Father in law.  The story goes that the rifle was in the possession of an Aunt in Detroit.  It made it's way into the hands of the Father in law, who proceeded to "clean it up" using a scouring pad.  Ouch.  Needless to say, the gun was in less than ideal condition when my Brother bought it from him.

Normally it's taboo to redo an old Winchester like this.  Collectors typically want the gun untouched.  In this case though, the metal was too far gone and the wood basically had no varnish remaining.  While that might have wrecked the collector value, it did offer my Brother the chance to get a Winchester exactly how he wanted it.

We debated doing a cold blue job.  But, the rifle was purchased at a reasonable price and it would have been a shame to half ass a piece of history.

A local gun smith did a wonderful job on the metal.  The rear sight was replaced with an original type and the loading gate was replaced with a new part.

For the wood, he decided to go with Tru Oil.  Many many coats were applied to get the finish you see here.

This rifle does get shot on occasion. Though the 38-40 round is hard to come by and really expensive.  We may load for the cartridge at some point, which would make it more affordable to shoot.   The 38-40 is a bit of a misnomer.  It is not a 38 caliber, but a 40 caliber.  In fact, the 10mm and .40 S&W cartridges have made the 40 caliber bullet rather popular, so bullet selection is really good.  It takes small pistol primers and pistol powders.  So, other than the cartridge being obsolete, it should be economical to load.

There are blue jobs and then there are blue jobs.  The quality of workmanship is superb.

This example has an unusually long barrel.  I doubt it ever saw use on horseback.

Color case hardening was used throughout the gun.