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+--- Thread: Pandemic Woes (/thread-2981.html)
Pandemic Woes - Shutinlead - 05-01-2020
My title isn't really congruent with my true feelings but it makes for a good header...
With the pandemic there has been a considerable downturn in my work and revenue but I've been looking for an excuse to slow down a bit. There's a new shop I've been building for the past 6 years and the red iron is almost up now. The tin is ordered and on it's way and things are looking up, except until the tin is on we're at the mercy of the grand mother and her spring flings.
Over the winter (my gun building season) I've tackled a few projects, a '74 Sharps casting that's almost completed, a Freund Sharps, designed and built a striker Ballard in a 22 rf that I used in winter leagues, most of a Farrow, a sporting Roller to name a few, but that will take another post or at least more time at the key board to get those details out.
The pandemic project has been another Ballard and it's sights. I'm using another one of Rodney's castings for this build. For those that don't know much about a Ballard, I've developed a few sayings about them. First having a Ballard adds ten years to your life.
Next, anyone that has ever tried to make a living building Ballards - has went broke... and for what I have discovered in my builds, no two Ballards come out the same - so it's by serious accident that the parts will interchange. I'm making a change to latter- for me anyway. I like my striker design so with the build pictured I'm fitting it to the frame but I'm also fitting a double set trigger breech block that I made at the same time and then I have a third breech block in a striker configuration for rimfire with the intent of being able to stuff a liner similar to a Crossno configuration down the bore. The primary caliber for this Ballard is 40-70SS. GM blank, chambering reamer by Manson, and using Hornady 405 Win for the parent case. The wood I picked up from a guy from Romania and it has some unique features but a couple of bug holes to contend with. I'll attempt more postings as the pandemic continues
Greg
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RE: Pandemic Woes - Don McDowell - 05-01-2020
I sometimes wish I had metal working equipment to fiddle with assembling rifles, but I think if I did have the equipment probably about all I'ld end up with is a whole bunch of scrap iron and metal shavings. LOL
RE: Pandemic Woes - Shutinlead - 05-01-2020
(05-01-2020, 02:00 PM)Don McDowell Wrote: I sometimes wish I had metal working equipment to fiddle with assembling rifles, but I think if I did have the equipment probably about all I'ld end up with is a whole bunch of scrap iron and metal shavings. LOL
Don,
I've been doing it for a long time and I still make a lot of scrap
the thing is if you can learn from the first piece of scrap most of the time the second one turns out. Then I get cocky on the third one and it becomes scrap - but it's good looking scrap...