Milsurp After Hours

I hesitated about where to put this post but the rifle is a 'Classic' in a way and it's British; so here goes.

It started its new life as the plaything of children and the bolt had been lost, rust was attacking the metal and the wood had creeping dry rot. Apart from that it was QK.

The barrel was full of muck as well, so that was my starting point; I cleaned it out and to my surprise it was packed with grease except for a few inches at the muzzle where it was mostly dirt and rust.

So I decided to make a carbine out of it. The barrel was a Lithgow heavy so there was no rere sight.
I took the barrel out so as to get it in my little lathe and that's when I discovered that it would screw out by hand, turned out that someone had filed the body and that the barrel also overturned. It should have butted on the inner shoulder as well but didn't.


Anyway here's how it looks, sitting in more august company.



to be contd.

As it was:




As it now is:

Eoin, you did good. Thanks for the story and photos.

Nice one Eoin

There's more to this than meets the eye.









The forend before painting, the replacements for the dry rot were scrap maple and body filler.



The new handguard was made from a piece of coachwood that had been the arm of a chair, hence the remains of a mortice.

More to come, I'm off to Brisbane to return the youngest son to Uni.

Looks like something that you can drag through hell and back and still light um up with it.

What distance is that fixed rear sight set for?

Nice project Eoin.
Did you do the trigger modifications yourself or did it come like that ?
Can't say I like the carpet in the "as it now is" photo, please go back to the old one .

Can't say I like the carpet in the "as it now is" photo, please go back to the old one .

I didn't like to mention that but I DO agree

Thank you gentlemen, the carpet that you prefer is in our bedroom and dragging smelly old guns in there is frowned upon
It was designed as a 'go any where' rifle and the sight is set for 200 yards which is the original point blank setting.

Here's some pics of it in 'original' condition,





The butt was the best part and I took it off and put one on that had been lovingly treated with diesolene or some such, hence its dark colour.

and a few more of the work done:





The sight is also the spacer to take up the barrel overturn, I cleaned up the front of the body and moved the shoulder forward on the reinforce of the barrel and fitted a shim on the inside shoulder.



The bits are off a DP P14, they were with a barrel that I got off an old friend, the barrel is perfect except that it has a hole drilled through the chamber, he re-barreled the rifle and used it for many years before passing it on to someone else.



Before and after of the handguard 'rear holding device'; I have the rear bit from a No 4 somewhere and will eventually use that.



All my own work and the markings on the rhs of the socket have been filed off and will be replaced with heavily stamped "Junkle Carbine. No1 Mk 99" or some such.

"Junkle Carbine. No1 Mk 99"

The perfect finishing touch Eoin.