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Matthews, Steven
1USA
Mar 20, 2009
3120
Shotgun News
0049-0415
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If you have been a regular reader of SGN for the last three years or so, you have probably read some
of my gun build articles. If you've built some of them, you have learned a lot about firearms
fabrication. You may have thought about going a little deeper into firearms building by actually
building a gun from homemade parts rather than using a collection of manufactured components.
With that in mind, I recently wrote an article series on building a 9mm semi-auto carbine known as the
SGN-9 (4/20/08, 5/20/08, 6/20/08, 7/20/08). The SGN-9 was blow-back-operated semi-auto 9mm
Luger chambered rifle that featured tubular construction and many self-made parts along with some
purchased parts, The skills and tools needed to build it went far beyond what was needed to do a
simple kit building project. I thought of it as a good beginning project for those who wanted to
advance to actually making their own guns rather than just assembling parts made by others.
The SGN-9 project required the use of a lathe, milling machine, welder and a multitude of hand tools.
It also required extensive hand fitting of parts. While it didn't seem all that hard for me, since I have
been doing hobby gunsmithing for more than 25 years, it may have been intimidating to first=time
builders.
So I decided I should try an slightly easier project.
Design Parameters
I decided to retain the basic look of the SGN-9, since its tubular construction made it easy to build. I
would just scale down the size. I also felt this would make it appealing as a "baby brother" to the
SGN-9.
I decided to scale the project down to .22 Long Rifle. By utilizing the low pressure .22 Long Rifle
round, it would make building easier and more be forgiving on issues of strength. I wanted the action
to be easy to build and at first thought a bolt-action would be the way to go. The more I thought about
designing a locked breech and rotating bolt action, the more I realized that a straight blowback action
would be easier to make.
Magazine feed, however, would make it harder to make, and the original idea was to make it as easy
to build as possible.
That's when I got the idea to make it a straight blowback type like an autoloader, but to leave off the
magazine to ease the build process.
The added benefit would be self-ejection of the fired case. The unlocked breeching system would be
very forgiving and the home builder wouldn't have to worry about the action giving way when the bolt
was locked in place and fired if they didn't build it just right.
This is not an original idea. If you read Tom Gaylord's article on the Wham-O guns (9/20/08 issue),
they, along with the H&R Sahara, were self-ejecting single-shots.
For the tire control system I decided to use the AR-15 tire control group since it had worked well on
the SGN-9 project. I would just scale it down to fit in the smaller trigger housing of the new project.
Using a manufactured tire control group would ease the build for those not ready to make hammers
and triggers from scratch.
This project would require a specialized bolt I'd design myself. This, along with the receiver and
trigger housing, would be the main self-made components of the project. The self-made bolt could be
made from about $10 worth of materials and would be as easy to build as I could make it.
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I wanted a readily available barrel that was inexpensive and I found one that fit the bill perfectly. The
SGN-9 project cost about $175-$250 to make and I wanted this project to be less expensive. What I
came up with could be built from $75 to $175 depending on how frugal the builder was in obtaining
the necessary materials.
If the builder had a few of the parts lying around, as many hobbyists do (we all have that drawer full of
gun parts!) and really scrimped on finishing, the cost could be very low. If, however, you had to buy
everything, the cost would be at the high end of the price range. I had some of the parts so this
project cost me about $125.
Once I had the basic design and parts selection figured out, I had to figure the easiest way to build
the project. I have a well-equipped hobby machine shop, so I can make just about anything, but I
wanted this project to be able to be made with the minimum of specialized tools.
The methods and tools are what I consider the bare minimum. Many operations and procedures are
highly improvised gunsmithing. If you have better tooling and methods, by all means use them. The
more tools you have, the easier the project will be.
Some may look at features of this project and say there is a better way to do it and they may be right,
but I designed this project for those minimum of tools and skill. As far as equipment goes, the
minimum needed is a small drill press, are welder (MIG type preferred), basic home workshop hand
tools, a small powered hand grinder like an air grinder or Dremel tool, a good set of dial calipers, and
a small hobby lathe.
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Small table-top metalworking lathes adequate for this project are available from suppliers like Grizzly
Tools or Harbor Freight for as little as $350, so this project may be the incentive to buy this versatile
machine tool. For those who don't have a lathe and don't want to buy one, there is an option.
A couple of the lathe operations can be hired out and the remainder can be done on the "poor man's
lathe." You can shape many small items with nothing more than a drill press to spin the parts and
some files to shape them. This improvised turning method is a lot of work, but you can get quality
results if you have the skill and are patient.
I have made many small round parts over the years before I had a lathe with nothing more than files
and a drill press to spin them. Since this project would look like a scaled down version of the SGN-9, I
decided to name it the SGN-22.
Parts Acquisition
The first part needed for this project is a barrel. There is one common and readily available barrel that
is perfect for this project. The large numbers of hobbyists customizing the Ruger 10/22 with special
barrels mean there are many take off/used surplus barrels for sale. At the last gun show I attended
before I started this project, there were a half-dozen used barrels to choose from. Prices ranged from
$10 to $35.
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I found one with a poor exterior finish that was excellent inside for $10. Since I was going to be doing
a finish job on this project, the $10 barrel was perfect. The Ruger 10/22 barrel is 18.5 inches long and
features a 3/4" smooth shank sized at. 685-.687" diameter.
This shank will fit in a 1-inch diameter by .156" wall piece of 4130 chrome-moly seamless tubing quite
well. I decided to use this size for the receiver just for that reason. This type of high strength tubing is
available from many steel suppliers and also from aircraft suppliers such as Wicks Aircraft.
You will need a couple feet of this tubing for this project, but you really should buy extra in case you
make mistakes and have to make a part over. It is priced at about $6.50 per foot. For a barrel shroud,
I was going to use the same outside diameter, but didn't want it to be that heavy.
The widest part of the 10/22 barrel is .930-.935" diameter and I found that 1-inch by .035" wall
chrome-moly tubing would be just about right for the purpose. It would slide right over the barrel at the
breech end. About one foot would be right for the project, but luckily I took my own advice and
ordered extra. I made a couple mistakes and needed the extra material. This size tubing runs about
$3 per foot.
For bolt fabrication, I bought a couple feet of 3/4" 4130 chrome-moly rod, also available where you
find the tubing. I especially recommend buying extra bolt raw material since the bolt is very easy to
screw up and it may take more than one attempt to get it right. You only need a foot for the project but
you never know! This rod is about $3 per foot.
A faux flash suppressor will be made from a 2 1/2-inch piece of 7/8"x .120" wall chrome-moly tubing,
but any type of steel would be fine if you can find this size. The trigger housing for the SGN-22 will be
made from a 6-inch piece of 3/4 x 1 1/2 x 3/32 (approximate thickness) wall rectangular mild steel
tubing that should be available from local structural steel suppliers. A foot or two of this material
Disclaimer
Before we get into the actual building of this project, it's time for the customary legal disclaimer since I
am just a hobbyist gunsmith and am simply documenting my own amateur efforts. This article is not a
step-by-step build tutorial. It will only cover the high points of the build process. I will give some
general dimensions and procedures, but the builder will have to supplement the project with his own
gunsmithing skills and knowledge.
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As in any self-built project there will be builder-induced variations or mistakes that will have to be
compensated for. If one part is made slightly out of spec. another part may have to be heavily
modified to make the project work correctly. This is part of the "art" of gunsmithing. Hand-made parts
by their very nature generally need to be hand-fitted for proper function.
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This should not discourage potential builders, it's all part of learning gunsmithing. One learns very
little by just reading an instruction sheet that says place part B into slot C followed by part A. That is
simply "assembling," not building a gun.
When you make, fit and modify your own parts you become intimately familiar with your project and
are learning gunsmithing skills far beyond a simple assembly job. This learning process has inherent
dangers associated with it since firearms are sometimes dangerous items.
You must accept and understand the hazards involved in building and using firearms. If you do not
understand what you are doing you will be putting yourself at risk and you should not do this project.
Neither SGN/Intermedia or the author assume any responsibility for the construction, use, legality or
safety of your self-made project. It's your project and you, the builder, assume full responsibility for
your own project.
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Once the barrel is in the correct position, the barrel needs to be locked in place. I pinned my barrel in
place by drilling a 5/16" hole through the receiver wall and about .100" into the barrel shank. Be sure
you don't drill too deep and drill into the chamber.
I tapped in a tight-fitting pin and then cut it flush with the receiver and welded over it to permanently
lock it in place. I then ground it flush to the receiver tube.
I also used the barrel shroud installation the further to lock the barrel in place. I made a ventilated
barrel shroud out of a 7-inch piece of 1-inch by .035" wall tubing. The hole size and spacing can be to
your preference. My tubing was a little undersized, so I had to reduce the barrel diameter slightly to
get the shroud to slide over the barrel.
At the rear of the shroud, I drilled two 5/16" holes on opposite sides so I could plug weld the shroud to
the barrel. The shroud was slid over the barrel till it was about 1/8" from the front of the receiver. This
thin groove will be a weld groove. Before doing any welding, be sure your shroud is oriented correctly
so the holes look good.
Also be sure the barrel is centered in the shroud. You don't want your holes to be running off at odd
angles or have uneven gaps between the barrel and shroud. Plug weld the two holes to secure the
shroud to the barrel. Use only enough weld heat to lightly penetrate the barrel and allow it to cool
before you do the other hole to keep heat down.
Now weld the shroud to the front of the receiver tube. Weld in the groove and use enough weld heat
only lightly to penetrate the barrel surface. Only weld about a half-inch at a time and allow for cooling
before doing more welding. After welding, grind down all the welds smooth with the receiver and
shroud.
The shroud is now attached to the barrel and to the receiver, so this is further locking the barrel to the
receiver tube. This, along with the pressed-in pin, is more than adequate for a rimfire.
Next month (4120 issue): Building the bolt.
COPYRIGHT 2009 InterMedia Outdoors, Inc.
Copyright 2009 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
Matthews, Steven
1USA
Apr 20, 2009
3970
Shotgun News
0049-0415
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In Part 1, (3/20 issue). Matthews acquired the parts, fabricated the receiver and installed the barrel.
Now he moves on to the bolt.
False Flash Suppressor Fabrication and Installation To make this project look more interesting, I
decided to make a fake flash suppressor. Obviously a .22 Long Rifle doesn't need one, but it just
makes the gun look better. Since it is non-functional, I just took a 2 1/2-inch piece of 7/8" x 1/8" wall
tubing and cut four slots and some grooves in to replicate the looks of a flash suppressor.
To install it, I removed the front sight and filed the sight base down so it was smooth with the rest of
the ring on the barrel. It fit a little loose, so l stippled the barrel to tighten up the fit.
I then soldered the flash suppressor to the barrel with Brownells High Force 44 silver solder. High
Force 44 is 96% tin and 4% silver and is much stronger than common lead/tin solders. When
soldering it in place, l first tinned both parts and then slipped them together while the solder was still
melted and then oriented the slots for proper looks.
Be sure to use good soldering techniques for a strong joint. The parts need to be clean and slightly
roughened with sandpaper or files to expose bare steel; you can't solder on scale or any surface
finishes. Also use the proper flux for good results. Be sure to remove any flux when done because
many solder fluxes are corrosive and will cause rust if left on bare steel.
Bolt Fabrication
Now comes what many will consider the most difficult part of the project, making the bolt. Since l used
a modified AR-15 fire control group, the SGN-22 bolt looks much like a scaled down AR-15 bolt
carrier. This bolt will be made from a 4.8-inch piece of 3/4" 4130 rod.
While 4.8 inches is the finished size, make the piece about a half-inch longer to ease the building
process and trim to length at the end of the build process. Making the bolt requires it be turned to the
correct diameter, slotted for the hammer, a bolt face formed, a handle fitted, holes for the firing pin
and spring type ejector formed and an extractor made and fitted.
This sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn't that bad if you take it slow and pay attention to what
you are doing. The most important thing will be accurately setting up your work before doing any
machining operations.
A small drill press and small lathe are required to make the bolt. You may be able to get by without
the lathe if you hire out some of the lathe work and hand-make the small pins and parts. The first
thing that needs to be done is to turn the bolt material to the correct size to fit the receiver. My
receiver was .687", so l turned my bolt to .682" to have .005" running clearance.
If your tube size is different, then adjust your dimensions to maintain .005" to .007" running clearance.
Be sure to face the ends squarely. You now need to make a recess in the bolt face to support the
base of a .22 cal. cartridge. This recess will be .275" to .278" in diameter and .045" deep.
There are two ways to make this recess. The easiest is to form it on a lathe. If you don't have a lathe,
there is a way you can do it oil a drill press. Just to be sure it worked, I did it the drill press way and it
worked fine, although it was not as accurate as the lathe method.
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The drill press method was why I recommended starting with an overlong piece, since it is somewhat
imprecise in getting the right recess depth. Start by center-punching a drill location in the very center
of the bolt face. Set your bolt up in a drill press vise and align it precisely square with the table and
quill travel.
Make sure it is tightly clamped in the vise so it doesn't move during drilling. At the drilling point, use a
series of drills to drill the face to 17/64" (.265"). Start with a small drill and then jump up a few sizes at
a time to keep the hole centered. Large bits tend to wander if started in a small center-punched hole.
Drill about 5/16" to 3/8" deep at the point.
Now you need to make this hole flat on the bottom. To do this you use a flat point 17/64" drill which
you will make. You make this bit by grinding the point flat and then grinding a slight relief on the flutes
of the drill so it will cut on the end. This drill bit will look like a two-flute mill with very large flutes.
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The sides of the existing hole will support and guide the flat point drill. Without the sides to guide the
flat drill, it would run all over the place. Drill the hole so that all angled edges are gone and the bottom
of the hole is flat and square. At this point you are probably wondering why I said to use a 17/64"
(.265") drill to make a .275"-.278" hole. It is because this method is rather imprecise.
The flat bit, even though it is guided by the edges of the existing hole, may wander and cut a little
oversize. When I did this job to verify that it worked, my bit cut about .010" oversize. If you started at
full size (.275") and it runs oversize, then your finished hole would be about .285" and too large.
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If you get lucky and your hole is still under the desired size, you can grind a slightly larger flat point
drill to get up to the correct size. Drills known as letter sizes are available in many small increments
between common fractional sizes. "I" and "J" drills are just a little larger than a 17/64 drill.
Get yourself a drill chart if you want to know all the decimal sizes of fractional, number and letter
drills. Once you have the proper size hole in the bolt face, work the front down until you have a .045"
deep recess. Be sure to keep the face square. Lightly chamfer the edges of the hole and the bolt.
The lathe method is way easier, but this method does work for those without a lathe. Once you have
the recess in the bolt face to the correct depth, you can go ahead and trim the bolt to the finished
length of 4.8 inches. This length is not critical and you can go slightly longer if you wish; just don't go
any shorter.
Cut a slot in the bolt for hammer access to the firing pin. It will be about 3/8" wide by 2 1/4 inches
long, starting at a point 1.970 inches from the front of the bolt face. This slot can be easily cut with a
milling machine, but can also be cut with a drill press and hand tools.
This hand method can be done by drawing the outline of the slot on the bolt body and then drilling a
series of holes through the bolt body to remove as much material as possible with the drill press. The
remainder can then be removed with files or grinders. A Dremel tool with thin cutoff wheels works well
for this job.
The rear of the slot can be left rounded, but the front needs to be square and flat. Once you have
your bolt to length, the rear needs to be drilled out to 3/8" to allow access for drilling some holes later.
Drill out the rear till the hole meets the 3/8" slot.
The holes for the firing pin and plunger-type ejector can now be drilled into the bolt face. In these
operations it is vital that your workpiece is set up perfectly square to the drill quill travel. If it's not, you
may drilling in the right location, but as the bit drills 2" deep into the bolt, it will stray off line and your
parts will be ruined.
Both these holes will be drilled from the front at one size and then counterbored from the rear to
another size. The first hole that will be drilled is the firing pin hole. This hole will be at the top or 12
o'clock position in the recess and hammer slot in the bolt. Be sure you orient this hole correctly in
reference to the hammer slot.
You want this hole to exit centered in the slot. The hole will be located right at the edge of the recess
so that the firing pin will contact the rim of the .22 cartridge.
This hole will be sized at 5/64" (.078"). Drill this hole all the way through the bolt until it exits in the
slot. Drill the hole with a very light feed, as small bits will deflect and run off course if pushed too hard.
If your hole is a little off-center in the slot, the bolt can still be used, but if it's off much more than
about .015", you will have to make a new bolt, because there isn't much room to spare in the small
.22 cal. bolt face. The holes for the firing pin and ejector are very close together, and you have to be
sure they don't run into each other.
Next you will need to drill for the plunger-type ejector. This hole will be located at about the 4:30
location (as viewed from the front) in the bolt face recess. This hole will also be drilled right at the
edge of the recess. It will be sized at .100" (#39 drill). Just like the firing pin hole, it will be drilled all
the way through the bolt and must exit in the hammer slot in the same location as where it started.
Be sure your setup hasn't moved and you are still square with the quill travel. Correctly locating this
hole is very important. Drill with a very light feed and use plenty of lubricant when drilling to keep the
holes smooth inside.
Once these holes are drilled, the bolt must be turned over so we can enlarge the back side of the
holes. Be sure to set it up squarely before doing any drilling, or the counterbore my run off course.
Both holes will be drilled .125" (1/8"), but to different depths. You will need to use a very long bit for
this operation. The firing pin hole needs to be drilled to a depth of 1.86". This will leave 1/16" of the
.078" hole remaining for the firing pin point to extend through.
Drill a little and check depth often to prevent drilling all the way through and ruining your part. The
ejector hole needs to be drilled to a depth of 1.6 inches, which will leave about 3/8" of the. 100" hole.
Once you have your holes to depth, polish the hole interiors for smooth operation (use lapping
compound, sandpaper, small fine-cut file, etc).
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To retain the firing pin and set its travel, you will file a flat on the side of the pin. The width of this flat
will determine how far the pin can extend and retract. A flat point 8-32 Allen screw through the bolt
body and into this flat will be used to retain the pin. It will be threaded in just far enough to clear the
flat on the pin and be retained by the edges.
File the flat so that the pin will extend fully and retract back into the bolt face about 1/32". The Allen
set screw will be staked in place to keep it from loosening during use. Do not stake it in until the
project is complete. Once all your parts are made, the bolt can be assembled and checked for smooth
operation.
The ejector is installed in its hole, followed by the spring and plug. The firing pin is installed in its hole
and the set screw will be tightened until it's just above the flat. Once installed, the head of the firing
pin will retain the plug of the ejector assembly and the set screw will retain the firing pin. All parts
need to operate smoothly and the spring tension should return all parts to their correct positions after
being compressed.
Now mark the inside of this piece at a point that corresponds with the bottom of the recess in the bolt
and then add another .045". Thin the portion of the extractor behind this line about .035" thinner than
the front. This will form a hook that will be the front of the extractor.
A stub about 1/8" long can be left on the front to form the front edge of the extractor. Bevel this little
stub so that it will slide over the cartridge rim. This extractor will have to pivot, so you will have to drill
a hole at its center point to match a hole in the bolt body.
To drill this hole, you solidly clamp the extractor in its slot and drill through both the side of the bolt
and the extractor at once. You will need to grind a flat spot on the side of the bolt for a starting point
for the drill or it will walk off the side. The hole needs to be centered lengthwise and crosswise so that
the hole will be centered on the extractor and not off to one side.
I drilled this hole with a #52 (.0635") drill so my pivot pin could be made from a shank of a 1/16"
(.062") drill bit. Once the pin is installed, the extractor will not be able to pivot, since it is tight against
the bolt body. You want to file its rear portion, behind the pivot point, to allow for adequate movement.
Once you have the rear beveled and it moves far enough for the front to slide over the rim of a
cartridge, you need to drill a shallow spring pocket for an extractor spring.
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Be sure you do not drill too deep into the firing pin passage. 1 used a short piece of. 115" x .018" wire
spring for this part. Cut it to a length that gives enough tension to solidly grip a .22 rim. Since you now
have the extractor roughly formed, you can heat-treat it by heating red hot and quenching in oil. This
is a very imprecise method, but is adequate for this project.
After quenching, clean off any scale and then place it in a 550[degrees] oven for one hour to temper
the steel. After heat-treating, any additional shaping will helve to be done with small grinding wheels.
Final shaping will be done after the bolt is aligned in the receiver by the bolt handle.
with the relief slot in the barrel and smash into the barrel and probably break.
Remove the bolt and drill the hole, making sure that it is drilled squarely so that when it extends out
the other side it is centered. After you have this hole drilled, you can use the shank of a 7/32" drill as
a temporary handle and install the bolt and check for proper alignment. You will be setting bolt stroke
length later.
Matthews, Steven
1USA
May 20, 2009
2813
Shotgun News
0049-0415
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
In Part 2, (4/20 issue), Matthews made the bolt and fitted it to the receiver tube. This time, he puts
together the fire control assembly.
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Before installing the hammer, the hammer spring must be modified. To reduce the width, unwind one
coil on each side of the spring and then cut the excess off to the original length. The hammer will
need to be shortened to fit the SGN-22 receiver, but this will be done later.
Install the hammer and its spring. The legs of the hammer spring will rest on the edges of the trigger.
After the parts are installed, check to see that they function correctly. The hammer should cock and
be held by the trigger. The disconnector should catch the hammer when it recocks if the trigger is
kept pulled. When you release the trigger, the disconnector should let the hammer go and it should
then be caught by the trigger.
Check the safety to see if it works right. Note that on the AR-15 trigger design, depending on the
tolerances and fit of your parts, you may not be able to apply the safety if the hammer is not cocked.
This is normal. Depending on how you fit your parts, some hand fitting or tuning may be required to
get things working right.
Once you have this part done, you can fit an AR-15 grip to the housing. You need to fabricate a 3/8"
wide steel block with an angled bottom to fit in the grip and then weld the block to the housing. The
angle on the bottom of the block is 30[degrees] or 60[degrees], depending on which direction you
measure.
A 1/4 x 20 hole needs to be tapped in the bottom to attach the grip. After. the grip is attached; you will
need to fill in the open back of the trigger housing. I welded in a piece of 1/4" pipe to fill in the gap and
then contoured it smooth with the housing. It was trimmed to length and contoured to fit evenly
against the 1-inch receiver.
To make this project look more interesting, 1 made a false magazine out, of a block of aluminum and
attached it to the front of the housing with screws. The shape and material can be whatever you like,
since it is just for looks. Just be sure that any attaching screws don't interfere with the lug that will
later be installed at the front of the housing. You can also fabricate a trigger guard and attach it
between the magazine and grip. I formed mine out of l/4x 1/8" flat stock and welded in place.
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The location of this opening is important because if it's wrong, the hammer won't be able to access
the slot in the bolt without rubbing on the edges. The opening must also be positioned so that when
the trigger housing is mounted, it is straight on the receiver and not running off at some odd angle.
To secure the trigger housing to the receiver, fabricate a square lug and weld it to the receiver. The
width of this lug should be sized for a snug fit in the housing and the top should be contoured to fit the
round receiver. Initially, make it overlong So it can trimmed for a good fit. This lug cannot be welded
in place until you determine the correct position for the trigger housing.
An easy-to-make fitting fixture will aid in hand-fitting the housing and trimming the hammer. Just take
a piece of receiver tube material and cut two openings sized like the opening that was cut in the
bottom of the receiver. Cut one on the bottom and the other on the top. With the openings, you will be
able to see inside the tube and determine proper fit.
The first thing is to shorten the AR-15 hammer so it is short enough not to hit the inside of the
receiver tube when it moves. You want to shorten it just enough that when it is in the 90[degrees]
position (straight up), it just clears the receiver tube. Once you have it shortened, round the top over
so that it the bolt can slide over it easily.
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By using this test fixture, you will be able to see how the hammer is cocked by the reciprocating bolt.
The hammer and trigger housing has to be sized So that the hammer cocks when pushed back by
the bolt. It must also allow the hammer to go past the front edge of the hammer slot in the bolt without
binding because the front part of the bolt will be over the hammer when the bolt is at its rearmost
position.
It also has to push the hammer far enough to be caught by the disconnector when the trigger is still
being pulled. To obtain the right fit, you may have to shorten the height of the housing of hammer.
Considerable hand-fitting will be required to get everything just right. Once you get the trigger housing
sized right for proper functioning on the test fixture, the housing can be transferred to the actual
receiver.
When the housing is being located, the bolt needs to be completely assembled and installed all the
way forward in the receiver. To determine the correct front-to-back positioning of the housing on the
receiver, the hammer must be in the straight up (90[degrees]) position, just as it would be when the
hammer strikes the firing pin.
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Lock the hammer in this position any way you want. I clamped the side of housing with a C-clamp to
make the hammer tight. With the hammer locked in position, you want the housing to be located so
that the straight hammer just contacts the firing pin head. Mark this location on the receiver tube. The
square lug can now be fitted and welded in place on the tube.
On my project the lug went just below the barrel shank. Install the lug to maintain the proper housing
location. Weld it to the receiver with as little weld heat as possible to prevent warping but still make a
good weld.
After welding in place, smooth up the welds and trim the height of the lug to allow the housing to slide
over it. The housing will be attached to this lug with 10-32 button head screws, but do not install them
until all fitting is done.
With the trigger housing secured in place with C-clamps, check for proper functioning. The bolt should
cock the hammer without binding as it is pulled rearward, it needs to be pushed back far enough to
catch both the trigger and disconnector and not bind.
The part in front of the bolt slot also has to be able to pass over the hammer about 1/2" without
binding. If things don't work right, correct them now before going any further. If you get everything
fitted right, you can then drill and tap the 10-32 holes in the lug to attach the housing. Be sure to
locate the mounting holes so the housing stays tight against the receiver.
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A small lug will need to be made and attached to the rear of the trigger housing. Contour the top to
the shape of the receiver tube. Drill a hole through the lug and thread a 10-32 button head screw into
the receiver tube to secure the rear of the housing. The screw will have to be sized so that it doesn't
extend past the inner wall of the receiver. A piece of the stock assembly will also attach here, so you
may want to wait until that part is made before you cut a screw to length.
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Grind it to match the buttplate before you install the buttplate to the receiver. The recoil pad will need
to be removable since the bolt passes through the rear of the receiver tube. Before you weld the
buttplate to the tube, the latter will need to be trimmed to the length you prefer. I went with a length of
pull (distance from the trigger to the rear of the recoil pad) of 13 1/2 inches.
Be sure your buttplate is oriented correctly before welding in place. You don't want the buttplate to
look crooked compared to the rest of the gun. I welded my plate on from the rear so I wouldn't have
weld showing. To create the skeletonized buttstock, I installed a 1/2 x 3/16 piece of flat steel stock
between the buttplate and the rear of the trigger housing. It was welded on at the buttplate and
attached at the front with the screw through the lug on the rear of the housing.
Next month (6/20 issue): finishing the SGN-22
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
COPYRIGHT 2009 InterMedia Outdoors, Inc.
Copyright 2009 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
Matthews, Steven
1USA
Jun 20, 2009
2708
Shotgun News
0049-0415
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
In Part 3, (5/20 issue), Matthews fabricated the fire control assembly. Now he puts on the finishing
touches.
SIGHTS
Sights for the SGN-22 can be open sights, scopes or one of the modern dot types. To keep costs
down, I decided to use one of the inexpensive compact scopes with extension rings to raise the
scope to a comfortable height. By using the Weaver scope base specification sheet available on the
Brownells website, I found that a #81 one-piece base was the closest I could get for a 1-inch receiver.
This base is actually sized for a .946" receiver, but was close enough for this project. This base has a
taper; one end is about .020" higher than the other. This causes the scope to point slightly higher or
lower than if it was completely flat. It needs to be installed in the right direction to get the scope as
close to point of impact as possible before adjusting the scope.
Since I was using a very short scope, I only needed about 2/3 of the base, so I cut it to length. The
rings and scope were then mounted on the base and lightly tightened. I secured the rifle in a vise for
a solid hold and bore-sighted the gun at a distant (about 100 yards away) object.
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I placed the scope assembly on the receiver about where it was going to be mounted and I looked
through the scope to see how far from the bore-sight view the scope was pointed. I then reversed the
base and checked again. I chose the direction that resulted in the closest match.
I found that welding the lug to the receiver tube may have warped the receiver tube a bit and actually
caused the barrel to point slightly down. This angled/tapered base can help compensate for this
misalignment. The receiver wall of the SGN-22 is Sufficiently thick to allow #6-48 scope-mounting
screws. You may have to add a screw hole in the base if you cut down the base like I did. Decide
where you want your base and locate the holes for the screws.
Drill to the correct size (#31) for a #6-48 screws. #6-48 screws are pretty much the industry standard
for scope mounting. If you don't have a #6-48 tap, they are available from Brownells. In fact Brownells
offers a very useful tapping set (Brownells Tap and Drill Set #2) that is especially useful for the
hobbyist gunsmith. I bought mine years ago and have used it on dozens of jobs.
Trim the screws so they don't enter the interior of the receiver. I used the remaining piece of the #81
base to add a mounting point on the bottom of the barrel shroud for a Falcon Ergo-Grip brand vertical
fore grip that I found in my parts drawer. Since the shroud tube has thin walls, I riveted it in place with
four steel pop rivets rather than using screws.
When I made mine, it worked OK on some brands, but not others. It took a couple hours of fine tuning
to get it just right for all brands of .22 amino. When you get things right, you can check firing pin
operation. Load an empty case in the chamber and close the, bolt.
There is still priming compound in the cases so point the gun in a safe direction and pull the trigger.
The hammer should strike the firing pin with enough force to set off the primer and you should get a
little pop as it goes off.
If it doesn't, check for dragging parts or sluggish operation of fire control parts, if you did things right,
you should get a good firing pin strike on the cartridge rim and be able to move on to live-fire testing.
I rounded up several brands of ammo and headed off to my home range. I opened the action and
inserted a round in the chamber. I closed the bolt, and when I pulled the trigger it went "bang" just like
it was supposed to. The empty was ejected a couple feet out of the gun.
I had no live-fire failures of any kind. I attributed this to the fact that as I built each assembly I verified
that it worked correctly before going on to other parts of the project. When building guns, attention to
small details goes a long way towards a successful project.
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If you want to attempt heat treating the bolt, get a machinist book and study the procedure. One could
pay a tool and die shop to do this but it wouldn't be cheap and would drive up project cost.
FINAL FINISHING
After you get everything functioning correctly, you can apply the finish of your choice. Smooth up all
scratches, welds or any other undesirable features. It's your project, and you have the option of
making it look like some barnyard blacksmith cobbled it together or making it look like a skilled
craftsman built it.
A wide range of finishing options are available for the home gunsmith. On the low end of the cost
scale is common spray paint. It is cheap and can be made to look good but it won't be very durable.
There are some more expensive "spray paint" type finishes such as Brownells Aluma-Hyde II that can
be applied straight out of an aerosol can that are very good options to common spray paint.
If you did an especially good job you may go for bluing, but be warned this traditional finish will not
hide any surface defects. Parkerizing would be another option. Bluing and Parkerizing, however, are
not inexpensive unless you have the equipment to do the process yourself.
One popular option for home gunsmiths is Lauer Custom Weaponry's DuraCoat sprayed-on finish. It
is a relatively inexpensive product and is easily applied by those with a small air compressor and an
airbrush. I however chose to apply my favorite finish, Brownells GunKote. Brownells GunKote is a
sprayed-on polymer finish that is baked on at 300[degrees].
The finish is extremely durable and it can easily be applied with an airbrush or small automotive spray
gun. GunKote is available in many colors and even available in aerosol cans, but the aerosol version
has a reputation of not being as durable or as easy to use as the conventionally sprayed version
according to internet "experts."
I have always used the conventional liquid sprayed-on version and have never been disappointed in
its performance. GunKote can be textured from a rough finish like coarse Parkerizing or sprayed as
smooth as any paint depending on your application methods.
To apply Brownells GunKote, you abrasive blast, clean, spray and bake. When it comes out of the
oven and cools, it's ready to go; no wait for a full cure like some finishes. The SGN-22 featured in the
pictures was coated with the color of "brushed stainless steel" with "matte black" highlights.
When the project was complete, I was very impressed with the results. It looked very good and was a
perfect companion to the larger SGN-9. With today's high ammo prices .22s are a lot more
economical to shoot. Although .22 Long Rifle cartridges are the least expensive, this project will also
handle .22 CB, .22 BB, .22 Short, and .22 Long.
While the cost to make this project is comparable to buying a used .22, there is a certain amount of
pride in knowing you made you own unique gun. If this sounds like your kind of project why not give it
a try?
PROJECT SOURCES
Gunsmithing Supplies and Quality Gun Parts-BROWNELLS 200 S. Front St, Dept. SGN, Montezuma,
IA, 50171 1-800-741-0015 * www.brownells.com
Budget Priced Compact Rifle Scopes-CDNN Box 6514, Dept. SGN, Abilene, TX, 79608, 1-800-5889500 * www.cdnnsports.com
4130 Steel Tubing and Rod-WICKS AIRCRAFT SUPPLY 410 Pine St., Debt. SGN, Highland, IL,
62249, 1-800-221-9424 * www.wicksaircraft.com
COPYRIGHT 2009 InterMedia Outdoors, Inc.