Trapdoor Rifles

After (way too) many years of diddling around, actual physical work on the restoration of M1882 28"TRB 197404 has begun! Am starting with the low-hanging fruit, to make sure all the 'regular' parts fit correctly, before sculpting the bayonet housing. Having a bit of an issue with the lower band, because of using an 1873 model, since I'm using an 1873 barrel and didn't want the top edge diameters to look funky. Got the stock - a tip-buggered short '66 which had already been rounded over at the lock - from Al some time ago. That is what SA used for the 1882s. Just need to fit the receiver and trap buttplate. Pics will follow.

Some pics of the progress:

More. For those having trouble with pics, even close-ups like these can be had within the pixel/Kb limit. These were taken very quickly and do not do the gun justice. There is some distortion. Band shoulders are going to be what they are going to be; lower too large due to choice of barrel and band, upper too shallow - because that's all the wood there is.

Looking good Dick, nice to actually see your project!!

Thanks, Carl. It's coming along! Just finished fitting upper band. Lotta work yet to do. I'm going to finish everything else before I start playing with the bayonet housing, but, after getting bands in place, it looks like I have enough metal and wood in all the right spots. I just have to remove it VERY carefully!

Looking great, nice to see your work!

Trap butt-plate's on nice and snug, band springs are 99%. Tomorrow starts the action fitting and a bit of stock crack (due to a prior idiot forcing a TD action into the musket stock) repair. Once the action's safely in, barrel (already cut to 28-1/16") can be threaded home and that assembly installed to check final band fit. At that point, the "basic" gun will be complete and I can start the challenge of the bayonet latch.

It's gonna be tricky, without gauges or jigs. I have ONE rib, if I screw that up, I'm in trouble. There are the two triangular holes to make, which need to be pretty well aligned. I don't expect to achieve SA tolerances, but don't want grossly loose, ugly, holes either. Then there are the two dovetails (for spring, and lock slide) to hand-file, which must be accurately spaced. They can be a smidge further apart than prototype, but NOT closer together. Starting point is the center of the front locking recess. the latch lug needs to align with that when the bayonet is the correct distance from the muzzle. Rib will be screwed to the barrel, and must be centered and at correct distance from muzzle. Since it will be screwed on there will be a bit of "up" adjustment, by deepening barrel groove and countersinks, if needed. I plan to make very sure the rod is not tight in the stock so as to put any pressure on the fit through the latch. Fortunately, since it is concealed, the interior of the wood groove can be generous enough to achieve that result.

More progress - and it is at the point where I could not resist putting as much together as I could to get a sense of how it would look. Action goes in but does not yet slip in - there's a difference. Likewise band spring mortises need a tad more depth, etc. Barrel is one thread out, etc., so there is still some tweaking to do for phase one. Next will be cutting the barrel (I changed barrels) mounting the rib, and cutting the triangular holes with the attendant slight enlargement/alignment of the groove in the stock - it's a little off at present - top flat must face barrel, exactly 'square'. At that point, I think I'll take a break to practice my dovetails - first one came out OK, but a bit loose.

For years I've promised to show my photo jig, but couldn't. I think it is probably self explanatory. A rifle can be instantly turned/twisted, even inverted so as to hold it still and secure for closeups. Naturally, I would not leave a rifle cantilevered indefinitely, but for a few minutes of photography it's not an issue.

For overall shots I suspend the arm about two feet in front of an independently lit white board, using 20# monofilament. I use overhead floodlights and place a long, narrow closet door mirror between the legs of the jig to bounce light the underside. Normally it is laid across sawhorses - but this was a quickie.

Nice!!

I'm taking a little respite from this project and working on my long-delayed 26" barrel Krag BoOF rifle restoration - thinking it would be pretty straightforward compared to this, and something I could do in a couple of days. It has turned out to be a bit more complicated, but I will finish it before getting back into this, where I really need to think about what I'm doing and in what order.