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Old March 3, 2013, 03:52 PM   #1
Doc Hoy
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I love my trapdoor so much....

...I am going to build another one from junk.

Some time ago, I came up with a spare breachblock for a trapdoor at a real good price. So I figured, why not buy the rest of the parts and then I'll have two.

So I am starting with a barrel which I bought off of ebay for 55.00. The ad listing said the barrel was badly pitted but I think it cleaned up okay. This is a standard length barrel with the rod bayonet fitting.





So I started out with a hack saw

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Old March 3, 2013, 03:57 PM   #2
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Chucked the barrel

into the lathe to true up the muzzle and put a decent crown on it.



New length is 22 1/2 which is cavalry and officer's model length.

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Old March 3, 2013, 04:00 PM   #3
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Here is

The muzzle, before



and after



I have a receiver ordered for it.

Also have my eye on a stock.

I figure with another thousand bucks worth of parts and about a hundred manhours, I should have a rifle that is worth about 350.00 dollars.

Pretty good huh?
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Old March 3, 2013, 04:06 PM   #4
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Now all I need is...

....the stock, the firing pin and spring, the extractor and spring, The breachblock cam and hardware, the trigger assembly, the lock assembly, the butt plate and screws, a barrel band, front and rear sight and some assorted hardware and I am in business.

Yeah....About nuther thousand bucks.
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Old March 3, 2013, 04:11 PM   #5
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You're almost there, Doc! It's coming along great!
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Old March 3, 2013, 04:48 PM   #6
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When you get the rear sight make sure its marked with a C and not an R.
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Old March 3, 2013, 05:43 PM   #7
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Doc, that is looking really good. What a neat project.
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Old March 4, 2013, 07:06 AM   #8
Doc Hoy
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Hawg....

I am prolly going to make the front sight and so I will likely be able to use a rear sight just building the front sight to match it.

I think my main concern is getting the barrel band to clear the sight if the Buffington is a good bit longer than the original design sight. I have a line on a Buffington but they are a good bit larger.

I also am a bit concerned about the condition of the barrel. It cleaned up pretty well but not perfectly.

I am told that the trapdoor shoots well even when the bore is not in great shape. The bore on my other rifle is a bit better, but we shall see.

I can say this: On my other trapdoor, the worst portion of the bore is at the muzzle. That was true of this barrel too. I think this comes from long period is inaction and inattention with the rifle standing on its butt plate.

When I cut the last ten inches off the barrel, a lot of the problems went away.
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Last edited by Doc Hoy; March 4, 2013 at 07:30 AM.
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Old March 4, 2013, 07:52 AM   #9
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Looks promising. Is that a beer can shim to protect the barrel? It doesn't appear to protect the it fully.
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Old March 4, 2013, 11:09 AM   #10
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"I figure with another thousand bucks worth of parts and about a hundred manhours, I should have a rifle that is worth about 350.00 dollars."

One's pride of workmanship is priceless. It's your "baby" and you'll be a proud papa.

I found a lot of parts for my TDs at www.ssfirearms.com/

I love my TD carbine for Plainsman shoots. I had the rusted, pitted, bulged barrel relined and it shoots great.
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Old March 4, 2013, 02:43 PM   #11
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Two responses....

Gary,

It is a piece of a plastic coke bottle. It protects the barrel all the way around and it seemed to pad the barrel more than the aluminum can.

I chucked the barrel in very tightly with no mark whatever on the surface of the barrel.

Hellgate,

Loud and clear. In point of fact, this one probably will never be for sale. (Unless it is sold by my widow.)
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Old March 4, 2013, 03:38 PM   #12
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Quote:
I figure with another thousand bucks worth of parts and about a hundred manhours, I should have a rifle that is worth about 350.00 dollars.
LOL!

Steve
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Old March 4, 2013, 05:01 PM   #13
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Wow, very nice. I will be following this thread. I wish I had some of the skills demonstrated on this here meeting place.
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Old March 4, 2013, 05:02 PM   #14
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Hidden costs

A thousand bucks, maybe, but Doc, look at all the money you save on de-farb!
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Old March 4, 2013, 05:52 PM   #15
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Spend....

over a $1000 to made $350?? What are you? The Federal Government?

Envy your ability and machining talents to produce something useful out of a handful of parts. Look forward to seeing the finished product, and of course, and early range report.
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Old March 4, 2013, 07:19 PM   #16
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LeadZinger

I was in the Navy for 26 years and I can tell you if the federal government thought they could get 350.00 in value from a thousand dollar investment, they would be doing cartwheels.
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Old March 4, 2013, 08:30 PM   #17
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Doc, the C & R sights are incremented differently. The C is set up for a carbine length barrel and the R a rifle length barrel.
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Old March 5, 2013, 05:58 AM   #18
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Hmmmm Hawg

I should have known it was not as simple as I originally thought.
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Old March 5, 2013, 04:43 PM   #19
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Mark off the Cam, plate and thumblock

25.00 delivered from eBay.

975.00 left.
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Old March 5, 2013, 06:31 PM   #20
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cool project! Can't wait to see the results!
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Old March 5, 2013, 07:48 PM   #21
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I like the project. If you decide to have it cased hardened or blued Classic Guns in Crete, Il. They do a great job.

http://www.classicgunsinc.com/apps/p...lbumid=8759608

WK
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Old March 5, 2013, 08:23 PM   #22
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Thanks, Willy

That is the second good link in this thread.
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Old March 6, 2013, 11:32 AM   #23
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Hey Doc . . . sometimes you just can't put a price on pleasure . . . it's lookin' goooood! Will be anxious to see your progress!
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Old March 10, 2013, 08:30 AM   #24
Doc Hoy
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Parts

Got my thumblatch and cam. Needs a bit of fitting to get it to go into the breach block.

I expect the receiver tomorrow.

Watching a bunch of other parts on the evil bay and on gunbroker.

My father is checking his shop, thinking he has a hunk of cherry that will work for the stock.

Cherry is close grained and should have enough strength for the stock. But it is hard. I hope I am up to this.
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Old March 10, 2013, 08:38 AM   #25
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Willie...

Been thinking about your recommendation for case hardening and bluing.

If I blue anything, I will prolly cold blue it myself.

In fact I am also thinking about case hardening the reciever and breachblock myself.

Something else to study up on.
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