Stuff you made

[Wapiti]

Perentie sent me a fair-dinkum commercial action wrench, so I thought I'd show my home made one which looks decidedly amateur compared to his.
It's made from an M18 8.8 bolt, rough ground then filed down to slip into the action's locking lug areas, like the commercial ones.
I chose M18 because it's an almost wobble-less fit in the Rems, so there's optimum diameter and no twist. We're only talking up to 100 ft/lbs anyway.

I used the head as the locking lug section, being careful not to overheat the steel, then I'd have to reharden it or it might deform.
I also purchased an extra thick nut which screws down over the threaded section all the way. Then the excess thread was cut off and the nut welded on the end, so it wouldn't come undone.
The size I bought is still on the tag on the bag from Bolt and Nut Factory Online, these guys sell everything fastener and are in Brisbane I believe, Hemmant, and post all the strange bolts I need to me in a matter of days. You won't find bolts like this at Bunnings.
In theory, you could make an action wrench for any rifle action out there.

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[Duramax]

Replacement bolt shroud for the ill fitting one you get with the Bergara B14R. Made from 416 r stainless with a complete thread unlike the factory one shown. I see there are a few after market offerings now but none have the complete thread like the ones i make.

[Duramax]

My solution to four issues with the Brno action. Poor bedding footprint. Tenon too small to carry longer and heavier profile barrels. Loading port often too fiddly for quick follow up shots during benchrest matches. Poor trigger where this one has a 1.5 ounce Jewell fitted. Original acton sleeve was binned and this one made from 420 MFQ stainless treated to around 50 Rockwell. The bolt has adjustable headspace rings between the body and handle that come in a set from 39 thou through to 44 thou in half thou increments. The firing pin spring arrangement has been modified to vary spring tension to get optimum ignition. Unfortunately no time to use it these days as hunting takes precedence.

[Duramax]

This die resizes 240 grain cast Busters Bullets in 44 mag from 0.429" up to 0.432" to suit the generous bore dimensions of my lever gun. It does this through the use of the deep hollow point spike in the die where the bore has been reamed to that size . Three shot groups at 50m around the inch with 24 grains of 2205 at just under 1700 fps. Use them on pigs and deer and have yet to see them exit so sort of negates the poor expansion of hard cast with the broad nose and 4mm wide and 7mm deep HP.

[Wapiti]

Duramax, what great work. Your lathe and mill work is first class, dude.
Love it.
There are some unreal quiet people out there just making some great gear and doing what the mass-production factories won't do nowadays.
Mate, have you made a SS or Alum magazine housing to replace the cheap sh*t ones in the Brnos and CZ's?

It's a real shame that in this pathetic, union-university acticivist-run country, people with a 1000x more skill and worth than these pathetic clowns enforce rules making it almost impossible to make and sell upgrade parts for firearms.
Not talking about making bikie-quality rubbish sub-guns here, but making a living trying to make innocuous parts others crave who want to get rid of cheap plastic crap on their firearms and get upgraded gear and better ideas.
And reward people for making great things and keeping their brains ticking instead of getting fat on the lounge watching mindless sh*t all day.

[Duramax]

Back in the day when i had an armourers licence i did make replacement magazines in stainless steel for Tikka 55s and they turned out well. No others as it is time consuming but i did sell all the dies and jigs for the M55 mags but old mate never got around to making any. No other mag work after that.

In the lines of the 44 mag die I did make a rimfire pointing die to replicate the Eley EPS nose and expand out the bullet diameter. Unlike some youtu.be blokes i found no accuracy gain with a multitude of ammo types i tried. What i did find was as Eley claimed, there was a noticeable reduction of wind drift but could only be detected in a very good rimfire with ammo like RWS or Lapua upmarket stuff. In cheaper ammo the bigger group size possibly hid any benefit.
These days i do R&D work for underground drill rigs so rifle work is zero but any spare time is off hunting deer, hogs and dogs.

[Die Judicii]

Here's a few pics of a work that's been in progress for a few days.
Ready now for a final wire brush, and wipe down with Prepsol and thinners, before 3 coats of primer.
Then a further 3 coats of Caterpillar Yellow.

I've gotta make a few things to retrieve some dollars after having unexpected and previously unknown accounts land on me.

Will post further pics when it's completed.

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[Wapiti]

Your carry-all! Looks like it's come out bloody well mate.
I hope you get a good amount from your hard work to pay some of those damn bills.

[deye243]

Great stuff I remember going down the Paddocks when I was a kid getting covered in cow s**t because my brother pushed me over to the side right behind the wheel

[Wapiti]

Tractors are the perfect wolf in sheep's clothing. They look like fun and slowly lumbering lumps of cast steel but really are way more dangerous and unstable than ANY professional industrial machinery used in workshops and sites.
Kids on the back of the tractor is way safer than on a loader with pallet forks at the front. You just fell off and were left behind to chase after dad.
Many people have been chewed into the dirt falling off a loader up front and gone underneath.
Anyone who unloads or loads truck deliveries and trailers of feed with a tractor loader knows - you do not have the complete view of what you are doing like a forklift, with all that metal obstructing most angles. I shudder when remembering the stories around of kids going under.

Gonna put some drop in / lift off sides and back of that platform to stop all the firewood falling off mate?

[deye243]

We used to load ours up with that much firewood the front wheels would barely touch the ground we'd have to steer our way through the gates and the tracks by using the brake pedals

[Die Judicii]

Tractors are the perfect wolf in sheep's clothing. They look like fun and slowly lumbering lumps of cast steel but really are way more dangerous and unstable than ANY professional industrial machinery used in workshops and sites.
Kids on the back of the tractor is way safer than on a loader with pallet forks at the front. You just fell off and were left behind to chase after dad.
Many people have been chewed into the dirt falling off a loader up front and gone underneath.
Anyone who unloads or loads truck deliveries and trailers of feed with a tractor loader knows - you do not have the complete view of what you are doing like a forklift, with all that metal obstructing most angles. I shudder when remembering the stories around of kids going under.

Gonna put some drop in / lift off sides and back of that platform to stop all the firewood falling off mate?

I'm not sure whether your Ques is directed to me or not,,,,,,,,

However, if it is,, that is why the "sockets" are on each side,, to accomodate drop in 50 x 50 pins/posts

[bigrich]

luv your work DJ

i've been planing on getting out of the metal trade when i'm 60 , but fabricating and making stuff works the mind and keeps you fit . especially playing with RHS , checker plate and a big mig with grunt . getting bad ray burn sucks though

[Wapiti]

I'm not sure whether your Ques is directed to me or not,,,,,,,,

However, if it is,, that is why the "sockets" are on each side,, to accomodate drop in 50 x 50 pins/posts

Yes, t'was.
Ah me see now. Me not look properly, me just see flat platform.

Great thread by the way, love to see people's handywork.

[Wapiti]

Here's a crappy, right-hand shooter benchrest and stand in the farmhouse yard.
It's made from a 50mm box section frame that came under a big pack of cattleyard panels. Just sleepers screwed to the top.
The seat slides up and down and can be set at any height for different size people.

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If the rain that's supposed to arrive tomorrow or Thursday comes I will set it up with an adjustable front rest that's part of the bench.
Otherwise, BYO benchrest to sit on the top.

[Wapiti]

Here's my homemade shooting rest, for load testing.
I made 4 of these things for mates as well, and this was over 20 years ago now.
WAY before those awful "lead sleds" with the soft compressible rear rest came on the market. Gosh I hate those terrible things.

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It's basically a tripod, with adjustment bolts at each corner, and being a tripod means it will never wobble.

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The threaded adjustments (one at each end) have lock bolts with turned-up handwheels that run in vertical slots in the 20mm threaded stainless rod, so the front and rear bags don't spin as you adjust it up and down. And they allow you to lock the adjusters to eliminate any wobble.
It also has a front stop, which isn't in use anyway because it's a dumb idea. The rubber stopper on it fell off years ago. I only added it on all of them because of pressure from mates.
You just attach standard front rest bags, whichever one you prefer.

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The rear end. Adjustable the same. Instead of soft rubber like the Lead Sleds on the toe of the stock which causes crosshairs to move everywhere with inconsistent pressure, the fork that the buttstock sits in is covered by clear vinyl tubing so it doesn't move with cheek pressure. It's never scratched even the finest walnut stocks on my prized guns yet.
The long chain link is there to attach a sling, one on the front too, so when I attended a rifle range I could sling it over my shoulder and keep both hands for other stuff. The sling has long since turned to dust and perished.

[Wapiti]

And a double-sided ambidextrous shooting bench I made for friends who come out to camp.
Excuse the mess, a giant Apple tree dropped a limb right in the middle of the campsite. Lucky nobody had a van or something under it. Be plenty of firewood for winter campfires though.

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It's made from 50x50 box section. I had it hot-dipped galvanised so it would last under the old tree in the camp. I have set up target frames and gongs at 50 and 100yds too, to replicate the distances at the rifle ranges my mates shoot at.

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The seats adjust up and down with pins on chains tacked on so nobody misplaces them. 40x40 box fits nicely inside the 50.

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The camp it's at is at a bend in the creek, there's s dam on the other side and an 8x8m roof and a water tank plumbed into the kitchen inside for friends. I had this strange idea to clad the 2-room donger with old tin to make it look like an old shack. Which it does.

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[Die Judicii]

Great bench rests Mate,,,,,, but where"s the BBQ

[Wapiti]

The only worry I have at times mate is people sometimes go apesh*t with huge campfires when there's hot and dry windy times. I just mention it if that's the case and trust people to keep things manageable.
If there's a danger from conditions, I'll park a firefighter trailer with a pump and hose reel setup for them and show them how to use it should something bad happen.
The grass on the flat at the camp attract a lot of different deer so they tend to keep the grass down there, as there is a waterer on a post on the tank stand so they come in and do that. Really lessens fire risk.
Also gives campers kids a real joy when deer come into the camp and come up for a bit of a hand feed. I reckon kids will remember that their whole lives and it's all there for them.

There's a BBQ pit with a frame over it and adjustable chains to hold pots to the right in the last pic. A few different BBQ plates to cook on too.
In the kitchen there's a proper sink, fridge, kitchen table/chairs and a full stash of pots, pans and gas bottle 2-burner stove if required, and a 4-burner BBQ outside.
And a generator shed, campers are responsible for their own power, if they want to use the air-cons in each room to cool or heat, because it's always below zero in winter.
The dunny is on pipe skids, it gets pulled over a new drilled post-hole and there's a shovel inside to cover the days evil down there, and a fold-down dunny seat.
This way, there's a dedicated comfortable spot to crap and for the ladies. And no dunny paper blowing all over the countryside.

Only thing I wish I had the time for now, is to put a roof over the shooting bench at the house. One day maybe.

[Wapiti]

Well, got the bug and had to modify the house-yard benchrest as I have wanted to for a while. I have a few 300WM hunting loads to try and also chrony, but the rain had me piking out on that task.
These bug square-thread scaffold feet come in real handy for this sort of job. I had a length of A106 LNG pressure pipe that the threaded section slips through with barely a wobble, so I used that. Also made a lock screw for the side too, to eliminate any wobble that's left.
The thing will be used with a normal BR front sandbag, and a normal rear bag that's available everywhere.

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The way-too-long threaded section will be cut right back once I see how long it needs to be.
Suffice to say, it will have plenty of elevation for any position or range.

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Hopefully, these posts spur others to put up pics of what they've been making shooting related.

[Wapiti]

Tried the bodged up benchrest just before dark this arvo, with a few Hot-Cor loads.
I lift the drop-in threaded front rest out and stash it away with the rear bag so the sandbags don't perish in the weather, and I can still use my one-piece rest if I feel like it.
But it's rock still, crucial for testing loads properly.

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Was a bit of a relax after a day of ripping a few km of lines for some underground bore-water poly to be done before all the dams dry up.