The firearm thread

[sAsLEX]

Stevens Model 200 7mm08 - Any good? Just wanting to build a light hunting stick and may have access to one for cheap.

[jasonu]

Not guns but I scored a couple of cool knives today. The longer one is a Camill WW2 US Navy Mk2 combat knife and the other is a Glock 81 survival knife.
$5 bucks each.

[jono035]

Bloody hell, it's a little dead around here at the moment...

Dunno if you lot remember, but I posted a proof of concept for the basic mechanism for a 3D printed bullet feeder. Figured you might be interested to see where it went. I've pretty much got the project done and dusted now.

It's based around a ~200mm diameter circular bowl with a 100mm high wall around it. There is a rotating platter inside with channels cut out for the bullets to settle into and then slide down as it rotates. At the inside edge of the platter there's a slightly raised platform that creates enough of a lip that the flat base of a bullet will ride around it. The nose of the RN bullet will cause the bullet to fall out and back into the mass of bullets. This is exactly the same principle as several other bullet feeders on the market (notably the Hornady one). Once the bullets get to the 'top' of the travel of the platter, they fall into a port that funnels them through the backplate and out into the hose, past a microswitch that stops the motor if the feed tube fills up.

I've used PLA plastic to print it out of, largely because it has a relatively slick surface so I'm using it for all the bearing surfaces. The printer bed is glass so the bottom side of any print is extremely flat and smooth. This means that as long as the parts are printed such that the bottom of one part is running on the bottom of the other, there is surprisingly little friction/wear. This is how the platter bears the weight of the bullets, although I have greased it slightly with some surplus moly/lithium grease. I've also printed the drive gear and coupler to the motor shaft, which turns the platter by means of an involute gear form on the underside of the platter.

All told, the feeder uses about 500-600g of PLA (about $30), a cheap 12V 36rpm gearhead motor ($25), a microswitch ($4), a few M4 fasteners, a short length of 13mm reinforced PVC fuel hose (~$5?) and a random 4x2 offcut as the mount to my bench (with a couple of cheap Irwin clamps).

In addition to this, I'm using the Double Alpha bullet feed die and case mouth belling insert for the Dillon bullet feeder. This was about 80 Euro, shipped. About 1/3 of that was shipping.

Currently I'm only using it with .45 caliber bullets because that's the only caliber I've got a bullet feed die for. I've tested it with .44 and 9mm with no issues at all on the round nose bullets. The hollow-point Berry's .44s are a bit too cylindrical to sort properly, but it's a pretty straightforward fix that I can either design in or do with a file if I decide to start mass-loading hollow-points.

So far I'd guess that I've run about 10k bullets through the feeder mechanism without maintenance or replacement. I've counted 1500 rounds while testing on the bench and another 1k rounds while testing the bullet feed die. That was probably 30-45 minutes of runtime each time and I've run the feeder for hours. At one point I left it running in the garage for a couple of hours and just came back to dump bullets back into the hopper every 10-15 minutes or so to see if anything bound up/overheated.

In terms of actual loaded rounds, I've made up about 100 with it, but I haven't run any through the gun yet because I'm waiting for the range to open back up. Sunday is the day for testing out the new pistol, so I'll go through the rounds then and, assuming one of the options for loads works well, I'll probably load up a few hundred rounds with it in one sitting and see how that goes.

http://youtu.be/-MOK2Q-ZHSI - Shows the rough idea behind the feeder.
http://youtu.be/Ky32xijWmpg - Testing the feed rate and cut-off switch. I let the tube fill while watching the bullets for correct orientation about 30 times.
http://youtu.be/HHHgaF_4Lig - Showing the unit strapped to the bench and the first ~30 rounds I loaded with it.
http://youtu.be/MKtZIgfMyuw - Speed test with the completed system.
http://youtu.be/funKxaBpk7o - Brief narrated walkthrough of the design.

All in all, I started CAD work on this during the week I had off after New Years, had the first parts working within about a week and printed the last updated part about a week ago. I've just been playing with it since then, mostly.

There's a bunch of parts I want to tidy up, aesthetically, but there aren't any required modifications to the design from here on in. I'm not sure whether to keep it technicolour (trying to use a bunch of my spools 'evenly') or pick a colour scheme and reprint it. There are also a few 'nice to have' features like nut traps on a bunch of the parts to make assembly/disassembly less fiddly. I should also probably figure out a way of mounting it to the press rather than my bench, but it works at the moment and takes about 2 minutes to remove if I want to use the bench for something else.

[sAsLEX]

Bloody hell, it's a little dead around here at the moment...

Good to see some more porn on here!

That is awesome work mate. I wish I had access to a decent workshop/3D printer. Would be nice to be able to visualize and touch the CAD models I have made....

Is there a market for this?

Got two rifles in getting suppressed, just ordered a new Chassis system for the 700, and getting set up for reloading..... shame I don't get back in NZ till Aug so have to wait till then to play/

[jono035]

Good to see some more porn on here!

That is awesome work mate. I wish I had access to a decent workshop/3D printer. Would be nice to be able to visualize and touch the CAD models I have made....

Is there a market for this?

Got two rifles in getting suppressed, just ordered a new Chassis system for the 700, and getting set up for reloading..... shame I don't get back in NZ till Aug so have to wait till then to play/

I've only really got my garage with one desk for electronics stuff and then the reloading bench from the videos, but the 3D printer is set up on the dining room table at the moment. It's really quite amazing just how much stuff you can do that would normally require a quite hardcore metalworking setup. I've been stunned by the strength on some of the parts, too.

I haven't really considered the commercial implications of it, really. The fact that it relys on spending $150 on the feed die and belling insert puts it out of the range of something you'd buy just to have a stuff around with it, I guess. Also, it's probably damn near 48 hours straight of printing to get all the parts together. That's probably only an hour or two of actually paying attention to the printer, but there is wear and tear etc. to consider. My original plan was to get the design to the point where it was 'good enough' that I could reasonably expect someone else to make one and get it working, then release the designs under some kind of open source license. With a bit of luck, someone else with a more mechanical mind than me might pick it up and make it work for more bullet types/rifle bullets etc. It's cheap enough that having specific units for different bullets probably wouldn't be a huge issue. If not, it's only replacing 2 of the piece anyway, which can be done currently by removing 4 bolts.

Which rifles are you getting suppressed? Who is doing the work on them?

[sAsLEX]

I've only really got my garage with one desk for electronics stuff and then the reloading bench from the videos, but the 3D printer is set up on the dining room table at the moment. It's really quite amazing just how much stuff you can do that would normally require a quite hardcore metalworking setup. I've been stunned by the strength on some of the parts, too.

I haven't really considered the commercial implications of it, really. The fact that it relys on spending $150 on the feed die and belling insert puts it out of the range of something you'd buy just to have a stuff around with it, I guess. Also, it's probably damn near 48 hours straight of printing to get all the parts together. That's probably only an hour or two of actually paying attention to the printer, but there is wear and tear etc. to consider. My original plan was to get the design to the point where it was 'good enough' that I could reasonably expect someone else to make one and get it working, then release the designs under some kind of open source license. With a bit of luck, someone else with a more mechanical mind than me might pick it up and make it work for more bullet types/rifle bullets etc. It's cheap enough that having specific units for different bullets probably wouldn't be a huge issue. If not, it's only replacing 2 of the piece anyway, which can be done currently by removing 4 bolts.

Which rifles are you getting suppressed? Who is doing the work on them?

700 in 308 and 10/22 went with Gunworks in the end. Will see how they go and then decide who to go with for the next project (6.5x47 Lapua at present) .

What printer do you have? Might have to add one somewhere on the list, though I do have to finish the projects I made a hot wire foam cutter for first......

[jono035]

700 in 308 and 10/22 went with Gunworks in the end. Will see how they go and then decide who to go with for the next project (6.5x47 Lapua at present) .

What printer do you have? Might have to add one somewhere on the list, though I do have to finish the projects I made a hot wire foam cutter for first......

Nice, I was pretty impressed with Gunworks so it will be interesting to hear how you got on. What are the plans for the guns?

The printer is a Mendel90 that I purchased in kit form. It's based on the RepRap Prusa Mendel type of printer, but using a precision cut flat sheet frame rather than the bizarre obsession that the other designs seem to have with threaded rod. It was a solid 14-16 hours of easy assembly to get it working and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. Everything was square, level and accurate from the very start. I had a couple of minor issues getting bits to stick to the plate, but that was due to a misunderstanding of a couple of settings and using glass cleaner that was leaving some crap on the glass. So far I've only been using it with PLA, which is actually a great plastic to work with. It's far harder than ABS but much more brittle. It's also kind of 'slick' to the touch, so gears/bushings/bearing surfaces do quite well made out of it. The main drawback is that it softens considerably at 50 degrees.

All up, the printer was 600 GBP + 70 GBP shipping + whatever GST/customs charges were on it. The filament is costing me ~$45 per kg, which is enough to print at least 2000 cm^3 of model using the settings that I've used for the bullet feeder. So far I think I've probably gone through 2-3kg of filament in a variety of colours and the results have been pretty good.

[sAsLEX]

Nice, I was pretty impressed with Gunworks so it will be interesting to hear how you got on. What are the plans for the guns?

The printer is a Mendel90 that I purchased in kit form. It's based on the RepRap Prusa Mendel type of printer, but using a precision cut flat sheet frame rather than the bizarre obsession that the other designs seem to have with threaded rod. It was a solid 14-16 hours of easy assembly to get it working and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. Everything was square, level and accurate from the very start. I had a couple of minor issues getting bits to stick to the plate, but that was due to a misunderstanding of a couple of settings and using glass cleaner that was leaving some crap on the glass. So far I've only been using it with PLA, which is actually a great plastic to work with. It's far harder than ABS but much more brittle. It's also kind of 'slick' to the touch, so gears/bushings/bearing surfaces do quite well made out of it. The main drawback is that it softens considerably at 50 degrees.

All up, the printer was 600 GBP + 70 GBP shipping + whatever GST/customs charges were on it. The filament is costing me ~$45 per kg, which is enough to print at least 2000 cm^3 of model using the settings that I've used for the bullet feeder. So far I think I've probably gone through 2-3kg of filament in a variety of colours and the results have been pretty good.

Going to teach myself how to reload and shoot at some longer ranges with the .308 and kill bunnies with the 22

[Swoop]

Nice stuff!
Are you taper crimping at station #5?

[jono035]

Nice stuff!
Are you taper crimping at station #5?

Yep. Basically the normal 5-station Dillon setup but with the powder check replaced by the bullet feed die.

1 - Dillon resize/deprime die
2 - prime then bell/powder drop with Dillon powder measure, Double Alpha belling die
3 - The Double Alpha feed die
4 - Dillon seat die
5 - Dillon taper crimp die

I don't really see the point in separate seat/crimp dies for pistol so for my purposes, I might eventually shift to a combined seat/crimp die, move the feed die to station #4 and put the powder check in #3. I can understand for absolute precision or if a really heavy crimp is required, but with pistol I really don't need either.

Unfortunately, I desperately need a sprung loaded depriming pin for the 9mm because 5-10% of the cases are currently getting their primers pulled back into the pockets and re-seated at the priming station. I need to look for an aftermarket one for the Hornady resize die or figure out how to adapt the Dillon one onto the Hornady stem...

[pritch]

The longer one is a Camill WW2 US Navy Mk2 combat knife

Wouldn't be a Camillus? They are still in business. Looks very, very, like a Ka-Bar. I like.

[The Reibz]

Looking at getting a licence in the next couple of weeks. I have had my security installed for the last four years but have just never got around to it. I see you now have to do some bullshit mountain safety course before you can even submit your licence form. Anyway around this? Been a serving RNZN RF sailor for 7 years and know my way around firearms, not keen on paying someone to tell me shit I already know and have had drilled into me.

I have my safe bolted directly to the studs in the wall and floor with 8mm selftaping bolts. Any issues with that I will need to rectify before inspection?

Only really after a lever action for bunny/possum shooting and possibly a over under shotty further down the track.

[nseagoon]

Looking at getting a licence in the next couple of weeks. I have had my security installed for the last four years but have just never got around to it. I see you now have to do some bullshit mountain safety course before you can even submit your licence form. Anyway around this? Been a serving RNZN RF sailor for 7 years and know my way around firearms, not keen on paying someone to tell me shit I already know and have had drilled into me.

I have my safe bolted directly to the studs in the wall and floor with 8mm selftaping bolts. Any issues with that I will need to rectify before inspection?

Only really after a lever action for bunny/possum shooting and possibly a over under shotty further down the track.

Play the game. Other military pers have to.
The course has been around for at least a decade that I know about.
I attended a MSC course, didn't cost and was only one session about 1-1.5 hours followed by a scratch and win test.
it's not so much about knowing how to use a firearm, mine covered the 7 basic rules and safety associated with firearms and storage, it focuses mostly on the hunting side of things (annoying for those who just want to shoot paper)
being in the military you should be used to putting up with bullshit so getting your licence will be no difference.
The police just want to tick all the boxes that people getting their licence aren't dickheads.
Remember the military has no bearing on civilian actions, there's no exemptions in the real world

As for your safe, sounds like it should be fine if you're just going for A catergory. if you're looking at getting endorsed in the future you'd have to mount 10mm self tapping screws in the floor if it's on concrete,
if on wood 10mm into a steel plate I think twice the floor area of the safe. Check with the arms officers, if you're in Devonport I think you'll be dealing with Trefor who is ex Navy. Both the arms officers there are good chaps.

[The Reibz]

Thanks for the advice mate, all to true about having to play the game.
Only really after small game, tried the whole target shooting thing before and it wasn't for me.
Would probably never go endorsed. Can't see the point of 30 round mags, to used to spearfishing where you only get one shot to land a fatal hit.
Zombie invasion, yeah I can see the point.

Will look into it a bit more in the next couple of weeks.

[jasonu]

Wouldn't be a Camillus? They are still in business. Looks very, very, like a Ka-Bar. I like.

Yes Camillus.