DIY Rifle Stock – Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Today’s report is one you readers have been asking for, for a while. Reader Vana2, whose name is Hank, tells us how to make a wood stock.

If you’d like to write a guest post for this blog, please email me.

And now, take it away, Hank.

Slavia 618
This is my original 55 year old Slavia 618 in its new “firewood” stock. I made this one in a “camo” style, using cherry and maple blocks in a random arrangement of the pieces.

This report covers:

  • Why am I writing this blog?
  • Why make a custom stock?
  • Do you need to work on your stock?
  • What can we customize?
  • This is where a Try-Gun stock comes in
  • Overview
  • The material of choice: spruce
  • So, what is involved in making a stock?
  • Selecting the wood
  • Some suggestions for finding the best board
  • About knots and drying checks
  • A comment on lumber yard etiquette…
  • Summary

Why am I writing this blog?

Last April I discussed modifying my FX stock with blog reader Gunfun1, and he was dubious of my plans of taking a rasp to an expensive walnut stock. I have made a number of stocks and didn’t think that it was a big deal so I made the needed adjustment and showed him this picture. read more

Tuning Michael’s Winchester 427: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Diana 27
Michael’s Winchester 427 is a Diana model 27 by another name. The rifle pictured is my Hy Score 807/Diana 27

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • Michael’s Diana 27
  • Out of the box
  • Flat breech seal
  • No baseline test
  • Onward Through The Fog
  • Remove the action from the stock
  • Action into the compressor
  • Remove the piston
  • Disassembly complete
  • List of jobs
  • Summary

Michael’s Diana 27

Some time back, reader Michael mentioned some problems he was having with his new/old Winchester 427, which is a Diana 27 by another name. I offered to tune it for him because it’s been some time since I have been inside a 27. There are many new readers who are not aware of this wonderful air rifle, and I thought it was time they learned about it.

Diana made the model 27 for a great many years after WW II, and they made them for a number of other companies, as well. The guns were made in both .177 and .22, but Winchester and Hy Score only ordered them in .22 caliber, so a 427 and an 807 are always .22. read more

Webley Service Mark II: Part 6

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Webley Mark II Service rifle
Webley Mark II Service rifle.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

A history of airguns

Today’s report is a follow-on to a 5-part series I did on the Webley Mark II Service rifle. Today’s post is by reader RidgeRunner, who now owns the rifle. He tells us about the maintenance he did on the rifle.

If you’d like to write a guest post for this blog, please email me.

And now, take it away, RidgeRunner.

This report covers:

  • A Little History
  • Something Funny Going On
  • We’re Going In
  • Doodad
  • Onward Through The Fog
  • Back Together
  • What’s Next?

A little history

Those of you who have been hanging around for a while may vaguely recall BB doing a blog about one of these air rifles. What some may not know is my loving wife contacted BB and conspired with him to have that very air rifle be my Christmas present last year. Needless to say I was quite surprised — shocked is more like it. This lovely old lady is now a permanent resident at RidgeRunner’s Home For Wayward Airguns. read more

The Beeman P1 air pistol: Part 10

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

Beeman P1
Beeman P1 air pistol.

This report covers:

  • Do I plan my blogs?
  • So — why this one?
  • The sight
  • P1 damaged
  • How does it look?
  • Impressions
  • Summary

It’s been a long time since we looked at this pistol. Part 9 was published nearly a year ago. And the series was started on the first of November, 2017. So, let me bring you up to speed.

As I was packing up to leave the 2017 Texas Airgun Show, a gentleman approached me for a trade. We traded and I ended up with a Beeman P1 pistol. I already owned a P1 that I had purchased many years before, but this one was nice and it came with everything I needed to rebuild the powerplant — if that was required. read more

Sig ASP20 rifle with Whiskey3 ASP 4-12X44 scope: Part 4

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Sig ASP20
Sig ASP20 breakbarrel rifle.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

This report covers:

  • Hold?
  • Stock screw torque
  • Scope zero
  • Crux seated deep
  • Crux seated flush
  • JSB Exact Jumbo
  • 25 yards
  • DUH!
  • Last pellet
  • Where are we?
  • What’s next?
  • Summary

Today will be the start of the Sig ASP20 accuracy test, but it will be different than all the other rifles I have tested. I usually mount a scope and begin testing at 10 meters — looking for one or more pellets that are accurate for tests at longer ranges. I’m not doing that today. Before I get into the report, though, I want to address some readers’ concerns.

Hold?

Someone asked me to check the sensitivity of the rifle to how it’s held. But I already reported on that back in August. I discovered back then that this rifle likes to rest directly on the sandbag and not be held by the artillery hold. I will test the artillery hold in later installments, but it’s pretty much a given that this rifle likes to be rested right on the bag. read more

Sig Sauer P320 M17 CO2 pellet pistol: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Sig M17 pellet pistol
Sig Sauer P320 M17 pellet pistol.

Part 1
Part 2

This report covers:

  • Correction
  • Sig wonders why we want to disassemble the gun
  • The test
  • Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
  • Rifled barrel
  • Magazine gas loss
  • Air Arms Falcon pellets
  • Crux Ballistic Alloy
  • Blowback
  • Trigger pull
  • Daisy BBs
  • Smart Shot a no go
  • Beeman Perfect Rounds
  • Shot count
  • Discussion
  • Summary

Today we look at the velocity of the Sig P320 M17 pellet pistol. But there will be more to this test than just three pellets. Because readers wondered if it could also shoot BBs and I learned that it can, I will test them, as well. As long as I’m testing BBs, I will test lead balls of differing sizes, because when we get to the accuracy test I’ll want to test them as well.

Correction

I told you in the last part that the magazine cap has to be removed to insert a CO2 cartridge. That was incorrect. Just remove the mag from the gun and insert the cartridge by following the directions in the manual. Leave the cap alone. read more

An American Zimmerstutzen: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

American Zimmerstutzen
What in the world is this?

Part 1

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • The puzzle
  • Gold?
  • On to the next supposition
  • Few gun parts
  • Discussion
  • Busy box
  • Summary

The puzzle

Reader August figured out the main piece of the puzzle, when he discovered that the inscription on the large medallion is from the Trenton Watch Company. Actually, that was all you needed to know to know that none of the medallions on this gun are gold. No tests are needed, because in the watch industry, the words “Warranted 10 years” are industry code for heavy gold electroplate. Another term is gold-filled. They all mean electroplated. Electroplate means plated with gold — not solid gold. Any pawnshop owner or worker in the world should know that. Therefore, the pawn shop that listed this on Gun Broker and used the tag as one of their pictures, was clearly misleading potential buyers. New reader Mudflap was the first to catch that. read more