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From hanging on the wall of shame.
This is damngato's Colt Lightning Small Frame .22 pump made in 1894, one of the treasures his dad left to him. The rifle was in sorry shape, broken firing pin, bubba made extractor spring, and something had been forced through the action buggering up the inside of the receiver so the shell lifter wouldn't function.
On top of that, someone had slopped varnish over the old varnish, on an already beat up buttstock, the mag tube, and the forearm, ...checkering and all!
Started with a deep clean, this rifle had never been opened up since 1894. Probably with good reason too, this is one complex sob of an action. Peened metal back into place, filed and stoned the receiver and internal parts(cycles smooth as butter now) made and fitted a new extractor spring, fit a later model steel firing pin, and refinished the stocks.
The forearm is from a "Deluxe" model, and very dark figured. Stripped all the wood, steamed the dings, and stained to match keeping it to the original color. and faked the original varnished finish with polyurethane.
As a rule, I wouldn't mess with the original finish on a rifle like this, and compromise the value. Gato and I agreed since it was an heirloom he was keeping, and the originality of the wood and finish had already been compromised, to go ahead and make it purty.
The original firing pin was phosphor brass?, and there isn't one to be found on this planet. Gato found the same Lightning parts on Ebay that I did, emailed the seller, and the Colt gods smiled upon us, he had a late model steel FP!
Tightened up the last screw last night at 11:15, function test this morning(ejects empties 15ft out in front of you) , heading to Yolo tomorrow to give it a workout. Then the really hard part, boxing it up and sending it back to Gato.
Brain fart, I didn't get "before" pics, just have a couple Gato sent.
Before:
After:
This is damngato's Colt Lightning Small Frame .22 pump made in 1894, one of the treasures his dad left to him. The rifle was in sorry shape, broken firing pin, bubba made extractor spring, and something had been forced through the action buggering up the inside of the receiver so the shell lifter wouldn't function.
On top of that, someone had slopped varnish over the old varnish, on an already beat up buttstock, the mag tube, and the forearm, ...checkering and all!
Started with a deep clean, this rifle had never been opened up since 1894. Probably with good reason too, this is one complex sob of an action. Peened metal back into place, filed and stoned the receiver and internal parts(cycles smooth as butter now) made and fitted a new extractor spring, fit a later model steel firing pin, and refinished the stocks.
The forearm is from a "Deluxe" model, and very dark figured. Stripped all the wood, steamed the dings, and stained to match keeping it to the original color. and faked the original varnished finish with polyurethane.
As a rule, I wouldn't mess with the original finish on a rifle like this, and compromise the value. Gato and I agreed since it was an heirloom he was keeping, and the originality of the wood and finish had already been compromised, to go ahead and make it purty.
The original firing pin was phosphor brass?, and there isn't one to be found on this planet. Gato found the same Lightning parts on Ebay that I did, emailed the seller, and the Colt gods smiled upon us, he had a late model steel FP!
Tightened up the last screw last night at 11:15, function test this morning(ejects empties 15ft out in front of you) , heading to Yolo tomorrow to give it a workout. Then the really hard part, boxing it up and sending it back to Gato.
Brain fart, I didn't get "before" pics, just have a couple Gato sent.
Before:
After:
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