Figure I'd document these headaches here as I don't really frequent the rest of the site anymore, or really care to either.

I'm one of those guys who laughs at the people who "build" an Ar. I mentally compare them to hipsters. Not that there's anything wrong with assembling an AR, but I like to take old cut up piles of trash & rebuild into something nice & legal. That legal thing is important.  Just because I know how to make a machine gun doesn't mean I'm willing to go to prison to do it. Always keep it legal. I used to do a lot of rewelds of demil Ak's back when they were cheap. Done a few Rpd, & the odd Mg42 / MG53 as well.

But one I've wanted to do for more than a decade now is a Bren gun. Was an article in Shotgun News back in like 2007 about it & I've had the bug for it since. Just never took the plunge until about a month ago.  Did some horse trading on an Ar10 that I truly had no interest in past flipping.  Turns out a Bubba of mine in Kentucky who's into Ar10 crap wanted it. So as a smartass that I am, I said get me a 308 Bren kit. Needless to say, he's got an shiny new Ar10 and I'm gluing a bren gun or two (yes 2, glutton for punishment I am) back together.  

Got lucky (maybe, questions reamin yet) & found a newish production barrel on the gun joker & paid dearly for it. Because an L4 bren is practically unobtainium. I've a gut feeling that this barrel is going to be a pain in my ass later though. We shall see & figure out how to make it work.

The guys who torch these things get a little happy with the torch & these look like straight scrap metal.  





But with a little cleaning it doesn't look all that bad. I've rewelded worse stuff.






And as all mocked up. Before the fun begins.
Was originally an Inglis made Mk2. So pictured with an Inglis made Hi-power.

My wonderful wife got me a mini lathe for Christmas which made this part much simpler.  I turned a piece of brass round bar to fit the hole where the barrel goes into the receiver. This is to help rebuild the nose of the receiver that was torched away. There's a couple of other holes in this area as well. One I saved sort of & the other will be replaced.  







Then it was time to let the sparks fly. Did this area MIG with not great results, but acceptable.  Probably should have ran it hotter. Gonna go back & do some TIG touch up work. Most the rest of this will be TIG welded probably.  I've a very very nice welding machine, which I'd recommend.  But a harbor freight buzz box would work.
I unfortunately do not own a mill. Which sucks & I may sell something to get a mini mill. So all my finish work is down to a dremel, stones, & a crap ton of hand files. Slow but it'll get there.
This is the hard area of it in my mind. Everything else is just gluing it back together straight & doing the legality mods before all the receiver sections are back together.







I've got a machine shop buddy who is making the weld fixture for me. Which is hopefully done soon. But in the mean time I added a second bren gun to do. This one in the original 303 British. Because I can (be a moron my wife says). Also scored more of the L4a1 mags. Which were also painful.





And that's where I'm at so far.

Those are pretty cool!  Nice work so far. Looking forward to seeing your progress.

Awesome man!

I'm silently judging you for being that hardcore of a builder, but shooting Cor Locts... j/k

Cool project, way out of my lane.

Those would be 32 Winchester Special.  I'll take anything I can find in that caliber for the brass.

That's a pretty good reason.

Very well done. Look forward on the progress.

I bet ATF didn't realize that guys out there with the proper license and know how are more talented in putting things back together that will then work, than they realized.

Hi Matt,

Great job and like it was said before, "way out of my league."    I'm still missing the last detent spring in my garage!

John

If building for personal use & without the intention of selling, there is no specialized license past being a lawful gun owner. The atf is aware people do this. I'll be using an ATF approved semi modification. I still do makers markings & caliber & what not for peace of mind.

Sweet! I need to get my ass going on these pps kits. A guy on weapons guild was doing some EdM drop in trigger kits for them. Wish I had the specs to make the trigger packs

Nice work!

There is a build thread using an AK trigger, hammer, & disconnetor. I'd like to do one with the modified Ak binary trigger group. But I've got too many projects going.

7.62x51 bren (full build)
303 bren (full build)
Winchester 97 trench gun (this just needs 3 screws to be done)
Winchester 97 riot gun
Makarov (went through a fire. Could be a paper weight now.)
1863 Sharps src (my wife's gun, but I still get to fix it. Still in the original .54 cal)
1891 Carcano ( bullet stuck in the bore. Really stuck)
Couple of retro Ar sitting on the back burner.

Ain't got the time to fiddle like I used too. My wife did say I can get myself a cheapo mill here soon. So that'll be handy.
That doesn't include three Cj5 & two F100 I get sort out as well.

Ok, I thought the Bren was a FA, but since you're going semi, then carry on with blessings to you and your talent.

That is a lot of projects. I need to get my walls up on my shop and figure out how to power up my mill. It’s 230 3 phase. And I need to get my lathe home. Plus my son is restoring/getting it running a 47 Ford 2N tractor. Good luck with the builds

I'm just about at the point now of needing my machinist buddy to get a weld fixture done. I managed to fuck up the detent hole in the front, so I'm thinking that I'll just weld it up and forget about it until I can get a mill & do it right. It's not needed to function.

Starting to look like something other than a pile of shit again. Could probably get the front two sections done without jig. But I know I should be patient....







The black is just sharpie, the poor man's layout fluid. So much cheaper.

Reading this and seeing you do God's work makes this old Gunners Mate heart just a little less salty. You Sir are an artist. What you're doing is amazing.

I see you talk about needing a mill. I don't know if it would work but I've come across several threads elsewhere talking about using a drill press as a mill. Now the way I understand it, a machinist would slap someone for suggesting such a thing, but for limited and light duty jobs, a drill press can be used in a pinch. I don't know if this info is of any help to you, but I figured I would offer it up. I can't wait to see the finished product.

fuck yeah man, i can appreciate that. Are you good at working on ak's and chopping barrels?

I've built an Ak or 30.

One of the last ones

That is a sick AK!

Not much to report on this weekends progress. Felt like crap so it was a camp out on the couch weekend.

But the glorious mags finally showed up. These little bastards ain't exactly cheap or easy to come up with anymore.  




And then while I'm at this, let's throw yet another welding project into the mix. Another one that I've wanted to do for a while. I've built several of these in the past, but never a reweld. Usable kits that aren't torched through the locking lugs aren't near as common as they once were & command a premium. Was a trade.

Bonus points for the particular model identification.







I'll probably hold off on the bren when this arrives to get it done & I might have a lead on a milling machine.

It's not all that hard. Just patience and an eye for detail.

Yay parts & jig!!! This is gonna fun.



With the awesome IDF crest. Will have to re-etch the rest of the markings.






Best of all, my wife got me some more gnomes. Army gnomes,  with Kalashnikov's!

I forgot to order another pps kit today from Bowman and missed the sale.

Finally got off of my ass & got some work done, on the Galil at least. Primarily because an Ak is easy & I like them.

As with anything,  keep it legal & don't risk prison. Weld up the rock & roll hole first. Don't give anyone the ability to say you're doing illegal shit.

Was planning on Tig welding this, but that didn't work out.  So this is Mig welded with cheapo Menards wire. Gas is a  75 / 25 argon / carbon dioxide mix. Machine is an Esab Rebel EMP 215ic (I'm an Esab fan boy.). Set up to burn 3/16" plate, so twice as hot as needed.

Jump around and go slow. Don't get impatient. That's when things go tits up.

From this


To this.




Then it's wonderful world of grinding & hand files. I typically start on the bottom rear, the do the top rails. Gives some flat spots to grab onto. I'm sure there'll be some low spots to fix, but what you see is what I like to aim for surface wise after filing.
Bottom rear.


Top rails.



And just to show off a smidgen.


Slightly offset. See how it works out I suppose.

Probably all the progress I'll get done for the weekend. Still getting over the newest beer flu & the energy levels are low. Still, it's been a lot better than the first beer flu. Really thought I was gonna die with that one.

Stock showed up late yesterday. Which is yay! Thought I was gonna have to buy one.
Got the mag well all cleaned up & working as it should.  For those who ain't Kalashnikov nerds, there are a few internal dimensions on an ak that are important. Barrel / bullet guide, rails, & mag well. Ak's get finicky if the mag isn't in the right spot. So take yer time & clean everything up right & proper.  Saves headaches later on.

Before


After



Other side. If ya look close, you'll start noticing some of the little details the Israelis did with the Galil.  It is a Type 3 Ak at heart though.



I need better lighting

Starting to get excited for getting the Galil done. The receiver is just about done inside and out. Just the inside bottom & part of the left side to grind out & blend in. Bolt carrier is smooth as butter. Dust cover is snug as fuck, just as it should be on a Galil.

Not really sure I'm happy with the lighting cut. Seems like I got the shape just a little off.

Got a barrel  ordered today. Had to get a problem ARM barrel that I'll have to cut down & re-profile for the gas block location. Plus thread for the flash hider. But at least I've already got head space gauges on hand. Having to make do with what I can get, wife's been laid off for a couple months now.








Not sure when I'll manage to get back on the Bren guns. My machinist buddy is pissing me off with the weld fixture. Still ain't done, & it's not a freebie.

And the other side.  Got one ever so slightly low spot. Not sure if I'll redo it or not. Wont be visible after park & paint.

Looking great. Really like seeing the progress

Yo, Matt, who can help me rivit this thing you sold me?

Huh? Gonna have to be a bit more specific.

Barrel showed up, not sure what's a gunsmith special about it.  Sure as he'll can't find anything wrong with it.  Anywho, got it chucked up & turned the barrel journal back for the shorter gas system.  



Got the barrel installed and torqued down to 150#. Fairly easy with a barrel vise, action wrench and a 3 foot torque wrench. Course I use the barrel vise and action wrench in reverse. Clamp the receiver down in the barrel vise & reverse the the action wrench to use use a wrench.  










Got damn lucky with the headspace, just about spot on & a smidgen on the tight side. Will use some lapping compound on the locking lugs to loosen it up  that last little bit. I'd recommend always using the proper headspace gauges. Go, No Go, Field. More so the Go & No Go for a new build. I take the Field gauges when gun shopping used stuff.



Closed of the Go


Stays open on the No Go


Docked up the cut for the handguard retainer, did it just a little long. Not a hard fix, just a shim will suffice. Still gotta chop the barrel down to 13" or maybe  11.5" if the mood takes. Got the tap & die ordered to make a new muzzle device. 13x1 RH is fucking obnoxious.
Beginning to look like something anyway.

Need recommendations for an engraver. Instate would be nice, localish to Springfield would be even better. Will be needing to have the Galil IMI markings & the serial numbers on the L4a3 Bren gun restored.  As well as the sbr info on the Galil.  I've tried engraving and I'm really to fat fingered for it.

Drilly holes & shit. I truly loath drilling gas ports & gas blocks. Quick way to screw stuff up.

First things, the gas block needs to be pinned in place. Double check to make sure it's still on straight.  Get yourself a small C-clamp & o e one end of the gas block, clap the ever loving dog snot out of it. This is to help make sure the gas block doesn't move while drilling the first pin hole. Which sucks. A lot. Ask me how I know...........

Most Ak gas block pins I've come across are 3mm. So I use a 2.5mm drill bit, it's under sized for a reason. Obviously a mill would be best for this, but I still ain't got one. So one undersized bit and a good steady hand with the hand drill, or drill press. It's a pain in the duff drilling a hole that starts out on the curve of a barrel. Cutting fluid,  high speed & high torque drill with a light touch. Go halfway on one side, then flip & do the other side.



Now I run a 3mm straight reamer through for final size. Install the pin & repeat for the other pin.



I forgot to picture drilling some of the gas port.  But basically you run a jobber bit the same size as the port in the block to start  the port. Here's the fun part, pop the pins & push the gas block back off (unless you've a long ass tiny bit). Put something in the bore that is fairly soft. I use a brass rod, because it sucks balls when you punch through & damage the bore. More cutting fluid & steady pressure. When you see chips from whatever is in the bore, you're done. Reinstall the gas block.  

I took the side off of my little Ak-builder fire control drilling jig. Keep the bits straight & help locate the hole. Worked out pretty good.





If you've never had the joy of installing an Ak trigger, you've been denied one of the joys in life. Galil triggers suck more so.



It goes pew pew. Still has some teething issues, mostly extraction related.  Sometimes with a Galil you can cheat & skip the extractor cut on the barrel. I skipped it & I shouldn't have. Not getting reliable extraction, so that'll need to be addressed. Will deal with that when I chop the barrel down.

Girl child wanted to be a gun model. Had that 80's vibe going on that day.

And on to the next one, because I am pathetic. Found an old will need to be tweaked Century Arms L1a1 receiver for dirt cheap.

So a Fal mutt build it'll be. Guess what, an L1a1 receiver will take Bren gun 30 round L4a1 mags. Just happen to have some of those :)





Coupled with an Israeli light barrel kit. I'm thinking that I want to cut the barrel 16" for more of a carbine.





Will have to make some tools for this one & get some 7.62x51 headspace gauges and pin gauges.  Needed a set of the headspace gauges anyway. Should be fun.

I forgot to show off what my wonderful wife got me for my birthday last week. In a sneaky way. Wall of text incoming, but you need the story to go with it.

Few weeks back we were in our favorite fun shop h I spy something on my "I needs" list.

Colt US Army Model of 1917 in .45acp that hadn't been fucked with much.

Go figure, didn't have enough cash on hand for layaway, as I'm not a fan of using the credit card for gun stuff if I can help it. Go back a week later & some fucking asshat had put it on layaway all. Such is life, it happens. Move on to other things.

Went out running around today as I had the day off. Now the wife's favorite coffee shop is across the street from the gun shop, so I didn't think it odd that she said that we should see if they had anything new in.

Walk in & go peruse the glass case. Lo & behold, the Colt I want is back in the case with a nice new holster. And an unusual tag


I'm dense, the light bulb wasn't clicking on.

She got the whole damn store in this. She went in while I was in God only knows what state (truck driver) & paid for it. Got the shop owner to hide it. Got the employees to keep their mouths shut the 3 or 4 times I've been in since. Took in the new holster. Then set the whole thing up for today. Texting them right in front of me. All while I'm completely obvious.

They're all assholes. Could be a sign that we've spent way to much time there. Kinda cool when your wife & daughter are just as accepted at a gun shop as you are.

Anywho, the revolver isn't a pristine example. The barrel has a bulge in it, gunsmith says its OK to shoot still (yeah, she got the gunsmith in on this too), but I'll hunt up a replacement barrel. The grips are worn & I'll find replacements for those as well. The lanyard loop is missing, but I know where to find that.
The good, it is a WW1 property marked gun. Has the screaming eagle proof stamp. All numbered parts match. Mechanically it's in great condition.

Good birthday present.











Went out & put a box of cast & ball ammo through it, and it shoots pretty good despite the barrel.

OP continues to deliver.

On to some fal stuff & then a sneak peak at the following project.

The kit ended up being really nice. Almost a shame with what I've got in mind, but my mind is not firmly made up. First thing to know is that these century ICL serial number receivers are to be considered to be not much more than a paperweight.  They can work, but with a lot of work. Which I'm fine with, that's why it was dirt cheap & I want to use inch mags.

I'm starting with fitment of the barrel & lower. With the barrel being the more obnoxious of the two in my mind.

The receiver threads were nasty as hell. All gunked up & rather crusty. Brushed out what I could with a small stiff wire brush. Then screw in, & screw out the barrel repeatedly clearing the threads often. Took maybe twenty minutes.  

Crustyness.


The barrel times very short (the little scalloped cut should be at about the 11 o'clock position). While this is annoying, it's far better than over timing. The barrel itself isn't bottomed out in the receiver either. Still has about a .010" to .013" gap to work with.




But the good new is that the barrel shoulder makes good contact with the receiver face. Nearly concentric & flush. Which surprised me.  I'll turn the shoulder back .010" & reasses the timing. Used some lay out fluid on the receiver face to see where the barrel shoulder is contacting the receiver face. It's the darker area.

I am by no means an expert. I've just screwed up a lot crap over the years & do my best to learn from those mistakes.  

The alluded to next problem child project.
This I have a feeling that I'll end up doing a restoration on. Full strip & clean / parts replacement as needed. Followed by slow rust blue.
Normally I'm 110% against doing this on such a historical arm. But this dude is a serious basket case. The lower & guts & bolt are mostly matching numbers. Which is good. But the barrel, yikes. What I though was a bore, well it came out with the bore brush. This huy has I suspect been drilled in preparation for a reline that was never done. The bolt stop is cracked as well & in need of replacement. The wife has forbidden me from learning how to reline the bore myself, so that'll get farmed out. I believe that old guns are still ment to to be used, not just hanging on a wall & occasionally looked at.
But regardless this'll be a while happening as the wife got laid off Friday & money will be watched closer for now until the job situation improves.

The right & "correct"  way to fit a barrel that is out of timing, is to turn the shoulder of the flange back however much is needed to bring it into the correct time time prior to torquing the barrel down .

In short, my little notch for the piston support tube thingy is down by the red line. It needs to be up by the orange line ideally.  Since with the handy dandy feeler gauge, I know that there's .010" before the barrel bottoms out in the receiver. I can take that much off of the shoulder of the barrel.





Well unfortunately for me, my lathe is flipping tiny & my barrel wouldn't fit. So plan B would be to get someone else to do said turning operation. But what's the fun in that. So I did exactly what you're really NOT recommended to do. Especially not by hand. I faced the receiver.  For those who ain't in the know, facing a receiver is essentially the exact same thing as turning the shoulder back on the barrel. Just on the receiver as well.

Now I forgot to take pictures of the process.  But a quick & simple explanation.  Start with a metric crap ton of patience.  If you get in a hurry, you'll just make a paperweight.  This took a full day off & on for 8-10 hours to get done. You'll need a vice with soft jaws to hold the receiver snug & at a good angle to work at. Start with filing (no abrasive paper, to easy to roll over square corners & make it look stupid. Crisp sharp edges). Count your strokes of the file & cover the whole face with one pass. If going right to left, switch off & go left to right for the same number of passes. Rotate the receiver 90° & repeat.  Check the barrel shoulder to receiver face contact surface often. You really can't check it to often. The key here is to keep everything ture & square. Don't get aggressive with it.  Use a fine cut files. Swiss cut #4 - #6 are great. Which I have very few of. So American cut will work, but requires a light hand.

I've got a junk Galil front stub I'll try to remember to do a demonstration on for pictures.  Someone remind me if I forget.

Here's an idea of the finished product. Not done by a longshot, but you get an overall idea. I'll be keeping the 21" barrel. It's chrome lined & I'm not real sure I wanna chop it now.





May or may not be working on this one this weekend. I scored a new barrel for the C96 Mauser for dirt cheap on gunjoker. Which translates into, it needs work. If that shows up this week, we'll be looking at some interesting surgery for it. But damn it, I've wanted to shoot the gun of Han Solo since the early 80’s. It must be done!

As I thought,  I didn't get anything productive done over the weekend really.  Honey do list ate the whole thing up & when you're home two days a week, that little time goes quick.

But, I am pleased to say that I found me a fairly decent NOS replacement barrel for the Colt M1917. Has all the correct factory & guberment marking & stamps. Sticker price wasn't terrible. But still more than the run of the mill Ar or Ak barrel. But I do enjoy the hunt for old parts a lot. Should be a fairly straightforward job. Gonna make some new grips while I'm at it.


The problem child C96 Mauser God willing replacement barrel. It gonna need some work.... I've mulling over a plan of attack for the repair work I'll be needing to do.  Some ideas are starting to percolate a bit. One advantage of trucking, lotta time to think. Have welder. Can grind.




The front of the fal mutt was looking nekid to me. Parts bin to the rescue! Had an L1a1 flash hider collecting dust for the last decade or so. I've a fondness for the long flash hider like the L1a1, M14, Psl / Svd use. So that's what I'm gonna use. Best of all, it doesn't have some retarded frigging weird reverse metric thread pitch. No $150 specialty die for this one. Just plain Ole 9/16"x24 RH. If I ain't got one already,  it's a whooping $20 at the hardware store. Just mocked up for now, didn't remember where it was until right before I had to go to work.