Serious questions about a serious build - sorry if this is long. Standard disclaimers apply - I'm just looking for opinions and not legal advise.

My dad turned 80 this year. This was his first real varmint gun growing up in NY. It came from a Remington master gunsmith who had installed a select barrel in 22 k-hornet that drilled 3/8ths inch groups. At some point (~60 years ago) my dad machined the receiver block/firing pin assembly himself out of tool steel, but it wasn't hardened and he isn't sure what the steel was so he doesn't know which hardening process should be used. I'd really like to use that piece - is there any way to tell how to get it hardened.

The barrel is gone, ruined, & lost.

He was told way back in the day that he could do up to a 219 zipper Ackley improved or he would blow it up. I see that they were made up to .45-100 or better, and they were rated as a strong receiver for general models. People run 45-70 smokeless up to 40PSI or CUP or something (don't recall exactly but can look it back up). It looks like there were some few "high power" models that used the same receiver but a different block and pin.

So here is where I am really stuck and very unclear and not ready to proceed - would a new correctly hardened receiver block in the original receiver handle something like a .257 roberts? Is there any way to utilize his receiver block? Or another great caliber selection. Sure, .45-70 is a real good option, and nothing against it.

Other details to embellish - we are leaning toward the Walker treatment, double set trigger, trigger guard lever (I'm left eyed), half round half octagon barrel, turnbull case colors blue barrel.

The gun has no purpose. It will be shot significantly though. Looking for the most fun and sentimental integrity (this was a groundhog gun back when it was important, and it never missed) but I'd like a bigger bore myself.

Here is what I have (small chance the rest of the receiver parts will show up in another jar in the disarray in which case I will use those instead of the set trigger/lever)-








Screws and parts are missing, but I can run that down unless someone has it in mind what I need. Parts are surprisingly easy to find but require fitting and hardening.


Here is where we are going very generally (the lever is a bit overly fancy IMO, but it is period and I could use it LH; different optic/sight/stock preferences too.




Anyways, this is a very  important father/son deal - I hope you have some time to lend any experience.

Other more minor issues - source for a barrel, who to chamber it/fit parts.

I kind of like the idea of black powder, he does not.

Wrong forum.

This is where you need to make your inquiry:

http://www.assra.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl

Yeah, I had a feeling it wouldn't go very far here. Thanks for the tip.