I was looking at the photos of an A-square rifle on one of the gun sales sites, can't remember which. It showed the action out of the stock, and how they welded the magazine to the action.

What are your thoughts on doing this? Pros/Cons?

Seems like a simple solution that has some advantages, like using the box for recoil management if inlet tightly.

I've only ever seen or heard of them doing it this way. Made me wonder why.

Jeremy

Here ya go. Had one years ago but it went off to the happy hunting grounds.





Recoil lug was welded also. Guess what: Barrel had 0.035" run out at the lug area. Hmmm.

It's a good idea, only on Enfields which have a riveted, milled, relatively thick walled, box. On most commercial rifles with their thin sheet steel box, I can't see the benefit. OTOH, it wouldn't hurt anything.

The one on the A Square above is made from 1/8" steel sheet. Looks like it came from Farmer Joe's welding and tractor fixin shop.

My thoughts were the 1/8" thick walls helped to keep those .510 cartridges in place when you dropped the rifle because the coil check stock was so unwieldy.

For what A Square was charging for a rifle I would have expected the metal work to be much better. Those welds look like I did them

It seemed to me that permanently attaching the box could help in a couple ways. Take up recoil, and make the transition from mag to feed rail seamless.

On a Mauser it could help stiffen the action, and add support. Those rails are pretty thin after machining for a Rigby, or Jeffery.

Yeah, no help on a Winchester, or other action designed to feed from a sheet metal mag.

Just wondering why they were the only ones that I have ever seen do it. Not saying their rifles were works of art, but they were reliable utility rifles. I've never heard someone say they were fragile or dainty.

Jeremy

A Squares were quite utilitarian in construction. Not supposed to be fancy.
Why didn't anyone else do it? Because they used one piece bottoms.

the ONLY advantage to what they did with this rifles is it kept warranty replacement of mag boxes down. You can't use for "recoil management" -- which is what the welded on CHUNK in the barrel is for ..

it's an expedient, it's horrible craftsman ship, it's a cheap work around for actually thinking the problem through ... oh, it's effective ... sure ...

if you tried to tame a big bore by using a TERRIBLY welded plate box, which has been dinosaur turd welded and ground down, it would crush and deform in seconds .. welding up and ungussetted weak box would only result it making it even more ugly.

it wasn't even TIG welded .. which is still pretty weak in construction for purpose .. 120 ft/lbs of recoil trying to be controlled by 0.125" of mild steel with terrible welds?

this is "dovetail the barrel, tap and solder it on, call it a day" .. or just take a nap and walk away ...

quote:

Originally posted by WoodHunter:
Looks like it came from Farmer Joe's welding and tractor fixin shop.

My welds on my tractor fixin don't even look that bad...and I'm not exactly concerned with them being pretty either.

After one look at the stumps (I mean stocks) I really never cared about the metal work.

Had a 243 Mossberg White lighting , something like that , welded box to receiver . It was a low cost rifle .

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
After one look at the stumps (I mean stocks) I really never cared about the metal work.

thanks Ray - that put some ice tea into my nose from laughing --

though, honestly, i've never seen anything as ugly in nature as a coil chunk