I'm reading a book "Building double rifles on shotgun actions by W. Ellis Brown

I have two SKB s/s shotguns to use for this application and I have the milling equipment and a tool and die background to help out.

Has anyone ever done this? What advise can you offer on this.

Vapodog,
One year at the guild show, we had a commercial exhibitor who was selling double rifle or shotgun "kits". They were receivers, monoblocks and all the parts to build one of these by yourself. The price was very appealing and I considered it for a while. I then spoke to some of the ACGG members who did a lot of work in this area. They said the fitting of these parts is basically hand work and if you have the know how the time to do it will be 500 to 700 hours. I asked them the liklihood of me being able to complete it having never done it and they said it is higly unlikely. I gave up on it although the thought of it has always been intriguing. You have a lot more skills in this area than me and would likely have a greater chance of succeeding.

[ 10-30-2003, 23:06: Message edited by: Customstox ]

Over the years this has been something I have wanted to do also. I have gathered various small pieces of information and after I read Mr. Brown's book decided to take the plunge but on a low budget and in a non destructive manner.
I found a used Tristar 20ga shotgun and decided to make a .22 double rifle using the action. I did not cut out the monoblock but rather made a new one. Lots of measuring, lots of milling and cutting and many, many hours spent just thinking about how to do certain things. I used two Marlin .22 barrels.
Fitting the monoblock is at best tedious--I found that the best way for me was to work until I felt I was getting stressed and then setting it aside. My eventual fit was pretty good (the smoke blacking smears evenly) on one side and about .0015 on the other. The barrels, after soldering into the monoblock are solid against the face.
The quarter rib is fitted, hook in place, front sight and ribs are fitted. The quarter rib is soldered, hook soldered (tig would be nice).

At this point at 25 yards I shoot a one inch group with both barrels that is about one inch low and to the left. I am back in the thinking mode again about whether I want to use Mr. Browns methods for soldering the ribs and final sighting or building a jig like the one I saw in an article about Rigby.

I am certainly below you in skill level if you have tool and die making experience but I believe that if you take your time (lots of it) this is something a reasonably skilled and patient machinist can do. I have probably less than $100 in materiels and will still have a 20ga shotgun when this is completed. When I figure all the time I have spent in constuction, travel ,at the range, I think I should be able to figure my time at at least $.10 to $.25 per hour but lots of fun and satisfaction.

where is the best place to buy this book.
dean

Hey Chic,
Do you have any info on that "kit"

jeffe
<ceo, jeffe needs a double foundation>

The only place to buy the book that I know of is thru the publisher:

Bunduki Publishing
39384 WCR 19
Fort Collins CO
80524

Send check for $55

I've been working on a 470, but not very hard lately. After looking at some pics of a friend in Norway who put 45-70 bbl inserts in a 12ga and pistol gripped it, I decided to make some 470 inserts. It looked like much less work at the time. I have the inserts made and have shot the gun, but it needs to be regulated now. The barrels both make nice groups, but they are aways apart. I still have some room to turn down the ends of the barrels, so I'll try that and shim inside of the shotgun barrels to see if I can get them to shoot together. If not, then I think I'll unsolder about 12" of the shotgun barrels and wedge them apart to get the barrels regulated. I started on an Antique Belgian 12ga with Greener cross bolt. It is Nitro Proofed and seems to have held up well to the proof test and regular loads with nothing measurable as far as it going off face. The stock cracked and I have it mostly repaired now. I milled a steel recoil block and just need to finish fitting it to the stock and install the recoil pad when I find some time.

I'm not a professional anything, but it seems to be going pretty good so far and has been lots of fun. If this one works out, I have a 10ga that looks like it could be a 577 or 600??? I'd like to see if I could make a monoblock to start from and keep the shotgun barrels also.

Double rifles are horrendously expensive for a reason. It is extremely difficult to regulate the barrels so they shoot in the same place with one sight. If the two barrels are not precisely installed they will not shoot to anywhere near each other. There is no cheap FNG way to do this. It takes experience and skill.

[ 10-31-2003, 23:13: Message edited by: sunray ]

Jeffe,
I will dig around and see what I can find. I did keep some of the literature. All of the parts and pieces had to be fitting to the action, making this one even more difficult. A freind bought one and I will check with him.

Chic,I found it right away.It was Crown Press & Custom Parts, Tel. 440-275-1400 (crownpress@allnet.net). They were at the 2002 convention. If I remember right, they could supply all the basic rough parts, including wood. Most were "as cast", meaning you had lots of finish work, plus fitting. The basic kit was around $750 as I remember. Gave it lots of thought as a class project in gunmaking, but didn't think a 75% completion by students was feasible. Even Ralph Martini didn't seem too interested! ~Arctic~

That was them. I spoke to Toby Leeds and Dennis Potter about the process of building one and fitting all the pieces and they said basically to forget it. One man's poison though.......

[ 11-01-2003, 11:45: Message edited by: Customstox ]

Chic.

I looked at those parts also, they were well machined but they are still a LOT of hand work to be done to them.

I have been giving some serous thought about getting back into making o/u express rifles.
The touble is the ribs and rimless extractors.
Regulation is time consuming but there are tricks to that also.

Jim wisner