What caliber are the barrels you're talking about? I have read about the home shops where Pathans make entire small arms, including full/semi-auto, almost entirely by hand. Amazing.

Todd

A side by side should have a reinforced frame and side clips. An over under MUST lock at bottom AND top unless it's a Browning Superposed.

Both must have bushed pins with a self-sealing flange or risk blindness with the first pierced primer.
You better check for the thickness of the breech face, too. Use nothing but STEEL receivers. The cheap cast ones can do surprising things when hit hard.

Just so I'm clear. Any shotgun will go "bang" when fitted with a rifle insert. Some will shoot accurately, too.

To be SAFE while doing it?? See above.

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Originally posted by Todd Getzen:
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I have read about the home shops where Pathans make entire small arms, including full/semi-auto, almost entirely by hand. Amazing.

Todd

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Todd,

My riflesmith toured throught the arms bazaar at Peshwar about 10 or so years ago. He took some photos and showed them to me.

Scrap metal is placed in a crucible and 'steel' is produced by the expedient of tossing a lump of magnesium in and lighting!

A complete Enfield rifle is produced. There are 2 versions, lux or standard. The standard barrel is made from - a length of steel concrete reinforcer! They even fake the proof marks!

Now I wonder if they could produce a H&H Royal in 450/400 for me?

Not sure about 450/400 but nowadays there are some amazingly mint H&H royal 12 bores floating around the market, not to say about lesser grade boxlocks like Webley & Scott.

These fake guns are produced by some best gun smiths in Tribal area using best materials they can obtain such as imported steels and best walnut. Engraving is done and even proof marks are duplicated. Usually serial numbers are duplicated from the original guns used as model for fake ones, so that if the buyer checks the firm's records, it is validated that the gun was made in 1934.. or so.

Excited buyer with average technical knowledge, impressed by the big names of London gun makers, is lured by the below average price of about Rs. 150,000 to 250,000 ($2500 to $4000) for a Holland & Holland sidelock. The actual cost of such gun may be around Rs. 35,000 ($550) i.e., paid to the gunsmith.

Obviously, a person with experienced eye and technical know-how about British double shotguns, could recognize the origin of these guns and their faults.

However, I do know a maker, who does not belong to that infamous Dara Adam Khel (Peshawar) area, and made double shotguns in both boxlock and sidelock actions with his own name and over booked for three years!

He died a year ago and his sons are continuing the business. I observed their working and guns. And found them well made, balanced and very close to British guns. Price was Rs. 40,000 ($650) for boxlock and Rs. 80,000 ($1350) for sidelock.

Workmanship was exceptional considering their location in a remote underdeveloped area and the machinery they have and the fact that the said person started his career as a carpenter of a small village.

Saad

I also have one of the IZH-18 shotguns )in 20 gauge) The one thing that I would wory about, that has not been mentioned, is the size of the firing pin and firing pin hole. These are much larger than the normal rifle firing pins and I would be worried of that much rifle primer being unsupported during firing. I would not be surprized at all for primers to rupture. I have worked with converting rimfire bolts to centerfire, and if the old rimfire firing pin path is not welded up (or at least filled well) and refinished, ruptured primers are common, and not fun. I work with VERY small wildcats based on the 25ACP case, so I am not dealing with the volume of gasses that you are talking about. Personally I woould worry more about this than the rupturing of a case. A good rifle barrel insert will support the case, and backthrust (using small casehead calibers) may not be as high as the original shotgun. But gass escaping from a ruptured primer could spoil your entire day. At a minimum I think I would fit a smaller diameter firing pin and fit a flanged sleeve to the guide hole.