The gunsmith's manual

HISTORY OF THE GUN 9 Discovery of Gunpowder 9 The First Fire Arms 9 Earliest Hand Guns 10 Prejudice Against Fire Arms 10 The First Rifle 11 The Arquebus 11 The Match Lock 12 Mus...

HOW GUNS ARE MADE 22 Gunsmith, Gunmaker 22 Gun Barrels, Best Materials for 23 On Making Gun Barrels 24 Finishing and Proving 25 Action, Stock and Final Finish 26 On Making the R...

GUNS NOW IN USE 29 Gun Defined 29 The Old Flint Lock Gun 29 The Percussion Lock Gun 31 On the Muzzle Loaders 33 The Breech Loaders 34 Variety of Breech Loaders 36

TOOLS REQUIRED FOR WORK, THEIR COST, ETC. 47 The Alcohol Lamp 47 The Alcohol Lamp, Self-blowing 47 Anvil 48 Barrel Planes 48 Bevel 49 Beveling Clamp 49 Blacksmith’s Tongs 50 Blo...

TOOLS, ETC., AND HOW TO MAKE THEM 59 The Alcohol Lamp 59 A Self-blowing Lamp 61 Breech Wrenches 63 The Bit Stock 64 Bottoming Tools 65 Chequering Tools 66 Nipple Wrenches 67 Por...

THE WORK BENCH 74 Material for the Work Bench 74 How to Make the Work Bench 75 Putting the Vise in Place 76 Place for Drawer 76 The Gun Brace 76 How to Deaden the Noise of Hamme...

ON WORKING IN IRON 79 Hand Forging 79 Welding 79 Hardening Iron by Hammering 80 Case-hardening 81 A Good Way to Case-harden 82 Material for Case-hardening 84 Another Way to Case...

ON WORKING IN STEEL 89 Hand Forging Steel 89 Welding Steel 89 Tempering 91 To Restore Burnt Steel 93 Annealing Steel 94 To Blue Steel 94 To Remove Blue Color From Steel 94 Tempe...

ON WORKING IN SILVER, COPPER AND BRASS 99 To Forge Silver 99 To Polish Silver 99 Light Plate for Copper or Brass 99 To Clean Silver 100 To Work Copper 100 To Work Brass 101 To C...

ON GUN STOCKS 108 Form of Gun Stocks 108 Dimensions for Single Gun 111 Dimensions for Double Gun 111 Laying Out Gun Stocks 111 How to Stock a Gun 114 The First Operation in Stoc...

ON GUN BARRELS 129 Long and Short Barrels 129 Proof of Barrels 131 Proof Marks on Barrels 133 Gauge of Guns 135 Bursting of Barrels 138 To Prevent Barrels from Rusting 138 Prote...

ON WORK ON GUN BARRELS 140 Boring Gun Barrels 140 How to Make Cutters for Boring 141 Quick Boring Gun Barrels 141 Proving the Size During Boring 142 Draw Boring 142 Choke Boring...

ON GUN RIBS 173 How to Straighten a Rib 173 How to Fit a Rib 174 How to Fit a Rib to an Octagon Barrel 174 How to Solder on a Rib 174 How to Re-solder Ribs 176 Height of Ribs 178

ON GUN LOCKS 190 Quality of Locks 190 The Back Action Lock 191 The Bar Lock 191 Side Action Lock 192 The Wesley Bar Lock 193 The Central Lock 193 Cleaning Locks, etc. 194 How to...

ON NIPPLES OR CONES 205 Forms of Nipples 205 Nipples for Breech Loading Arms 206 Nipples with Flat Tops 206 The American Musket Nipple 207 Nipples Used in Sporting Guns 208 Prep...

ON SPRINGS 212 Main Springs 212 Sear Springs 212 How to Forge Main Springs 213 How to Temper Main Springs 214 Cheap Springs for Revolvers 215 Coiling Wire for Springs, etc. 216

NOMENCLATURE 238 Nomenclature of the Gun Stock 238 Nomenclature of the Gun Lock 239 Nomenclature of the Hammer 240 Nomenclature of the Lock Plate 240 Nomenclature of the Tumbler...

ON BROWNING 243 Objects of Browning 243 Preparatory Process 243 The Process of Browning 245 Browning Damascus Barrels 245 Browning Belgian Damascus Barrels 245 Browning Inferior...

RECIPES FOR BROWNING 249 Thirteen Recipes for Plain Barrels 249 Four Recipes for Twist Barrels 252 To Blue Gun Barrels 252 Brown Tint for Iron or Steel 253 Transparent Blue for...

MISCELLANEOUS 255 Shellac and Its Uses 255 How to Make Shellac Varnish 255 How to Conceal Bad Places in Wood 256 Another Method 256 Emery Cloth and Emery Paper 256 Uses of the A...

ON POWDER AND SHOT 267 Comparative Sizes of Shot 270 Soft Shot Pellets to Ounce 269 Chilled Shot Pellets to Ounce 270 Comparative Sizes of Balls 272 Colt’s Pistol Sizes 272 Comp...

MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES 274 Soft Soldering 274 Good Soft Solder 274 Soldering Fluid 275 Brazing 275 To Brase Lugs on Barrels 275 Hard Soldering 275 Hard Solders, Three Formulas 27...

DIRECTIONS FOR TAKING APART AND ASSEMBLING GUNS, RIFLES AND PISTOLS 346 Rifles 346 The Ballard Rifle 346 The Burgess System 346 Burnside’s Rifle 347 The Evans Rifle 348 Hotchkis...

_Discovery of Gunpowder._—No authentic records have been left to show when or by whom was discovered the wonderful properties of the chemical compound now known as gunpowder; no...

_Gunsmith—Gunmaker._—The modern gunsmith is not necessarily a gunmaker, but rather a repairer of guns that have happened to get out of order. In earlier days the devotees to his...

_Guns Defined._—Excepting the pistol, and the mortar, perhaps, all fire-arms now in use are classed under the name of guns. The cannon or artillery ordnance in all its sizes and...

_Old-Style Pistols._—Pistols, the smallest of fire-arms, were originally plain implements of a single barrel; but, as improvements advanced, a second barrel was added to many of...

_The Gunsmith and his Trade._—Few trades present so little regular routine as does that of the gunsmith. In most trades it is the same thing over and over again; but, with the e...

_To Take the Gun Apart._—With the muzzle-loading guns now in common use this is an operation so simple as to be scarcely worthy a mention. If the gun is an old-fashioned breech-...

_To Clean the Gun when Apart._—In olden times a bucket of water and a wisp of tow and a stout “wiper” had to be brought into requisition, particularly for the interior of the ba...

Given in alphabetical order are some of the tools that will be required by the gunsmith, and in connection a very brief sketch is given of their approximate cost at hardware sto...

The tools given in this chapter are such as are needed by the gunsmith, and as directions are given for making them, they can be made by almost any ingenious person during leisu...

_Material for the Work Bench._—The first thing to do in fitting up a shop is to put up a work bench. Do not make a rude affair of an unplaned plank and a rough board, but let it...

_Hand-Forging._—Two rates of heat figure in this operation. If the object is merely a smoothing of the surface of the iron, the “cherry-red heat,” so-called, is the rate wanted....

_Hand-Forging Steel._—In the main this does not differ materially from the same work in iron. Special care must be exercised to have the fire clear of sulphur, hence charcoal is...

_To Forge Silver._—The gunsmith will not have much to do with silver in the work of his trade, though instances may occur now and then when he will be called upon to make or rep...

_The Woods Most in Use._—Various woods are now employed for making gun stocks, but among them all, the most popular, perhaps, is black walnut. It is deservedly so from the fact...

_Form of Gun Stocks._—When a customer orders a stock to be made, or has a gun to be re-stocked, the gunsmith will observe the length of his customer’s arms, length of neck, his...

_Long and Short Barrels._—A long barrel may be preferable for several reasons: 1st. A longer distance between the sights is given and the back sight can be put farther from the...

_Boring Gun Barrels._—The tool used for this purpose consists of a rod a little longer than the barrel to be bored, with a cutter head at one end. This cutter is about one-half...

With this form of “cup” there is great solidity of breech, and there need be but little fear of miss-fire or hang-fire in shooting, if the gun be properly loaded.

_Breeching Reamers._—The form of breeching reamers is shown in Fig. 35. The extension is supposed to fill the bore of the gun, and when it does so the tool will make a cut that...

When chambering barrels for breech-loaders, the utmost care should be observed to make the chamber exactly concentric with the bore, and have it smooth and well finished. Do not...

_How to Straighten a Gun Rib._—Gun ribs, as received from the manufacturer or dealer, are more or less crooked and winding and must be made straight before being fastened to the...

_How to Make Thimbles._—What is called a thimble by gunsmiths is the short tube, soldered, or otherwise attached to the gun barrel, which retains the ramrod in place when not in...

_Importance of Rifling._—In a rifle the grooving is of the utmost importance; for velocity without accuracy is useless. To determine the best kind of groove has been, accordingl...

_Quality of Locks._—It is impossible to judge the quality of a gun lock by a mere examination, for if the metal be not the very best and the workmanship be also good, some porti...

_To Fit a Hammer on a Tumbler._—To file the hole in a gun-hammer so that it will rest firmly and evenly upon the squared end of the tumbler, has tested the skill and patience of...

The terms nipple, cone and tube are applied in rather an indiscriminate manner to that portion of a gun breech on which the copper cap containing the fulminate designed for firi...

_Mainsprings._—Mainsprings are made for right and left side locks, and are known as right and left. Very few gunsmiths make these springs, as they are kept in stock and can be p...

_How to Make Ramrods._—Ramrods are of two forms, the straight rod used for rifles, and the tapered rod used for shot guns. The wood that is most in use is hickory, which is spli...

_Joints for Bullet Moulds._—Simple as it may seem, the joint of bullet moulds, unless produced by the manufacturer, who has ample tools at his command, is not often well done. T...

The tools used by the “old time” gunsmith for screw making were few and simple, and are now seldom found except in the shop of some “old veteran” of the trade. Twenty-five or th...

_Nomenclature of the Gun Stock._—Fig. 76 shows a gun stock with the locks, plates and other metal portions removed, _a_, is the butt; _b_, the small or handle; _c_, the head; _d...

_Object of Browning._—Browning is done for the purpose of subduing the bright color of the barrel from the sight of game; to bring out the fibres of the metal to show their form...

_Solution for Browning Gun Barrels._—Make a solution by putting together in a glass vessel, spirits of nitre, three-quarter ounce; tincture of steel, three-quarter ounce; black...

_Shellac and its Uses._—Gum shellac is the gunsmith’s friend. It is the best material from which to make the varnish he uses, and in wood-working, if there be cracks or checks i...

_To Select Buck Shot._—The proper way is to put a wad in the muzzle of the gun, about half an inch down, and fit the shot in perfect layers; if this is observed, there will be n...

_Soft Soldering._—Soft solder, so called, is a composition made by melting together two parts tin and one part lead. If the gunsmith ever has occasion to use it, he will need a...

_The Muzzle-Loading Shot-Gun._—In the days when the gun of this character was at its zenith, its quality could be approximately decided upon by a glance at the manufacturer’s br...

_The Old Kentucky Rifle._—The old backwoods hunters who used the long Kentucky rifle, had really but a very imperfect idea of its capabilities. The gun was provided with a hind...

_Born Shooters._—Every man who uses a gun at all will feel an ambition to use it skillfully, and when he finds himself falling short of his aspirations he will apply to his guns...

_Natural Talent._—The number of persons who are really good shots with the pistol is smaller than one would be apt to suppose after considering how many weapons of this kind are...

_Action._—The iron bed attached to the stock of a breech-loading gun, into the recess of which the lump descends and is secured. The term is used generally as “side action,” “sn...

_Acid, Gallic._—Acid produced in yellowish colored crystals, derived from nut-galls or oak-apples. Soluble in water and alcohol. Nut galls are an import ingredient in the manufa...

The Lancaster Rifle, Muzzle Loader. Bore smooth and elliptical diameter at muzzle; greater axis, 550; lesser axis, 540; greater axis at breech, 557; lesser axis, 543. The twist...

_To Take Apart._—1, take the sight from the barrel; 2, take off the stock by unscrewing butt-plate; and turning out the long tang screw; 3, drop the lever and take out lever scr...