Danmark

Way back when I wrote my first entry in my Shooting Shed Journal, the concept was to keep a note of some of the more interesting projects I undertook. Something I maintained until 2022 when life and health conspired against me and Christel and I decided to call it a day and retire. It was certainly not expected as I was not even drawing my pension!

Now, so many years after my first entry, I find myself entering a new stage of my Journal and a new life with new challenges and adventures, here in Denmark. If you would like to follow my life on a Danish island then click:

Denmark

or select the Denmark tab top left.

Alternatively, if you are here for something shooting related then the search function is a good place to start. Either way, it is good to see you here.

David 07/1/2023

Quick fitting of a Stock and and Forend for a 682 Gold E

A new left hand stock and forend for a 682 Gold E.
The customer shot with a right handed 690 E that had been cast to fit him as a left handed shooter, the problem was it had cracked across one of the cheeks and not really worth attempting a repair.
The problem was sourcing new woodwork and it did take a little while to find something suitable. Eventually a cardboard box with a brand new stock set arrived and it was time to put everything together.
Fit on Berretta stuff is usually very close however some fine tuning is always required. Time to get the best chisels out.
Our workshop is a mix of machinery, office, counter and benches, we have lathes, mill, heat treatment, horizontal and vertical band-saws, surface grinder and numerous other things including work benches in the lower level of the chapel.
In the raised lower section under two huge windows for the maximum light is my wood working bench. It is a Sjöbergs that is probably 50 years old now and is very solid. Wood working benches need to be robust and not bounce around the floor and this is perfect for what we do here. However it is not all about big hammers…
I use Lie-Nielsen chisels for finer jobs and Marples for more general work. All of my chisels are sharpened by hand with a Veritas honing fixture using the ‘Scary Sharp system’ and the end result being the ability to literally split hairs, so a Beretta stock was not going to be an issue. Mallets if ever used include one made by myself plus examples made by my Son, my Father and my Grand Father. I also use chisels that have belonged to all three of them in the past.
I am sure the customer is going to be pleased.
This was the fourth time I was working on woodwork this week, first was a repair to a forend, then a second forend repair, this fitting job and oiling the final one.
This coming week also going to be a packed week on guns

FELWG Minutes October 2021

The minutes to the October 2021 FELWG (Firearms Explosives Working Group) are out and I have added them to the repository linked below, I have also left a copy on this page to save you some click and scroll work.

Many thanks to Paul W for forwarding myself the copy.

https://shootingshed.co.uk/wp/category/felwg/

FELWG-Minutes-Oct-2021

Disk set strikers/bushed strikers

Disk set strikers/bushed strikers.
You know what I mean, often found on Side by Side shotguns the striker (firing pin) is removed from the front and held in place by a bushing or disk that has two or three holes in it for a peg spanner to enable it to be screwed into the face.
The idea being that you pop your peg spanner in place, unscrew the disk, replace the striker and spring as required, put it back together and look at the next job.
The problem is the PCD (Pitch Circle Diameter) and the number of holes vary quite a bit so I need a few different tools. Yesterday I broke a tool on a Spanish gun and decided it was time to do something different.
The issue is the pegs snap off and the tool is rendered scrap so use needle rollers at the correct diameter, this way if I snap one I just replace it with another one and here is the tool ready to go in the HT oven when the final customer has been and gone.
The rollers are incredibly cheap so I buy 50 at a time and if I need a 1.8mm peg instead of a 2.0mm I just turn the end of the roller down. I will use this style every time I need a different size or PCD and should end up with all I need as time goes by. Plus it is always nice to make your own hand tools.
I have since heat treated and tempered the tool and it should see me out.
There are many different versions of this tool, this is my one.