Mtman725
The Last Best place, MT
So, a fellow ML, is moving, I pick up a load of supplies and a early CVA 50 cal. Mountain rifle, with the new late season shoulder hunt, I was in. Plus, he gave me a deal I couldn't say no to. The gun was rough to say the least, but I like working on them, but things went bad turned into an ankle bitter. After pulling it apart, the gun had not been cleaned in decades, no kidding. I worked the lock plate off, and it fell apart in my hand and was dirty as 3 pigs in mud. The more I looked the more I found. Somewhere in its life someone had welded the under rib to the barrel, and the thimbles to the rib very poor work. Then made homemade tenon's to boot. I figured if I could get it shooting get out a few times I would worry about the rest later not so lucky. First range session, was going well, some of the old caps wouldn't go off I mean when was the last time you seen Alcan's? Got it on paper @ 25 yds she was off to the right and low, made some adjustments and moved out to 50. Was hitting petty well center @ 12 cool. Moved out to 100, loaded her up on the sandbags figured I would cock it then seat down. When I took my thumb off the hammer she let go!!!!!!!!!!! Sacred you know what out of me. I through maybe I had hit the trigger. Not so dumb, she wouldn't stay in full cock. At home pulled the lock off and, on the thimble, the second leg had broken at the tip about a 1/16th. 
O boy the best laid plans of mice and men. Got to looking for parts and found www.deercreekproducts.net, he's got a nice sight, had parts for older guns, schematics for many guns so one could get part numbers. As an old parts guy it made it easy, plus he had just about all of what I was in need of. With the holiday on us shipping been slow, took the Dremel to the welds, was slow going, but a bit at a time with the stone wheels then a cut off disk, a sharp rap with a soft hammer off it can. The lock and tenons showed up yesterday and a friend gave me a part of a bottle of Plum brown. Went over to a machine's friend and he loaned me so nice flat about 3" wide by 6" some diamond stone, cleaned up the flats and the last of the welds. Got must of the file marks out. How just waited for the thimbles and screws, and under lug. Will post some photo's after I get her back together. Coming out nice.
O boy the best laid plans of mice and men. Got to looking for parts and found www.deercreekproducts.net, he's got a nice sight, had parts for older guns, schematics for many guns so one could get part numbers. As an old parts guy it made it easy, plus he had just about all of what I was in need of. With the holiday on us shipping been slow, took the Dremel to the welds, was slow going, but a bit at a time with the stone wheels then a cut off disk, a sharp rap with a soft hammer off it can. The lock and tenons showed up yesterday and a friend gave me a part of a bottle of Plum brown. Went over to a machine's friend and he loaned me so nice flat about 3" wide by 6" some diamond stone, cleaned up the flats and the last of the welds. Got must of the file marks out. How just waited for the thimbles and screws, and under lug. Will post some photo's after I get her back together. Coming out nice.
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