Inspiration I got From Shelley

[crb]

I call it the erector set. The 2" square tube will have most of the upper surface milled off to a wedge shape tapering to the front. It will have a 3" plastic glide plate added. If it seems to shoot as well as a conventional glue-in then I will do me a drop port Viper to compete with. I still have parts to make for the buttstock.

 

[Don]

Not sure?

What are you trying to accomplish?

Is there a balancing or barrel attachment theory that you are trying to investigate?......................Don

 

[GS Arizona]

Very intriguing! How does that threaded collar attach to the barelled action?

 

[crb]

GS,
There is a .250" 'recoil lug' machined in the rear of the collar. I will be able to take my 40x action out of it's Stith stock, remove the bbl and Holland lug, slide the steel sleeve over the tenon, reinstall the bbl and have the headspace be in spec.

I want to be able to swap back and forth between a conventional pillar bedded stock and this set-up to gauge the performance. If this set up shoots the same as the pillars and devcon then I can eliminate devcon from my life

If I want a conventional stock I machine the stock's forend to accept the 2" alum section and free float the action.

Lots of potential applications.

 

[mike in co]

i actually think its nice to see you bolt gun guys trying to make a single shot ar platform.......uh oh....
doning fire suit, ducking.....
mike in co

 

[Spott3r]

Inspiration de Shelley.

Wow,
This is so cool. Way to go.

 

[mike in co]

i think shelly's tube gun was an awsome departure from the norm..and it shot.
mike in co

 

[crb]

Shelley's work was definitely ground breaking but I think the concept of the Free Float Tube is the next step. Getting everything square with the TT [ Tinker Toy ] was probably a bit tedious and there were more individual but related parts. With the FFT set up getting the rec and forend in the correct plane will be simple.

If a person wants to experiment with bbl indexing the FFT design would make it pretty simple. Make the forend nearly as long as the bbl and leave it square [ don't mill off the top surface iow ]. Attach some Davidson blank scope base to the top of the forend for mounting the scope. Leave off the buttstock and make up some sort of buttplate right at the back of the rec.

By using two front rests, one at the front of the forend and one just in front of the rec you will be able to shoot the set up pretty accurately. Then you loosen the pinch bolt, rotate the action and bbl 90 degrees, tighten the pinch bolt and shoot the next group.

 

[crb]

More progress, glide plate and more buttstock bits.

 

[crb]

The Erector Set stock is almost ready to go to a match this weekend. I assembled the stock to my 40x rimfire. I have a bbl fitted with a Pacnor nut and this made it possible to use the threaded sleeve without modification. This action uses a .235 recoil lug in its original Don Stith stock. The sleeve has a .250 lug. I did have to turn the od of the Pacnor nut.

The rifle weighs just under 10 lbs ready to go. I still need to square up the reticle, boresight the scope and adjust the trigger. Also am going to make a rear rest using a block of nylon.

 

[Dennis Sorensen]

Please tell more about the donut on the end of the barrel... and more detailed pics too...

 

[crb]

A Canadian should be able to identify a hockey puck even if said puck has been well chewed by a Scottish Terrier.

 

[JohnM]

Nice workmanship crb, its coming together nicely

The cooling we taked about from the barrel won't be a probblem with a rimfire. It is though firing 12+ shot strings with a centerfire

Did you turn the barrel yourself? and what was your thinking behind doing this...

Thanks
John

 

[crb]

John,
My idea with using the bbl nut was to avoid major cross section changes like at a bbl shoulder and also to have a straight cylinder for the majority of the bbl. The unturned section at the muzzle was to retain the choke this Anschutz blank has.