Building a Single Action Army from scratch

[LittleMan]

In the video series beginning below a very talented young woman shows us some things. Not the least of which is that the very concept of gun control is fatally flawed, in that any person with a block of steel and the know how can just build a gun any durn time they want one. No waiting period, no government approval needed, just some good steel and some knowledge and determination. Of course she also shows us in our society a woman can be or do whatever she wants to be or do.

This is video 1 of a 17 video series she made about the project. When you finish watching the first episode you will see links to the second, third, etc.

In these videos the young woman uses a built gun to take dimensional measurements which she used for the build. You don’t have to trouble to do that. Unblock your ad blocker and click on the link below for a copy of Kuhnhausen’s book on the “Colt Single Action Revolvers, A Shop Manual.”

All of the dimensions you would need to make something that works from the knowledge and techniques she shares in the videos are there in that book.

I note also that although as part of the proof of concept she makes her own tools and cutters in the videos, many of them are available fairly cheaply on Ebay. I am throwing in a couple of links on the bottom of this page to where you too can find and buy these tools and cutters, steel spring stock, etc.

You may also if you like gunsmithing or play with lathes and mills find some interesting tips and approaches to problems in these videos. This talented woman freely shares her knowledge about all aspects of the pistol building project. As part of the build these free videos cover such things as making screws, grips, springs and forging them, cutting cylinder ratchets, and even rifling your own barrels in some detail. It is an excellent video series and my advice is sit down with a cup of coffee, a notebook and pen, allow YouTube ‘autoplay’ watch, learn and just enjoy them.

click on the red for
some cutters shown in the video

Part 1 deals with cylinder and frame fabrication.

[LittleMan]

Here is video 2a of the series. Fabrication of the revolver frame is begun.

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Here is video 2b of the series

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Here is video 3 of the series

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Here is video 4 in the series

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Here is part 5 of the series. Still working on the frame,

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Here is part 6A. The hammer, hammer screw, trigger and bolt screw are worked on.

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Part 6B continuing work on the major screws (4130 steel) and also shaping the hammer.

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Video #7 in the series. Cutting and shaping the trigger a recess in the hammer for the bolt, tempering the screws, fitting pins, fabricating a cutter for the frame’s cylinder ratchet clearance, building a frame fixture, shaping the loading gate cuts, the base pin.

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Video #8, the trigger guard, grip,

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video #9, finishing the grip, slimming spring stock, making the mainspring, heat treating a spring, tempering the spring, building the hammer roller and the trigger spring.

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Here is part 10 which shows fabricating the bolt, heat treating the bolt, building the ratchet hand, pinning the ratchet pin in place, cutting the ratchet teeth on the cylinder witha 60 degree dovetail cutter, scribing and cutting the bolt notches in the cylinder (a woodruff key cutter is used).

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Video 11, making (rosewood) grips, grip screw fabrication, a threaded bushing is made prior to drilling the chambers, xutting the chambers (two methods discussed), mention of reaming (Pacific tools sells chamber reamers, so (sometimes) does Brownell),

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Video 12 in the series, making a chamber reamer (from O-1 tool steel), heat treating the reamer, drilling a barrel (it is perhaps, in the interest of avoiding work, worth noting pre-drilled, pre-rifled barrel blanks are available from several commercial sources).

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Video 13 in the series. This video deals with turning the barrel to the proper outside diameter, threading the barrel, fitting the barrel, installing a forcing cone, building a rifling cutter, cutting rifling,

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Video 14 of the series, building the ejector tube, the ejector, attaching the ejector tube, making a cutter to cut the loading gate relief, xutting the gate relief, making the loading gate door, fitting it.

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Video 15 in the series, buillding the loading gate edtennt pin, making the coil spring for the loading gete detent from music wire, making and fitting and attaching a firing pin, making a pin to help hold the grips in place under recoil, making the ejector thumb piece, making the ejector rod and spring, making and installing the front sight, base pin plunger, mechanical completion, cold bluing and the test firing.

[LittleMan]

Final video of the series. The Blue prints for the revolver built in this video series.

It is recommended you use 4140 steel for the cylinder as shown.

Have fun.

Send us pictures of your builds.

[Author]

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