Picking up where I left off, I still needed to make that shorter cocking lever rivet and lose those two aluminum washers.
Pulled the action out of the stock and tapped out the cocking lever rivet. As a reminder, the aluminum washers had been added to replace the space taken up by the original factory sling swivel. At the time, those washers let me reuse the original rivet without any further modifications.
In the last post, I waffled around and settled on a quick scope stop because I couldn't decide how to make the replacement rivet. Sure, the rivet is a simple project--except I didn't want to pein or mushroom the ends of the new rivet. Technically, I guess that means I'm actually going to make a pin. Then, I couldn't decide whether to use a piece of 5mm drill rod and cut grooves for e-clips or turn down part of a larger diameter leaving a head on one side? Too many options for a guy like me. Actually none of this was really slowing down the project. I simply didn't have a grooving tool thin enough for a small e-clip--and I had no experience cutting e-clip grooves. I got stuck looking at groove specifications and wonder how I'd accurately measure the diameter in that thin slot... Did I even have any e-clips that are suitable? Then I backed up and wondered if an e-clip was even the right solution for the project? I did mention my catastrophizing in the last post.
Eventually, I did some research on machining e-clip grooves, figured out how they're supposed to be sized and toleranced, bought a bunch of e-clips, then procrastinated for another week until I could find time to go work in the basement. About then remembered I still didn't have a grooving tool this small.
Started anyway. A piece of scrap 3/8" diameter O-1 tool steel went into the Taig lathe. Flanged pin design wins. The deciding factor? This only requires me to cut one e-clip groove.
Body of the pin needs turned down to about 0.1965"--just barely under 5mm.
Now I needed a groove for this guy. I believe this is a 4mm e-clip--4mm referring to the OD that it clips over.
I had to grind a tiny grooving tool--0.030" wide from high speed steel. The width of the Feinwerkbau's base block was 0.590", added about 0.005" to that number, and plunge cut the groove 0 .595" -- 0.596" from the inside face of the shoulder.
Measuring the diameter was giving me trouble. Had a hard time getting a repeatable measurement with the caliper in that .030" slot width. I finally gave up and just used the clip itself as the gage. Tried to get it to snap into place. No go. Took a few more thousandths and tried again. After a few test fits (and a few mangled clips) the clip installed and wasn't distorted after removal. Called that good.
I need to shorten the end a bit more.
Then flipped the pin around and thinned the 3/8" diameter head down to 0.095" thick.
And there it is. All this procrastination for this. Well, this and that little scope stop.
Blued the ends that'll be visible.
Almost seated. A wood block smacked it home.
And the e-clip snapped right into place.
Good clearance with the longer forearm of the stock.
I like that I can now use a "normal" 1.25" sling with standard hardware on my old rifle. I'm also pleased that it doesn't look like I was involved in any Feinwerkbau gunsmithing shenanigans.
And just for fun, here's the scope stop again from the last blog post.
More soon.
