Early Sheridan Model C, Part 1

I picked up this early Sheridan Model C at a yard sale the other day. It has many differences that make it interesting in comparison to the other Model C Sheridans we’ve covered on the blog. Lucky for me it needs some TLC and a reseal. The rifle. Straight bolt handle, grooved receiver, thumb safety. First problem, a broken screw on the sight assembly. Some wear and tear on the forearm. An American classic. Notice the end cap is held by screws. Stock dings. Forearm ding, lovely front sight profile. Proof that there are always bargains to be had at yard sales. Notice the trigger guard is retained by screws. More dings. Digging into it. They are interesting screws. Notice the thumb safety interacts with the trigger/sear differently than later rifles. Another view. I removed that broken screw in the sight assembly. The screw bit into the barrel. Sight assembly. Simple.Note the dimples that retain the other side against the barrel/air tube groove.

More to come.

Dollar Store Reading Glasses Are Not Safety Glasses

[I copied this from my main blog as proof that I still find a little time to play with airguns.]

I’m of an age that I need reading glasses for close up work. Unfortunately I also need safety glasses in many of the same situations. I know that you can buy magnifying safety glasses, but they are never as inexpensive as the $1.00 reading glasses from the local Dollar Tree.
I am a cautious person (milquetoast) so I thought it would be wise to do a simple test of the shatter resistance of the dollar store reading glasses. On with the science! The dollar store glasses. Poor sap. My RWS Diana Model 45 air rifle. I chose it because I thought I had it sighted in at 10 yards, which I didn’t. With 7.9 grain Crosman pellets at 715 fps, it should hit the glasses with about 9 ft/lbs of energy. 10 yards down the length of my deck. After shooting low a couple of times I finally hit the glasses. First lens. The other lens. Both lenses shattered and I couldn’t even find some of the pieces. As a control I gave my dummy some safety glasses. First shot dented the lens. Second shot knocked the lens out of the frame. I wonder if that’s by design? I remounted the lens and took a third shot. Which eyewear would you rather be sporting when a projectile is coming towards your eye?Imagine that small shard penetrating your eyeball. As you can see the safety glasses deform rather than shattering. 

So I guess I’ll spring for a pair of safety reading glasses, or wear the safety glasses over reading glasses. I won’t be using the readers as safety glasses.

Sleeve for the HW35

Got side-tracked from the Patriot with a small project I've been meaning to get to for several months.  Just a simple barrel sleeve for the HW35.  This is completely subjective, but I've always felt that the gun would "hang" better offhand with some additional muzzle weight.  I've had a muzzle brake on the rifle for a while now and it just doesn't look or feel quite right on an otherwise vintage gun.  A barrel  sleeve similar to what was used on old 10-meter match guns might be a good solution.  Think I'm trying to say that I don't want it to look like it's been cobbled together.


















Started with a piece of 0.750" OD DOM steel tube.  The ID was 0.606" and a close fit to the barrel.  Chucked in the lathe and faced one end.

With the compound set by eyeball, a shallow taper was cut to the breech end.  The taper allows for clearance while cocking to insure there's no contact with the wood stock.  Could've done a more abrupt bevel, but to me, this is better looking.

Better pic of the taper.  Click any pic to enlarge.

With the taper done, I cut the piece just shy of finished length with a hacksaw and came back to the lathe and squared up the end.





 













Then, over to the mill in a collet block. Scratched two lines to denote the length and location of the tunnel front sight and I was ready.  Oh yeah, I set the table stops to stay inside the lines.

Started milling out a slot for the sight.

Test fitting consisted of attempting to fit the front sight into the hole.  Once I could see the dovetails on the ID, I dialed down a couple more thousandths and called it good.  A quick test fit on the gun (collet block still in place) showed that the front sight would clamp to the dovetail.  Now it just needs some set screws for mounting.

Without removing the sleeve from the collet, I turned it over in the vise and found center with a very simple center finder.  Chuck, then lower the indicator until the V is against the work.  Adjust lateral position until the marks on the indicator line up.

These work great for quickly locating the center of round stock in a mill or drill press.  Not as accurate as a "real" edge finder or wiggler, but for non-critical work this is absolutely ideal.

Not removing the work from the collet block also ensured that the set screw holes would be dead opposite from the milled slot.  Did the usual spot and drill, repeat two more times.

Tapped these by hand.  Faster than using a machine set up and more than precise enough to hold a tube to a barrel.  Tapped M4 x 0.7mm.

Needs a finish.

Sanded it in the lathe to 500 grit. then finished by hand with oiled emery cloth.

The slurry gave it a matte finish.

Looks like dull hard chrome.  Almost a raw titanium color.

Three coats of Van's Cold Blue followed by 0000 steel wool had it looking like an integral part of the HW.

The taper.

Clean fit with the sight.

Could've tweaked the length another 0.010" but it's fine--and better than too short.

The sleeve adds 11.3 oz. and doesn't look like an afterthought to the lines of the gun.

Should be back to work on the Patriot in a few more days.   Thanks for reading.