Custom Fluid Steel barreled 20g. Hammer gun project
 

I figured this long term project would be a great one to document here so that the progress of this little gun can be seen.

This project all started with a large Parker parts purchase I made maybe 6 months ago. When everything came in the mail I was going through it all figuring out what all I had gotten. I came across a complete hammer gun action with lock plates and hammers and just thought to myself, "lot of good parts there" and set it aside.
A few days later I picked it back up and got to looking at it closer and realized it was awfully small. I measured the firing pin spacing and sure enough, it was an 0 frame! I checked the serial number in the book and it was listed as originally being a 28" twist barreled 16g.
I couldnt part this action out. I decided it would be a good base for a custom build. If I was going to do this, I wanted it to be a 20g. since factory originals are rare to begin with and it would make a great little shooter.
I set out in search of a set of barrels and it didnt take long for me to find a set of NOS Remington made hammerless 20g. fluid steel barrels. They were fully finished with chambers cut to 2-3/4" and all solder joints dressed down. But the rib was not matted. Interestingly enough they were marked on the side of the lug as being for a D grade and there was a serial number even stamped on the barrel flat. 242396. Could be that these barrels were actually slated for installation onto a particular gun and that gun was never built.

First thing to do was fit the barrels to the frame. The barrels came about
1/4" from closing so some work was needed to get them to close up completely and tight. The rib extension sat a touch high and had to be worked down.
I could have taken the easy route and removed the check hook pin from the frame and made the hammerless barrels operate similar to that of lifter barrels with no positive stop point, but I wanted to do things as right as I could. The hammerless barrel lug was first altered in order to clean the check hook pin, and then a check hook removed from a junk set of barrels was attached to the hammerless lug to yield a fully functioning and finished check hook system on the new barrels. Old barrel markings were removed and the matching Serial number to the frame was stamped in.

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Then the outside of the barrels at the breech end could be dressed down to meet the frames breech balls. New firing pin retaining screws were made and dressed down.

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This frame was an 0 grade with just plain line border engraving. The frame was annealed so that all of that border engraving can be polished out for a clean slate. This frame has many dents and marks in it to be worked out. Especially on the bottom side. The upper tang was dressed down and rear of the breech balls defined and a new upper tang screw fitted.

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The original top lever was straight. And I personally like the look and feel of fishtail top levers, so the original lever was bent into the proper fishtail shape.

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Below is a few photos of the upper area of the frame with the barrels fitted and altered top lever in place and rough polishing done.

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My intentions for this project is to have all metal parts engraved in a grade 2 type motif so that it is dressed up enough, but not over the top. The top rib will be left un-matted, just like the early hammer guns were and the Parker Markers Mark will be hand engraved on the rib. Also just like the early hammer guns. No barrel steel will be listed in the makers mark.

I do plan on putting lightening cuts in the water table as well as milling out the underside of the forend iron as to build as light of a gun as possible.

I will update this thread with progress as things chug along.

Wow! That will turn into a wonderful little grouse gun, Brian. I am in awe! :bowdown:

your talents continue to impress

Very good job, Brian. I am always impressed with the skill of accomplished gunmakers. You do very impressive work.

Dennis

Brian thats quite a project and a very worthwhile one as well. At the risk of being stupid (a risk I'm never afraid to take:) ) you make several references to NOS what does this mean?

new old stock

Thanks Rick,its good to learn something new. If it's old stock how is it new???Makes me go Hummm:rotf::rotf:

The next thing I had to do was fitting of the barrels water table bead to the frame. Hammerless frames are wider and taper towards the front. Hammer guns do not taper.

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So this bead had to be significantly worked down to make evertyhing look right. A NOS factory oversized forend iron is being used for this project.

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NOS Being New Old Stock parts from the Parker Factory.
At the current time I do have a source for NOS forend irons. Trojan and Graded.
The graded irons are oversized all around so they can be fitted to 0, 1 or 2 frame guns.

Side Plate is also polished out along with the side of the frame.

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yeah talk to a car guy - that is their holy grail. show them a 50-60 year old part found in a dealers back room, still in the original packaging never used, and watch them go catatonic

The NOS term comes from my car background.
Unfourtunately a lot of NOS car parts are not as nice as one might hope. rusted chrome and such.