Putting a CHE back on face with an oversized roll joint

[B. Dudley]

Here is a process post on a job I just completed. As many of you may know, I have on hand oversized roll joints for Parker extractor and ejector guns. The installation of the proper sized joint allows for weld-free refitting of the breech.

This Rondel engraved CHE 12g. had been restored many years ago and is exceptional, however, the fit of the barrels was not 100%. The gun was tight, but it was off face quite a bit. About .005-.006" at the top. These photos show the condition of the gun when I received it. Note the fit of the dolls head rib extension which really shows the issue, as well as the daylight that is visible at the top of the breech. It was a pretty glaring issue that was the only wart on an otherwise beautiful gun.

Before 1.jpg

Before 2.jpg

Before 3.jpg

A new oversized roll joint was installed into the frame. The joint selected was a diameter of .550" which is approximately .012-.015" larger in diameter than most original used roll joints. This gave me the .005-.006" needed on the hook face to get the barrels back to being ready for refitting.

New Joint.JPG

The top and bottom sides of the hook were smoke fitted to the new joint. And then the breech face was smoke fitted to the frame until the barrels fully seated on the frame. Making the barrels seat fully then left some play in the bolt lockup, so a brand new bolt (also available through me) was fitted to tighten up the lockup.

After fitting.JPG

The back side of the forend loop also needed some very minor reworking to get the forend to seat tightly as a result of the barrel fitting. The new roll joint then needed to be case hardened for both functional and cosmetic purposes.

Colored joint 1.JPG

Colored joint 2.JPG

The end result is a gun that is back on face and as tight in every way as it was when the gun was new. The photos below show the assembled gun. Note the appearance of the rib extension fit in comparison to the before photos.

After 1.JPG

After 2.JPG

And to finish the job, the breech face was stripped as it would have been new.

Striped breech.JPG

[OH Osthaus]

Beautiful

[B. Dudley]

It is difficult to show such minor details in photos. But i did the best i could.

[J. A. EARLY]

Brian,

What are the patterns on the breech faces of the barrels caused by, a light filing or polishing? Is this something that just would have been done to higher grades or just something you did to enhance the finish?

[B. Dudley]

The striping on the breech face has been observed on grades as low as VH. Usually only seen on higher condition guns since it wore easily over time with use.

Similar treatments have been seen on Parker water tables under the case coloring. And even on the hammers inside the action. I have seen these particular features on grades as low as DH.

[Reggie B]

Very impressive work.

[joe breda]

Good Job, Brian.
CHEERS,
JoeB, from SoCal... ����

[Mike Poindexter]

Beautiful work Brian. My question is, is this a cost effective process for 0 and 1 grade guns, or is tig welding the lug the only way to get there without breaking the bank? Of course, I also have a VHE grade with a .003 feeler gauge shim on the roll pin that has worked for almost 10 years now, but I must carry the gun assembled and have to replace the shim every few years as it creeps up on the barrel stop. I'd rather have a permanent fix, but dollars matter. Thanks.

[B. Dudley]

Well, i dont think i can completely answer your question as it is a matter of opinion i suppose. I dont usually discuss pricing, but the cost to the customer on this job was just over $500. $200 of that was parts (new joint and bolt). I have heard some shops charging as high as $1,000 to put a gun back on face. And if i need to tig weld a hook and refit, everything, i notmally charge $500 anyway. So it is 6 of one/half a dozen of the other maybe.

There are some cases where swapping the roll joint is not a good opton at all, like in the case of adding a second barrel set where the original one fits fine.

As for shim on the hook, i guess it is just the difference between doing something and doing it right.

[BRDHNTR]

Very nice work Brian. And thanks for walking us all through the process