Thread: Replacing no longer available rifle parts..

With the restriction on gun part imports it is now a real challenge replacing worn or broken parts on alot of rifles - esp our 22s no longer in current production. We all have rimfires etc for which parts may now be a challenge - eg Norinco, Marlin, Toz. Add to this the euros - Krico, Gevarm, Voere etc.. Previously parts were available here or we could buy in from outfits like Western Gun Parts in Canada, Numrich, Brownells etc. But not now - or not easily. Pins, extractors, springs etc - and of course magazines.

What are our options in terms of machining new firing pins, extractors etc. Finding replacement springs may be a matter of hunting through the gunsmith's spring tray for something similar, but can we find a machine shop ready to duplicate a firing pin or set of extractors (alot harder) if given a sample?

Good percentage of us will have rifles affected by parts supply probs now - we need a back up plan. Who in NZ could make magazines - some CNC shop? Would need right springs also. Can't be too hard - even if quite a bit dearer.

Not easy but we need workable solution to maintain supply of parts.

when i lived in HB there was a spring maker there all i needed to give him was the length uncompressed, O/D ,number of turns and wire diameter he could make compression, tension and torsion springs.as for magazine's/firing pins most engineering machine shops should be able to make one, just depends on whether they can be bothered, hmm maybe a niche business opportunity here for some one

I have been given two deceased gunsmiths boxes of parts. There are also numerous guns we call parts guns that we scavenge for parts. Contact me for parts if you wish and the spring maker in Hastings is great if you have the broken bits or a picture of what you want. I am only too happy to help.

That’s a very good question. I wonder if 3D printing can offer some solutions in the future. I bought a quality gun safe a couple of years ago and needed gun rest extensions. They were no longer availed from The manufacturer so I had 10 of them 3D printed. Perfect result.

@garyp do you happen to have firing pin for a JW105??? husky is after one,has a thread running to that effect.

When John Browning sat down to design a gun, does ANYONE here believe he would waste his time on designing complete sets of unique springs?

No, there were and are engineering catalogues of standard springs.

Visit this site, you can find the springs you need. They are NOT firearms springs, they are just ... springs. No import or export permits required so no need to waste more police time.

https://www.thespringstore.com/

That's good info guys. Would be great to have someone, perhaps a smaller engineering shop take this up as a niche business as HB says. Help someone put something together. There will be untold thousands of firearms now affected. We need security for firearms parts and if need be it won't matter if several companies involved eg for springs, CNC work, pin machining etc..

Looks like springs we may be able to cover. Be great also to identify a 3D and CNC capable company, and a (small) machining shop for pins/extractors etc

I'll talk to one engineering firm in Chch - can you all give some thought to who you could speak to.. There is now risk involved using a rifle regularly when you cannot replace a mag, and of course our rifle values now an issue if spare parts no longer available..

Originally Posted by garyp

I have been given two deceased gunsmiths boxes of parts. There are also numerous guns we call parts guns that we scavenge for parts. Contact me for parts if you wish and the spring maker in Hastings is great if you have the broken bits or a picture of what you want. I am only too happy to help.

Don't suppose there was any mk v Weatherby's or partrs ? I have a friend looking for bottom metal for a 6 lug action

The manufacture of parts is not overly difficult to anyone skilled in precision engineering and an understanding of the operation of those parts within the firearm. Coil springs are just springs and are freely available to import. Flat springs and vee springs are generally not within the scope of conventional spring makers but are easily handled by competent gunsmiths. Probably the most difficult parts to make are box magazines as they require the construction of press tooling (in both left and right hand) to create the side plates with the required grooves to assure reliable feeding. Followers, springs, and floor plates are simple but the side plates are a pain, and consequently expensive. Nothing is impossible to skilled and determined tradesmen. Looking to the future, it is important that these skills are not lost to the younger generations. There are grumpy old men like me who are happy to pass on those skills (which I learned partly from the older generation but mostly by my own determination) to those with enough interest and gumption to ask for them. Sadly, in our increasingly 'disposable' society, there seems to be a distinct lack of people who have any interest in wanting to make things from scratch.

Don't overlook 3d Metal Printing.
Yes, it is a 'thing'.
Design, make the part, heat the part (to fuse everything together), job done.
These guys make a razor...3D printed stainless steel.
https://www.blacklandrazors.com/products/era
Lots of rifle metal work that you could 3D print...triggers, trigger guards, scope mounts, bolt knobs, butt plates (NOT butt plugs!), lower metal work/mag plates, etc.
Could even print metal pistol slides, frames, etc (there's plans online).
Would suit you 1911 shooters to customise that beast.
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/...l-1911-pistol/

I think we need to clone old Gundoc, Akaroa and a few others to keep knowledge alive..

So ...we should be able to duplicate springs - coil ones, and if need be flat mag springs. Here's the rest of the challenge - how to reproduce say this Marlin mag cost effectively:

that is the fly in ointment...cost effectively.
some time back there was a link posted to making a flintlock rifle from scratch....right from heating and beating bar into a barrel tube,welding it together..long before electric welding,rifling it by hand...everything by hand...and it worked......but the time required was eye watering,out of context.... in context not so much,it was fellas job and two weeks work so price tag was two weeks wages sort of thing.... if your magazine took you say 6 hours of folding and filing by hand to make....you would have a magazine...but you would be reluctant to pay 6x$30 = $180 plus for one if could find it on shelf...all things in context.
there are fellas out there who have made extractor springs for JW105s out of car spring...lots of filing involved...but it worked and gun still functioned afterwards....

had same discussion with a good mate this morning about firewood...I will happily spend half a day cutting firewood..he on other hand would prefer to go to work for the Saturday and earn enough extra $$$ to buy same amount of firewood....to each their own.

We don't have much choice Milky - probably most of us have firearms in the closet that no longer have spares accessible in NZ, thanks to the govt. Bloody good rifles.. We need to find a way to reproduce spare parts as best we can here in NZ. Even if they do cost more, they'll ensure our rifles keep operating for the next 20 - and keep their value.

I bought a couple of the Marlin 22LR mags like the one above maybe 9 months ago for $60-70 each. One just sold on trademe for $124 plus post = $131. Contacted Western Gun Parts in Canada re these mags and they said no they have none but would sell thousands if they could get them. There is a small market here, but poss alot bigger one for some parts overseas.

As mentioned above, many parts can be made but cost effectively is another issue. I recently looked at making a batch of extractors for Gecados but ended up just not being viable.

That said always contact me if you get really stuck