[IRON WORKER]

Wartime WRA receiver ,gotta love the get -r -done finishes .
I wish the rough finishes were all thats wrong .Catatrophic failure resulting in shattered heel that has multiple cracks running through it and a cracked bridge .Worn out elevation serrations as well,man if it could talk.

 

[3Gunnah]

Sad! Thanks for posting.

 

[RDS]

Thank you, Great photos. Why are Winchesters so roughly machined? Is it a case of using dull cutters? I have noticed prewar commercial Winchesters that are roughly machined. Remington and Colt seem to have much nicer machining.

 

[beeks]

What's your plan for this receiver?

 

[beeks]

Thank you, Great photos. Why are Winchesters so roughly machined? Is it a case of using dull cutters? I have noticed prewar commercial Winchesters that are roughly machined. Remington and Colt seem to have much nicer machining.

One of the guys I shoot with worked at the CMP for a while. He brought the max number of rifles home with him that they allow. He said he didn't find one single Winchester that had nice enough surface finishes to take home with him. That's just the way they are. Good where it counts and a little rough else where. He didn't like that type of character.

 

[IRON WORKER]

Have'nt decided yet originally I though about cutting off the heel and welding an M14 heel on and even cutting it again in center to shorten to Elmer Ballance style receiver.But I kind of just like it as a conversation piece.

 

[IRON WORKER]

Winchester was famous for using every bit of life a cutter had and really crowding the cut with heavy feeds and a lot look hand fed through the operation. With soft steel especially using tool steel cutters if you are aggresive you'll get that type finish ,built up edge and slightly dull corners = rough finishes.

 

[honer]

receiver

Appears to have been machined with a case hardened corn cob.GI3

Honer

 

[IRON WORKER]

Better put your sun glasses on for these.

 

[RDS]

Have'nt decided yet originally I though about cutting off the heel and welding an M14 heel on and even cutting it again in center to shorten to Elmer Ballance style receiver.But I kind of just like it as a conversation piece.

One of Elmer's conversions was at the Forks of the Delaware Gun Show in Allentown Pa last month. It is now listed on Gun Broker.

 

[IRON WORKER]

I might add this receiver was lead dip annealed but still the failure destroyed it . The heel is soft ,rest of receiver is harder than woodpecker lips.

 

[Orlando]

Some War time SA parts were just as rough

 

[Jgun]

I think you should work your magic on it and bring it back to life while trying to maintain the character of the rough surface finish, Based on your previous work, I'm thinking that if anyone could do it, it would be you.

 

[NATOBTHP]

Remember Winchester had to replace a lot of it's peacetime force with unskilled workers like house wife's and 4 F's. Probably training was "on the job"

 

[m14brian]

I notice that there are some diehard Winchester fans, is the allure in the name or some like the rough character? I guess some don't care. Just thinking out loud.
m14brian

 

[4gundrill]

Any pictures of the cracked bridge? Have you measured the bridge to determine if it was located properly?

 

[XM25Ren]

I notice that there are some diehard Winchester fans, is the allure in the name or some like the rough character? I guess some don't care. Just thinking out loud.
m14brian

Brian, I think for me the allure is the Winchester mystic and the rough finish from master craftsmen. That's why I choose to use Winchester parts for my XM21 and XM25 projects, that and I could get them in new condition.

RenGI2

 

[IRON WORKER]

I checked the bridge location with heighth gage and is actually +.004 @ 4.304" but right lug is on max location +.003 @ 1.276" so that basicly is optimum design measurements.
Any number of reasons could have caused this .You can tell at the shiney wear spots this old warhorse has had many rounds down range.

 

[IRON WORKER]

Here is a bridge photo. See hairline in corner ,little fragment of case missing.

 

[RDS]

Of all the cracked bridges I have observed the crack was thru the firing pin clearance
notch. Never saw one crack like this. Any history on the receiver? Was it off an imported rifle from Korea?