Marv's Winchester '94 is dead.
Someone cracked the tang in the way back.
Took it to a gunsmith today to ask if it could be welded.
The receivers on the 1970's guns aren't suitable for such, he says.
So it's off to the graving yard and to be dismantled for parts.
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Looked around for a replacement? A quick look at Numrich shows they sell a "tang, lower, complete" for a post 64, Winchester '94 for $156. Out of stock, of course, but if I could search around and get a gun running for less than $200, (assuming the gun was worth more than 200) I'd do it.
ReplyDeleteIt's the upper tang what's cracked. That's part of the recieever.
DeleteGotcha. And dang! That does suck. Read through the other comments, and I'm agreeing with the thought of taking it to a bubba. Hell, what do you have to lose? Sure, it may not weld up well, or the subsequent weld may be bad, but if you can find someone at a body or muffler shop to weld it up, you may only be out 50 bucks. That might be worth it to try to salvage it.
DeleteOn the other hand, you're the guy with the gun in your hands. You may be looking at it and saying "man, I agree with the gunsmiths. This doesn't look worth trying to fix". If that's the case, I get it. Seeing and touching something gives you a perspective that we commenters just can't have.
I'm not the owner. I think I'd give it a shot with the tig welder down the "we wled anything" metal recycling place.
DeleteMarv wants a nice gun and it won't be nice after welding because this metal is also a pain to get refinished. It's got a reputation.
He's also decided that .30-30 isn't his thing and a '92 clone in .357 is more to his liking.
Wait, what?
ReplyDeleteDid a quick search, it's apparently a somewhat common problem for it to crack just aft of the hammer.
The only thing that is a problem with the 1970's receivers is that it won't blue as well as a pre'64 due to it being a casting.
It should weld just fine.
I'd get a second opinion on the repairability of the crack.
Really. Worth a shot at welding once you strip all the components out. Sure there's some bubba out there willing to try, who actually has the real skills to do it.
DeleteI'm on two gunsmiths who won't attempt it because of the composition of the steel in the receiver.
DeleteThere's some steels that just don't like to be welded when they start as castings.
Hmm... I see both sides of the issue; in this case I'll defer to more experienced people. I have a gunsmith/ licensed manufacturer friend who has tried to reweld cut up M16 receivers and had trouble due to the steel used in them, so I know it CAN be an issue, but I'd look for more information before definitively saying it is an issue in this specific case.
DeleteIn either case, the receiver is toast, so the worst that could happen is it would still be toast, right?
The high silicon content of the aluminum in M16 lowers makes it a serious bitch to weld. It's not impossible, but it's very nearly there.
DeleteI know it can be done because I've seen examples, but it's a specialist task.
Maybe they could try brazing it instead of welding? Sure, it won't be the right color, but brazing is nearly as strong as welding in most applications. After it's done and the new metal is finished flush with the old, just have the receiver or the whole gun Cerakoted or whatever your favorite modern finish is.
ReplyDelete