A Rifle Anyone Can Build

Jerry Lindsey

Copyright 2010 by Jerry Lindsey

ISBN 978-0-557-31768-4
Published by Jerry Lindsey

Thanks to my wife Sandra for encouraging me in this project, for

helping me with the technical aspects, and for continuing to love me
when projects like this take me away from her. And thanks to my
son Jesse for hunting with me when there was no game and fishing
with me when there were no fish, but we had fun huh?

Contents
Forward6
History..7
Legal..8
Tools...9
Design..10
Internal Parts..13
Frame Construction..20
Stocks..37
Sights...39
Templates.42-43

DISCLAIMER AND TERMS OF USE AGREEMENT

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Forward
This is a guide for anyone wanting to build their own
rifle, it was something I always wanted to do myself,
and after a bit of research of designs for existing arms, I
decided to borrow from an early single shot design that
would be fairly simple to reproduce without expensive
machinery or any experience in gunsmithing. I did work
in a machine shop twenty five years ago and bring some
knowledge of engineering and machine work but the
point of this project is that no mill or lathe will be
required. The job will be completed with hand tools and
a drill.
This is not a quick and dirty zip gun, but a classic
design that happens to lend itself to the home workshop
and should last for generations. If you put in the time
and care, this can be a beautiful rifle that you and your
descendants will be very proud of or you can more easily
make a very utilitarian rifle. This design makes for a
fairly simple project in the home and you will see that
the individual components are not complicated and if
you concentrate on one part at a time, then the fitting of
each part, there is nothing here that will be too difficult.
The skills required are those that most of you already
posses if you do any work around the house or simple
repairs on your vehicles.

History

Many early single shot rifles were of the falling block or

rolling block design because of its strength and
simplicity. The one we will be replicating is the
Remington model 6 rifle. The model 6 was produced
from 1901 1933 and was upgraded to the improved
model in 1929 together with the receiver becoming a
single machined part along with other minor changes. In
its original form it is a small frame rifle that was
designed for the rimfire cartridges 22 and 32. If you are
familiar with this rifle you might be aware of the
shortcomings of this particular design, specifically the
leaf springs and the shallow threads that locate the
barrel to the frame. We will address these weaknesses
and improve the design with coil springs and a much
more solid mount of the barrel. The instruction here is
for the 22 but I believe that if made larger and with
stronger materials it could withstand small centerfire
cartridges. Although several other designs have a similar
construction, this one relies on side plates to locate the
7

breech block, hammer and trigger pins with the center

section only serving as a spacer and to tie the sides
together. Even if you decide to use steel for the side
plates I would still use aluminum bar stock for the
center section because it is easier to machine and it
does not affect the final strength of the gun.

Legal
In the United States it is currently (2009) legal for an
individual to build their own firearm providing that it
complies to the legal requirements of arms, i.e.
minimum barrel length of 16 for rifles, no shoulder
stock on pistols, no short barrel shotguns etc.
One thing that you must remember is that this self built
gun may never, ever be sold. It may be past to your
heirs but never sold. Firearm construction and
possession in your locale is your responsibility to
research. You should check your local laws since they
will likely be changing in this political climate.

Tools
I have for some years worked on my own guns and
those of friends and family so I already had some
gunsmithing tools, mostly files, stones and hand tools,
but I did have a bench grinder and some power tools
including a rotary tool. You wont need anything
expensive to finish this project but there are some
things that will be difficult to do without. One of the first
things I knew I would need was a bench vise, but given
the small size of the parts that we will be making I
decided that a 4 in. vise would be adequate and has
been very useful. The Shop Fox Gunsmithing Vice from
Midway USA is ideal for this. If you have other uses for a
vise you might want a larger one but for this project an
inexpensive 4 in. model is just fine.
While you might be able to complete this project with a
hand drill, a small imported drill press will make the job
so much easier and make your parts more precise. I
obtained a cheap drill press for about 50 bucks from
harbor freight tools. There will be a list of sources for
tools and all materials needed at the end of this book.
A milling vise or drill press vise is very useful to firmly
hold parts on the drill press table; it will also help you
move the parts precisely when locating the position for
the holes. You may be able to clamp a small bench vise
to the table of the drill press.
Some files will be needed and while they can be
purchased from discount tool outfits, it is best not to
skimp on files. A good file can get through material very
quickly if the right one is chosen. Im not going to write
a chapter on all the types of files available, but you
should be able to get by with a large (12 in.) bastard cut
9

(rough) and a similar size fine cut. You will need at least
one small round file for inside radiuses and for the
notches made for the sear you will need a small fine
square or triangle file.
While not absolutely necessary for this project a bench
grinder is always valuable as well as a rotary tool like a
dremel.

List of tools, most important first, followed by others

Vise, files, hand drill or drill press, milling or drill press
vise, bench grinder, die grinder

Design
This chapter is to discuss the design and briefly explain
how this thing gets put together before we get into the
fabrication of each individual part.

10

I decided to make the side plates and frame of

aluminum since its strength is adequate for this project
and to further reduce the weight of an already
lightweight rifle. The original Remington rifle is one of a
take-down design which I also wanted to reduce the size
for packing. The side plates are .125 1/8 in. aluminum
plate which could be thinner if made of steel, the center
section which only separates the sides and provides a
mounting surface for the barrel and butt stock is .375
3/8 in. aluminum bar stock. You can also fashion the
trigger guard as part of the center section, like in the
picture, but I didnt obtain large enough aluminum stock
for this so I made the trigger guard a separate part. The
outside dimensions are not terribly critical since after
the side plates and center are cut they can be sized
together to make the final fit correct.
The breech block and hammer are 3/8 in. mild steel
which after a little removal of material on each side will
move freely within the side plates. You could use carbon
steel and harden them after all machining is done or as I
did use mild steel which cuts and files easily then case
11

harden them or use a product like casenit* which

hardens the outside surface simply, and leaves the
inside resilient to resist cracking. Many older guns use
this technique and many of them have survived in
serviceable condition so this should make parts that will
last many years. The sides are held together with press
fit pins as well as the trigger, hammer and breech block
are held in place with pins that are pressed into the
sides and the moving parts are bored just large enough
to allow their movement. This should all make sense
when you see the exploded view and hopefully there are
enough pictures to guide you.
If you want to make your own stocks I will explain that
later in the chapter on stocks but I was fortunate
enough to have some wooden stocks for a nef single
shot rifle that with minor modification fit perfectly. These
are available from h&r 1871* and I will describe how
they need to be modified.
You can use a 22 barrel of just about any diameter,
mine is 7/8 in. .875 and is a three piece design of a
barrel liner, steel sleeve around that and aluminum tube
around that to give the required legal length. This was
an effort to save weight and has worked very well. Again
we will get into more discussion of barrel design in the
chapter on barrels. I obtained the barrel liner from
numrich gun parts* where you can also get whole
barrels that will work for this project.

12

INTERNAL PARTS
Step one;
Please read through the entire chapter before
proceeding with any work.

You should begin by cutting out the moving parts, the

hammer, breech block and trigger. There are templates
that you should copy, then verify the dimensions are
correct, there is a scale on the template to compare,
adjust their size by enlarging or reducing the size of the
copy before transferring the shapes to your steel.
If you dont have a band saw the best way to make the
breech block and hammer, which are 3/8 in. steel, is to
layout your part on the stock then drill 1/8 in. holes
around the outside of your scribed line where the holes
are almost touching then it will be simple to cut out the
part with a jig saw or jewelers wire saw, then removing
the extra material with your bench grinder and or just
files. This method was learned from the book
Pistolsmithing, by George C. Nonte jr. Stackpole books.
I would like to note that there is no extractor or ejector
in this design since it would be very difficult to do in the
scope of this project. The low pressure of the .22
cartridge prevents it from expanding much so if the
chamber is finished and polished properly, removal of
spent cartridges should not be a problem.

13

In this photo you see the hammer being cut out of stock
using the described process. The original Remington
hammer is visible in the upper left of the picture, notice
that the area below the hammer spur is concave, and
this is where the original flat spring bore against the
hammer. The design we will be using will utilize a coil
spring so this area is cut straight and later a hole bored
for the spring to seat in.

14

I used a portable bandsaw to cut out the rough parts so

I only drilled the inside radiuses then followed the lines
with the saw leaving a small margin to finish with filing.
Remember that the shape of the final product is only
dictated by the location of the pivot hole and the relation
to the other moving parts, in the case of the hammer
shown here, the shelf under the hammer face (the area
that contacts the breech block and firing pin) is what
supports the breech block when closed and when firing.
The area below the spur is the location of the hammer
spring seat. The bottom of the hammer is the sear
location and acts on the trigger so you can take liberties
with the shape of the hammer spur and face.

15

See in the picture how the shelf below the hammer face
supports the breech block when closed. This was taken
during fitting of the parts; the drill bits are the size of
the pivot holes and are just used for fitting. You are
seeing the center section and opposite side plate in
position, the tube is in place of the barrel for mock-up
purposes. There are templates for the breechblock, hammer and trigger that should be printed
then transferred to card stock or something thick
enough to hold its shape then finally transferred to
your steel stock by coating the steel with Dykem*
or a similar product. There will also be a dimensional
scale of the parts that you should check when printing
the templates, you may need to resize your print to
obtain the proper size templates.

16

The hammer is actually a pretty simple part, notice in

the illustrations that the most important areas are the
supporting shelf, the hammer face and the sear area,
thats the bottom of the hammer. The large area below
the spur is where we will drill a shallow hole for the
hammer spring to seat. Later you will contour the center
of the frame to be parallel to that part of the hammer so
the spring will not bind. After you have the basic shape
of the hammer the final work will be during fitting when
you have the breech block and trigger ready.

Breech-block lower left

The breech block is a very basic shape and after cutting

out the crude dimensions you will want to shape the
area that is identified in the picture as support with a
17

large half round file, this area is concave and relates to

the radius of the hammer area identified in the picture.
In this picture there are areas that are not finished but I
want to bring attention to. The front upper part of the
breech block, right below the barrel should be radiused
as to not cause pressure on the barrel when the breech
block is lowered, also the inside of the L should not be
a sharp corner but a small radius since any sharp inside
corner here could cause a weak spot for a crack to start.
The most complicated thing to be done to this part will
be the hole for the firing pin and we will leave that for
when the moving parts are fitted. For now be sure that
the contact surfaces between the hammer and breech
block are mating properly, these are the places the
hammer face contacts the breech block and most
importantly the support area.

Now lets look at the trigger. The steel stock used for the
trigger should be roughly half the thickness of the
hammer and breech block. When cutting out the basic
shape make sure you leave enough material at the top,
this is the engagement surface to the sear, in fitting we
will want to be sure we have a positive engagement that
will hold the hammer securely. Use a large round file on
the inside front of the trigger where your finger will
18

make contact, you can get creative here and make a

wide smooth trigger or serrations if you like. I found a
simple way to make serrations with a cheap thread
cleaning file available at most hardware stores there
should be eight separate sides to clean different pitch
threads, use this to start the serrations and finish with a
small triangle file. I prefer a smooth trigger and am
happy with the results and feel of mine.
If you have read and understand the preceding, now is
the time to begin the small parts before moving on to
the frame.

19

Frame construction
Now we need to put together the frame so we can fit the
parts you have made. As mentioned before I feel
aluminum is a fine material for the frame of this rifle, I
used 6061 aluminum stock with fine results though
there are other options, some that wont work as well
regarding cutting and machining, 6063 and 5052 should
be avoided, find stock that can be worked without
gumming your files and tools, there are things you can
do to reduce this like chalking your file, a simple process
of rubbing the cutting surface of the file with chalk. The
side plates are .125-2in. wide and 6in. long. Cover the
pieces with a coating of dykem and trace the template
with a scribe. Cut the parts out with your band saw or
jigsaw leaving just a hair of material outside the scribe
line to finish fitting with the center section.

After cutting out the center section you will be ready to

put the three pieces of the frame together, at this point
you will want to pin the frame together to prevent the
pieces from shifting while you are working on the outer
dimensions of the frame. Clamp all three pieces firmly
together with c-clamps before drilling and center punch
the locations for the pin holes, I used .113 pins and
drilled with a #35 drill so the pins will fit tightly, the
exact location of the pins is not critical as long as they
dont interfere with other functions of the frame. The
front lower area is appropriate for one pin, just be sure
it is low enough not to interfere with the hole you will
drill later to help locate the fore-end. Another location
would be the upper rear area behind the hammer. You
can also see that I used barrel nuts to help hold the
frame together. The heads were partially countersunk as
20

to not hinder the profile of the frame. In retrospect the

barrel nuts may not have been absolutely necessary but
I felt they would help hold things together, if you would
like to use them they are available from fastenal and
other sources for very little. If you dont use the barrel
nuts you should use several more pins, the original
design used 8 in total but they were holding together
steel. See the picture of the Remington frame and my
diagram for locations for additional pins.

Now were going to shape the profiles of the frame, the

contour of the underside is purely aesthetic and you can
be creative here. You can leave the corners square and
sharp which wouldnt be very comfortable in the hand so
you will want to contour them some or very much if you
would prefer. Pad your vice with aluminum sheet or
something that will keep the jaws from marring your
frame then place the frame in a vice upside down and
just high enough that you can work on the entire length
21

with your large coarse file. Remove as much material as

you see fit to make the contour pleasing then move to a
finer file to reduce the marks made by the course file.
Remember the area that the trigger guard will be
mounted to, shouldnt be too rounded, mine was
radiused all the way across and caused me to
correspondingly radius the mounting points of the
trigger guard. I am fine with the way it came out; it just
caused some extra work. If you used large enough
material for the center section to incorporate the trigger
guard the finished product will be much cleaner.
The front of the frame should remain sharp as this is
where your fore-end will fit and the same for the rear of
the frame for the butt-stock. The upper rear section
behind the hammer can be contoured similarly to the
underside and you will later fit the stock to this.
The top of the frame is where the barrel will sit and
should be machined to the contour of your barrel. The
barrel I used was 7/8 or .875 outside diameter and this
size was convenient to use a carbide router bit chucked
in my drill press and the frame passed under it several
times in the milling vice to create an appropriate
channel for the barrel. I then finished the channel with a
half round file that happened to be the perfect radius for
the channel. If you are not using a milling vise you can
carefully lower the router bit in adjoining locations and
then blend the area with a half round file. If you are not
using a drill press, you must very carefully mark the
center of the frame, and then drill shallow pilot holes
with a bit large enough to give the router bit a good
start. If one of your pilot holes is off center, just move
over a little and start another one. This is another good
reason to use aluminum for the frame because the
barrel channel would have been one of the more difficult
operations if it had been steel but the carbide router bit

22

cut the aluminum easily. The illustration shows a 1

router bit, yours should match your barrel diameter.

The U-shaped channel in the illustration above is similar

to the channel you will be making in the top of the
frame where the barrel will rest.
If you havent obtained your barrel yet you should start
shopping because you will need it in the next step. It is
very important that your barrel be of a diameter that
you can match with a half round file since the barrel
channel must be finished with a file. If you were using a
mill for this process it wouldnt be an issue but since
were relying on hand tools and maybe a drill press you
should match the barrel diameter to a file radius.

23

The picture above should explain how I put together a

three piece laminated barrel using a barrel liner with
seamless heavy wall steel tubing and the aluminum
sleeve on the outside to create the legal length barrel.
The liner and steel tube surrounding it are only nine
inches, you can do this with a rifle length liner but for
.22 the nine inches gives pretty good velocity. Sixteen
inches is reported to be the optimum length for a .22
barrel with longer lengths actually reducing velocity.
You can solder the liner into the tube but you will have
to use acraglas or similar epoxy product for the
aluminum sleeve. If you use this laminated barrel idea
you should epoxy the steel into the aluminum first so
you can drill the hole through the two of them for the
bolt that will secure the barrel to the frame. If you lay
the barrel in the receiver with the breech block roughly
in place you will be able to locate a position in the barrel
and receiver where this hole will be nearest the center of
24

the two. It will be easier to drill the hole in the receiver

first then use the hole to locate the position of the hole
for the barrel. Im not giving specific dimensions here
because it simply is not necessary, as long as the barrel
is in a position where the breech block can fit to the
breech end of the barrel and the breech block has room
to swing down as it should without hitting the frame, of
course additional trimming can be done to the frame or
breech block. The barrel will be most secure if the
attaching hole is near the center of the mounting
surface.
In preparing the barrel and its securing bolt we will
address one of the issues of the original model 6. These
little guns were notorious for having their barrel threads
worn or ripped out by repeated disassembly. Given the
small diameter of the little .22 barrel there wasnt a lot
of material to thread into without breaking through into
the rifling. Whether you use my laminated barrel idea or
a used or new barrel from a parts dealer, the securing
bolt should be permanently fixed in the barrel and the
other end threaded for a nut. If the nut end should ever
wear out it should be possible to replace the bolt. My
design also uses a larger diameter barrel and I suggest
you not go smaller than .750 for your project.
Prepare a barrel securing bolt by obtaining a grade 6 or
better in. bolt 20 or 28 tpi. 2.5-3 long so that the
head can be removed and the end be threaded with a
1/4 -28 die. Now both ends of the bolt are threaded with
a smooth shank in between. Do not try to use threaded
rod, it is usually soft steel and you need the smooth
shank of the bolt to fit tightly in the frame.
Go ahead and drill then tap the hole -20 or -28 it
doesnt make much difference but the 20 might be a
little stronger. Now epoxy the barrel liner in place
making sure the breech end is as flush as possible. You
25

can file all of the pieces even later but the less filing the
better, and make sure the liner is facing the correct
way. Barrel liners are made by pulling a die through the
tubing, so the bullet should travel the same way to avoid
excess fouling. The breech end is usually marked with a
ring around its diameter near the end. While the epoxy
is wet install the barrel bolt, it should be just long
enough to go through the frame and have enough
threads to just go through the securing nut. The bottom
of the frame wont be a flat surface for the barrel
securing nut so you should use a mill bit similar to the
picture below to create a flat surface at the frame
bottom where the bolt comes through.
If you do use a regular rifle barrel prepare it for your
frame in the same manner described above by locating
the position for the hole just like described but do some
math before you drill. You can figure the barrels wall
thickness by measuring the overall diameter dividing by
2 and subtracting .224 this last number can vary but not
by more than a couple of thousandths. This will give you
the thickness of the material you are drilling and be very
careful not to ruin your barrel by drilling into the bore. If
there isnt .200 of wall to drill into you might should
finish the hole with a bottoming drill and tap, they will
leave a square bottom of the hole as opposed to the v
shaped bottom that serves no purpose but a regular drill
bit and tap are configured like this.

26

You might be tempted to ream the chamber at this point

but you shouldnt chamber the barrel yet in case you
have to take some material from the breech end when
fitting the breech block. But I thought I would point out
here that you can save the cost of a 22lr. Chamber
reamer by chambering with a #2 drill then polishing the
chamber to final dimensions, the #2 is just a few
thousandths too tight and #1 is a bit on the large size.
You should now fit the breech block to the frame, attach
your barrel to the frame with a nut (later you will want
to find a knurled nut for this) and position the breech
block in the frame so that the breech face is sealing the
breech of the barrel. Now you can find a point in the
frame and breech block where the block should pivot.
You may have to remove the barrel to allow the frame
to lay flat on the drill press or table, if so, carefully
remove the barrel so you dont move the breech block
and clamp the block in the frame so you can drill
through the frame, block and the other side of the
frame. Depending on your set-up this may not be
possible. You may have to drill one side of the frame
27

then mark the breech block, drill it, then drill through
the first side of the frame and breech block, then the
last side of the frame. If youre using a drill press, try to
lay the frame on its side and clamp the frame to the drill
press table, the frame should flex enough that by
clamping right on the breech block area it can hold the
breech block in place. I used #15 drill because I had drill
rod on hand to make the pins but you could use .125.1875 for this and the hammer. The pin for the trigger
might have to be smaller because of the size of the part.
Now obtain or make a pin from drill rod that tightly fits
the frame and breech block, but allows the breech block
to move up and down. Later another pin should be made
that will be pressed into the frame and remain there; it
may be just one size larger on the wire gauge scale. You
will have to polish the hole in the breech block so it will
pivot on this pin, or you can obtain a reamer of the
appropriate size to finish the hole. You will have to do
the hammer and trigger pins and holes the same way so
Ill take this opportunity to explain. These pins must fit
the moving parts tightly but allow their movement; also
they must be pressed into the frame so that they will
not move. You can drill the frame and moving parts the
same size then find a fractionally larger pin or drill rod
stock that will have to be pressed into the frame and
would also fit the moving parts too tightly so the moving
parts holes must be polished to allow their movement on
the pins. The larger you make these holes the easier
they will be to polish so keep that in mind when
choosing pin sizes. You probably have a gun cleaning jag
with a slot for cleaning patches, if not you can carefully
cut the end of a piece of rod smaller than the holes
youll be polishing, enough smaller that a patch will also
fit. Now chuck this jag or homemade part in your drill
and apply some grinding paste* to a patch. Put this
patch in the jag and polish the inside of the holes, you
may continue with a finer compound like jewelers rouge
if you want a really slick action.

28

If your breech block and barrel close together without

visible light between them you can move on the fitting
the hammer, but more likely you will have a little bit of
fitting to do first. If the gap appears larger at the top of
the joint you can very carefully remove material from
the barrel and check again. If the gap appears larger at
the bottom of the joint you should remove material from
the top of the breech face. Work carefully here and dont
remove much material without reassembling and
checking your progress.
When you have the breech block and barrel fitting to
your satisfaction you should make your final pin for the
breech block and press it in. This can cause the fit to
change very slightly and if it does you can do a little
more fitting before moving on to fit the hammer.
You will have to remove the breech block at least one
more time to fit the firing pin but that shouldnt be a
problem as the pin should fit so that it can be pressed
out.
Fitting the hammer is done in exactly the same way as
the breech block, the hammer face should make solid
contact with the breech block as well as the support
area of the hammer should fit under the breech block
with very thorough contact. You may have to do the
same repetitive removal and filing and fitting to get the
parts to work together properly but when you are
satisfied with the fit you can move on to fitting the
trigger.

29

This is an illustration to show how the trigger should

engage the sear in the bottom of the hammer; this is
only an illustration and is not meant to represent the
parts you are making. You will have to file the notch in
the bottom of the hammer and for safety sake you
should find some additional instruction on trigger and
sear engagement. The drawing in the circle is meant to
show the importance of positive sear engagement. The
surfaces that make contact here must fit so that when
viewed very carefully the hammer actually moves back a
little before the trigger breaks. If the opposite occurs,
the hammer moves forward before the trigger breaks
this is known as negative engagement and is very
dangerous so please do a little online research and
understand what this paragraph means before fitting the
trigger.

30

This is a gross exaggeration of negative sear

engagement and proper sear engagement. You can see
in the upper left of the illustration how the angles of the
surfaces lend to their slipping apart, where the lower
right drawing shows positive engagement.

It will also be beneficial to add a half-cock notch so the

hammer will not be resting on the firing pin, which
31

would be resting on a cartridge. The half-cock notch

should be a little deeper than the main notch and should
incorporate such positive engagement that the trigger
cannot be pulled when the hammer is in the safe
position.

Before you can install the trigger you will have to make
a channel in the bottom of the center frame for the
trigger to pass through. If your trigger is very wide you
may have to completely cut out the center frame for the
trigger, this is fine if you install frame pins in front and
behind the channel, but if the trigger is narrow enough
you can leave some material on either side, I dont know
how much this will strengthen the frame but I dont
think it is a concern. You can measure the width of the
trigger and use a drill of the same size and drill a couple
of holes next to each other and square out the channel

32

with a small file. When making this channel keep in

mind that you will also have to drill a small hole in the
front or back of the channel, depending on the pivot
point of the trigger, to install your trigger return spring.

At this point you should have all the moving parts

installed and moving freely. Now you can prepare the
parts for installation of springs by drilling pockets in the
positions indicated by the templates. Drill only deep
enough to securely locate the spring, less than 1/8
should suffice. A flat end mill bit will make a square
bottom hole, which would be better than the v-bottom
hole of a standard drill bit. You will have to measure the
diameter of the springs you have chosen to know the
size of the pockets for them, but they will have to be
slightly under 3/8 since that is the dimension of the
center section. In choosing springs for the breech block,
hammer and trigger you will have to exercise some trial
and error. You can see that the springs have to be a
smaller diameter than the parts and you can see how
long they will be at rest and measure how long they are
when compressed. The spring for the breech block does
not need to be very heavy as it only needs to close the
block. The spring for the hammer will need to be
somewhat heavier as it will have to strike the firing pin
33

with sufficient energy to fire the cartridge. The trigger

return spring will look like a ball point pen spring but
only about 3/8 in. long. With this little bit of information,
buy several springs that fit the dimensional
requirements and maybe buy two of each since you will
have to cut them to fit. You will have to experiment with
the length and weight of each spring to make them do
the job required of them.
When you are satisfied with the function of the springs,
you should make the hole for the firing pin and finally
the firing pin itself. If you have not yet chambered the
barrel, you can do it now, then determine what size
stock you will use for the firing pin, I used 3/16 (.1875)
but slightly larger or smaller would be fine also. To
locate the position of the firing pin, coat the breech face
of the breech block with Dykem and allow it to dry, then
take a fired 22 case and insert it in the chamber while
inserting a cleaning rod in the muzzle until it slips into
the 22 case, it should fit tightly enough that turning the
cleaning rod will turn the case, if it doesnt, wrap the
end of the cleaning rod with tape so that it fits snugly in
the case. Close the breech block on the empty case and
turn the cleaning rod a few times so that the case scores
a circular mark on the Dykem coated breech block. Now
you can see where the firing pin will need to be located.
Take an unfired case and compare it to the circle created
on the breech face, it should be very close to the same
diameter. The firing pin should strike the cartridge just
inside the outer edge of the case, so mark the breech
face with a scribe, the location for the firing pin. You will
have to remove the breech block from the frame to drill
the firing pin hole, but first locate the spot on the back
of the breech block where the hammer makes contact so
you can determine the proper angle for the firing pin to
pass through. When you are ready to drill the firing pin
hole, start with a bit that matches the small end of the
firing pin and you should drill from the breech face since
this location is more critical. I measured a few 22s with
34

round firing pins and determined .070 was a common

size, so I drilled the hole all the way through with a #50
bit, then turned the block over so the hammer face is
now up and the breech face down, line the hole again
with the bit still in the chuck, and clamp the breech
block in place then change the bit for the larger one that
will match the large end of your firing pin, this is the end
the hammer will strike. Now take careful measurements
and drill with care as you want to go most of the way
through but not all the way, you must leave the last
.050-.070 of the hole the small diameter for the striking
end of the pin.

Now, prepare the firing pin by chucking the drill rod in a

drill or drill press and with a coarse file, reduce the small
end. A drill press with a vise will be very useful here
because it does take a little time to reduce the drill rod
from .1875 to .070. I found this to be one of the more
enjoyable operations and learned quite a bit while doing
35

this. Check your progress often and avoid overheating

the material. See in the picture below, that you can
carefully clamp a file between pieces of scrap wood, as
to not damage the file, and bear the file against the
turning drill rod. The weight of a vise should be enough
to hold the file to the drill rod, but you may need to
clamp the vise and regularly reapply the tension. When
approaching the final dimension, switch to a fine file and
finally sandpaper. Try to taper the portion just above the
small end to prevent any sharp edges that can cause the
firing pin to break. Finally, after trial fitting and trimming
the small end so that the protrusion through the hole in
the breech block is correct, the pin should protrude
.020-.035 max, at the small end and the same at the
hammer face (the large end). Finally, when all other
fitting has been done you will need to cut a retaining
notch in the side of the shaft of the pin for a small pin
the go through the breech block transversely to retain
the firing pin. This is a good operation for the dremel to
at least remove most of the material and finish with
files. Remember not to leave sharp corners in the
bottom of this notch, as they will cause the firing pin to
break. Also, do not remove more than half of the
thickness of the firing pin when creating this retaining
notch. When all of these operations are completed and
before you install the pin with its retaining pin, the firing
pin should be heat treated. Drill rod is easily heat
treated, you should purchase this material from a source
that can tell you how to treat the particular steel.

36

Stocks
As I mentioned earlier, stocks for the H&R handi-rifles
and pardner shotguns can be very readily adapted to
use on this project. Most stocks for rifles or shotguns of
this configuration might be adaptable, but the H&R stock
is made in a couple of different configurations, including
a raised comb stock for use with a scope and an old
fashioned style that is probably more appropriate with
this rifle. Stocks for the Remington model 6 were still
available as of this writing but if you purchase one of
these, please do so before beginning construction of the
frame so you can redesign the rear of the frame to
accommodate the Remington stock. If you have
obtained the H&R stock, to adapt it to this use, simply
locate the stock to the rear of the frame and transfer the
dimensions of the center section of the frame to the
front of the stock, where the attaching bolt hole is. You
will now have to remove material from the stock with a
band saw if available, or hand saw to begin, and then
finish the work with wood chisels. Work a little at a time,
37

test fitting often, and when you reach the point where
the frame fits into the channel you have created,
identify the correct angle for the rear of the frame to
contact the stock. You can sink the frame into the stock
just to the point of the side plates and finish the stock to
match the line of the side plate, or you can continue to
deepen the center cut and open up the front of the stock
so that is comes over the side plates slightly, this will
create a more finished appearance but will be
considerably more work. I made my stock fit right to the
side plates, and then narrowed the front of the stock to
make it blend more cleanly to the narrow frame. The
H&R stock is kind of chunky and will look much better if
you rasp the dimension down a bit, blending to the size
of the frame.
The fore end of the H&R fits this rifle very well with the
barrel diameter of 7/8 in. The only fitting necessary to
the fore end is to remove the plastic part at the rear of
the H&R fore end and then remove some material at the
sides of the rear where it contacts the front of your
frame, this is only for cosmetic reasons. You should test
fit the fore end and mark the location of the hole to
attach it. Drill and tap the hole to attach the fore end
with the appropriate tap for the screw that came with
the fore end. Of course, you can use another screw if
you choose, or dont have the original, but the H&R
screw will fit the fore end properly. You may also want
to install a pin in the front of the frame that will fit into a
hole in the rear of the fore-end, this will add strength to
the attachment of the fore end. You will have to decide if
you need to do this yourself. There are several styles of
fore end available for the H&R rifle, so you can look
around and decide what you prefer. The one in the
picture is the standard Schnabel design that comes on
most models. You could remove the front couple of
inches from it and with a little rasping and sanding
create a splinter style fore end.

38

Sights
Sights are available from Midway USA, brownells and
others by barrel diameter. Marbles and Williams sights
are very inexpensive and you can choose from a variety
of styles. When shopping for your sights, pick a type
that you feel looks appropriate with the rifle, and then
choose the model that is available for your correct barrel
diameter. Front and rear sights are available for
universal applications.
You will have to mark the mounting points on the barrel
and I suggest that you clamp the sights with spring
clamps or even rubber bands to hold the sights in place
while you carefully make adjustments in their position to
find the top center. It is very important to take your
time here and get the sights centered properly.

39

Materials
All the materials required to complete this project are
available from onlinemetals.com, as well as
http://www.amazon.com and many other sources.

Barrel
The barrel liners I used, as well as complete barrels are
available from numrich gun parts, http://www.egunparts.com/

Sights
Sights are available from http://www.midwayusa.com/
brownells, numrich gun parts, as well as many other
sources.

Stocks
The H&R stock I recommend is available from H&R,
which is owned by marlin and available online at
http://www.hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.asp

40

Finish
Gun finishes are available locally, check your gun store
or http://www.cabelas.com, bass pro shops or online at
http://www.brownells.com/

41

42

43

Transfer template components to card stock so you can

trace them to your metal stock, or use carbon paper,
yeah they still sell it. Enlarge the print until the scale is
correct, but bear in mind that you can make this larger
than scale, I dont think Id try to make it much smaller.
Pivot pin locations are just shown for reference; dont
attempt to drill them until you are fitting the part.

44

DISCLAIMER AND TERMS OF USE AGREEMENT

The author and publisher of this book and the
accompanying materials have used their best efforts in
preparing this book. The author and publisher make no
representation or warranties with respect to the
accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the
contents of this book. The information contained in this
book is strictly for educational purposes.
Therefore, if you wish to apply ideas contained in this
book, you are taking full responsibility for your actions.
The author and publisher disclaim any warranties
(express or implied), merchantability, or fitness for any
particular purpose. The author and publisher shall in no
event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect,
punitive, special, incidental or other consequential
damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of
this material, which is provided as is, and without
warranties.
The author and publisher do not warrant the
performance, effectiveness or applicability of any sites
listed or linked to in this book.
All links are for information purposes only and are not
warranted for content, accuracy or any other implied or
explicit purpose.
This book is copyrighted by Jerry Lindsey. No part of
this may be copied, or changed in any format, sold, or
used in any way other than what is outlined within this
book under any circumstances.

45

Notes *
Casenit is a chemical product available from Brownells
and other sources, used to surface harden mild steel.
Dykem is a dye used to layout work on materials; it is
available at hardware stores.
Grinding paste is a material used in the automotive
industry and can be found at any auto parts store.
H&R 1871 is a trademark of the Harrington and
Richardson Company.
Remington is a trademark of RA Brands, L.L.C., Madison,
NC 27025.

46

Notes:

47

Notes:

48