First: that was one hell of a segue into the Surfshark sponsorship. Both relevant to the video, and informative to the product. Second: what mini arc welder did you get. I could use one. Third: Great job on the restoration as usual. Always enjoy them. Fourth: I kind of liked the tribal carving, it might have been a safari shotgun near the turn of the century. Which back then was normal, but in modern context would have played credence to the name Maniac 1.
@@xxAntiOtakuxx Hi, thank you for the feedback, and I'm glad you liked the video! The welder is made by Lampert, in Germany. Not exactly cheap, but still about 10 times cheaper than an equivalent laser unit.
Yes the most important skill of resto youtubers is to know how to make the hydrogen peroxide/vinegar spray in order to quickly create a lot of orange surface rust to clean off.
This micro tig welder is going to take your restorations to the next level! I can't wait to see more videos on it in the future! Thank you for always improving and teaching us the RIGHT way to do restorations! We all really appreciate it!
One of your most impressive restorations, I was flabbergasted by the end result! Very interesting to see that arc welder in action, looks like it's going to help you immensely in future projects
I think this has less to do with gun laws and more with these companies refusing to comply with various international privacy laws. Plenty of US sites do not work in the EU because they refuse to comply with ePrivacy laws that require a user's permission to use cookies and trackers.
@@Kannamoris many European countries have gun laws that extend to banning even information around guns. Hell even in some US states simply visiting a guncad or 3D printing site is enough to get yourself a raid warrant
@@Backyard.Ballistics You should keep all of the cursed and weird parts that are still functional so one day you might be able to frankenstein them into a totally cursed hybrid gun. Sell it to an art gallery or something after that lol
Nobody does this just for fun, the story and the ways the gun made through his life (maybe long hunting trips through inner Africa, a local guide carving the stock at the campfire) would be very interesting
@@sebscharpf You don't know that. I have a lot of respect towards the carving, but we have no idea what the reasons behind it were. I've carved wood out of boredom.
Yup... ^THIS^ Backyard Ballistics is the only restoration channel that I watch for exactly this reason* 😎👍 *Other reasons include Carlo's personality, bone-dry humour, scrupulous attention to authenticity and detail, the free Chemistry lessons, doing everything The Right Way, and the amazing little hard-to-spot asides such as use of the word "Gammy" and gems like "Guy's Shitty Reloads" 😜👍
It´s that "New Tool Energy", when you get a something cool and have to use it on everything. I had it when I got my new pressure washer and started cleaning everything in a 1km radius.
@@freelancer835I really don’t think it is. It reminds me of a lot of indigenous art from around my area - not remotely hideous. I find it quite beautiful personally. To each their own I guess
It’s pretty cool, but I agree that it shouldn’t be put on the final gun. For a custom Winchester 97, however… Edit: wrong model designation that I have corrected.
Some could also argue that all the other crap Maniac No1 did is part of the gun's history and should be preserved. When restoring something it's perfectly OK to undo someone else's "personal taste choices".
@@Aren-1997 not really the point. its not up to you to say it looks stupid, its something that someone did to it, and therefore is part of the history of the gun. I'd argue if that weapon was going to sit in a museum anyway, the uniqueness of its appearance due to its modifications makes it a more interesting historical object than the refurbished version.
I agree. I don't really see the point in "factory resetting" something that was fascinating and unique like that. I think the modifications to the gun made it a window into the past. It told us something about the maniacs who owned it. While more safe to use, more "correct", and a better example of the original weapon, this gun is now less of a historical artefact, and holds less interest and value as a piece of history
@@manitoba-op4jxagreed, I was assistant museum curator and technical restorer. Many items of curious nature were donated to us by excited donors. Unfortunately often with no historical context or background story. This usually ends up with the item being about as unique as any other of its kind and sitting in the archive while a more interesting item with background takes its place. However a documented restoration of this shotgun would itself make a far more interesting exhibit and is why we would ultimately instead exhibit his restored shotgun along with process items, and a illustrated background panel explaining the function and restoration. Perhaps with an informational video linked for visitors to watch. Don't forget that history is not static, working with history is often far more engaging and can become a worthwhile technical educational exhibit. Which is part of the merits on which we would select exhibit value.
I can’t wait to watch your video tonight with a hot cup of tea. I purchased an 1897 clone several years ago and converted it into a trench gun variant. With the 1917 bayonet mounted the thing stands nearly 5 feet tall.
PS; are you aware this firearm can be ‘slam fired’? Meaning that keeping the trigger depressed and cycling the action will cause it to discharge. 5 shots in under two seconds is very much achievable, though I recommend light loads and leaning heavily into the stock. Cheers,
I knew about slam-firing, but didn't want to risk it with such an old and beaten item, especially after swapping the bolt (although I'd made sure all the safety features were still in working)
Amazing consolidation of two Frankenstein guns in to one working weapon. I can see how someone with less tenacity would of just tossed both in to a recycling bin.
Dude, your gun restoration videos and processes are my favorite. Thank you for showing your rust conversion processes and methods. I appreciate the carefulness that you approach disassembly and the care you take with surface finishes.
Perhaps it's an unpopular opinion but I actually like the carving on the stock. It's not as nice as the original for restoration purposes but a cool piece anyway.
Have you seen Brandon Herrera's rebuild of an AKS-74U that was originally shown on Forgotten Weapon's? The guy who originally assembled that gun was a real maniac... He braised the gas block onto it, for starters.
Man, that welder is one hell of an addition to your already impressive arsenal. I would venture to say that there is not a second individual out there with your abilities, knowledge and tools and the willingness to share all of it. Great stuff.
Love seeing another video from you. Great work and result. Don't be afraid to make your videos a bit longer. We who follow you actually enjoy the content in detail.
This was amazing. You had me laughing out loud when you were discussing Maniac Number 2 and his soft solder obsession. Your new mini-arc welder is awesome. This was fun and educational.
You sir are well worth the wait. Made sure to get my coffee ready to enjoy yet another incredibly detailed well thought out video on some old neglected tools in need of some attention. Have always wanted a thumb buster in the safe. Something both my Da and I would look for anytime we hit a gunstore.
Thank you. I needed to watch this. My son purchased one with a receiver made in 1924 and the takedown barrel assembly in 1905. The man he purchased it from was not honest and obviously did not know how to marry the two main components. I have never worked on one so I have learned a lot from your video. I will replay it often until I have cleaned, repaired/replaced components and gotten this wonderful old relic running again….if I can.
I gotta say, while i dont care for a lot of the refinishing you do (it was only new once), I have immense respect and appreciation of your willingness and hard work at trying new methods and tools to try different repairs. Id also reccomend to try out one of those induction heat guns over a torch. Less messy and dangerous
This is my favorite restoration channel not only because you prove it isn't fake so often, but because you actually show us how to restore our own firearms by telling us what to use and how to use it. Other channels just say things like, "The barrel was blued." But you go into the specifics of the process.
That was a lot of work to even rebuild one of them. If you had not had that microwelder, it might have been impossible. That welder is going to be super handy. You've rebuilt screw heads, repaired cracks and surfaces with it, and repaired parts so that the extractor works. Looks like it'll make your job easier, and your repaired guns a lot safer in the future. I guess now, you'll need a CNC machine or 3D printer to make impossible to find parts.
I have a 3D printer, had one since 2013, but that's not really helpful for gunsmithing, unless it's a (crazy expensive) metal printer. On guns, the rule is "go metal or go home"
@@Backyard.Ballistics I don't know, replacing the bolt with 3D printed plastic sounds like a good idea. Especially on some sort of a large caliber rifle :P
I have a 97 i inherited from my grandfather and I have to say, out of all the 40+ guns that I own, it's easily the biggest pain to take apart. With the weaker metallurgy of the past, and the honestly complicated design for what it is, it doesn't surprise me that both of those guns were frankenstein's monsters. Still impressive you managed to piece something useable together
What a remarkable project. That was great to see unoriginal original condition to new unoriginal original condition. Preserving these pieces of history is a worthy obsession
Very nice work. Your knowledge of metallurgy was educational for me. Particularly the nickel plating thing,. Fun to see this 100+ year old gun in action again.
I have to say, to my eye, the old M97's and M1912/M12's are the best-looking shotguns ever made. I know there are incredibly intricate and expensive doubles, but my subjective judgment likes the old pumps best. I have several old nickel steel M1912's - they are whole and functional but in need of restoration. "A good man knows his limitations" so I won't tear them apart and ruin them in an attempt to make them 'new' again. It must be rewarding to have the author's skill.
1:34 So... Altough I am an enthusiast on the subject, I am by no means an expert on African culture, therefore feel free to completely call bs if you want to. Still, by looking at this I am "fairly" certain this is meant to be a "fetish" of some kind. No. Not "that" kind of fetish, I mean a "magical fetish", as in it is imbued with spiritual power. You see, these carvings are the type you'd make on masks, and african masks tend to be made to invoke the spirits of those they depict. Why do they invoke these spirits? A variety of reasons, rituals for good fortune, prayers, etc. But this one...? This reminds me of ancestor masks (for the dead). And this depiction on a shotgun's stock? That's something I've never seen before, because, one, it doesn't look like a depiction of an african man, it looks to be either mediterranean or standard european, mostly because of the moustache which was the fashion at the time; and two, it is etched upon a weapon. Those two factors lead me believe the man depicted might have been a soldier, mercenary, what have you. So, with that in mind (and I'm theory-crafting the hell out of this, because we just don't know), I believe in the following possibilities: A- the original owner of this shotgun befriended a native brother-in-arms so when he died (possibly in combat), the friend carved his face onto the rifle as a means to honour his death, or, most likely he payed a carver to do so. In short, it was a way to remember the deceased. B- the man whose face is carved on the stock died (in combat or by natural causes), but he was a tremendous warrior/soldier, and caused an impression on the owner of the shotgun. It could've been ferocity in combat, incredible sharpshooting skills, or even for some reason he would simply never get by bullets in situations he absolutely should've. Whatever the case, the owner of this shotgun had this man's face etched upon the stock so as to invoke both his spirit and similar luck/skill whenever there was need to use it. Basically it is a *blessed weapon* Again, can't be 100% certain
Would love to see other restorations, like swords, bayonets, knives, military equipment like canteens, and possibly even custom things, where you'd restore a weapons internals, then redesign the exterior with new concepts and designs.
Thank you for sharing all the ways that you put together for fixing rust and doing bluing etc. I really appreciate that you take the time to share what you've learnt with others so they too can use your techniques. Aslo I wish you'd kept the carved stock on it lol, I think it looked really neat, someone did put all the effort into there.
This guy's knowledge is second to none. The amount of skill necessary in areas of chemistry, metal work, some wood work and just sheer technical knowledge around so many variations of weaponry, is insane. He knows his job and doesn't cut corners like so many others. Learn a lot watching these...
Very nice, I did notice it seemed like on a couple of your shots the action was trying to open while firing. Just wanted to be sure your gun’s inertial slide lock mechanism is working correctly. This is the mechanism that requires you to push forward on the slide slightly prior to pumping when hand cycling rounds and is an important safety feature while shooting.
So great to see a new video from you! Great work on the 1897! I just purchased one recently here in Maryland, USA from my local gun shop. Mine is a 12 gauge from 1936. Wonderful shotgun!
If there is a hall of fame for RUclips channels, this should be in it. No long intros, detailed, interesting explanations. I love every single video I have seen here.
I’m commenting not only to appreciate the excellent and admirable work you do, but also to thank you for sharing your knowledge in arts such as bluing, that is incredibly useful too
Man you impress more and more with every project. Your knowledge of not only gunsmithing but engineering, materials science and chemistry is truly inspiring. Gunsmiths here in Tennessee often can't accomplish half as much, even without all the laws you're forced to work through.
Well Carlo anytime you can get one decent shooter from two guns is still a good save in.my book. That tight micro welder works great thanks for showing it.
Why did you rebuild the head of the screw with weld instead of just tack welding a sacrificial screwdriver bit (or anything that you'd be able to use to turn it really) to the worn out screw? I am not much of a fixer upper type myself but I have seen that done before. I am curious why you'd go through what seems like more effort to rebuild the screw itself.
The bits are high carbon steel and the welding process can make them quite brittle and susceptible to breaking when you apply torque. Easiest solution is usually to weld a nut on but that may not have been practical with a welder that small.
I like the fact that you have become the poster child for what a real restorationist looks like. Your video on how to spot a fake or semi-fake restoration looks like next to a true restoration really got a lot of attention.
I bought a M1897 a few months back. It was and still is my dream gun. Mine was made in their last year of production, so it's in almost perfect condition. It's one of my favorite guns I own.
Did something similar with a 1902 takedown model 1897 last year that I picked up for $300 that hadn't been maintained in over 80 years at least. The takedown pin was in backwards and the magazine tube was in upside down. The action was held together with pieces of rusted chicken wire, the shell carrier was pinned in receiver with a roller pin found at a hardware store because the little screw that was supposed to hold the original in place was stripped in the socket and had been drilled through for a place to put said pin. The pin itself was basically freefloating and came out with ease as it lacked the cutout for the screw to even hold it there to begin with. The 3 screw handguard the screws were definitely another hardware store find that were cut down to size to 'fit', none of them were the same size and came out with slightest bit of activity. Oh why the chicken wire you may ask? Well because the action guard itself, that wooden tube was actually broken into 3 pieces and rather than acriglass it back together they decided to chicken wire it to the magazine tube as a "good enuff" fix. Also that "shotglass" style action arm broke off during removal, that is to say the cup itself just broke right off. It was bent upwards making the action incredibly hard to cycle among other faults, I imagine it was a side effect of the chicken wiring it too tightly the gun at some point. The stock bolt channel under the buttstock plate... was filled to the top with what looked like cookies and creme. It was a composition of what I can only guess was plaster and various gauges of buck and bird shot pellets to I would guess eleviate recoil by increasing the weight. In order to remove the stock I had to chisel away at it with a screwdriver to get to the bolt inside. Ultimately, I decided the original action arm raised too many safety concerns over the later 1910 version change so I upgraded it with the screw on cap version instead. The problem with those 3 screw models is that the eschucheons that hold them in place easily come loose which could be dangerous. As an example: you're racking the action, screw comes loose, you slide your hand over it by accident or recoil and suddenly cut your palm open. The screw on cap model definitely helps prevent that. I was able to clean it up and repair it with replacement parts and its now a fully functioning piece once more. It has a nice surface patina but no action rust thankfully, had quite abit of grime in the receiver channels though that came out with some 409 and a toothbrush. Overall it was a really educational experience to work on and I'm now learning gunsmithing as a side hobby. A few places I frequented for replacement parts were outlawgambler's wildwest guns (Classicoldwestarms), Ebay, and numrich gun parts. It was channels like this one and Mark Novak that kind of inspired me to pick up repair/restore/conserve as a hobby. Thanks for the awesome work!
This was one hell of a trip for the restoration to happen. You really made a miracle even if it took two of them to make a functional one. I'm glad to have you back! Your restorations are always a treat to watch.
That is really impressive - while I know next to nothing about gun restoration, I really doubt there are too many people that could have accomplished what you did with these two guns which had been so poorly treated. And that new tool you have is amazing! Great video and awesome result with yet another museum piece!
Ok, you guys got me. I've been a little lax on routine maintenance.....I got a flat tire....They ran out of gas at the gas staion.....My dog ate my bore brush.....There were locusts!!!!
A friend of mine blessed me with 6 guns to restore and I get one as payment. Most of the guns I restore are from simple lack of maintenance but got a reputation of doing great work.
The hilarious thing is I was working on my own project 1897 when this video first popped up. love the channel, its inspired me to get into fixing guns.
I've competed in Cowboy Action Shooting for 20 years, with firearms or reproductions of colt "Peacemaker" 1873's, Winchester 1866, and 1873's, and Double barrel shotguns, along with 1897 Winchester pump shotguns. It was very interesting watching you restore the Win. 1897 as there are a couple of gunsmiths that specialize in tuning up specific cowboy guns, one who works on the 1897's is a smith named Uwe Bartsch, from America, who "slicks up" the actions.
Ouch! Those micro Arc welders are crazy expensive, $5-6k USD. However, as a fellow gunsmith I can attest to how useful they would be when restoring and repairing firearms, especially rare and expensive ones. You are doing sone damn fine work my friend, keep up the good work!
The 1897, especially the trench variant, is my favourite pump shotgun. They just have so much character and the slam fire capability just adds to the fun factor
Dude this is amazing, I have a Winchester '97 from the 1910's and I love it! First gun I ever worked on, and it shoots so smooth. Man I love this shotgun!
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
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What happened to the rpg video
What a restoration man! Great work. That’s seemed to be worth it in the end, but not without great struggle.
First: that was one hell of a segue into the Surfshark sponsorship. Both relevant to the video, and informative to the product.
Second: what mini arc welder did you get. I could use one.
Third: Great job on the restoration as usual. Always enjoy them.
Fourth: I kind of liked the tribal carving, it might have been a safari shotgun near the turn of the century. Which back then was normal, but in modern context would have played credence to the name Maniac 1.
@@xxAntiOtakuxx Hi, thank you for the feedback, and I'm glad you liked the video!
The welder is made by Lampert, in Germany. Not exactly cheap, but still about 10 times cheaper than an equivalent laser unit.
Where’d the RPG-2 and AK-47 restoration videos go? RUclips algorithm being a bully?
Turing two 120 year old guns into one that looks nearly factory new is a worthy sacrifice to bring history back to life.
I am amazed at the quality of your restoration abilities. You never need to apologize for your restorations. They are all top quality videos.
I'm starting to notice that the chemistry knowledge is really what makes some of these projects even possible
Better living through chemistry.
Yes the most important skill of resto youtubers is to know how to make the hydrogen peroxide/vinegar spray in order to quickly create a lot of orange surface rust to clean off.
@@Eric-zs6rdyou do know this man has made a video on how to spot fake restoration videos right?
@@Eric-zs6rd Oh, my sweet summer child
@@Eric-zs6rd Don't forget the part where you place it in a pile of rubbish and pretend to find it on a random walk.
This micro tig welder is going to take your restorations to the next level! I can't wait to see more videos on it in the future! Thank you for always improving and teaching us the RIGHT way to do restorations! We all really appreciate it!
Yup... ^EXACTLY THIS^
Another amazing restoration done *The Right Way* -that micro-TIG setup is amazing and I want one really, really badly...
Thank you maniac number 1 and 2! And of course, now number 3 😂
One of your most impressive restorations, I was flabbergasted by the end result! Very interesting to see that arc welder in action, looks like it's going to help you immensely in future projects
I'm sure it will!
@@Backyard.Ballistics What is the name of your second channel?
@@armageddontools beyond ballistics
bro was flabbergasted
casually using a sponsor to get around arbitrtary and ridiculous gun laws, absolute champ give this man a US passport immediately
I think this has less to do with gun laws and more with these companies refusing to comply with various international privacy laws. Plenty of US sites do not work in the EU because they refuse to comply with ePrivacy laws that require a user's permission to use cookies and trackers.
@@Kannamoris many European countries have gun laws that extend to banning even information around guns. Hell even in some US states simply visiting a guncad or 3D printing site is enough to get yourself a raid warrant
@@evan12697Fr? What countries do that?
@@mrcvik5996 many European countries, China, Japan, hell even in the US visiting the site alone can get a knock on your door
Leave it to a yank to turn a video about a gun restoration into politics and gun laws. No one cares.
Little disappointed you didn’t keep the carved stock, I think it gave it character lol. Tho I understand the decision
The drunk guy living under the overpass has character too, doesn't mean you want to take him out to the club with you 🤣
@ddoherty5956 🤣
I kept it, just not on the gun 🤣. I'm not going to bin it
@@Backyard.Ballistics You should keep all of the cursed and weird parts that are still functional so one day you might be able to frankenstein them into a totally cursed hybrid gun. Sell it to an art gallery or something after that lol
@@Backyard.Ballistics yep, the carved stock might be a good source for old walnut for future stock repairs.
The carving on the stock is the best part honestly. A direct connection to history, provenance, whatever u wanna call it.
Nobody does this just for fun, the story and the ways the gun made through his life (maybe long hunting trips through inner Africa, a local guide carving the stock at the campfire) would be very interesting
@@sebscharpf You don't know that. I have a lot of respect towards the carving, but we have no idea what the reasons behind it were. I've carved wood out of boredom.
One of the few firearm restoration channels that can be trusted 100%!
Yup... ^THIS^
Backyard Ballistics is the only restoration channel that I watch for exactly this reason* 😎👍
*Other reasons include Carlo's personality, bone-dry humour, scrupulous attention to authenticity and detail, the free Chemistry lessons, doing everything The Right Way, and the amazing little hard-to-spot asides such as use of the word "Gammy" and gems like "Guy's Shitty Reloads" 😜👍
Love that you are back with a blast!
See what you did there😉
Great work.
That welder is awesome. Seems like a relaxing way to pass some time - filling up rust pits on old receivers. 😁
It´s that "New Tool Energy", when you get a something cool and have to use it on everything.
I had it when I got my new pressure washer and started cleaning everything in a 1km radius.
Great video, and great to see Adam Morris get a mention. I had the pleasure of meeting him last month. A man of great focus, skill and talent.
that carved stock is awesome
It’s hideous, but I love it lol!
@@freelancer835I really don’t think it is. It reminds me of a lot of indigenous art from around my area - not remotely hideous. I find it quite beautiful personally. To each their own I guess
Yeah, it has a certain unique charm to it.
I love it
It’s pretty cool, but I agree that it shouldn’t be put on the final gun. For a custom Winchester 97, however…
Edit: wrong model designation that I have corrected.
Beautiful work. I'm so happy when an old gun is brought back to life. I think Tru-oil is my favorite finish. I've used on making bows before.
Some might argue that the tribal art is part of that gun's history and should be preserved.
Yeah but it looks stupid and out of place so who cares.
Some could also argue that all the other crap Maniac No1 did is part of the gun's history and should be preserved. When restoring something it's perfectly OK to undo someone else's "personal taste choices".
@@Aren-1997 not really the point.
its not up to you to say it looks stupid, its something that someone did to it, and therefore is part of the history of the gun. I'd argue if that weapon was going to sit in a museum anyway, the uniqueness of its appearance due to its modifications makes it a more interesting historical object than the refurbished version.
I agree. I don't really see the point in "factory resetting" something that was fascinating and unique like that. I think the modifications to the gun made it a window into the past. It told us something about the maniacs who owned it. While more safe to use, more "correct", and a better example of the original weapon, this gun is now less of a historical artefact, and holds less interest and value as a piece of history
@@manitoba-op4jxagreed, I was assistant museum curator and technical restorer.
Many items of curious nature were donated to us by excited donors. Unfortunately often with no historical context or background story. This usually ends up with the item being about as unique as any other of its kind and sitting in the archive while a more interesting item with background takes its place.
However a documented restoration of this shotgun would itself make a far more interesting exhibit and is why we would ultimately instead exhibit his restored shotgun along with process items, and a illustrated background panel explaining the function and restoration. Perhaps with an informational video linked for visitors to watch.
Don't forget that history is not static, working with history is often far more engaging and can become a worthwhile technical educational exhibit. Which is part of the merits on which we would select exhibit value.
I can’t wait to watch your video tonight with a hot cup of tea. I purchased an 1897 clone several years ago and converted it into a trench gun variant. With the 1917 bayonet mounted the thing stands nearly 5 feet tall.
PS; are you aware this firearm can be ‘slam fired’? Meaning that keeping the trigger depressed and cycling the action will cause it to discharge. 5 shots in under two seconds is very much achievable, though I recommend light loads and leaning heavily into the stock. Cheers,
I knew about slam-firing, but didn't want to risk it with such an old and beaten item, especially after swapping the bolt (although I'd made sure all the safety features were still in working)
Amazing consolidation of two Frankenstein guns in to one working weapon. I can see how someone with less tenacity would of just tossed both in to a recycling bin.
Dude, your gun restoration videos and processes are my favorite. Thank you for showing your rust conversion processes and methods. I appreciate the carefulness that you approach disassembly and the care you take with surface finishes.
Perhaps it's an unpopular opinion but I actually like the carving on the stock. It's not as nice as the original for restoration purposes but a cool piece anyway.
I kept it in my "weird stuff" pile
@@Backyard.Ballistics Maybe it can be displayed alongside the restored firearm
Best gun restoration channel on RUclips
22:44 we got the maniac number three lmao
Have you seen Brandon Herrera's rebuild of an AKS-74U that was originally shown on Forgotten Weapon's? The guy who originally assembled that gun was a real maniac... He braised the gas block onto it, for starters.
Man, that welder is one hell of an addition to your already impressive arsenal. I would venture to say that there is not a second individual out there with your abilities, knowledge and tools and the willingness to share all of it. Great stuff.
Love seeing another video from you. Great work and result. Don't be afraid to make your videos a bit longer. We who follow you actually enjoy the content in detail.
Thank you for the feedback!
Well, at least the 2 maniacs didn't leave them loaded! Also, truly impressive restoration!
You're maniac number 3! How did you pull that one off?! Impressive! Bravo!
This was amazing. You had me laughing out loud when you were discussing Maniac Number 2 and his soft solder obsession. Your new mini-arc welder is awesome. This was fun and educational.
You sir are well worth the wait. Made sure to get my coffee ready to enjoy yet another incredibly detailed well thought out video on some old neglected tools in need of some attention. Have always wanted a thumb buster in the safe. Something both my Da and I would look for anytime we hit a gunstore.
Thank you. I needed to watch this. My son purchased one with a receiver made in 1924 and the takedown barrel assembly in 1905. The man he purchased it from was not honest and obviously did not know how to marry the two main components. I have never worked on one so I have learned a lot from your video. I will replay it often until I have cleaned, repaired/replaced components and gotten this wonderful old relic running again….if I can.
Today I've learned things to share with others on how to fix those pesky broken screws.
This knowledge is INVALUABLE. Thanks!
I gotta say, while i dont care for a lot of the refinishing you do (it was only new once), I have immense respect and appreciation of your willingness and hard work at trying new methods and tools to try different repairs.
Id also reccomend to try out one of those induction heat guns over a torch. Less messy and dangerous
This is my favorite restoration channel not only because you prove it isn't fake so often, but because you actually show us how to restore our own firearms by telling us what to use and how to use it. Other channels just say things like, "The barrel was blued." But you go into the specifics of the process.
That was a lot of work to even rebuild one of them. If you had not had that microwelder, it might have been impossible. That welder is going to be super handy. You've rebuilt screw heads, repaired cracks and surfaces with it, and repaired parts so that the extractor works. Looks like it'll make your job easier, and your repaired guns a lot safer in the future. I guess now, you'll need a CNC machine or 3D printer to make impossible to find parts.
I have a 3D printer, had one since 2013, but that's not really helpful for gunsmithing, unless it's a (crazy expensive) metal printer. On guns, the rule is "go metal or go home"
@@Backyard.Ballistics I don't know, replacing the bolt with 3D printed plastic sounds like a good idea. Especially on some sort of a large caliber rifle :P
@@Backyard.Ballisticsmmmmm glock frames….
I have a 97 i inherited from my grandfather and I have to say, out of all the 40+ guns that I own, it's easily the biggest pain to take apart. With the weaker metallurgy of the past, and the honestly complicated design for what it is, it doesn't surprise me that both of those guns were frankenstein's monsters. Still impressive you managed to piece something useable together
That's stock on the 12 gauge is very interesting, love ornate designs on wood stocks, especially on shotguns
Fantastic result. That welder looks like a restoration game changer. Looking forward to hearing more about your derusting solution.
12:34 Oh cool, I thought I was the only psychopath removing solder this way.
Hey, if it works...
You might not have all the fireworks of other channels in your niche but you're by far one of the most reliable and informative out there.
One happy day you’ll come across a nice FAL that you can work on and I will watch with a smile on my face as always!
I'm really impressed you were even able to make one functional gun out of those two. Super cool little welder too.
What a remarkable project. That was great to see unoriginal original condition to new unoriginal original condition. Preserving these pieces of history is a worthy obsession
The tribal shotgun looks like a gun you'd see being used in Fallout
I am AMAZED by what you were able to accomplish with these two guns.
Very nice work. Your knowledge of metallurgy was educational for me. Particularly the nickel plating thing,. Fun to see this 100+ year old gun in action again.
I'm curious where do you get these guns from? Are they museum pieces that need restoring?
These ones were 2 previous owners that passed and their heirs wanted to get rid of the stuff. One was kept in a damp place
@@Backyard.Ballistics how about the other guns like the AK and RPG?
Looking forward to hearing more about the micro welding and filling pits.
I have to say, to my eye, the old M97's and M1912/M12's are the best-looking shotguns ever made. I know there are incredibly intricate and expensive doubles, but my subjective judgment likes the old pumps best. I have several old nickel steel M1912's - they are whole and functional but in need of restoration. "A good man knows his limitations" so I won't tear them apart and ruin them in an attempt to make them 'new' again. It must be rewarding to have the author's skill.
When the world needed him most he returned 🙏. Thank god you are back your videos are much needed
That little TIG welder is awesome! Good job on the restoration!
Man the work you do is unreal. Great looking final product.
1:34 So... Altough I am an enthusiast on the subject, I am by no means an expert on African culture, therefore feel free to completely call bs if you want to.
Still, by looking at this I am "fairly" certain this is meant to be a "fetish" of some kind.
No. Not "that" kind of fetish, I mean a "magical fetish", as in it is imbued with spiritual power.
You see, these carvings are the type you'd make on masks, and african masks tend to be made to invoke the spirits of those they depict.
Why do they invoke these spirits?
A variety of reasons, rituals for good fortune, prayers, etc.
But this one...? This reminds me of ancestor masks (for the dead). And this depiction on a shotgun's stock?
That's something I've never seen before, because, one, it doesn't look like a depiction of an african man, it looks to be either mediterranean or standard european, mostly because of the moustache which was the fashion at the time; and two, it is etched upon a weapon. Those two factors lead me believe the man depicted might have been a soldier, mercenary, what have you.
So, with that in mind (and I'm theory-crafting the hell out of this, because we just don't know), I believe in the following possibilities:
A- the original owner of this shotgun befriended a native brother-in-arms so when he died (possibly in combat), the friend carved his face onto the rifle as a means to honour his death, or, most likely he payed a carver to do so. In short, it was a way to remember the deceased.
B- the man whose face is carved on the stock died (in combat or by natural causes), but he was a tremendous warrior/soldier, and caused an impression on the owner of the shotgun. It could've been ferocity in combat, incredible sharpshooting skills, or even for some reason he would simply never get by bullets in situations he absolutely should've.
Whatever the case, the owner of this shotgun had this man's face etched upon the stock so as to invoke both his spirit and similar luck/skill whenever there was need to use it.
Basically it is a *blessed weapon*
Again, can't be 100% certain
Would love to see other restorations, like swords, bayonets, knives, military equipment like canteens, and possibly even custom things, where you'd restore a weapons internals, then redesign the exterior with new concepts and designs.
I have never jumped to a video so fast in my life thank you for this amazing video and all the hard work you did
Ps the end result is incredible
Thank you for sharing all the ways that you put together for fixing rust and doing bluing etc. I really appreciate that you take the time to share what you've learnt with others so they too can use your techniques. Aslo I wish you'd kept the carved stock on it lol, I think it looked really neat, someone did put all the effort into there.
I kept the stock as a spare, although not on the gun 😉
Nothing beats high end equipment!
Thanks for the video, mate.
This guy's knowledge is second to none. The amount of skill necessary in areas of chemistry, metal work, some wood work and just sheer technical knowledge around so many variations of weaponry, is insane. He knows his job and doesn't cut corners like so many others. Learn a lot watching these...
2:55 Love the Dr Who reference!
Very nice, I did notice it seemed like on a couple of your shots the action was trying to open while firing. Just wanted to be sure your gun’s inertial slide lock mechanism is working correctly. This is the mechanism that requires you to push forward on the slide slightly prior to pumping when hand cycling rounds and is an important safety feature while shooting.
Glad you were able to restore at least one of them.
So great to see a new video from you! Great work on the 1897! I just purchased one recently here in Maryland, USA from my local gun shop. Mine is a 12 gauge from 1936. Wonderful shotgun!
This was really tough, but the result is amazing. Great work. You bringing the new life to such seemingly hopeless mechanisms is really inspiring.
If there is a hall of fame for RUclips channels, this should be in it. No long intros, detailed, interesting explanations. I love every single video I have seen here.
Nice to see you back, always enjoy your show in Australia. A once beautiful gun in its day, is better than new by your hands. Bravo.
I love to see historical artifacts like this returned to their former glory, superb restoration!
The outcome is absolutley beautiful! Another well done restauration!!
Super cool! I wish I was more mechanically adept when I had my old one. Ended up trading it off for an equally messed up M1 carbine.
I’m commenting not only to appreciate the excellent and admirable work you do, but also to thank you for sharing your knowledge in arts such as bluing, that is incredibly useful too
The pleasure is mine!
It brings me joy to see this old warcrime stick being restored to working order. You did a fantastic job even with all the problems.
That welder looks like a godsend. Nice work
Man you impress more and more with every project. Your knowledge of not only gunsmithing but engineering, materials science and chemistry is truly inspiring. Gunsmiths here in Tennessee often can't accomplish half as much, even without all the laws you're forced to work through.
Well Carlo anytime you can get one decent shooter from two guns is still a good save in.my book. That tight micro welder works great thanks for showing it.
Just yesterday i was looking if you had a video on one of these and now you upload one. Great timing!
One of the best shotguns ever made. Great video I love the work you do.
Fantastic stuff, you should be offering courses.👍
Maybe one day!
Why did you rebuild the head of the screw with weld instead of just tack welding a sacrificial screwdriver bit (or anything that you'd be able to use to turn it really) to the worn out screw? I am not much of a fixer upper type myself but I have seen that done before. I am curious why you'd go through what seems like more effort to rebuild the screw itself.
The bits are high carbon steel and the welding process can make them quite brittle and susceptible to breaking when you apply torque. Easiest solution is usually to weld a nut on but that may not have been practical with a welder that small.
Can not wait for the video on your derust solution.
And good to have you back. Was slightly worried there.
You probably the only person who can tell a daddy jokes in a plain face and still funny
As always, I'm amazed by the superiority of your work.
Thank you very much!
I like the fact that you have become the poster child for what a real restorationist looks like. Your video on how to spot a fake or semi-fake restoration looks like next to a true restoration really got a lot of attention.
I bought a M1897 a few months back. It was and still is my dream gun. Mine was made in their last year of production, so it's in almost perfect condition. It's one of my favorite guns I own.
Another nice video. Love the old '97s and this was fun to watch.
Did something similar with a 1902 takedown model 1897 last year that I picked up for $300 that hadn't been maintained in over 80 years at least. The takedown pin was in backwards and the magazine tube was in upside down. The action was held together with pieces of rusted chicken wire, the shell carrier was pinned in receiver with a roller pin found at a hardware store because the little screw that was supposed to hold the original in place was stripped in the socket and had been drilled through for a place to put said pin. The pin itself was basically freefloating and came out with ease as it lacked the cutout for the screw to even hold it there to begin with. The 3 screw handguard the screws were definitely another hardware store find that were cut down to size to 'fit', none of them were the same size and came out with slightest bit of activity. Oh why the chicken wire you may ask? Well because the action guard itself, that wooden tube was actually broken into 3 pieces and rather than acriglass it back together they decided to chicken wire it to the magazine tube as a "good enuff" fix. Also that "shotglass" style action arm broke off during removal, that is to say the cup itself just broke right off. It was bent upwards making the action incredibly hard to cycle among other faults, I imagine it was a side effect of the chicken wiring it too tightly the gun at some point. The stock bolt channel under the buttstock plate... was filled to the top with what looked like cookies and creme. It was a composition of what I can only guess was plaster and various gauges of buck and bird shot pellets to I would guess eleviate recoil by increasing the weight. In order to remove the stock I had to chisel away at it with a screwdriver to get to the bolt inside.
Ultimately, I decided the original action arm raised too many safety concerns over the later 1910 version change so I upgraded it with the screw on cap version instead. The problem with those 3 screw models is that the eschucheons that hold them in place easily come loose which could be dangerous. As an example: you're racking the action, screw comes loose, you slide your hand over it by accident or recoil and suddenly cut your palm open. The screw on cap model definitely helps prevent that. I was able to clean it up and repair it with replacement parts and its now a fully functioning piece once more. It has a nice surface patina but no action rust thankfully, had quite abit of grime in the receiver channels though that came out with some 409 and a toothbrush. Overall it was a really educational experience to work on and I'm now learning gunsmithing as a side hobby.
A few places I frequented for replacement parts were outlawgambler's wildwest guns (Classicoldwestarms), Ebay, and numrich gun parts. It was channels like this one and Mark Novak that kind of inspired me to pick up repair/restore/conserve as a hobby. Thanks for the awesome work!
That welder is a game changer!
it really is for me!
Sir you are not a maniac for repairing something better than the last guy awesome job and don't let negativity get at you .
I like the way that stock looks :D. I mean I probably wouldn't do it or have it done myself, but I wouldn't hate having it either.
This was one hell of a trip for the restoration to happen.
You really made a miracle even if it took two of them to make a functional one. I'm glad to have you back! Your restorations are always a treat to watch.
That is really impressive - while I know next to nothing about gun restoration, I really doubt there are too many people that could have accomplished what you did with these two guns which had been so poorly treated. And that new tool you have is amazing! Great video and awesome result with yet another museum piece!
Ok, you guys got me. I've been a little lax on routine maintenance.....I got a flat tire....They ran out of gas at the gas staion.....My dog ate my bore brush.....There were locusts!!!!
That thing turned out awesome!
Absolutely incredible... very much looking forward to what's possible with your new microwelder!
Brilliant video! Outstanding effort and respect for history as always. And always enjoyable videos. One of My favourite channels on RUclips :)
A friend of mine blessed me with 6 guns to restore and I get one as payment. Most of the guns I restore are from simple lack of maintenance but got a reputation of doing great work.
It looks so good, sounds great too. Nice work, and I think combining two broken rusty guns into one fully functional one is totally acceptable
The hilarious thing is I was working on my own project 1897 when this video first popped up. love the channel, its inspired me to get into fixing guns.
I love these kind of video but hated that no one would tell you why or what they were doing. Thank God I found your channel. Love your content
I've competed in Cowboy Action Shooting for 20 years, with firearms or reproductions of colt "Peacemaker" 1873's, Winchester 1866, and 1873's, and Double barrel shotguns, along with 1897 Winchester pump shotguns. It was very interesting watching you restore the Win. 1897 as there are a couple of gunsmiths that specialize in tuning up specific cowboy guns, one who works on the 1897's is a smith named Uwe Bartsch, from America, who "slicks up" the actions.
Ouch! Those micro Arc welders are crazy expensive, $5-6k USD. However, as a fellow gunsmith I can attest to how useful they would be when restoring and repairing firearms, especially rare and expensive ones. You are doing sone damn fine work my friend, keep up the good work!
The 1897, especially the trench variant, is my favourite pump shotgun. They just have so much character and the slam fire capability just adds to the fun factor
Dude this is amazing, I have a Winchester '97 from the 1910's and I love it! First gun I ever worked on, and it shoots so smooth. Man I love this shotgun!
great to see a new video and even greater to see my favorite gun being restored to its full glory! thanks alot!