30 Caliber Browning replica in 3 days (I hope)

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T Bolt

Colonel
13,273
2,989
Mar 24, 2010
Chicago, Illinois
My son is dressing up as a soldier for Halloween, and wanted to carry a gun like Crapgame in the Kelly's Heroes movie, and asked me to make him one. That was a couple of months ago and I totally forgot about it until I was reminded about it a couple of days ago.

I did a lot of work on it that first night which I've documented here, then I came down with the Flu. I m recovering now but that only leaves this evening and tomorrow to complete it.

Here's what's done so far:

Pictures 1 2 The reference pictures I'm using.

Picture 3 The main body of the gun made from a piece of 2x4 with the ½ inch electrical conduit barrel glued in with 5 minute epoxy. The gun will be somewhat under scale, which will be fine as my son is about 5' tall.

Picture 4 Miscellaneous parts I cut out of aluminum left over from my cockpit project.

Picture 5 All the parts test fitted. My son wants the version of the gun with the two handles, which isn't the one used in Kelly's Heroes.

Picture 6 The outer barrel started. It's a piece of ¾ inch electrical conduit. The holes have been laid-out and marked with a center punch.

Picture 7 Drilling underway. Went a little rougher than I expected and there was a lot of clean-up with a file to do.

Picture 8 The finished outer barrel.

Picture 9 The inner and outer barrels test-fitted together.

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Holyshit, hope you don't have an unexpected visit from the local law enforcement. Might want to put a PC correct orange paint/cap over the end. Some dipshit will certainly report you as "carrying around an assault weapon". :lol:
 
Holyshit, hope you don't have an unexpected visit from the local law enforcement. Might want to put a PC correct orange paint/cap over the end. Some dipshit will certainly report you as "carrying around an assault weapon". :lol:
I do plan on rapping the tip of the barrel in florescent orange tape. Got to be PC you know! :lol:

Cool 8)

Once you make this you can make 8 50's for the Thunderbolt :lol:

Mike
All ready thought about that :lol: I could just use a bigger hunk of wood and 3/4 and 1 inch conduit for the barrels.
 
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Yeah you live in Chicago!! Stuff like that gets you on the city news. :toothy5:

Looks great by the way. I have VERY fond memories of my dad cutting out 2x12x2s into M1 carbines, M14s, M16s and 1911 outlines when I was about 7. They were the coolest things I ever had as a kid. Wish I still had them in fact.

Your skill level is leaps and bounds better. Good on you. Memories last forever.
 
Thanks guys!
I've pretty much got it assembled now. I didn't realize how close I had it to being finished. I'll paint it in the morning and should finish on time.

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Great stuff Glenn !
i made a couple of full-size mock-up 30 cals a few years ago, for vehicle mounting. the barrel jackets were made from plastic waste pipe, which was dead easy to drill, and exactly the right diameter. The receivers were plastic cable trunking, over timber, with odds and ends for the fittings, bolt etc.
Problem was, they looked so good mounted on the Jeep they were made for, that it got stopped at every turn by police cars !!
 
Awesome Glenn!!

"911 whats your emergency?"
"Ah I have a neighbor carrying around a machine gun."

Minutes later you have FBI, CIA, and Police come to you house :lol: :lol:
 
Great stuff Glenn !
i made a couple of full-size mock-up 30 cals a few years ago, for vehicle mounting. the barrel jackets were made from plastic waste pipe, which was dead easy to drill, and exactly the right diameter. The receivers were plastic cable trunking, over timber, with odds and ends for the fittings, bolt etc.
Problem was, they looked so good mounted on the Jeep they were made for, that it got stopped at every turn by police cars !!

Your jeep? Or for reenactments? :lol:
 
Almost done now. I painted it with flat black spray can paint which in its self is a pain because its sale within the Chicago city limits has been outlawed and I had to go out to the burbs to get it. I still have to do a few little details such as a shoulder strap attachment points, and the orange tip on the barrel.

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HA! It looks great!! Damn, if someone pointed that thing at me from a distance I would definitely take cover, lol.
 
Great job Glenn, it certainly looks the part.
No, not my Jeep H. It was for a Willys/Ford, restored as a S.A.S. Jeep for shows etc. I also made some GPMGs for a S.A.S. Land Rover 'Pinkie', which used actual pistol grips and flash suppressors I managed to obtain, and had belts of de-activated 7.62 mm ammo dangling from them. Those ones really caused problems !!
 

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