Last year we built a 410 caliber shotgun from a kit and lots of pipe fittings for our sister magazine RECOIL OFFGRID. One thing about the construction of this particular room was that even the parts kit that Pop-A-410 provided could easily be purchased at a home improvement store. So this time around, we started building one using only Home Depot inventory to build a Slam Fire shotgun.
Warning:
It is legal for you to make your own firearms. Convicted felons or other prohibited people, however, cannot. There may also be other laws applicable where you live, so check the regulations in your jurisdiction. The following article is for educational and entertainment purposes only. CMG West, its parent entities and its subsidiaries will be released from any liability in the event that an entity acts on the basis of the information provided in this article.
Some people who view the gun lifestyle as just a hobby couldn't get over on their own when they spoke out about how dangerous and irresponsible these types of constructions are for a shooter. There are inherent risks at all times when it comes to firearms, and like anything that presents a minimum of danger, they do not forgive human error.
Above: Construction is simple, using four pieces of pipe, two pipe caps, two tees, two set screws, and a few pieces of steel. The only element of complexity is to properly align the welds to ensure constant ignition.
With that in mind, we decided to build a 12 gauge slam shotgun.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE SLAM FIRE
It is legal for gun owners to make their own firearms, as long as they can legally own and own what they make - convicted felons or other prohibited people cannot. There may be additional restrictions where you live, so be sure to check.
Schedule 40 black iron pipe is sold in a number of sizes. For a 12 gauge pump shotgun, you will need 1 inch diameter hoses, plus a 1 inch cap to screw into the end of the 1 inch hose that will act as the receiver.
It gets tricky here because not all pipes are created equal and sizes are not nearly uniform. The reason is that plumbing is not a modern invention, and most standards are in fact guidelines only. In addition, the pipe threads will certainly not be concentric with the bore.
When choosing a ¾ inch hose, try to bring a few types of shotgun shells with you to see if they will fit. Some will, but most will not. If you check multiple pipes on the same shelf, you will often find inside diameter discrepancies between all of them. Ideally, the front of the rim should be flush and the shell itself should have very little, if any, play.
The next step is to verify that the ¾ inch pipe will fit inside the 1 inch pipe. If it falls with a tight fit, even better. Most likely, you will have to dig the inside out with a little sanding. Ideally, you want enough clearance and adjustment for the 1/XNUMX inch pipe to move freely back and forth through the XNUMX inch pipe.
Make sure the cap easily screws onto the 1 inch pipe. A proper seal is essential for this next step. That was our stumbling block, so we turned to our good friends Tyler Norona and Jarrett Bushey at Illumined Arms to cut and rethread the pipe ends.
Back at the store, drill and tap in the center of the cap to install the firing pin. Centering will be the hardest part, as you will find that even the hood is woefully out of spec compared to most gun parts. You can mark the primer on your shotgun cartridge, load it into the thumb pipe, and see where the marking agent hits the inside of the cap. This is where you need to drill and will become your breech face.
Once you have a hole all the way through, you can start your faucet from the outside. Take it easy and use cutting oil; step back from time to time to keep it clean. We used an 8-40 tap as that was the size of the set screws we had on hand.
Above: She might not be pretty, but the JBB-12 is effective and can either be a fun 'I did this' project or a weapon of last resort when it's the only thing on. which you can get your hands on.
Thread the set screw into the threads you created. You just need the tip just barely sticking out. Too deep and you risk puncturing a primer. Once the firing pin tip is secured, hit it for about 15 seconds with a butane torch to harden it.
Finally, we attached an inch tee to the threaded end of the inch pipe, creating a forend grip for easier pulling from the gun.
These five parts include a basic snapping-fire cannon. Aside from getting the plug ready, the only real tools you need are a pipe wrench to make sure everything is snug, tools for cutting the pipe, and a file or Dremel to size the interior if needed.
We named our creation the JBB-12.
INSPIRATION for the SLAM FIRE RIFLE
Former Vice President Joe Biden once remarked that all you need to defend yourself is a shotgun:
“I said, 'Jill, if there's a problem, come out onto the balcony here, come out and put that double barreled shotgun and fire two rounds outside the house,'” Biden said. .
“You don't need an AR-15 - it's harder to aim,” he added, “it's harder to use, and in fact you don't need 30 cartridges to protect you. Buy a shotgun! Buy a shotgun! "
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Above: You can make racking the slings easier by wrapping the pipe sections in burlap (as shown), parachute rope, wire, or rubber from a bicycle inner tube.
We decided to build this gun as he advised.
It's a bit more difficult build as you have to connect the two outer pipes and make sure the barrels can move back and forth. It means to weld. Once we spaced the chambered receivers apart we did the same with the barrels, using inch pipe tees to add a front grip made from shorter pieces of pipe. Fitting the hoses was difficult and we used a generous amount of Lucas Oil Gun grease to keep the action smooth. Since it was a bit heavy and bulky, we fitted a piece of pipe to act as a pistol grip.
This was meant to be shot primarily from the hip. You could add a stock, but firing two 12-gauge simultaneously, inches from your face, didn't seem like a good idea.
SHOOTING WITH THE JBB-12
To fire the JBB-12, you charge the chambers, grab the front grip, aim and slam the guns back. The impact of the strikers against the primers of the shells causes ignition and fires the projectile.
You might also want to say a Hail Mary so you don't blow yourself up in the process.
Our first trial was experimental to reduce the risk of serious injury or death. We emptied the projectile from a pair of mini shells about 1,75 inches long. Only one barrel successfully discharged, so we re-tightened the defective chamber adjustment screw and slammed it again. Let's go. Then we switched to live ammunition, again in the form of mini-shells, then finally a few 2 inch charges, from the bird bullet to the # 4 bullet. Both barrels simultaneously fired 90 for. hundred of the time. You can intentionally fire a single cannon instead of two by changing your angle when clicking.
Above: The JBB-12 breaks down into two components for ease of transport, with each section measuring 20 inches and 14 inches respectively.
We had built a fully functioning double barrel cannon and we have to admit that the recoil was much smoother than expected, due to the weight of the part and the thickness of the pipe. It was much quieter than a typical double-barreled gun, but hip fire may have played a role there.
NFA
The barrels of the shotguns measured 19,5 inches and the overall length was 20 inches. While the barrel length was certainly legal if you were building a shotgun, the overall length was less than 26 inches. If we had placed a stock on the JBB-12 or added an extra 6 inches to the barrels, this would be a typical Title 1 gun, however, there was no need for a stock on this project. In this case, the end result was to save it as AOW (Any Other Weapon).
Above: Two hits are sometimes better than one, but make sure your shells fit into the chambers as you build.
This is a catch-all classification for guns that do not have a traditional design, such as pen guns, glove guns, etc. If your pipe gun is extremely simple, with no grips, butts, or triggers, looking like one piece of pipe in another with a cap, it will be an AOW. The classification is also applied to firearms with a rifled barrel and a smoothbore barrel under the minimum requirements of 18 or 26 inches, such as the old Marble's Game Getter. Likewise, if you have a smoothbore firearm that has never had a butt installed and does not meet both length requirements, an AOW tax stamp is the order of the day.
It costs $ 200 to build an AOW just like any other NFA item on a Form 1. However, the transfer tax is only $ 5, so there is a benefit when you transfer it to another entity.
ALTERNATIVES AND FREE ROUND
The slam fire shotgun was yet another fun project. It was certainly cheaper than building the 410 caliber slam-fire, and you can walk away with the satisfaction of having built a gun yourself. Also, assembly can give you a better idea of how guns work.
This is a weapon for a time that we hope will never come - when your own weapons are confiscated or destroyed, and you have no chance of buying another. If we had built a one-shot version, our cost would have been around $ 45. This one came to around $ 95.
If you just want a sterile firearm, there are plenty in the form of shotguns and rimfire rifles built before 1968 that don't have a serial number. They can be obtained for not much more than what was invested in this project.
Above: A homemade shotgun is one of the few guns you can build without using actual gun parts; The JBB-12 is a 12 gauge volley-firing AOW (Any Other Weapon).
Look for names like Hopkins & Allen, New England Firearms, Harrington & Richardson, Iver Johnson, Savage / Stevens, Sears, Western Auto, etc. You will end up with something safe and definitely a more accurate shooter.
The Homemade Shotgun is more of a tool to help you understand how a gun works in the most simplistic terms, providing a basic blueprint for building something like this when you don't have to. other choice. Beyond the fun factor, this is a gun of last resort.
It may also be your only alternative if a certain political party makes its way through all branches of government and decides to shred the uh, uh, you know the thing.
More DIY from RECOIL
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