LOOK OUT - here comes another project!
With equal parts of "no hunting seasons currently open" boredom and inspiration from a Youtube video posted by Dave Canterbury of Dual Survival (Youtube channel: wildernessoutfitters), I have decided to try my hand at another bit of gun customizing. Dave, in his series "21st Century Longhunter" introduces one of his ideal choices for those "you only get one gun to survive with" scenarios - a run of the mill, Wal-Mart bought, 12g break action single shot. Dave in his videos explains how this gun can be used as a 12g (as intended), as a 9mm or .22 (with inexpensive adaptors available from www.gunadapters.com) and even as a black powder muzzleloader for extreme scenarios where commercially manufactured cartridges aren't available. Another brilliant use for this shotgun would be as a crutch. Dave carries a rubber cane tip protector that slips right over the end of the muzzle. In a pinch - if you needed it, this 43" long shotgun could be used as a pretty decent crutch!
Like most of you, I own more than a few guns… most cost more than I care to admit. The thought of taking an inexpensive single shot and having a solid survival gun appealed to me. The first problem to solve - I don't currently own a 12g single shot. With a bit of rummaging, I was able to come up with a handful of other gun accessories that I had no current use for. I hauled them to a local gunshop and made an even trade for a used 12g NEF Pardner with 28" smooth bore barrel. It has honestly been a long time since I was so excited to inspect such a basic gun. I got it home and began to get acquainted with it. I removed all of the mechanicals (complete teardown) and honestly was surprised at how relatively complicated it was. I can teardown a 1911 completely and reassemble it in less time that it took me to get the trigger, hammer and locking mechanism out of this reciever.
The gun overall was in very good used condition with a clean bore and really no wear or damage cosmetically. That being said, I knew the first thing that I was going to do was ruin this factory finish! The wood to metal fit all around was pretty lousy. I remedied this pretty easily with a few hours and various grits of sandpaper. I then moved to the receiver to give it a bit of a "deburring" or "melt job", basically just rounding over the corners to make it carry better in hand.
Mostly finished getting a better wood to metal fit and some "deburring" on the receiver.
12 gauge versatility - obviously there are new and antique 12 gauge shells nearly everywhere. Most any barn or country homestead will have a box laying around somewhere. My daughter shoots competitive skeet/sporting clays and I am typically looking at thousands just around my house. Depending on this readily accessible cartridge and none other - ever - for self defense and in taking game would be pretty easy to do. As the NEF Pardner is setup - you just drop in a shell and go. I will be removing the front bead sight and replacing with a more accurate front / rear adjustable sight system. I am looking for a sling to attach that has 12 gauge shell loops on it - haven't found the right one yet.
9mm capability - more than adequate for larger eastern hardwoods game and very much available, the 9mm cartridge is a great choice for a SHTF survival type scenario. I ordered an 8" long, rifled - 12g to 9mm adaptor from gunadapters.com. Canterbury mentions that the hard buttplate on the single shot is simply removable and exposes some existing storage space - the oversized hole to access the stock thru bolt. This hole is slightly larger in diameter than the bore and is roughly 9.5" deep. This existing hole is absolutely perfect for the 9mm adaptor. A word about this adapter - accuracy is around 1" at 100 - 150 feet longer with adequate sights. This isn't going to be a setup that you would use for marksmanship competitions - but it would reliably drop a deer. I also decided to mill out a bit of the handguard (also easily removable with a screwdriver/multi-tool) to accommodate storage of four 9mm cartridges.
Photo of 12g to 9mm conversion tube from gunadaptors.com
Picture shows new holes that I created on both sides of the existing hole for storage. The hole on the right has an aluminum "snap cap" to show fit for brass reloadable shot shell hulls / the hole on the left shows an aluminum cased firestarter that I already had.
Area created in handguard holds six 9mm cartridges securely.
Muzzleloading dependability - so what happens if in this SHTF/long term survival situation, ammunition is limited. Living on a squirrel or rabbit a day will expend a minimum of one shotshell daily - 180 in six months. At some point, commercially manufactured ammunition might run out or may want to be reserved for more important causes - self defense. The most surprising aspect of this single shot 12 gauge is its ability to serve as a muzzleloader. Now, from a liability standpoint, I am 100% certain that if you called NEF or H&R and asked if their Pardners could be used as a muzzleloader they would emphatically say "NO". But we all know that modern smokeless powder burns much faster and creates MUCH more pressure than black powder. You NEVER want to use smokeless powder in a vintage black powder gun… the steel cannot handle the pressure. But the same is not true in reverse. Canterbury shows how he modifies a used "high brass" hull by cutting the plastic off, knocking out the primer and inserting a new 207 shotshell primer. An even better option would be to invest in a box of "cowboy action shooting" all brass 12 gauge reloadable shotshells. These are about $25 for a box of them (www.magtech.com) but are indefinitely useable. Loading either of these into the breach of your singleshot - you can now add a measure of powder, a wad, a measure of shot, another wad - and head for the squirrel woods! In his series of videos - Dave fires his "makeshift muzzleloader" a hundred or so times without issue. Cleaning is a snap as you just open the action and can clean from one end of the barrel to the other. Black powder also happens to be a substance that with some know-how (which I currently do not have), an individual can make for himself. With measured parts potassium nitrate(saltpeter), charcoal and sulfur - you have black powder. All of these items are available to you - you just have to look. Also, think outside the box about what could be used as "shot". Pea-gravel, crushed walnut shells and even dried corn/beans would be effective against small game and provide a meal.
So, back to modifications that I am making to my Pardner. Aside from this existing hole, there was plenty of additional real estate to use for other useful storage options. I decided to use a 15/16" forsteners bit to add a similar but shallower hole to store my primed muzzle loading shotshell. I also bored a 5/8" hole in the end of the stock to hold an aluminum ferrocerium rod firestarter. These holes do not at all compromise the integrity of the stock - there is still plenty of wood left. I will also create a small space in the handguard for either a length of paracord, some tinder in a baggie or some cotton patches for the muzzleloader… I haven't decided yet. Gunadaptors.com also sells a handful of other 12g conversion tubes - including .22LR. I would guess that at some point I will also pick one of these up to round out my kit.
Once my gun is complete, I will likely give it a shot of Duracoat (maybe black or OD, haven't decided. Leave me some feedback as to what you think would look best) to serve as a durable finish on the wood and metal. I will keep this thread updated with my progress. Lastly, let me say that I do in fact have many other guns that I would want to grab for if any trouble started - and likely I would try to grab them all! But the more that I work on this project, the more value that I see in one gun that is extremely versatile and durable. If you like the idea of this post - make sure that you go to Dave Canterbury's site (www.pathfinderschool.com) or his YouTube page (wildernessoutfitters) and tell him - I have tweaked some of his ideas to make them suit me - but he is the one who should get the credit. Below is a link to Dave's YouTube video.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k0Ae6cs5m4&feature=plcp&context=C4de28bbVDvjVQa1PpcFMJ06JcvkbZRNSQtonLWP7Z05o07HKFvVo=[/ame]
UPDATES
I have had the opportunity to get some more work done on this project and to shoot it! First, an update on the work... I have Duracoated the entire gun in Tactical Black (of course
). The finish turned out great.
I have also recieved the 12g to 9mm adapter - which is shown here stowed in the stock (middle position). It is quite long, nearly 11" overall and rifled.
and here it is in the chamber
I have also finished the storage area that I made in the forend to hold a few rounds of 9mm. I decided to pour parafin wax over them to keep them from clattering around. As a bonus, the parafin can also be used to aid in firestarting. Parafin melts at a higher temp than beeswax. There would have to be a pretty high number of successive rounds fired to warm the barrel up enough to melt the wax.
I have ordered a sling that holds a handful of 12g rounds and a set of fiberoptic, adjustable sights (front / rear) for a muzzleloader that I will install as soon as they come in. With this sight system - accuracy for the 12g, 9mm, muzzle loader and even a .22LR.
I did get an opportunity to shoot the gun at a 25yd target. Granted there are absolutely NO sights on it of any kind at the moment - but I was able to consistantly hit a 10" plate everytime. More than adequate to drop larger game. I am assuming that once the sights are installed and dialed in - I will be able to get as much accuracy as a 9mm is capable of. The adapter has an 8" rifled "barrel" behind the cartridge. Even though it doesn't extend the full length of the shotguns barrel - this is more than enough length to stabilize the round and achieve accurate shots (do you have a 9mm pistol with a 8" barrel?). This company has also just released an 11" .22LR conversion tube. I might have to pick one up too - just for fun. I have not fired anything from it in a muzzleloading configuration. I hope to soon.
I will continue to post updates on the progress - but to this point I am very happy with the results.
With equal parts of "no hunting seasons currently open" boredom and inspiration from a Youtube video posted by Dave Canterbury of Dual Survival (Youtube channel: wildernessoutfitters), I have decided to try my hand at another bit of gun customizing. Dave, in his series "21st Century Longhunter" introduces one of his ideal choices for those "you only get one gun to survive with" scenarios - a run of the mill, Wal-Mart bought, 12g break action single shot. Dave in his videos explains how this gun can be used as a 12g (as intended), as a 9mm or .22 (with inexpensive adaptors available from www.gunadapters.com) and even as a black powder muzzleloader for extreme scenarios where commercially manufactured cartridges aren't available. Another brilliant use for this shotgun would be as a crutch. Dave carries a rubber cane tip protector that slips right over the end of the muzzle. In a pinch - if you needed it, this 43" long shotgun could be used as a pretty decent crutch!
Like most of you, I own more than a few guns… most cost more than I care to admit. The thought of taking an inexpensive single shot and having a solid survival gun appealed to me. The first problem to solve - I don't currently own a 12g single shot. With a bit of rummaging, I was able to come up with a handful of other gun accessories that I had no current use for. I hauled them to a local gunshop and made an even trade for a used 12g NEF Pardner with 28" smooth bore barrel. It has honestly been a long time since I was so excited to inspect such a basic gun. I got it home and began to get acquainted with it. I removed all of the mechanicals (complete teardown) and honestly was surprised at how relatively complicated it was. I can teardown a 1911 completely and reassemble it in less time that it took me to get the trigger, hammer and locking mechanism out of this reciever.
The gun overall was in very good used condition with a clean bore and really no wear or damage cosmetically. That being said, I knew the first thing that I was going to do was ruin this factory finish! The wood to metal fit all around was pretty lousy. I remedied this pretty easily with a few hours and various grits of sandpaper. I then moved to the receiver to give it a bit of a "deburring" or "melt job", basically just rounding over the corners to make it carry better in hand.
Mostly finished getting a better wood to metal fit and some "deburring" on the receiver.
12 gauge versatility - obviously there are new and antique 12 gauge shells nearly everywhere. Most any barn or country homestead will have a box laying around somewhere. My daughter shoots competitive skeet/sporting clays and I am typically looking at thousands just around my house. Depending on this readily accessible cartridge and none other - ever - for self defense and in taking game would be pretty easy to do. As the NEF Pardner is setup - you just drop in a shell and go. I will be removing the front bead sight and replacing with a more accurate front / rear adjustable sight system. I am looking for a sling to attach that has 12 gauge shell loops on it - haven't found the right one yet.
9mm capability - more than adequate for larger eastern hardwoods game and very much available, the 9mm cartridge is a great choice for a SHTF survival type scenario. I ordered an 8" long, rifled - 12g to 9mm adaptor from gunadapters.com. Canterbury mentions that the hard buttplate on the single shot is simply removable and exposes some existing storage space - the oversized hole to access the stock thru bolt. This hole is slightly larger in diameter than the bore and is roughly 9.5" deep. This existing hole is absolutely perfect for the 9mm adaptor. A word about this adapter - accuracy is around 1" at 100 - 150 feet longer with adequate sights. This isn't going to be a setup that you would use for marksmanship competitions - but it would reliably drop a deer. I also decided to mill out a bit of the handguard (also easily removable with a screwdriver/multi-tool) to accommodate storage of four 9mm cartridges.
Photo of 12g to 9mm conversion tube from gunadaptors.com
Picture shows new holes that I created on both sides of the existing hole for storage. The hole on the right has an aluminum "snap cap" to show fit for brass reloadable shot shell hulls / the hole on the left shows an aluminum cased firestarter that I already had.
Area created in handguard holds six 9mm cartridges securely.
Muzzleloading dependability - so what happens if in this SHTF/long term survival situation, ammunition is limited. Living on a squirrel or rabbit a day will expend a minimum of one shotshell daily - 180 in six months. At some point, commercially manufactured ammunition might run out or may want to be reserved for more important causes - self defense. The most surprising aspect of this single shot 12 gauge is its ability to serve as a muzzleloader. Now, from a liability standpoint, I am 100% certain that if you called NEF or H&R and asked if their Pardners could be used as a muzzleloader they would emphatically say "NO". But we all know that modern smokeless powder burns much faster and creates MUCH more pressure than black powder. You NEVER want to use smokeless powder in a vintage black powder gun… the steel cannot handle the pressure. But the same is not true in reverse. Canterbury shows how he modifies a used "high brass" hull by cutting the plastic off, knocking out the primer and inserting a new 207 shotshell primer. An even better option would be to invest in a box of "cowboy action shooting" all brass 12 gauge reloadable shotshells. These are about $25 for a box of them (www.magtech.com) but are indefinitely useable. Loading either of these into the breach of your singleshot - you can now add a measure of powder, a wad, a measure of shot, another wad - and head for the squirrel woods! In his series of videos - Dave fires his "makeshift muzzleloader" a hundred or so times without issue. Cleaning is a snap as you just open the action and can clean from one end of the barrel to the other. Black powder also happens to be a substance that with some know-how (which I currently do not have), an individual can make for himself. With measured parts potassium nitrate(saltpeter), charcoal and sulfur - you have black powder. All of these items are available to you - you just have to look. Also, think outside the box about what could be used as "shot". Pea-gravel, crushed walnut shells and even dried corn/beans would be effective against small game and provide a meal.
So, back to modifications that I am making to my Pardner. Aside from this existing hole, there was plenty of additional real estate to use for other useful storage options. I decided to use a 15/16" forsteners bit to add a similar but shallower hole to store my primed muzzle loading shotshell. I also bored a 5/8" hole in the end of the stock to hold an aluminum ferrocerium rod firestarter. These holes do not at all compromise the integrity of the stock - there is still plenty of wood left. I will also create a small space in the handguard for either a length of paracord, some tinder in a baggie or some cotton patches for the muzzleloader… I haven't decided yet. Gunadaptors.com also sells a handful of other 12g conversion tubes - including .22LR. I would guess that at some point I will also pick one of these up to round out my kit.
Once my gun is complete, I will likely give it a shot of Duracoat (maybe black or OD, haven't decided. Leave me some feedback as to what you think would look best) to serve as a durable finish on the wood and metal. I will keep this thread updated with my progress. Lastly, let me say that I do in fact have many other guns that I would want to grab for if any trouble started - and likely I would try to grab them all! But the more that I work on this project, the more value that I see in one gun that is extremely versatile and durable. If you like the idea of this post - make sure that you go to Dave Canterbury's site (www.pathfinderschool.com) or his YouTube page (wildernessoutfitters) and tell him - I have tweaked some of his ideas to make them suit me - but he is the one who should get the credit. Below is a link to Dave's YouTube video.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k0Ae6cs5m4&feature=plcp&context=C4de28bbVDvjVQa1PpcFMJ06JcvkbZRNSQtonLWP7Z05o07HKFvVo=[/ame]
UPDATES
I have had the opportunity to get some more work done on this project and to shoot it! First, an update on the work... I have Duracoated the entire gun in Tactical Black (of course
). The finish turned out great.
I have also recieved the 12g to 9mm adapter - which is shown here stowed in the stock (middle position). It is quite long, nearly 11" overall and rifled.
and here it is in the chamber
I have also finished the storage area that I made in the forend to hold a few rounds of 9mm. I decided to pour parafin wax over them to keep them from clattering around. As a bonus, the parafin can also be used to aid in firestarting. Parafin melts at a higher temp than beeswax. There would have to be a pretty high number of successive rounds fired to warm the barrel up enough to melt the wax.
I have ordered a sling that holds a handful of 12g rounds and a set of fiberoptic, adjustable sights (front / rear) for a muzzleloader that I will install as soon as they come in. With this sight system - accuracy for the 12g, 9mm, muzzle loader and even a .22LR.
I did get an opportunity to shoot the gun at a 25yd target. Granted there are absolutely NO sights on it of any kind at the moment - but I was able to consistantly hit a 10" plate everytime. More than adequate to drop larger game. I am assuming that once the sights are installed and dialed in - I will be able to get as much accuracy as a 9mm is capable of. The adapter has an 8" rifled "barrel" behind the cartridge. Even though it doesn't extend the full length of the shotguns barrel - this is more than enough length to stabilize the round and achieve accurate shots (do you have a 9mm pistol with a 8" barrel?). This company has also just released an 11" .22LR conversion tube. I might have to pick one up too - just for fun. I have not fired anything from it in a muzzleloading configuration. I hope to soon.
I will continue to post updates on the progress - but to this point I am very happy with the results.
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