I wondered about that a bit. I had the late Jack Rowe, when he was affiliated with Champlin Arms, if memory serves, strip, clean and lube the M21 my late father gave me in 1980. I just saw a video where Mr. Potterfield takes an early M21- 12 gauge field gun with DT and pg stock, and "convert" the stock to a straight hand grip.
I am by no means a gunsmith- but I do know a thing or two about welding, especially TIG--
I saw him take the trigger guard for a pg stock, and weld on a tang extension to extend it or the proper fit to a straight hand butt-stock. his welding job left a large bead way above the surface of both pieces being joined, that tells me this: (1) No grind or bevel on the face of the joints- about 1/3 to full thickness, to allow for penetration into the joint to fill the root, (2) slightly lower input amperage (heat) and possibly improper polarity setting o the machine-and finally: (3)Usage of a larger dia. of filler rod than the joint size needs, thus causing large beads on the top of the cap pass. but no real penetration into the joint--
Now, we are talking mild steel- not heat treated, and there is little stress on the trigger guard bow when the gun is assembled, but it just didn't look right to me--Granted, he filed the excess bead off, but that's just making extra steps in what should have been a simple downhand TIG weld.
Anybody else that TIG welds gun parts care to look, and comment, I would gladly welcome your feedback- RWTF
Last edited by Run With The Fox; 01/31/19 05:49 PM.
