mnshooter

As already discussed many times, the ammunition choice is important. Start by not using Remington Golden Bullet, then test as many brands as you care to purchase. The recoil spring is a another good place to check. Merle used cut down GI springs, and usually included a couple different lengths in his kit. Merle liked the Federal bulk pack, solid or HP. My Merle kits like those too.

I believe Tom prefers 28 gauge, if you're buying.

It seems very possible the 21 butt stocks could have been switched around during their time in the PSP. They had to come off during any routine cleaning, and it seems likely that whoever got the job was not very high on the totem pole, and would not be much concerned about which stock went where.

I like your bucking block. Doug Richardson told me he had a "barrel" of "made to the original specs" sight rivets (that were made with his own dies). I had some Sarco rivets -not even close to spec; threw them away after acquiring some of Dougs (Sorry, all gone now). Doug said his rivets were deliberately a little long, so you could trim them to the correct height, in case the receiver countersink depth varied. No idea how big Doug's "rivet barrel" was, or if anyone was able to acquire them, or the dies. For those who can't attend TATA, Page 252 of Frank Iannamicco's American Thunder II has a good photo of how the rivets should look: almost flush with the sight body. For those who don't want to buck their own, I do know that Deerslayer does a nice job installing sight rivets.

Easier to understand the price for 3380, given the history and parts kit. Wonder why the foregrip is sitting so far below the grip mount? 6014 sale price is not so easy to understand, considering the wood, no history, and what appears to be black paint on the pivot plate.

Yowie! Have to wonder if the buyer is someone we know.

Looking at the auction photo, the Ceiner has his aluminum bolt, without the lower steel plate. In addition to a much faster ROF, the sear nose of the bolt will wear more quickly. It can be fixed with a steel steel insert or plate. No idea who might be doing this, but my first inquiry would be to Deerslayer. Also refer to the posts on another thread regarding cutting an ejector clearance slot in the barrel insert. (For anyone new: The purpose of the slot is to avoid the requirement to remove the .45 ejector when using the .22 barrel). Ceiner used a GI mag shell, with his .22 insert. Any of the .22 Thompson mags should work about as well. Otherwise, the kit looks complete for 21, 28 and M1 use. The standard kit was sold with only one magazine. Personally, I would pass on anything Ceiner, and keep looking for one of the old or new Merle kits.

Just expect a few duds with almost any .22LR, but some a lot more failure prone. Remington bulk was one of the ammo's that Merle specifically said to not use in his kits. (I also found that the Remington would not run at all in an IMI UZI .22LR kit). Merle recommended the Federal Bulk pack. Have put many bricks (boxes, actually) through. Might get a few duds out of a brick, and then might run multiple BD curved and Merle moded 50rd drums with no problems. I will use the BD mags for guests, especially since I got the McFadden lightnin' grip squeeze cocker mag loader. The drums are such a slow load that by the time I'm done, I've been known to selfishly save them for myself. It's also seems that while no one wants to volunteer to load mags, they are all happy to shoot it (but seldom offer to pay for it).

Very interesting, "AF". Thanks for posting. I wish the auction post had mentioned the lower serial #. TATA members will absolutely recognize another name on page 980.

As long as this was reopened, a word of caution regarding Merle's barrel nut/suppressor adaptor. Have only seen one of these adapters, but it was machined so far off that a .22 can was guaranteed a baffle strike. That, and the threads on the .22 barrel were not square -not a concern when using it without a suppressor. Merle told me he only used that setup with his MAC 45 suppressor, so lots of room. This can be seen in the photo of Merle firing with the suppressor. Recutting the barrel threads, and machining a new adapter for a close fit -could probably make it work. But, I actually like the gentle pop pop of the rimfire ammo; barely even needing foam plugs, so am happy with the kit just as is. Will also reconfirm that it would have been easier to get the nuclear launch codes than to get Merle to part with one of his drum adapters.

Glad it worked for you. Strongly inclined to agree with Deerslayer and Doug Richardson on torque; the crack of a receiver nose splitting would be very unsettling. Square threads don't lend themselves well to my long deceased neighbor's basic basic rule of gunsmithing: If it doesn't fit, you're not using a big enough hammer or wrench!😁

Best wishes back to you Paul. I still have the 28 you rewatted a few years back. It was displayed, and discussed in the open meeting at TATA.

Owned two WH 28s. Replaced the parts (The ones TD warned against) with all GI. Also installed GI grip mounts and real Lyman rear sights (In Deerslayer's shop, with his help) They both ran 100% with sticks and drums. Totally stock Blish slots. Only sold them to make room in the safe for... If you've been to TATA, you know what for.

It would be interesting to know how PK is doing these days. Last I heard, several years back, he had ceased taking total WH overhauls. Maybe he will post?

I once owned WH M1, Serial in the very low 700's. No groove. It did have the slightly off WH M1A1 bolt, which I switched out for a NOS Savage M1 bolt. Recall I paid the outrageous KCR price of $125 for the complete M1 bolt.😁 (I really miss KCR!)