# Winchester 37A .410 Restore



## Sharps40 (Jun 28, 2015)

Got it from a Pal.  A gift for the Grandaughter, MuddyGirl27.  Its her shotgun and completes her lifetime battery of shotgun, 22 rifle, hunting rifle and handgun.







Getting it ready for good looks and small game now.

Pretty wood, previously sanded with heavy grit paper.






Front sight blew out and the muzzle is a bit crimped?  Don't know if that was factory choke or not but it's going to be removed.  If we need choke, I can jug choke the barrel later since its not chrome lined.






Not too many flat spots on the gun so, I'll use the factory sight hole to find top dead center.....






New hole, centered at 12 oclock, drilled #31 and tapped 6x48 for any kind of sight we might like to have, store bought or home made.






After trimming the barrel just aft of the original sight hole and crimped barrel, I square it with piloted hand cutter.






An 11 degree crowning cutter on a pilot, turned by hand makes a slight recess.






After polishing the 11 degree recess and a bit of rounding over the muzzle's outer circumference to remove the sharp edge......done.  And I still have 25.5" of good smooth bright wonderfully preserved bore.


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## Sharps40 (Jun 29, 2015)

This is the engraved receiver model.  It came with white spacers under grip cap and buttplate.  

A look at the hardware, mismatched screws and one badly boogered......top hole in the wood is stripped. (That hole will get the toothpick fix and be good for another life time.)






Was hoping for walnut but looks like its sycamore.  With luck there will be no shadows in the wood as I'll nitric acid stain it to pop up that pretty grain pattern and I don't want any shadows in it!  Buttplate white spacer is a long ago replacement that doesn't fit, I'll have to make a new one.






A dig thru the junk box uncovers a rolling block stock with lovely matched and slotted head screws I can use on the Winchester.  The need their heads turned down a touch but better too fat than too skinny.  With luck, I can clock them up and down (slots at 12 and 6) during the refinish.






The grip cap is steel.....the magnet says so.  Just gotta figger how to get it off there so I can refinish it and the stock and make a new white spacer for under it too.


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## Anvil Head (Jun 30, 2015)

Nice project thread. Thanks for sharing. Stock wood is birch.
Man I hate when someone buggars up a gun with Philipshead screws - no class at all.


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## Sharps40 (Jun 30, 2015)

Could be birch but it has no eyebrows in it.....usually birch is loaded with them and sycamore with its similar grain patterns mostly lacks the eyebrows.  Either way, it'll get treated like all white woods and either scorched with flame to color or browned with reagent and heat to color it nicely.


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## Sharps40 (Jun 30, 2015)

Checking the guns action.  With the forend off, check the barrel and action for side to side play, an indication of a looseness at the hinge pin.  Up and down play indicates a worn locking bolt and or bite.  This one is pretty good.  Just a kiss of lateral play and I'll check to see if the barrel is joined to the action.  If not, I'll attempt to rejoin it so its back on face.

I found my Prussian blue and the bite shows a complete wipe.  Pretty good fit.






When closed, the barrel is less than 50% on face.  The barrel needs rejoined to the action.  






This is an inexpensive weapon.  It doesn't merit, at least not yet, the expense of a new pin and/or welding the hinge point in the lump and reaming.  So, given there is only a kiss of play, lets try the free and often low effort solution.  Rotate the hinge pin to an unworn location and remove some of the existing wear/looseness in the action.

The right side of the hinge pin is marked with a sharpie and a brass drift and medium smasher wacker is used to start the hinge pin out from left to right.






Once removed, we can see a bit of the wear on this side of the original pin.....just a slight coke bottle shape.






Cleaning and polishing the pin and start it back in, right to left, 180 degrees out from where it was before.  Putting a fresh face to the pivot point in the barrel lump.






Now the barrel makes full contact with the breech face....its essentially fully on face.  Notice the gauling of the knees just below the water table......a steel forend iron has been installed and operated for years without lube.  Don't oil a break open gun....grease it at the hinge points and the knees......Now with this gun back on face and properly lubed, it should last for hundreds of thousands more shots.






The two piece grip cap is glued together....gentle prying removes the medallion.






The stock is heavily gouged.  I'll steam out what I can and after staining, fill with clear epoxy before the final finish.  With luck it'll either sand out or disappear under the clear epoxy filler.


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## Sharps40 (Jun 30, 2015)

Excellent basic info for shotgun work and lubrication.

Joining barrels

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IypBM9xHSFc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EqfxRugPVw

Adjusting the bite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXbrmmiSngw

Lubing a break open shotgun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnrgRjhHawM


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## thc_clubPres (Jun 30, 2015)

looks like your dog photo-bombed you in that one pic


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## roperdoc (Jun 30, 2015)

Looks like the start of another great lesson!
I am eager to see how this turns out. Very neat seeing the results of turning the pin.


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## Sharps40 (Jul 1, 2015)

thc_clubPres said:


> looks like your dog photo-bombed you in that one pic



She is 10 and the others are 3 and under.  This matron has taken over the bathroom, laundry and the gun space as here Dens.  Ya have to ask permission to enter any of them.


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## rosewood (Jul 1, 2015)

I picked one of those up in 20gauge a few years back for $75 at a pawn shop with the intention of cutting it down to a 18.5" bbl and maybe cutting to pistol grip.  I had already made the conversion on a couple of beater Savage 94s.  When I got it home, I realized it was in too good of a shape to modify, so left mine as is.  I just couldn't cut on that nice stock and nice blued bbl.  Yours did need work though.

There is a certain amount of satisfaction in rebuilding a gun that has seen better days.  You will have something to be proud of when finished and I bet your grand daughter will glow when you give it to her.  You should make a scrap book of the rebuild process and give it to her also.  She will treasure that for years to come.

Rosewood


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## rosewood (Jul 1, 2015)

Sharps40 said:


> Excellent basic info for shotgun work and lubrication.
> 
> Joining barrels
> 
> ...



Watched those clips.  Got some tricks to try on some of my spare barrels now.   Thanks!!


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## doublebarrel (Jul 2, 2015)

Thanks for posting.You do great work! BB


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## GLS (Jul 3, 2015)

Here's a neat steaming trip using alcohol.  
http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=398530&page=1


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## Sharps40 (Jul 4, 2015)

Gotta break out the scrap brass or aluminum.  Time to make a front bead.


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## Sharps40 (Jul 5, 2015)

Makin up a front sight bead.  Brass and steel.  No sense payin $3.50 + $8 shipping for one.  There's plenty of useable junk in the shop to make up a goodin.

A brass nut, slightly thicker than the barrel wall, is threaded 6x48 and set aside for later.  Meantime, a chunk of brass from my drift is sawed off for the bead.






In the drill press, a nipple is filed on the chunk of drift to fit the #31 drill bushing.  This will get the hole centered.  I buck it up in the sight/scope drilling jig and bore the brass chunk thru #31.  Afterwhich, I tap it 6x48 while still in the jig using the #28 drill bushing to guide the tap.






After some shaping in the drill press and both ends of the bead flattened, I solder the bead to a sturdy 6x48 steel screw.  Rosin core solder is fine for this job.  I simply fluxed the threads, set a chunk of rosin core solder on top and with low heat from a small flame, melted the solder.  Flux wicks it in and rember, low/slow heat and solder moves to the flame.






The previously threaded brass nut is installed and used as a guide to shorten and square up the end of the mounting screw.  Since the screw go's all the way through the bead, it'll be much stronger than an all brass or plastic bead and I'll leave the height of the bead a bit high for now in case we need a bit of filing to adjust point of aim.






Once the screw is filed down to the nut, a test install. 






Looking good out at the end.






Later I'll thin the nut to barrel wall thickness, reinstall on the bead and finish filing it down smooth.  That'll leave only the tiniest portion of screw to remove in the bore.....a touch of grinding and polish will make it perfect inside.  But for now, only one thread or a bit less protrudes into the bore.


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## rosewood (Jul 6, 2015)

Why didn't you just leave a shank on the bead when shaping and thread it with a die?


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## Sharps40 (Jul 6, 2015)

Because I didn't want a brass bead that would break of easily or strip out easily and because you can't thread all the way to the shoulder of the bead with a die (and that either leaves the bead sticking up a full thread or you have to counter sink the hole a full thread thereby loosing one of the three threads in the thin wall barrel.  As you know, it requires a minimum of three and 4 threads is better to achieve full strength in a threaded fastner.)  And, it could be cause I don't have a 6x48 die and $16 + shipping is too much to pay for a one time deal.  Its a bring what ya got shop so folks can learn to apply their creativity to their own projects.  Creative application of junk and some thought makes for great projects!


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## Sharps40 (Jul 6, 2015)

I have found it easier to install the bead now than to risk a slip and scar a good bluing job later.

So.....end of the barrel receives its basic polish.  120 grit boot strap.  Wire brush will be the final before bluing.  

Bead thread is progressively sanded down on with the brass nut in place until its almost the same length as the thickness of the barrel wall.  More work outside now means less work in bore later.

With the stud and barrel threads cleaned and degreased, both are treated to blue Loctite.....incase I want to remove the bead later, heat it to ouch temp and twist it out with no damage to the barrel threads.  The base of the bead is grabbed hard in the plyers creating two flat spots on the base and synched as tight as I can get it with arthritic fingers and without slipping.






And from the inside, only the very center of the screw protrudes into the bore....the edges durn near match up with the circumference.  Absolutly mimimum work to do to clean up the installation from the inside.  






Barrel is done, well, except for polish and blue.


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## Sharps40 (Jul 9, 2015)

The old cast frame is in the Damp box for the first hours rust.  After that a recoat of Pilkingtons, a two hour sit and likely before 10 PM tonight the first boil and carding.

The frame was wire brushed, then sanded with the jitterbug using 120g to remove the light freckling and smooth things up just a bit for the finish.

I cleaned it well with windex and hot water and sanded it once more with the worn 120 on the jitter bug.  A final wipe with alcohol wipes and we'll see if it takes the first rust relatively streak and spot free.  

With luck, Sat evening or Sunday morning should see the frame reblued and reassembled.


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## Sharps40 (Jul 9, 2015)

Some work time on the shotgun.

The frame, second bite of the pilk and another two hour set in the damp box till it gets boiled for the first time.  Color is taking well and even.  Should be a bit brown here soon.  Then starting to grey and black.






Sorry, bad pic.  Too much flash and dirty shirted gut.....at least I had a shirt on....forgot about the mirror.  First polish in the bore to smooth out the screw.  Will finish up through 400g to clean out the full length of the bore with some oiled sand paper on a stick in a drill.






Knocked the heads of the rolling block screws down in the drill press to fit the Winchester buttplate.  I'll clean the checkering with a wire brush by hand and finish the smooth parts with 400g and some rubbing compound later after sanding the stock with the buttplate attached.






And since I never paint gun metal, the old greyed aluminum parts are simply cleaned up and given a fair polish on the buffing wheel with white rouge.


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## Sharps40 (Jul 10, 2015)

Second boil this morning.  A good bite overnight.  I'll work in 3 hr cycles thru the day and see how it goes.







Battleship grey under the after boil smug.  Perfect and right where the color should be at this early stage.


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## savannahsdad (Jul 10, 2015)

I've got an old 37A that belonged to my dad. Been thinking about a project like this for it.  Really enjoying following along.


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## Sharps40 (Jul 10, 2015)

6 two hour stints in the rust box since yesterday.  Final carding done and hanging with oil on.  Reassembly tomorrow.  Came out fairly well.   I believe I have enough to do the barrel yet but that's a week out or so till I get propane for the iron boiling tank.


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## Sharps40 (Jul 11, 2015)

Took a nap today.  Can't sleep so I put it together.  Almost as good as new.


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## Sharps40 (Jul 17, 2015)

Back in the house.  Time to blue the barrel.  Polished off all the old rust and blue, jitterbug, wirebrush and bootstrap.  Finish is 120g.

Two incorrect screws....the source of the galling on the knees of the action....heads stick up and rub the action.  As for the wood forend, stripped holes to be repaired, two extra and unneeded holes (don't know what they might have been for!) and a small crack to epoxy and stabilize the back end.  I suspect I'll also glass bed the back end of the forend to seal and strengthen it for the long haul.






First coating of Pilkingtons on and into the damp box for the initial one hour rust....then a second wipe of Pilk, a two hour rust and first boil tonight.  With luck and no streaks or spots, we should have all the iron on this gun done by Sat evening or Sunday.


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## Sharps40 (Jul 17, 2015)

First boil at the three hour mark and a good bite of battle ship grey under the smudge.  I'm pleased.  This one will blacken up nicely.


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## Gaswamp (Jul 18, 2015)

great thread


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## Sharps40 (Jul 18, 2015)

Barrels done and oiled.   Off to the wood next.  Decided to go with a red toned Minwax Gunstock stain.  Ain't no curl or eyes in the wood but nice figure that should pop and the redder tone will be more like the old school.
















MuddyGirl27 looked it over and said, "Is that Duct Tape?".......Yes Dear, I ain't quite done yet!  She's just like her Grandma.


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## GLS (Jul 19, 2015)

Beautiful job...


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## Sharps40 (Jul 19, 2015)

Stock is stripped.  It was previously sanded against the grain with about 5 grit.  Lots of boogers to remove.  Beyond stain, there was no sealer so lots of dirt and yuck ground in over the years.  After a double trip thru the sink with stripper, the stock is whiskered and marked to shorten it a bit for a lady.  At 14" length of pull, its too long.  I marked it with a scribe and am taking off 3/4".   About right for an average man or young lady that has stopped growing taller.






After refitting the original rubber buttplate (stinks when ya grind em!) the entire stock is sanded with worn out 120g via jitter bug.  The wood is iron hard and takes a nice finish with the worn paper and its not so aggressive that I am able to stay well above the compressed areas of the roll stamped negative checkering.  The checkering stays darker than the surrounding gunstock finish and I plan to leave the color pale to help hide any flaws that just can't be sanded out without ruining the stock.






On this side, all the grime removed except what was ground into the softer pores of the wood, highlighting the grain nicely.  Had this been clean/fresh stock wood, it would either have needed acid reagent stain or black stain (sanded back) in order to highlight the grain so nicely.






On this side, plenty of grime that was ground in but could not be removed or floated out and a couple of shadows appeared in the finish.  But not too bad and so I left it as is.  The look will be just fine for a hunter that'll see the scuffs and scrapes of hard duty in a young persons hands.






Fortunately, the original roll pressed negative checkering was done quite deep and all the checkering on this set of wood has survived multiple sanding and refinishing.  The wood is now just a whisker higher than the checkering.  Next person to refinish it will need to either cut the impression to positive checkering or at least mask off the negative checkering to prevent it from being sanded away.


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## Sharps40 (Jul 20, 2015)

Final rub out on 5 coats of urethane using Brownells fff mixed with gun oil.  Satin smooth finish.  A last coat or two of johnsons paste wax on all the wood and metal with a buff after it dries a bit.






























One very happy MuddyGirl27, ready to learn to swing and pull and maybe bust a few squirrels, and with a good gun, perhaps doing it regularly for life.

Thanks Pal!  Ya made this youngin's heart happy!  Now to teach her loosen up and keep it moving, the exact opposite of everything I taught her bout rifle shootin!











One more to go, a double 410 for the youngest of my GrandGals, Sugar Princess is itchin to see hers when I get back from fishing next weekend!  (And, somewhere along the line I started to get a hankerin for an 18" barreled short stocked 12 or 20g SxS Hammer for close in work!)


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