I recently aquired a very nice wartime receiver front half (with front bushing and camming section intact, i might add ). Anyway, I'm now in the market for a rear half to weld it to and I came across the new milled receivers Wiselite has come out with. Has anyone built anything with them? Besides seeing the picture on the website, I know vertually nothing about them, and I wanted some opinions before I dropped $1000.
Fritsch,
Do you have any clear photos of what their new "offering" look like (?).......would be a good point to talk about.
I have seen a couple "companies" come up with stampings/receiver-halves over the years........some are okay......but not accurate.
Signs of a "good-quality" would be in the duplication of the "details" on the outward appearance of a WWII German war-time receiver......some of which would be the rail-rivet depressions present for size and location.........the cocking-handle indents behind/under the cocking-handle ratchet-plate area............the correct Ratchet-Plate for size, cut-outs, number and size of raised dimples on the outside of the ratchet-plate......etc.
I even had one company tell me that they don't put the rail-indentation into their receiver-parts......and suggested that I use an end-mill to easily replicate those indentation (?).........yep', I can see me doing that and having the rail-rivet pull in due to thin receiver metal after I use an end-mill.
But anyway, check out what is available, costs, required-modifications if you want it to replicate WWII German receiver..........
Another good point would be the addition of "quality" WWII German style engraving (?) (you can put your SA42 information on the underside)......there use to be a couple good engravers that had examples of their "MG42-engravings" on their web-pages........ideas (?).
Congrats, I think I can picture the front you received, there were some earlier de-mills around where the whole front is intact (i.e., booster, bushing, camming piece, then the cut), nice kits.
Here is what you have to consider: 1) how anxious are you to get it finished?, 2) how good are your welding skills?, 3) how close to real do you prefer it-like what Blanksguy covered, finally how are your overall skills?
If you have time, I would want to try and get a rear German receiver set--they show up still though not as much as before, if you would like to do this sooner, then yes like 42Rocker stated the BRP shells are a less costly way to go if you have proficient tig welding skills, finally the WLA rears were of pretty high quality and a lot less welding. As for the coldsteel rear that is a different story, and stay away from the Phili ordnance, a high end dummy receiver, but that is it.
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I think my tig skills are pretty darn good. I figured out by the markings it was a late war. I'd love to find a reveiver back half from the war (or even late war by the same maker). However, I've decided to reconstruct a 3 cut Yugo back half. I have the blacker in and most of the back half done. I just have to weld them together straight! I figured that'd be the best way to make a very historically accurate looking semi auto short of finding a war time back half. As for the engraving on the side, I've done several. I have a gravermeister, and am a formally trained hand engraver.
Not to change topic, but I had an idea about the grippack. Instead of converting it the way we always do, would this work?: Cut grip pack in half completely around, following the weld that goes around the entire thing. Weld in spacer so grippack is wider. FIll holes for full auto components and drill for semi auto. I know it will take surgeon like tig skills, but I'm up for it if it seems like it can be done. It'd be much more cosmeticly similar to an original then what I'm making now.
If a Full-Automatic Trigger-Group will fit/function with a couple of spacers on its sides.....then you have a problem....and the reason why the trigger-group-opening is cut longer on an SA42 receiver.
). Anyway, I'm now in the market for a rear half to weld it to and I came across the new milled receivers Wiselite has come out with. Has anyone built anything with them? Besides seeing the picture on the website, I know vertually nothing about them, and I wanted some opinions before I dropped $1000.
