IMA M53 Receivers

[DougF]

I just received two IMA M53 receivers that they were selling for $149. On one of the other boards, they were speculating that the receivers were probably worthless. I haven't welded a receiver yet but these look pretty good to me. Both of them appear to be matched sets. In other words, each set of parts appear to be from one gun. The front cut is a saw cut and was cut far enough forward that I actually have overlap with the shrouds on both my Apex and my Centerfire kits. The other two cuts were made with a blow torch but the cuts were made through plain sections (no compound curves) so it doesn't appear that there will be alot of fancy reconstruction required. Sorry I don't have pics but the battery in my camera died and won't hold a charge. It's a Nikon so I can't just buy a battery at the convenience store.

I hope this helps someone.

[Mikesal]

I had also ordered 2 of them & the post office tried to deliver them today, but since no one was home, they chose not to leave them on the front porch. I'll have to pick them up tomorrow.
Mike S

[Michael J]

Filling large gaps is a PAIN! And the possibility of warping is just a lot higher , it seems. I know i had up to 1/4" gaps in some spots my last build, i don't know what i'd have done if there were any significantly larger ones! Maybe this was because i was fairly new at welding when i did my IMA rear, but the metal seemed much dirtier , and more susceptible to porosity while welding (this could have just been me).

These new ima rears look like the leftover scum stuck to the bottom of the bin, from their previous sales , i hope it cleans up nice anyways , but don't give your hopes up!

[DougF]

I hear you Michael. Unfortunately, unless you want to buy a new stamping, receivers with large gap cuts are all we have left. I noticed that the cuts on mine are located in places where a guy could easily use two receivers to make one.

I've only recently purchased a TIG welder and am trying to teach myself. One of the first things I tried was adding metal to the edge of a piece of copper backed scrap. Whew. It didn't work out like I had envisioned. I stupidly thought the extra metal would flow against the copper and leave a smooth surface when I removed it. In reality, the molten metal has a high surface tension and I was left with balled up globs of steel. Does anyone on this forum have any tips for filling gaps?

I'm now thinking that I should just run a bead down the edge of the pieces, clean up the back with a Dremel, file, or end mill and then join the pieces when there is enough material. What do most of you guys do?

[rocco1911]

Back with copper plate and zig zag Stiching weld with a inert gas mig setup no flux crap to fill the gap i have done over 12 of them this way everyone came out fine use a solid brass rod in the inside corners to keep it rounded so the re-coup will still fit in its no big deal if you keep moving from place to place doing small amounts/patches at a time.
Oh and use a set of rails to keep your alignment/spacing correct

[rocco1911]

Oh yeah wanted to mention if ya look close at those pics you will see the receiver and the completed gun are one and the same...lol

And if ya look closer ya can see plates and the brass rod in the receiver were it goes to keep weld from filling up inside corners a critical area for the recoup to fit back in properly a little trick i found that helps I use welders C type vice grips the small ones to hold it in ...

[rocco1911]

A couple more pics

[rocco1911]

finished product....

[Bil]

Listen to Rocco-he has built almost as many of these as the Germans did! ---bil

[Panzercanuck]

Very nice work Rocco I am impressed.Can I move into your Garage?Please.I wish I had your skill.

Panzercanuck

[Michael J]

Don't be fooled, rocco makes it look EASY !

I hear ya man, i came into the game late too, i got a hold of a rear from IMA's last big sale. Slightly nicer, but i don't like dealing with the rewelds! Keeping them nicely alligned and whatnot was a pain in the butt for me, and welding the gaps suck! What i did for my stampings build right now, is i welded the crap out of it without backnig plates so that it protruded into the receiver, and then ground it flush. When i used the copper plating, mine came out like you said yours did, but it just takes time to figure it all out ! What didn't help, was the fact i was learning to weld, on my ima rear ... had to cut it a few times and go over, which did not result in a pretty receiver!

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w125 ... C11375.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w125 ... C11377.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w125 ... C11379.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w125 ... C11382.jpg

All i can say is, practice A LOT before you touch the receiver, and make absolutely sure everything is aligned perfectly (the receiver itself may have been bent, which mine was, and i did not notice this until AFTER welding it ). If you can, after tacking it, try running your charging handle through the ratchet plat area, that will help indicate a nice straight receiver, and reveal and errors your eye may not have picked up.

[Panzercanuck]

Well at least you are learning Michael plus you are acquiring a new skill.Thankfully my Fiancee can weld.She is a fully diploma-ed welder.If I can get the parts she will do all the welding .Luckily I am more of an assembler tech .type of person.Hopefully we can make something descent together if not.I hope in doesn't end in an argument.

Panzercanuck

[DougF]

Thanks for the tips. The pictures show some beautiful work. I hope mine look half as good as y'all's.

Sorry I didn't post sooner but I was at the Tulsa gun show. Wow!! I never thought I'd say a gun show was too big but that one was. I could barely walk at the end of the first day. I bought a couple of Moison Nagants and a German 98.

[Mikesal]

I finally got around to picking the 2 I ordered up at the post office the other day. One was saw cut just ahead of the recouperator nut, the other just ahead of the D hole. One still has the buffer latch installed. Both had the recouperators in place when they were cut.

Yes, the torch gaps are pretty big compared to the older german reciever I bought several months ago. They'll work, just a little more time is all.
Mike S

[bigbird1]

just wondering do you guys leave in the inside rails to set weld gap? I thought about welding top and bottom and taking them out to do the sides. I can't see any other way to get the gap set. I also go one of the IMA 53 receivers, they are nice , but my last section is not a match, there was not any gap and I had to grind some off to get the bolts to match up with the rails. but I would say thats a good thing, just not for the other guy who got the short section, it must have 1/2 inch to weld up. thanks for any input.

[bigbird1]

looks like all the sections are now gone???

[rocco1911]

Yes I set the gap distance that way and then remove and install copper plates I made to cover the Gaps and a brass rod for the inside corners I use the smallest C-clamp vise grips to hold the brass rod in and screws and nuts to hold the copper plates in also smaller copper plates for the top and bottom gaps held by these same clamps

[Cyric30]

Well IMA seems to have sold the last of there cut recivers, i dread seeing what the on i got looks like, cause mine will be one of the last ones im sure...

Anyone else got the cut recivers or whole cut sections you know of.?

[www.Prussia.us]

Listen to Rocco-he has built almost as many of these as the Germans did! ---bil

For sure “WaffenFabrik Rocco” would greatly impress Armaments Minister Albert Speer.