Garage Gazette

TOOLS AND THE SHOP => GUNSMITHING/ KNIFEMAKING => Topic started by: hickory n Steel on March 30, 2021, 06:25:01 PM

Title: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: hickory n Steel on March 30, 2021, 06:25:01 PM: Heres the only picture I took before, when I bought it home.
It has much more rust than you can see in this picture.
(https://i.postimg.cc/8zVFgnHc/20210327-183657.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/1fJRpBb1)
I have taken it down and started working on it already, I scraped the buttstock down some and have just finished sanding and polishing the barrel in prep for super blue.
(https://i.postimg.cc/652D6K2b/20210330-155158.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/w7zWFSkD)

I needs around 10 or so of the parts inside the action, but I'm kind of scratching my head trying to figure out exactly what from the exploded parts diagram.
I'm hoping I can find a complete fire control group / trigger unit, it would be cheaper and easier, I wouldn't have to bother figuring out what's missing, and a few parts I know are missing aren't in stock at the moment anyways.
I have seen a sold listing or two on Ebay, so I've saved a search.

Well now I'm on to polish the mag tube.
Title: Re: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: slip knot on March 30, 2021, 08:35:09 PM: that cleaned up nice. should blue up nicely. I ran mine thru the bead blaster and it blued up a matte color.
Title: Re: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: Rusty on March 30, 2021, 08:38:23 PM: Treat it right and it'll be very dependable. Used a few of them around the farms growing up.
Title: Re: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: hickory n Steel on March 31, 2021, 01:11:13 PM: I got the mag tube pushed up, but it was a little bent so I straightened it and now the follower / plunger won't go back in all the way.
I guess they got bent together and now one is straight while the other is still bent.
Title: Re: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: hickory n Steel on April 04, 2021, 06:15:38 PM: Not too bad for my first attempt at cold bluing, theres a few minor spots here and there that I still need to deal with but it's coming along nicely.
(https://i.postimg.cc/htktKf6P/20210404-160111.jpg)
I will blue the mag tube when I get it and the plunger tube straightened and working properly.

And the buttstock looks pretty nice, so far I've just scraped it down with the butt plate on to get it flush and fitted properly, and I've given it a light sanding.
I have scraped the fore stock most of the way, but that's it at this point.

[url=https://postimg.cc/2V0pb9TD](https://i.postimg.cc/vZsGKpVc/20210404-160156.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/nX1Jkcn6)

Hopefully I can get the parts and get it shooting again, but this will be a good exercise regardless.
Title: Re: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: muddy on April 04, 2021, 08:05:56 PM: Looking good

Sent from the twisted mind of the mudman
Title: Re: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: slip knot on April 04, 2021, 08:46:59 PM: I seem to recall I had to put 3- 4 coats on the barrel before it evened out. The wood on those old guns was just a bit better than packing crate wood. dark stain is your friend. keep after it, good learning experience.
Title: Re: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: hickory n Steel on April 05, 2021, 06:06:17 AM: Quote from: slip knot on April 04, 2021, 08:46:59 PM
I seem to recall I had to put 3- 4 coats on the barrel before it evened out. The wood on those old guns was just a bit better than packing crate wood. dark stain is your friend. keep after it, good learning experience.
It looks like a nice piece of wood to me, at least the grain has some nice flame to it here and there.
Title: Re: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: hickory n Steel on April 07, 2021, 07:46:23 PM: Well I just won a complete trigger group off Ebay, cost me $170 shipped but that's the only way i could get it.
(https://i.postimg.cc/bJB84JQS/s-l400-28.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

I also scored a magazine tube for it.
Title: Re: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: hickory n Steel on April 12, 2021, 06:41:41 PM: Well it's alive.

I just need to properly affix the ejector in place, and get an extractor ( though it seems to.be doing fine without it ) to really get it running again, and complete the refinish work on it.
Title: Re: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: slip knot on April 12, 2021, 08:51:40 PM: Well so much for a cheap learning experience. :lol_hitting:

But you got it going. :bravo_2: Now to finish it up .
Title: Re: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: hickory n Steel on April 12, 2021, 10:21:24 PM: I did some more testing, and reliability is still questionable at this point but a real thorough cleaning may resolve the issue.
At least the headspace is fine.
Title: Re: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: hickory n Steel on April 12, 2021, 10:24:09 PM: Quote from: slip knot on April 12, 2021, 08:51:40 PM
Well so much for a cheap learning experience. :lol_hitting:

But you got it going. :bravo_2: Now to finish it up .
Yeah, I'm in it for about $200 at this point.
Thankfully I didn't have to pay for it.
Title: Re: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: bmwrd0 on April 13, 2021, 05:41:10 PM: That's a good looking shooter, and it looks like you did good work on it.

There have been more than a few times I have spent more fixing something than it is worth. And that is OK, it's how you learn.
Title: Re: JC Higgins model 29, 1/56 dated.
Post by: hickory n Steel on April 16, 2021, 07:39:12 PM: I still have some work to do on it, but I'm also tackling some other projects so I don't know when I'll finish it.