• Home.
  • Latest articles.
    • Custom shotgun trigger conversion.
    • Dryfire target simulator.
    • 8 Bore Barrel Honing.
    • Muzzle Loader
    • Convert stock from right hand to left hand.
    • Making a spring for a William Evans cross over stocked shotgun
    • Making a top lever spring.
    • A simple boxlock spring.
    • Repairing sidelock tumblers.
    • Monte Carlo comb conversion.
    • Making a main spring for a classic shotgun
  • Gun Fitting
    • Laser Gunfitting System
    • The mount.
    • Dry mounting practice.
    • Quick reference for dry mounting.
    • Detailed reference for dry mounting.
  • Stock Work
    • Stock making.
    • Monte Carlo comb conversion.
    • Adjustable recoil pad.
    • Walnut stock extension.
    • Fit for a Lady.
    • Prince of Wales grip.
  • Action Work
    • Making a top lever spring.
    • Making a spring for a William Evans cross over stocked shotgun
    • Servicing
    • Just a service?
    • Repairing sidelock tumblers.
    • A touch of gold.
    • A simple boxlock spring.
    • Making a main spring for a classic shotgun
  • Barrel work.
    • 8 Bore Barrel Honing.
  • Rifle
  • Restoration
    • Hammer gun.
  • History.
  • Contact Us
  • How to find us.
  • West Tanfield other attractions and businesses.
  • links
  • Events.
  • Photo Gallery.
    • Boxlock Stock, William Evans.
  • Adjustable comb conversion.
B.K.Webster Gunsmith  

Tel:01677 470505
​https://www.facebook.com/bkwebstergunsmith/
Making a main spring for a classic English shotgun.

A lovely little Churchill XXV was brought in to the workshop for emergency repair as it was no longer firing the left barrel.  The customer was shooting in a few days, so a quick turn around was essential.

Picture
I stripped the action to identify the fault, and here we have it. The left main spring has broken within its' housing.


Picture
The main spring is out and laid on the flat spring steel bar stock that I will make the new spring out of.

First the spring steel is heated, then folded and hammered flat to form the "V" of the new spring.
Picture
Picture
Once cooled the old spring is laid  on the newly formed "V" to check the dimensions will work, and the new spring is cut to length.
Picture
Picture
The width of the old spring is measured and the new spring is scribed ready to be filed to match.
Picture
Picture
The new spring is first filed down to the correct width, then to the correct depth leaving the steps which will form the hammer contact and the engagement foot within the main spring housing.
Picture
Picture

Picture
Here we have the rough filed spring ready for final forging and heat treatment.

Picture
The rough spring is heated to red hot and gently formed to the bend that I want, before being fully heated in the gas furnace to cherry red and quenhed in oil.  This hardens the spring, but at this stage it is too hard and would break if compressed.  To correct this the spring is tempered for an hour in our electric heat treament oven.
Picture

Picture
The finished spring, hand polished, regulated, and installed in the mainspring housing ready to go back in the gun.

As with most of our hand forged springs this one has a three year guarantee, and the gun will be thoroughly test fired in our indoor test chamber before being returned to the customer ready for the next days shooting.

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.