Refurbishing a 1906 Hunter RimFire

As another little sidetrack from our usual projects, we were asked by one of our friends to refurbish this 1906 Hunter Rimfire that had been previously scarred by being apart of a house fire. Now before you get your hopes up, we did not have the expertise to get this gun to fire again. Being that we are not gunsmiths, we stayed on the side of caution by not attempting to fire any rounds through the cylinder. So everything in this Instructable is merely showing you how to make an old gun look like new again.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Step 1: Tools/Materials

• Birchwood Casey Finishing Kit: https://amzn.to/2UT1jB9
• Bench Grinder: https://amzn.to/2VIxmpo

• Woodburning Kit: https://amzn.to/2LYCJfm

• 1 Foot Quick Grip Clamps: https://amzn.to/2VO2W54

• Natural Wood Stain: https://amzn.to/2SLe3tD

• Drill: https://amzn.to/2LZgxlz

• Dremel: https://amzn.to/2SLfxnH

• Bandsaw: https://amzn.to/2LYI7z6Belt

• Sander: https://amzn.to/2LYI7z6Belt

• Sandblaster: https://amzn.to/2VJiCsQ

Step 2: Sandblasting and Polishing

To start this restoration, we placed the revolver into our sandblaster to take off the old bluing and rust that had accumulated over the years. After that, we polished it up on our wire wheel to show some of its original shine.

Step 3: Fixing the Hammer

One problem that came with this revolver was that the tip of the hammer was broken off. So we went ahead and grabbed a small strip of 1/4 steel and welded it onto what remained of the old hammer. We then used a grinding bit on our Dremel to polish up the welded section and give it a more natural shape. The overall shape of this section was not perfect, but it was pretty close to what we were looking for.

Step 4: Making the Sight

Another component that did not come with the revolver was the sight. That too had broken off in the fire and in order to remedy this problem, we snagged a different piece of 1/8" steel plating, ground it down on our belt sander, and then soldered it in place at the end of the barrel.

Step 5: Handle Construction

Sticking with our log theme from our previous videos we cut out the main shape of our handle out on our bandsaw. We found out the hard way though that making gun handles can be extremely difficult to make when you don't have a mold to go off of. Our advice though is to treat your handle making process as you would a sculpture. The handle is inside the block of wood, you just have to get it out.

We also discovered that the easiest way to attach our wooden grip to the gun itself was by splitting it in half and then screwing them together between the metal tang of the actual gun.

Step 6: Re-Bluing the Metal

Now some people might elect to not refinish the metal on their guns, but as for us, we were trying to get it as close to its original condition as possible. The kit that we used was the Perma-Blue Finishing Kit by Birchwood Casey. The whole process is fairly simple but can become tedious as it is something that needs to be done very thoroughly.

The first step is to apply the Cleaner-Degreaser to the whole gun with a cotton swab and then rinse with water. (after each application of a solution, rinsing with water is essential). After that, you apply the Blue and Rust remover with a swab and then polish the metal with some steel wool. Another application of the Cleaner-Decreaser is then needed so that you can apply the Perma-Blue solution and attain your desired bluing. Finally, you can then apply the included Barricade Rust protector and let the gun cure for roughly one day.

Step 7: The Finished Product