How-to Tuesday: Rifle Barrel Replacement

I recently got interested in Trenchers (which has sparked some good discussion on Lost Hemisphere Radio about under used units), and one of the very necessary parts of a Trencher unit is the UA, the Officer and Sniper.  I found these models on Bartertown, and being used models, they needed some work.  Once I had stripped the paint and super glue, I found that the Officer’s rifle was beyond repair.  I needed to replace part of the rifle barrel.

The first step was to find a piece of brass rod that was the same size as the barrel.  This turned out to be the same 3/64″ brass that I use for my Iron Fang Pikemen.  Again, I’m going to use tube for it’s structure, and because of the way I’m going to get the replacement tube into place.

So, cut out the bad part of the rifle tube, and clean up the ends.

Once this was done, I had to drill holes into the two bits.  However, since I’m using tube, I need holes the same size as the interior of the tube.

Next, I needed a piece of tube the correct length to replace the bit I had cut out.  Since I foolishly did not do this when the Rifle was conveniently in one piece, I borrowed the Sniper’s rifle to help gauge the length.

I cut it just a tad long, but it’s always easier to file down to the right size than to try to add more tube to the end :p

All that’s left is assembly now.  I took my pinning rod (22GA Copper Wire from the jewelry making section of Michael’s), and glued it into the rifle.  I then cut it a little long, and filed it down to fit.

Once everything dry-fit and looked good, I glued it all together!

So, that’s it.  I used this to replace a bit of broken rifle, but it could just as easily be used to extend a barrel’s length, or even on melee weapons to replace the shaft.

The next time you have a broken bit, don’t scrap it or request a replacement right off the bat – see if you can repair it.  It’ll give you a chance to be creative, and you don’t have to wait forever for the replacement bits!