[Nosegunner]

I finally got the GunKote on the receiver/barrel shroud assemblies. Thanks for the help coming up with a way to extend my kitchen oven. I went with the welders blanket and used one of the oven racks to form a roof, then used thin steel rods to prop it up. Clips kept it from sliding off. It worked great.

Here are some shots of the finished guns. I got them from Hedgehog Parked, but not GunKoated.

The twin mount I made from tubing and steel fabrications. The sights are modified Madsen AA sights. The ammo boxes are from IMA and the holders I made out of sheet stock.

The sights were the hardest to find and took a couple of years to track down. The rear sights are original FN with the hollow in the traversing knob, and the bases are cut down FN30. The front sights are from the second variation of the FN30, often referred to as the FN36, though the side plates on that variation are dated 1956. The front sights are folded back in these photos.

The central link chute has a hinged lid in case of link stoppages. It dumps into a GI canvas link bag. It has a loose fit to allow for gun vibration.

 

[Nosegunner]

I highlighted the safe/fire letters. The handles are my own. Kris used them on all of the spade grips. I love the vertical buffers on the older Brownings.

The business end.

All of the work Kris did on these guns is up to the standards of FN, which is impeccable. The contact surfaces of the bolt are buffed to a shine. Once the war started such flourishes would be abandoned for the sake of speed of manufacture. These pre WW2 weapons are really something.

Thanks to all who helped out with this project along the way.

Jon

 

[BAinMO]

Jon,
Those are just TOO DAMN COOL!! Nice job man!
BAinMO

 

[rugman59]

Very,Very nice set up.I like twins! Bruce

 

[mspurg]

Fantastic!!! Great idea using the oven. What temperature setting did you use and for how long? Where would one look for those sights?

I finally got the GunKote on the receiver/barrel shroud assemblies. Thanks for the help coming up with a way to extend my kitchen oven. I went with the welders blanket and used one of the oven racks to form a roof, then used thin steel rods to prop it up. Clips kept it from sliding off. It worked great.
.

 

[Nosegunner]

I set the oven to 325. I used the GunKote in the cans. It's a crap shoot with the nozzles on those cans. If you get a good one, hang on to it like grim death. Often the paint comes out in splatters. For $28 a can, I expect better.

I got the rear sights from a source no longer in the FN parts business. The front sights I bought from OOW before they sold off their FN parts. You can use GI sights if you can find a base. Sometimes you just have to hope fate will play a hand. Ask enough people and eventually it will pay off.

 

[franks71vw]

Nosegunner,

Those sure do look fantastic now we need a range report... oh by the way what did the wife say and how did that apple pie you baked afterwards taste like...

 

[Pirate]

Those are really awesome!! I would love to have one of them.

 

[Roc Rat]

Nosegunner,

Those sure do look fantastic now we need a range report... oh by the way what did the wife say and how did that apple pie you baked afterwards taste like...

Refer to Nosegunners signature,,,

Jon
"It's not bad, once you get used to the smell."


Beautiful job Jon,, as always, a work of Art.

 

[Nosegunner]

"It's not bad, once you get used to the smell."
My favorite saying, heard most often from new parents and pig farmers. As for other applications, the mind runs wild....

 

[Roc Rat]

"It's not bad, once you get used to the smell."
My favorite saying, heard most often from new parents and pig farmers. As for other applications, the mind runs wild....

Yeah,,, to GunKote. I used it back in the eighties, in my little kitchen stove in the trailer we were living in at the time,, Hoky Smoke Bullwinkle, that stuff stinks. The AMT bull barrel for my Ruger Mk 2 still looks good,,, but that stuff,,, well it stinks, till you get used to it,, when it don't bother you anymore it means the brain cells that allow you to smell it are dead!!!

 

[DRH]

Outstanding Jon! They look great. I think I can say with some confidence that you are the only person in the world with semi auto, twin mounted FN aircraft guns. I hope to change that when I get mine finished but it is going to take a little more time and patience.

 

[twin60s]

Jon simply SUPERB!!Now when you gonna dirty those bad boys up?Still waiting on mine ,Hedgy tells me mine are next and soon but you know the rest!!!

 

[TiredIron]

ABSOLUTLY STUNNING....I tip my hat to you sir. Where would be the best source to obtain a pair of spade grips for the FN's......I have a FN30 kit I wish to build.
Thanks

 

[Mouse]

Nosegunner,
You did and absolutely fantastic job in those guns and the mount!
You should be proud!

I for one am extremely envious of you!

 

[Nosegunner]

I haven't fired them yet. I'll let you know when I do. As far as spades go, everything from the FN39 (Modele 1938) on, including the FN30, take the later back plates with the horizontal buffer. Kris made the spades for my twins out of the horizontal buffered back plates that came with the kits he bought. There was a spade grip made for the later models (it's the one shown in the FN manual) but they are extremely rare. Personally I like the single handled back plate on the FN30. The trigger pull is smooth and it has a good feel to it. A single handled back plate was used on some of the early US made Brownings.

 

[Lucky#13]

Jon, I wish you'd quit doing this to us! How can we ever get a handle on our gun collecting budget when you are constantly dangling such beautiful hardware in front of us? You're such a tease!

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

 

[Nosegunner]

Actually I have a fairly modest collection as compared to those who has been at this any length of time. These two guns were in the works for over three years. Fortunately I was able to trade spade grip handles, etc. for one of them. This is well out of my pay grade. Absent from my collection are full autos. There are plenty of folks on this board who have single guns worth more than my entire collection. I did recently get a .45 MAC10 so I would at least have something I could spray bullets with. There are some jaw dropping collections on this board. I wish there was a way for us to see them. I have thought of putting up a site to showcase collections, but I think most collectors would no way want their collections advertised to the world, which I understand fully. Thanks for the kind words. I do feel fortunate to have what I do. This is an expensive area to collect in. Maybe I should be collecting PEZ dispensers.
Jon