This 3rd prototype is quickly convertible from truly water cooled to air cooled in about 30 seconds.
Although the final surface finish has not been applied yet, these pics give a good representation of how the convertible to air or water cooled stock will look when I finish it.
On my water cooled barrel jacket, I used a front sight of my own design that resembles a Browning 1917's hooded front post sight. On the rear I used a sight mount of my own design that holds and allows spring assisted raising of the WW1 Enfield rifle's ladder sight, that I have modified to enable to be used for windage in my sight mount. Works very well and looks historically representative of tripod machine gun's sights from that era my stock resembles.
This is my mockup of how the 1919a4 style front sight will look when in the air cooled configuration.
I decided to also be able to use AA spider sights on the air cooled model also as in these sight mockups I did here where the rear and front sight are not yet attached. Just to see how it would look....
Last night I made the quick removable rear ladder sight bracket. That once removed, will not have any unsightly threaded holes. So that I can mount the spider sights on the air cooled version when I remove the water jacket from the water cooled version. I realized that I could mill off the triangle on the right side of the rear sight bracket and just keep the triangle on the left side (like on a real Browning 1919) and still be able to secure the sight bracket without it having any kind of looseness or "rock" at all. All that is left to do with this sight bracket is to drill and tap the sight riser plate for the ladder sight's spring, and then to drill the sight protector "ears" and install a small diameter bolt through them and the ladder sight so I can effect windage. The 1917 Enfield rifle ladder sight I am using did not have the ability for windage. It was a flip up type only. So I tapped its pin hole where it flipped up, so it is threaded. The small diameter bolt I will put through it will enable me to turn the bolt to make the ladder sight travel left or right on the bolt, thus effecting windage. I left the sight protective "ears" a little higher than I needed until I mount the ladder sight's spring and the sight itself. Then I may be able to trim the “ears” down some maybe an 1/8th inch or so. So when you look at it now, the protective ears may look a little higher than they will eventually be. When I made them, I figured better to have them too high and be able to trim them after I finished mounting the sight and its spring, than to have made them too short. You can always trim metal, but it is hard to add when you have cut off.
Here's a link to a short video.
CLIP1314.ASF videos from good times videos on webshots
....and the latest pics of the rear sight bracket that does not have the ladder sight or front hooded post sight attached yet, with the water jacket mounted....
I did a little redesign on the bracket mount for the tripod. I think it looks better now than just the earlier bent piece of steel mount bracket it was. Much stronger too.
Just a few sight fabrications to do and final surface finishing. It's not finished yet, but getting very close.
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