Bayonet mounting ring too narrow for barrel

[ScottInPDX]

Not sure if you fixed this or not. You could always use a 91/30 or a M44 front sight/bayonet set up.

Haven't gotten to it yet, still working on other parts of the stock. I only have small window of a few minutes most nights to work on it because of family life. A lot of nights the baby decides she doesn't want to stay asleep, so I don't make progress every night.

I plan to follow @Yarome's advice, which was consistent with guidance I got from a family member who works in a metal shop. I got some steel bar stock to cut a small wedge from, which will be filler for the gap left after the cut and reforming. I don't have access to any welders, so we'll see if high-temp JB Weld can withstand the recoil vibration and hold it together.

I also got some steel washers of varying hole size to support the ring while I resize it with a tapered drift pin.

It'll still be a few weeks before I get to it.

Either M44 or M91/30 style of spike bayonet is the backup plan if I can't make the blade work. I just really wanted a blade on this, for no particular reason. It just feels right.

 

[thorborg]

Buy a map gas / oxygen torch set up that, while may or may not be enough to weld such a part as yours (depends on the thickness and heat sink abilities) , definitely it is more than enough for silver soldering it. Which should be plenty strong enough.
I think you can get them for 60 to 70 bucks new. Unlike oxy acetylene setup, they are small, easy to store, Both tanks are the size of a hand propane torch, are available at hardware stores, are disposable so no deposits or tank inspections needed. I bought mine used in 1977, still works great, used it much over the years and is a worthwhile investment for hobbyist and smithing.
Once you have one, the possibilities and usefulness are endless.

 

[ScottInPDX]

Buy a map gas / oxygen torch set up that, while may or may not be enough to weld such a part as yours (depends on the thickness and heat sink abilities) , definitely it is more than enough for silver soldering it. Which should be plenty strong enough.
I think you can get them for 60 to 70 bucks new. Unlike oxy acetylene setup, they are small, easy to store, Both tanks are the size of a hand propane torch, are available at hardware stores, are disposable so no deposits or tank inspections needed. I bought mine used in 1977, still works great, used it much over the years and is a worthwhile investment for hobbyist and smithing.
Once you have one, the possibilities and usefulness are endless.

Good suggestion, I'll keep it in mind. I'll see how the JB weld does first because I'm curious about it anyway. The worst possible outcome I can think of here is that my bayonet falls on the ground at the range and I look extra silly, so I'll try the easier method that I already have supplies for first.

 

[thorborg]

Good suggestion, I'll keep it in mind. I'll see how the JB weld does first because I'm curious about it anyway. The worst possible outcome I can think of here is that my bayonet falls on the ground at the range and I look extra silly, so I'll try the easier method that I already have supplies for first.

Many have scoffed at JB weld repairs but depending on the situation, can be a viable solution.
I had a 30-06 BAR with a broken hinge on the magazine plate. It was aluminum so couldn't weld or solder myself, I tried for years to find another without success. Having no mill to reproduce it, I finally reconstructed it with a steel reinforcement, remolded the broken pivot using JB weld.
After filing, sanding and repainting, The repair was undiscernible. Most importantly, is still working many years later and I believe is stronger (with the insert) than the original.

 

[ScottInPDX]

Well damn. That was the first part of this project that was actually easier than expected.

I used a Dremel tool with a cutting wheel to remove a small wedge...



...then hit it with a handheld propane torch, followed by driving a drift pin punch through it. It only took two rounds of heating and thwacking to open it up enough. I didn't even need the support structure I thought I would - the force of the pin moving through didn't bend the ring downward at all.





I still need to grind away a bit of material on the very bottom of the ring since it didn't deform towards the blade at all. You can see that the blade deflects downward instead of sitting parallel to the barrel because the ring rubs on the underside of the barrel.

Of course I also still want to fill the gap in the ring too. It's not really necessary because enough of the ring overhangs the barrel, but it would be nice to have it go all the way around. I'm sure that process will go terribly and look awful, but it'll match my equally sub-par stock inletting. C'est la vie.