DIY Loading port work and welded lifter

[hysupra]

These two mods are used by people that have trouble loading with the stock loading port or lifter. If your having a hard time loading deuces or quads this is the thread for you. This job is fairly easy if you have the patience to make everything perfect. Im sure there are several ways of doing this job but this is the way I did it. You can't skimp on the tools here. A file costs 8 bucks at my local hardware store. Make sure you get every one you need and don't go on with this project thinking you'll shape this with a dremel.

Tools you will need

1. bench mounted vice

2. bench mounted grinder

3. good set of hand files in different shapes and courseness

4. sand paper from 100 grit to 3000

5. Dremel (I chose not to use a dremel this time, but it can come in handy)

6. Copper pipe that is just a bit smaller in diameter than the width of the lifter.

7. mig welder

First thing you will need to do is completely disassemble your shotgun, this includes the bolt release. I kept the mag tube in just in case I needed to take some material out of it as well.

Starting on the loading port job its a very smart idea to tape out the area you want to take out. Basically giving you a guideline so you don't get off track, also it helps a lot with not scratching the finish on the receiver. Stuff towels in the part of the receiver where the trigger group goes and also down the mag tube to help with the metal shavings and also gives a little protection. I mounted my vice on the corner of my work table so I would have more room to get certain angles. Use either rubber jaws on your vice or a double folded micro fiber to not scratch of course.

Ok so now your all prepped and ready to go. This is the hardest part of the whole project. Taking a course file to a perfectly good shotgun receiver. I started at the front of the port where the follower is, since this is where I had the most material to take out. As I went with a normal flat file, it would mess up the angles in the corners. So I took my circle file and shaped the corners as I went. Once I got my rough shape in, I brought out small detail files to smooth out the imperfections. The circle files work great in the corners, but will take a lot of material out before you know it so be careful. Heres a pic of the files I used.

Now you have it all filed down you can take out the sand paper. Start with 220 on the receiver, you'll need the 100 for the lifter. Just go slow and make sure all your sanding marks go the same way. What I did is sand the middle down first by the follower and then do the sides. When you sand the middle it makes sanding marks on both sides of the port, so I figured out it didn't make sense to sand the sides then the middle then redo the sides. Once everything looks good I would use an almost circular motion, starting on one side turning the corner to the middle and then end on the other side to make all the sanding marks uniform.(hope that makes sense) The more you go up with your sand paper grits the smoother and shinier it will be of course. So if you want yours to look like mine, go slow and use almost every stage until you hit 3000. After 3000 you don't even need to put polish on it, it will be a mirror. Take your tape off and look at your beautiful work.

Next up is the lifter. Its an easy process but takes a lot of patience and hand filing, also a little knowledge of a welder. My welder is a POS in lack of better words, but it does the job. So my settings might be different then yours. But I used it on a higher then normal heat setting with a slow wire speed. The reason for this is I didn't want to get any little air holes, which ended up happening anyways dammit. So now comes the copper pipe. Take a good size hammer and smack the pipe a couple times to make it flat. Make sure your lifter fits it well and you will be able to hold it in position no problem. The reason for the copper is the weld won't stick to it, and it will give you a flat surface on one side. Also you have no need to make a filler piece and tack that on. You just fill in the notch with your bead until your happy with the thickness and length. The sloppier you are with your welds the more grinding and filing you'll have to do later, so take your time and don't get into a rush. If you heat up the pipe enough it will melt and get into your weld so like I said go slow and you can turn the pipe as needed. Once you get the notch filled in and thick enough you get take it to the bench grinder. Get the rough shape you want with this and nock down all the high spots. Now its time to take you files out again YAYYYYYYY!!! This is where the dremel would probably come in handy but you risk making wavy spot in the lifter. Get the shape you want with your files and blend the weld into the lifter. Now you can use your 100 grit paper to smooth the welds and get any file marks out. Once again move up from there to your desired grit and your done.

Heres how mine came out

Thanks for reading guys, this is my first write up so let me know if there is anything I can change or clear up for you.

Rob

[rgvwheeler]

That lifter looks like it came out of the factory. Nice work!

[hysupra]

Thank you sir!

[AustinWolv]

Shiny! Nice job on the DIY and taking the time to type it out for people.

[hysupra]

Thanks man, just watched your youtube video on quad loads. That SLP loads real smooth, I hope I can get my times that low. After watching your vid I realized I can do weak hand quads very easy. I couldn't do it at all strong hand and I was blaming my forearm. Anyways thanks for the tips.

Edited November 7, 2013 by hysupra

[adiksaputok]

looks like a pro....nice job

[bigbrowndog]

one thing you need to add is put something hard and firm into the receiver that fits snug, before you clamp the thing in the vise. you can bend the receiver and wind up with a beautiful port job on a gun you can't get your bolt back into. you can also push the front of the loading port forward a bit if you start to remove just a touch of the first line of letters you should be fine, you also cannot go very wide or deep due to the clip/pin holding the bolt release in place.

Trapr

[hysupra]

Yes the receiver tip is good but I don't know what you'd put in there. I didn't put in those other tips because I didn't want to make this thread only for the 930. Thanks for the help though.

[all4sho]

any pics during the weld up?

[usmc90]

Really nice job !!! KUDOS

[hysupra]

any pics during the weld up?

No man I'm sorry. Didn't expect to do a write up.

[usmc1094]

My is available if you need to take pics of the in progress part of it. Lol

[hysupra]

Sure man that'd be great. Also I'm in Leesburg VA, not far from WV but not sure how far from you. But Ide be willing to give a helping hand if need be. Let me know.

[usmc1094]

You ever shoot at peacemaker?

[hysupra]

No but I will probably buy it from you after.

[bigkyle72]

holy shit! 3000 grit!! I dont even use that when wet sanding a car! Looks really good thought man! GREAT JOB!!

[mpom]

Any reason to leave the lifter "in the white", rather than applying some bluing? Looks nice but more prone to rusting than if blued, even using instant blue.

Mark

[EngineerEli]

Never though of welding up the lifter with just weld bead. It's a great idea, no cutting and shaping of the filler piece.

[hysupra]

Any reason to leave the lifter "in the white", rather than applying some bluing? Looks nice but more prone to rusting than if blued, even using instant blue.

Mark

Never though of welding up the lifter with just weld bead. It's a great idea, no cutting and shaping of the filler piece.

Mpom I'm a fan of polished parts, but you could blue it no problem. I'm sure it would look great.

Eli that was my thought. Making a filler piece that fit perfect would take forever. The copper is the key here though.

Thanks guys for the compliments.

[Shrek926]

Looks really good, inspired me to start the work on mine today!

[Nickoli]

Never thought about welding it up the way you did. I made an insert for mine and TIG welded it in at work.

[hysupra]

Nickoli post up a pic please.

[cajunautoxer]

I'm gonna try this after the semester ends next month. Hope all comes out well considering I have no skill with tools

[EngineerEli]

I realize things vary between machines but what welder did you use and what settings? Just to give a place to start testing.

[hysupra]

Old Lincoln 110v, it has 4 heat settings A through D, it was set on C. Wire speed was set slow not sure the exact setting off hand. Like I said above its a POS so the heat has to be high to weld anything. I'm sure others will have to set theirs different.

Don't over think it Eli just get the copper pipe for the back side and there's not much you can do to mess it up. If your bead is ugly and huge it's ok just more grinding. If you get a hole when you grind it down, just put another tack there and grind it again. You got this.