Assembly Video: Razor Assembly Video Link
ASSEMBLY TIPS and TRICKS PROVIDED BY TED KERNS
Drilling Razor Receivers with a Drill Press
Note: The author of this information has built many receivers that are fully functional and of extremely high quality. He has written this tutorial to assist others in building their RAZOR receivers to the same high standards. The Unit showed in his tutorial is a MAGNUM receiver requiring a high level of skill to complete as a builder.
First off, it helps to watch the video that is provided on the Razor site before you start to do any drilling.
If you are going to do it all by yourself using a drill press, here are some important points.
You MUST have some Mechanical Ability, Patience, Commitment & Discipline to follow Step by Step Instructions. There are No Shortcuts. It is NOT a race to see how fast you can drill all the holes in your receiver ! !
1. Make sure your drill press is set up where the bits, when in the chuck, are perfectly vertical. Check each bit while turning the chuck. If there is any wobble at the end, replace the bit.
2. Get a dial indicator level to do frequent checks that everything is perfectly vertical and/or horizontally flat.
3. Shorten and re-sharpen all of your drill bits if they are used and dull. Get a good grip on the bit with the chuck. Start small and work your way up in 1/32" & 1/16" increments.
Reason 1: As the diameter of the bit increases, they do get longer, and you will end up getting rotational whip/wobble.
Reason 2: You won't have to keep changing the height of your drill table.
4. Protect the outside surfaces of the receiver with blue masking tape. Use small blocks of wood in your vise clamps and shim as necessary to make sure everything is vertical/horizontal.
5. Make a small block of wood 1" wide X 3" long X 1/2" thick, to fit inside of the receiver. This will prevent distortion of the receiver sides when clamped.
6. Go slow with all of your drilling. If you want a perfectly straight and smooth barrel hole, turn the chuck by hand with slight pressure on the spindle. You are only drilling thru 9/16" of material, and it doesn't take long when you are only removing 1/16 or less of material. Wear a glove on the hand you are turning the chuck with or pad it with some foam rubber or use a pair of channel lock pliers to turn the chuck. Otherwise the palm of your hand will suffer. Don't forget, use OIL during all drilling and tapping operations!
7. Do not drill the Buffer holes and Trigger Group pin holes all the way to and through the other side. Your drill bits cut and also push material. You will end up having a jagged hole on the outside surface of the receiver. Use small C-clamps or Vise Grips to hold the Drill Jig tight in place. The tolerances are close and the Jig will have a tendency to rise while drilling, especially on the V-block holes due to the amount of material your drilling through. It also helps that once you are lined up and have started to drill a hole, to remove the drill jig and then finish drilling the hole.
8. When drilling the V-block holes, start your 1st hole with the #16 bit, remove the jig, and then finish that hole. Remove the #16 bit and then counter bore that hole with the 1/4 bit. Put the jig back in place and do the same thing for the next hole. Remove the 1/4" drill bit and while the receiver is still clamped, thread the holes with the 12-24 tap.
9. If you have a stock on hand that you are going to put the receiver in, place the receiver in the stock and while using the 12-24 tap run it through the take down hole and mark the receiver where to drill the take down bolt hole. Some stocks do vary slightly in the hole being off a tad. Drill the hole with the #16 bit and then thread that hole with the 12-24 tap.
10. On the receivers that have the extended scope base, you may need a small mirror to use to make sure you are aligned up straight when setting up and prior to drilling the barrel hole.
One other thing, before drilling the 11/16" barrel hole, check the diameter of the shank on your barrel. Some barrels have been found where the shank was smaller than 11/16".
Use a 21/32" drill bit instead of the 11/16".
Most barrel shanks are larger in diameter than 11/16, but check anyway.
Do Not Assume Anything Verify Everything ! !
You must use a 12 Drill Press. An 8 drill press does not have enough room between the work table and the chuck to drill the barrel hole when using a drill press vise to hold your receiver.
Recommended Tools and Items needed to complete your receiver:
Masking Tape, Drill Press Vise, Alignment Pin, Dial Indicator Level, i.e., (Dasco Pro Angle Finder Plus Level or equal), Small Dental Mirror, Assorted C-Clamps, Vise-Grips, Channel Lock Pliers, Jeweler Files, Dremel and Engraving Bits, Large Drill Bits, (13/32 to 11/16 in 1/16 and/or 1/32 increments), Small Drill Bits, (#16, 3/16, 1/4", 5/16, 3/8), Exacto Knife and Blades, Center Punch & Hammer, Small pieces of wood and shim stock, i.e., (Popsicle Sticks or Ice Cream Cup Spoons), Ruler/Scale with 1/16 and 1/10 graduations, Dial Calipers, Metal Shims.
Re-sharpen any dull drill bits to 118°. They dont have to be sharpened to a point, as only the outside edges will be used to remove material. They will be used to make smaller holes larger.
Testing:
Razor Magnum Receiver with a .22 Magnum Barrel or .17HMR Barrel.
Fire 3 to 5 rounds through your barrel. Pick up the brass and examine them for bulging. If there is any, add 1/2 inch of spring or install a stronger spring. We sell 3 different spring rates. We ship the receiver with a 2.7 lb spring, we offer a 3.14 and a 5.1lb spring if needed. All builds are different, ammo, barrel length and temperature all contribute to bolt cycle speeds. Fire 3 to 5 more rounds and examine. If there is still bulging, add another 1/2 inch of spring or remove the first piece and add 1 inch of spring. Keep doing the 3 to 5 round shots, and adding spring until the rear of the case is as flat as it would be if fired from a bolt action rifle. The shells should eject but not fly out of the rifle. If the bolt buffer is getting chewed up or you are losing the extraction claw during operation, you need to increase the spring rate. the bolt should cycle but only slightly contact the bolt buffer.
Take your time and you will be happy with the end results.
This is what is so great about the Razor Magnum Receiver's, is that you can fine tune the bolt movement and bullet type/weight with just adding or removing some spring tension.