Scratch built 45ACP Liberator pistol

[Nick K]

Just wanted to share some pictures of a scale Liberator pistol I’m scratch building. My cousin visited France and saw one in a museum, which started me thinking about making one. There were over a million of these dropped into France during WWII.
I’ve used 9mm ID aluminium tube sleeved inside a 12mm ID tube for the barrel. The centre of the body is 9mm MDF, sandwiched between 4.75mm MDF. The cast block at the end is carved 25mm MDF, sealed and primed, then stippled with Tamiya filler to simulate the sand cast finish. There are a few brass pins and a styrene trigger guard.
Will post a few more pictures when it’s finished, plus I have made a replica Sten Mk2 which is nearly completed. Will post pics when that is finished.
Thanks for looking. Nick

 

[Blaxmyth]

Looks good, Nick.
About time you posted pics of the Sten. I've seen it and it is stunning!

 

[Nick K]

Here are a few more photos.



The real thing was made out of pressed steel sheet and I have tried to replicate this with MDF and paint. I used Plastikote Acrylic Enamel Silver and I'm very pleased how it dries almost instantly. Nice match for the aluminium barrel tubing.

Thanks for looking.

Nick

 

[Nick K]

Thanks Phil. I thought I would start small and then go on to bigger and hopefully better things.

 

[Indy Magnoli]

Looking forward to seeing the distressed version!

-Magnoli

 

[Mike J.]

Excellent build. Very clean.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

That a very cool idea! I always liked the idea of the gun, that you would use this to go "procure" a better gun.

 

[Nick K]

Thanks Indy. Yes I have been thinking about weathering it a bit, but I will wait until the paint is well hardened.
Nick K

 

[Nick K]

Thanks Indy. Yes I have been thinking about weathering it a bit, but I will wait until the paint is well hardened.
Nick K

 

[Nick K]

Thanks Mike. I try to do tidy work so that when I have finished, I get a buzz from my creation.
Nick K

 

[Nick K]

Thanks Mike. I try to do tidy work so that when I have finished, I get a buzz from my creation.
Nick K

 

[Blaxmyth]

Nick just phoned me to say - "Please excuse the double posting. I've been having trouble with my dial-up rebooting on me."

So I said I'd post this here.

But back to the liberator - I'd often seen these and wondered what they'd be like in the hand. Very comfortable and very much brings itself on target. But I imagine they have an impressive recoil.

Nick has already built a PVC and aluminium Sten submachine gun, a very impressive piece indeed, and he'll start a thread on that next time he calls round - to a house with BROADBAND...

 

[Nick K]

Here's a few more pictures of the finished pistol from various angles.

Not sure if I'll weather it or not, seeing as how most of them would have spent their time in storage or in concealed situations and wouldn't have been exposed to the elements.

The cartridge inside the breech is a 9mm as I had these dummy rounds lying around. The true round would be the larger 45ACP.

 

[Blaxmyth]

Good stuff, Nick. Hard to credit that it's MDF. :thumbsup

 

[Indy Magnoli]

Very nice and super clean!

 

[Nick K]

228979
Here are a couple of pictures of the finished gun. Finally weathered it using Windsor & Newton artist oils and thinning them with white-spirits and air-brushing it on. Worked out a treat and I am now really happy with it.

 

[Blaxmyth]

Yeah, the rust works really well, given that these little fellows would have sat around in dampish hiding places most of their life. So what are you building next?

 

[laserpistol76]

Nice! i'v always been fascinated by the Liberator's design. I heard Sten in a top post. I'd like to see that too. Anyways, nice finish on the Liberator.

 

[Nick K]

I've just finished a Beretta Model 1934 and will start a separate post for that soon.

 

[deadbolt]

Awesome work, that thing looks real! It's always great seeing scratch-built guns.

Just in case you or your cousin are interested, HWS makes decent replicas of that same pistol:

DEN Trinity Shop


-Carson