Reader Forum

Project Guns Several years ago, I purchased two Remington frames for the purpose of rebuilding as decorators. In the same buy, I got a Whitney Navy frame and cylinder which had been converted to .38 rimfire. Now that I am retired, I want to finish the project, and have acquired some parts from Dixie Gun Works. The article on the 1858 Remington in the April 2003 issue was very helpful. Parts for the Whitney are the biggest problem. I need a hammer and cylinder pin, but Dixie doesn’t have them.

Do you have any ideas about other sources? Now for the important question: I subsequently purchased a Whitney .36 Navy in kit form which I would like to finish as a shootable cartridge conversion. I found some good information in R. Bruce Mc Dowell’s A Study of Colt Conversions and Other Percussion Revolvers, and have made a template for fabricating the backing plate/spacer.

Unfortunately, I am not a machinist, and need some help in fabricating a cylinder, either by turning down the nipple end of the cylinder and fitting a spacer in the original manner, or by machining a complete new cylinder. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations on a gunsmith who could provide such services? Sidney Contact R&D Gun Shop: They are experts in Colt conversions and can probably help you out locating a hammer and cylinder pin for the Whitney.

Type 99 Arisaka Front Sight I’m hoping you can provide some suggestions that will keep me out of trouble with a project. I have a WWII-issue Type 99 Arisaka in beautiful condition that requires front sight work. The front sight base is slightly tilted and must be made level in order for the gun to shoot straight. Barrel adjustment does not appear to be the solution, as the headspacing is good and the rear sight is level. I believe the solution is to remove and properly refit the front sight base.

How should I go about this without messing up a very nice piece of history? Mike Without examining it, we can’t be certain whether Nippon chose to sweat or press fit their Model 99 sight bases to the barrel. We’ve heard of both options being encountered. If press fit, some heat and a slide hammer could be used to remove the base. If sweated on, higher heat and a brass drift could dislodge it.

In either case, there are likely to be some surface marks left behind that will have to be cleared up after the sight base has been reinstalled. Mounting Unertl Scope I have a customer that wants to put a Unertl scope on a Ruger M77. He has the Unertl rings, but does not have the mounts. Can you tell me what mounts could be used (and who makes them), or where I can go to get more information?

David Rogers Grand Mesa Gunsmithing The Unertl scope will mount on Weaver bases, but is it variable or fixed power, and does it have external adjustments? You should discuss the customer’s needs with Unertl Frozen Ruger I had a Ruger Vacquero come in with a frozen-up loading gate. I took the gun apart and found that someone had worked over the loading-gate spring. I replaced the spring thinking that would solve the problem. It didn’t.

The first time I opened the Technical Assistance Hotline To access AGA’s Technical-Assistance Hotline, call between 1 and 3 p.m. ET, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday only. For assistance at all other times, you can send an email to Chick Blood, Technical Editor, at gate it was a little tight. After opening and closing it four or five times, it froze closed tight again. Any ideas? I thought maybe the transfer bar was interfering, but could see no signs of binding. I’m stumped. It’s not the transfer bar.

It’s a wrong angle on the loading-gate spring. When wrong, the spring digs into the gate every time the gate is opened. The more the gate is opened and shut, the worse the scoring gets. Result: the gate won’t open. The solution is to put a medium-size bevel on the spring where it contacts the gate. The bevel will face toward the inside of the frame. It’s a trial-and-error situation the factory often encounters, but the bevel will allow the gate to move freely.

The problem seems to pop up more easily if the revolver is made of stainless steel. You didn’t say whether yours was stainless or not. If it is, replace and bevel the spring with one intended for a blued-finish Vacquero. Mauser Scope Mount What’s the proper mount for a Leupold 4.5 x 14-40 mm scope on a Mauser Model 66 bolt-action 7×57 sporting rifle? The firearm is new and unfired except for the factory proof target.

I have tried, but have not been able to find any information as to what such a scope mount looks like, let alone where to find one. Additionally, I would very much like to have a schematic and whatever information is available regarding disassembly of this rather unique action. Although no longer manufactured, this is a very fine rifle valued at around $2,000 to $2,500, and I

(continued from previous page) certainly don’t want to damage it because of inadequate knowledge. Any information you could pass along would be greatly appreciated. Neil D. The Model 66 was developed by Walter Gehmann. Manufacturing rights for this short-action were acquired by Mauser in 1963. It was introduced in 1965, and sold in the U. S. as the Model 660. Distribution was terminat ed in 1974.

A schematic for the 660 appears in the Gun Parts Corporation Catalog and Ludwig Olson devotes several pages to it in his Mauser Bolt Actions, which is considered the bible on Mauser rifles. HRemington Model 14/141 I’ve got a Remington Model 14/141 that’s driving me nuts! The trigger, sear, etc., work fine, until the ejector and ejector plunger are installed into the bolt. Then, the trigger can’t trip the sear (nor can I trip it with a screwdriver). Everything else seems perfect. Your thoughts are appreciated.

Charles Reading the article on the Model 141 in the August 2002 issue should help you solve your problem. H&R .22 Project I picked up an old .22 rifle at a gun show, as I needed a .22 barrel for a project I had in mind. When I got it cleaned up, I decided to keep it, so I wrote to Numrich Gun Parts. They had no idea where to find the parts I needed. The rifle is a Harrington & Richardson Model 365, serial #7856 and has the word "RASCAL" stamped into the barrel.

The parts I need are the bolt-handle assembly, and aside-mounted (peep?) sight. (The left side of the receiver has two threaded holes.) The bolt was equipped with a 1/4-20 machine screw as a bolt, and the weapon fires just fine. The barrel is very heavy for a kid’s gun. I’d appreciate anything you can tell me about this gun and where I can get parts. I really enjoy my American Gunsmith magazine.

I’ve almost talked myself into a double rifle in .470, as I have a friend who wants to go hunt a Kodiak, and has asked me to come "back him up." I’ve seen a Kodiak, and my .300 Weatherby ain’t what I would pick as a back-up weapon so…. William Farrant Naples, Michigan According to its serial number and a near equal number of phone calls we made checking it out, the gun show rifle you couldn’t resist was made in 1930. H&R 1871 (a.k.a.

New England Firearms) won’t admit to having any knowledge of a gun made by a predecessor. Walker Arms, Bob’s Gun Shop, and others we contacted have no parts for the gun and we are not surprised. We did note, however, that Brownells newest catalog shows a generic caliber .22 bolt handle that might be adapted to replace the machine/stove bolt now serving that purpose on your bolt body. While you’re looking through the catalog, check out peep sights from Williams and others.

It may be possible to relocate the holes in them to match those on your rifle. As a final thought, the 2003 edition of Gun Digest lists the Harrington & Richardson Collectors Associa-tion (c/o G. L. Cardet, Suite 603, Miami, FL 33135). Dropping a line to the Association might prove helpful. How about a .416 Rigby as a backup for the Kodiak hunt? It would certainly be more economical and readily available than the double rifle now tempting you.

Rebarreling the Model 760 I’m considering rebarreling a 30-06 Remington Model 760, with a factory .308 barrel. With the different lengths of cartridge involved, I’m wondering if the receiver is the same for both calibers. That is, is the magazine-well length the same, with the .308 simply using a filler block of sorts in a magazine that is actually 30-06 length, front-to-back? Any info or advice is greatly appreciated. R Yes, the receiver is the same for both calibers. Yes, the magazine well is the same.

And yes, you can use a filler block at the rim end of the magazine to accommodate the .308.