Reader Forum

Rimfire Ruger I have a Ruger 10/22 rifle in my shop. The problem is ejecting unfired shells if not emptied while shooting. The only brand of shells it has problems with is CCI 22 LR. The customer had replaced the barrel with an aftermarket barrel from Butler Creek approximately three years ago, but didn’t notice any problems until recently. I have tried the barrel on another 10/22 receiver, and have the same problem. Any thoughts on this problem would be appreciated.

Mark From your description, we’re not sure exactly what the problem is. However, since it only occurs with CCI ammo, we suggest your customer avoid the use of CCI in the future. Rimfire firearms can be extremely picky when it comes to ammunition. Slow-Cycling Remington I have a Remington 1100 that had a broken gas-piston assembly and a damaged link. I have replaced these as well as the action spring. Now the action is slow to return, and sometimes it needs assistance.

If I take out the fire-control assembly it works fine, and when I use the fire control out of another 1100 it works fine. Some ideas please. I also have an 11-87 that short cycles. I cleaned the action and now it doesn’t cycle at all. Thanks. On the 1100, the action bar is probably binding on the fire-control assembly (a.k.a. the trigger mechanism), but not on the others you have tried.

Mark the trigger housing with Dy Kem, assemble the shotgun, cycle the action, disassemble, and check to see where the contact is taking place and relieve the area. We doubt the action bar is bent, since it works with the substitute assemblies you’ve tried. Regarding the 11-87, is the piston and O-ring assembled correctly? Check the owner’s manual. Also, the 11-87 barrel is designed to allow the interchange of 2-3/4- and 3-inch field loads. It will short cycle with target loads.

Ranger Shotgun I have a Sears Ranger Model 102.25 12-gauge pump shotgun that is not feeding properly. I’ve cleaned the gun throughout, but the timing on the feeding mechanism seems to be off. All I know about the gun is that it was made by Stevens and is similar to the Model 520. Any comments or ideas on how to fix this would be helpful. Corey The Sears 102.25 was a Browning-designed Stevens Model 520. It went out of production over 80 years ago. As we see it, therein lies your problem.

The carrier mechanism is worn out. There is likely to be considerable wear related to the action bar and its groove in the receiver. Sorry we can’t be more specific, but it’s more guesswork than not on a gun as old as yours. The good news is that Jack First may have parts. .17-Cal 10/22? With the onslaught of the .17 HMR, is it possible to transform the 10/22 LR to .17? Thanks. Transform? No, the .22 LR barrel and chamber are all wrong for the .17 HMR.

The .22 LR rotary magazine is wrong for the .17 HMR, and the .22 LR receiver is wrong for the .17 HMR. However, Ruger announced at the National Firearms Wholesaler Show in Phoenix that a Model 10/17 would be available after January 2004. Loose-Barrel Beretta I live in waterfowling country (Maryland’s Eastern Shore) and have a customer with a Beretta 391A Extrema. The barrel has loosened at the threads. The threads are in perfect shape.

After talking to him, it seems this has happened before and to other hunters in the area as well. Beretta sent him anew barrel the first time, but that one has loosened too. These guys are shooting the Hevi-Shot 3.5-inch loads, so the guns are taking a lot of abuse. Have you heard of this before? If so, are there any updated service methods or techniques to remedy this? I thought I would ask you guys before contacting Beretta, since this replacement barrel has the same fault. Thank you for your help.

Kerry We haven’t heard of a recurring problem. The gun was made for 3-1/2-inch shells. We wonder if the Hevi-Shot loads are hotter than others. Noting your comment that the barrel threads are "perfect," can the same be said for the receiver threads? If they’re messed up, no amount of barrel replacement is going to resolve the issue. If they’re okay, try applying blue Lok Tite to both threaded surfaces.

Red Lok Tite would be stronger, but the trouble with the red stuff is the amount of heat required to defeat the bond once it’s set up. Enfield 22 Trainer Rifle I have acquired an Enfield rifle chambered in 22. The stock has been kind of butchered but the rifle looks in good shape.

The markings on the receiver by barrel are "crown" over "3L" over "13." Then, there is a crown over "GR" over crossed swords over "P." There is also a "BNP," and on the strap by the trigger guard is a crown over "GR" over "1918." On the forward end of the bolt it has stamped "22 no. 2." I know this seems like a bunch of garble. The biggest problem is it is missing the magazine. The hole looks to be the same size as the regular Enfield, in fact, I tried the one out of my No. 4 Mk1 and it seems to fit.

So it must have had one that closely resembles the original magazine, but has a smaller one inserted for the .22 cartridge. Numrich does not carry the one I need, although they do have one for a similar rifle made by Beretta.

Do you know where else I can try for a magazine? I would appreciate any help you can offer. Lowell T. Check with Tom Forrest in Lakeside, California We think he’ll be able to help you. Dragoon Info I bought a Virginian Dragoon .44 Magnum. It is marked Interarms Alexandria Virginia USA; Pat. No. 3,803,743, dated Apr 18, 1974, Serial # 520611. It’s a stainless-steel model with a 7-1/2 inch barrel. It is Mag naported and in very good condition. I can’t find anything written about the Virginian Dragoon before 1976.

I would like to find information about the value of the gun and any other information available. Stan Nelson Kemmerer, Wyoming The barrel length tells us you have a Virginian Dragoon with a last suggested retail price of $315. Present value, depending on condition, runs between $210 and $265. Some of these revolvers were made by Hammerli in Switzerland. If yours is among them, it may be worth more. Interarms has ceased operations as most folks know, but the gun is patterned after the Colt SAA.

We can’t ensure parts interchangeability, however. Rattling Thompson I have been a member of the association for many years now, and your articles have been very helpful to me in repairing my guns. But I need some help with a Thompson Center Encore in .25-06 caliber with a heavy barrel. I have been trying to check the headspace on this gun using Forster gauges. It closes on the no-go and the field gauges. There must be another way.

The gun is new and groups around 3 to 4 inches at 100 yards with all brands of factory ammo. I can put around in the chamber and close it, then shake the gun. You can here the cartridge moving back and forth, so I thought headspace. Any info you can give on this problem would greatly be appreciated. Keep the good articles coming. Bryan If the gun closes on a no-go and/or field gauge, there’s a headspace problem. Gauges are the thing to use when checking for this condition.

Is there any sign of case expansion, primer cratering, or hard extraction? The shaking noise you’re hearing might come from an oversize chamber, in which case extraction would be quite a problem. Since the gun is new—and presumably still under warranty—we suggest it be returned to the factory for a complete checkup. UFC Double Wing I have a Universal Firearms Corp. Model 2021 "Double Wing" 20 gauge in the shop (manufactured by Armas Erbi). Do you know where I can get disassembly and parts info?

I can’t find any information on this shotgun other than that listed in the 2002 Standard Catalog of Firearms. The trigger for the left barrel is mushy, and doesn’t let off crisply like the right barrel. Also, do you know where I can get grip screws for an Astra 300 or drawings for the grip screws so I can make them. Thank you. Douglas What you need is the address of the original overseas manufacturer. From that source, instructions and drawings might be available.

Write to the NRA Museum (Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030) for the address. 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 Astra Sport (Apartado 3, 48300 Guernica, Spain) is the contact for the screw drawing or screws. But have you tried a hardware store? Most carry both standard and metric machine screws.

Norinco Sight Replacement I have been having trouble replacing the rear sight on a Norinco AK-47. The leaf spring that holds the rear sight in place is too strong. I can’t push the old rear sight down far enough to turn either pin out of the hole. Is there a tool to momentarily hold the spring down? Or is there a better way to do this? I would appreciate any information you can give me.

Matt There is no ready-made tool we’re aware of, and since you have a Norinco, we can only guess what the Chinese may have used as a leaf spring. However, you might try temporarily rigging a C-clamp, using wooden blocks to protect the receiver. Did you know that Gun Digest’s book on disassembly of centerfire rifles has complete instructions on the AK-47 and its many clones? Also, a videotape on the rifle is available from the American Gunsmithing Institute H.

Schmidt Revolvers I have been confronted with a number of H. Schmidt revolvers. I know they were made in 1968 in Germany. Just what type of metal is the frame, and how were they blued? I also have a Dan Wesson that I am having a devil of a time trying to get the Packmyer grips off without destroying them. I have removed the grip screw and had the grip soaking

(continued from previous page) in WD-40 for two weeks. No luck yet. We assume you’re facing an HS-38 in .38 Special. If so, it’s a solid-frame revolver, but we have no information on what they were made from or how they were blued. We suggest you write the NRA Museum to secure the address of Herbert Schmidt of Ostheim an der Rhon. Then write there for the specifics you seek. Hopefully, the factory is still operating. Do you suppose someone expoxied on the grip? Sure sounds like it.

We’ve never met a set that hung onto a grip frame the way yours do. If epoxied, or otherwise glued on, heat might break the bond. Too much heat, though, and you’ll damage the grips. Similar damage can result from some harsh solvents. Custom Mauser I want to build a Mauser 98 in .35 Whelen. I’ve got R. A. Walsh’s book on building rifles, but he does not say which manufacturers not to use. Also, I have heard that some Mausers have an extra locking lug, but I’m not sure which ones have that. Do you know?

Is it safe to use a Turkish or Yugo rifle action? Thanks. Write to S. A. A. M. I. Newtown, CT 06470) and confirm the suitability of the .35 Whelan for a ’98. We’d be a little concerned if the receiver you plan to use is Yugoslavian and was made during WW II. The Axis powers used slave labor to build their military arms back then, and sabotage was not uncommon. An Oberndorf action, even one that was Turkish made, would be safer.

Turkish Army orders kept the Mauser factory open over some lean years prior to the Turks taking on the manufacture of the rifles themselves. After their German supervisors/teachers had departed, continued production resulted in some odd-ball stuff—like small-ring barrels on large-ring receivers—but we haven’t heard anything about blown actions. Reluctant Restorer I was recently approached by my mother-in-law to repair/restore a couple of old firearms. One is an Ithaca M-49 .22-caliber lever-action single-shot.

The other is a J. C. Higgins (Sears Roebuck & Co.) Model 21 .410 pump shotgun. These are not worth anything, and they’ve been neglected to the point that I really dread messing with them. I wouldn’t even accept the responsibility, but they were my mother-in-law’s fiance’s first rifle and shotgun when he was a little boy, and they asked me to fix each firearm up as a personal favor. Since I haven’t learned to say no, I need the schematics, a parts list, or maybe some disassembly instructions for each of them.

Thanks. Mitchael have a schematic on the Ithaca and are sending you a copy since you thought to include your snailmail address with your email. The gun went out of production in 1979. The present value in excellent condition is about $150. The J. C. Higgins is a Hi-Standard Flite King, out of production since the mid 1970s. An article, parts list, and schematic appeared in our November 1996 issue. The current value in very good condition is about $200.

Finding parts for either/both guns is likely to run up your phone bill. Marlin/Sears Double I am looking for assembly/disassembly diagrams and a book for a Marlin model 90DT "double trigger" shotgun. I have one in my shop for repair, and I have not been able to get any info on it. Any help will be appreciated. Robert The Model 90 over/under was made by Marlin at the request of Sears Roebuck. These guns had the prefix of 103 in their serial numbers, and were not stamped with "Marlin Firearms" until after 1945.

The gun has a malleable iron receiver and soft-soldered barrels/ribs. They have not been made since 1963, and there are no schematics on the gun. Before continuing with any repair, we suggest you contact the Marlin Firearms Historian North Haven, CT 06473) regarding the shotgun’s ability to handle modern loads.