Reader Forum

Rechambering the Savage 99 I’m interested in rechambering one of my Savage Model 99s in .300 caliber to a .308 cartridge. The specs on the cases are very similar, and it appears that a chamber reamer would do the job. What information do you have on doing this type of job? I know that it would not improve the collector value, but it would allow the use of .308 ammo. There is a pull-through chamber reamer that Midway and Brownells carry.

This reamer is used in rifles like the M1 and M14 to obtain the correct headspace. Would this reamer work in a similar manner in the Savage 99? I would appreciate your comments. The shoulder angle of the .308 is 20 degrees. The same angle on the .300 Savage is 30 degrees. Overall case length of the .308 is 2.015; the .300 is shorter at 1.871.

Unless Brownells tells you otherwise about the pullthrough reamer, we think it is a riflespecific corrective measure and you’ll need a series of reamers from rough chambering to finishing. Our best suggestion is to discuss your project with Clymer Manufacturing Pocket Pistol Takedown I have a Mauser Model 1910 Pocket Pistol. The serial number is 304498. It’s a 32 caliber. On the right side of the frame, it has "Mauser 7.65." On the left side of the frame it has "Waffenfabrik Mauser A. G. Oberndorf, A. N.

Mauser’s Patent." I am trying to remove the slide so I can replace the trigger spring. The slide only moves ahead an inch and then sticks. Help. If you know anything, I would appreciate any information about it. Remove the magazine and pull the slide back to its locked-open position. Push down on the protruding part of the takedown catch, then turn the takedown rod to clear the lug on the frame. Reinstall the magazine, pull the trigger, and ease the slide off the receiver.

Be careful when you get to the trigger and trigger-bar springs; they break easily. Takedown Instructions? Where do I find detailed disassembly/assembly instructions for firearms? I have the NRA set already, but they don’t even cover the guns in my own collection, much less those of others. Glaring omissions include the S&W Model 41, Savage 99, Ruger No. 1, and the Browning (Sako?) rifle I own. I have exploded drawings for many of these, which help, but are often not enough to help with sequencing.

Factory literature stops at field stripping for cleaning. Where do I look next? For the S&W Model 41, see the June 2000 issue of American Gunsmith. For the Savage Model 99, check the April 1996 issue. The Browning A- Bolt was covered in June 1996. For the Ruger #1, see Gun Digest’ s book on disassembly/assembly for centerfire rifles, revised edition. Mossberg Barrel Removal I have a weird (and possibly obvious) question for you concerning barrel replacement in the M44US .22 LR target rifle.

Since I recently obtained one of these beauties, and am restoring it to (hopefully) tack-driving condition, I have a query. I have to replace the existing barrel because of longitudinal burrs in the chamber, and some rifling damage at the muzzle end. The rest is in 90 percent condition at least. First, before I buy anew barrel from Numrich/GPC, I have a question 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 concerning barrel removal. The action-mounting stud apparently protrudes up into the barrel, and I surmise this is the lock. This being said, having removed the mount stud, I am hesitant to try to drive the barrel out from the receiver with a brass drift, or press it out. I was concerned that it might be threaded, although I doubt it. Could you shed some light on this matter?

Will this twist off with the barrel in a padded vice and the receiver turned with a circular wrench/ clamp? (I’ve made a wrench for this exact purpose. It fits around the receiver, with a milled boss to fit up into the magazine opening.) Most .22s will pretty much pull apart once the lock pin is removed, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with this one. In addition, there are two "extractors," one of which is apparently also the ejector, as it has a rounded front end.

The other has a sharp triangular edge, and acts as the primary extractor. Now, since I didn’t have an exploded view prior to complete disassembly and removal (the plungers were crud-covered and sticking), I forget which side the sharp extractor goes on and which way the blunt extractor/ejector goes on. Would I be correct in stating that the sharp one ison the right (looking from the receiver end, and the blunt one is on the left, acting as an ejector? Thanks for whatever help you can provide.

I’ve never worked on an M44US before; its a really good rifle, and I don’t want to it screw up. Your query is neither weird nor obvious. We do have some advice and information to pass along before you rush out to buy anew barrel, however. The Model 44US Mossbergs all had dan email to Chick Blood, Technical Editor, at

(continued from previous page) lead-lapped barrels, with the work being done by hand. If you purchase a "new" one, we doubt it has received such tender and particular care, and installing it will lessen the value of your rifle significantly. Furthermore, it’s quite possible the chamber on the true original barrel can be smoothed up with a finishing reamer and the barrel recrowned. If you do decide to replace the original barrel, it is pressed in.

Once the mounting stud is out of the way, a few wiggles of the receiver will usually loosen it sufficiently to be pushed out with a brass or wooden drift. Your sharp extractor lives on the right side of the bolt; the blunt one on the left. Mini-Extractor? I need to help my friend find anew extractor for his Ruger Mini-14 Series-180 rifle. Gun Parts Corp. has it listed in their catalog, but it has been out of stock for along time now.

Ruger informed my friend that they no longer make the Series 180, and they don’t have parts for it. They offered him $120 for the rifle so he could go buy anew Mini-14. What’s the difference between the Series 180 and the new series? Can I modify the new-series extractor to fit in a Series-180 bolt? The difference between the models is a smaller bolt, a smaller extractor plunger, plus a different extractor configuration. There is no way to modify the Series-180 bolt to fit a newer model Mini.

Ruger tells us that Jack First has the oldstyle extractors. Feeding and Extraction I recently purchased one of Springfield Armory’s Long Slide Trophy Match 1911s. It’s an excellent pistol, very accurate, and sports top-notch craftsmanship. I would highly recommend it to anyone who gets the opportunity to buy one. The Springfield has a bull barrel, which means it also has a reverse spring plug. I am quite familiar with 1911s, but not at all with reverse plugs.

It also has a two-piece guide rod to make take-down somewhat simpler. Disassembly wasn’t too bad, but reassembly turned into a one-hour wrestling match, complete with violence and foul language. Luckily, neither of us were injured. Could you please give me some tips on how to make reassembly easier so I can clean my pistol without making an entire day of it? Also on the subject of 1911s, lately I’ve been experiencing last-round failures on a couple of mine.

Usually, the last round will bind in the chamber or the slide will not lock open after the last round. One pistol will not eject the second-to-last round if being fed hardball ammo. It seems to be a magazine problem as far as I can tell. I’m using two types of magazines. One is the seven-round Colt with the small dimple on the follower; these seem to work with considerably less trouble, especially with my shorter 200-grain combat target handloads. The other is the Colt eight-round style with a flat follower.

I can expect trouble of some sort every time with these. I use the same magazines for all of my 1911s. Am I right to suspect the magazines, and what would be the best course of action? Would changing to round followers help? This is happening on more than one 1911, which is why I suspect magazine problems. Any wisdom you can pass my way will be appreciated. If you have access to the tooling, fully compress the recoil spring, mark the spot on the rod immediately muzzleward, and drill it through for a 1/32inch pin.

Installing the pin will retain the spring as you reinstall the recoil assembly back in the slide. Then pull the pin. If you don’t have the tooling, cut off the rod so it doesn’t extend past the plug. True, this will leave a hole in the front end of the gun, but will do no harm. By the way, a noted gun writer and a member of the Pistolsmith’s Guild has run an extensive test on reverse recoil plugs.

This gunsmith informed us that the 30 ten-shot groups he fired with the plugs installed were larger than the groups fired without the plug. Your magazine problems might be solved with rounded followers, but be very careful with overall cartridge length when reloading.