Reader Forum

SBH and Bisley Hammers Can you tell me if a Ruger Super Blackhawk and a Ruger Bisley hammer are interchangeable? I was severely burned three years ago, and my thumb doesn’t work well with the original SBH hammer. I thought I might be able to change it. Thank you. Mark S. Noel Hardin, Montana. Unfortunately, they are not interchangeable. The grip frame has to be changed.

Ruger will sell a Bisley frame, trigger and hammer as parts, but a qualified gunsmith will have to fit them up, including fitting the cylinder to the frame. Headspace Followup I am just studying gunsmithing and was confused by both the reader’s headspace question ("Ithaca Headspace," September 03) and the corresponding response.

From the AGI’s gunsmithing tapes I understand, in general, that if a fresh shell is placed in the chamber, the chamber headspace is correct if the end of the shell is flush with the end of the barrel. I am not familiar with the go/no-go gauge or understand the significance of it being flush with the end of the barrel.

Since the total headspace includes both the distance from the breech to the barrel and the distance from the end of the barrel to the surface of the seated shell, I expected to hear about a loose breech in the discussion. I have been under the impression that a loose breech develops as the gun wears and absorbs the pounding of thousands of rounds. Since there was no mention of any loose breech or hinge-pin replacement as a corrective measure, I assume there was little if any loose breech.

If the total headspace is now so excessive that the gun will not fire, it must have gone through a period of misfires and pierced primers before it got so bad as to not fire at all. How could an experienced trapshooter continue to fire the gun in such a condition? Wouldn’t continuing to fire a gun in this condition tend to increase loose breech? Another possible condition that could cause failure to fire would be insufficient energy in the firing pin.

If the firing pin is binding or cracked, there may not be sufficient energy transferred to the primer to achieve ignition. So what have I missed? Tom Furner Lansdale, Pennsylvania Headspace is defined as the distance from the breechface to the area of the chamber that prevents further forward movement of the cartridge case when the gun is fired. For a rimmed cartridge, headspace is measured from the breechface to the rear of the chamber where the forward edge of the cartridge rim rests.

Headspace gauges are precision tools made to rigid specifications established by the Sporting Arms & Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (S. A. A. M. I.). Usually, two are used: The go and the no go. A bolt or breech that closes on a no go indicates excessive headspace. A loose breech can indeed cause excessive headspace. Mostly, this is due to wear in the hinge area and can be corrected with anew hinge pin or welding up and reforming the locking lugs.

Excessive headspace can also be caused by an eroded or damaged chamber. The reader did not mention a loose action, hence our response on relining to his specific question. Due to Mr. Campbell’s years on the job, we assumed he had eliminated a damaged or badly fouled firing pin, a damaged firing-pin spring, and a burred firing-pin opening in the breechface as causes for the light hits. Finally, although you raise a good point, we have no explanation for the shooter’s continued use of the poorly performing gun.

Walker Chamber Gauges In the June, 2004 issue, a Mr. Mark Geldmacher asked about checking the chamber depth for a 20-gauge shotshell chamber on a Charles Daly drilling gun. You suggested making a chamber cast and checking it with SAAMI chamber specifications. This may be the best way, but on most shotshell chambers, it’s faster and easier to use a Walker chamber-length gauge to check the chamber. With a small or tight chamber, the gauge may not give correct length of the chamber.

In this case, there will likely be problems getting a fired hull out of the gun. But, the gauge is not dropped into the chamber, and with a little experience you can tell a tight chamber by how the gauge goes into the chamber. The gauge should just stop on the end of the chamber and if it sort of wedges to a stop, the chamber is tight. Whichever way you check the chamber, it must be clean first.

The Walker ch sold by Brownells Hope all this is of s Daniel Horn Huron, South Dakota Converting to .17 HMR I’ve been a subscriber for over 10 years and find your magazine very helpful. Have you done an article or new product description on the .17 HMR? I saw somewhere an offer for a barrel liner and reamer for the .17 HMR as a package deal.

I have a Remington #1 or #2 Rolling Block (I think) I want to convert to .17 HMR, although I saw an advertisement for anew cartridge in .17 Mach 2, a shorter high-velocity .17 which may fit the No 1 better. Any thoughts? I thank you in advance for your reply, and keep up the great work. An article delving into the .17 HMR appeared in the June 2002 issue, and we have not seen the package offer you mention.

If the Remington you’re considering reworking is a small-bore rimfire, what you have in mind is possible as far as relining/rechambering is concerned. Keep in mind that the base of the .17 HMR is the same as the .22 WRM, but the .17 is a bottleneck cartridge. The .17 Mach II is also a bottleneck case, being necked down from a .22 LR.

Ruger .44 Mag Carbine I picked up an original .44 carbine made in 1963, according to Ruger. The service rep in New Hampshire says they no longer service this firearm and offered no assistance. Please understand that I am not making a living as a gunsmith, but I have done some study and enjoy light work on firearms. This rifle will not feed automatically, though it will feed manually. It seems that I might be getting more rearward movement by hand.

I have cleaned out the gas port and piston, and ensured the piston is facing the correct direction. I’ve tried several loads ranging from light to maximum, and all resulted in a clean ejection of the fired case. It seems to me that something could be worn beyond limits in the lifter assembly/lifter parts. Have you come across this problem before? In reviewing the December 2000 article by Dennis Wood, I didn’t see anything that addressed this particular malfunction.

I understand the difficulty of diagnosing something without the item in hand, and appreciate any help you can provide. Thanks in advance. You’re so right about diagnosing a gun problem in absentia, but we try. In your case, interference with the bolt travel should be examined. Wear may or may not be the problem. If it is present or suspected, there are seven components associated with the lifter, including the lifter assembly. Gun Parts Corp. and Jack First show no parts for the Ruger .44 in their catalogs.

A call to Brownells will get you a complimentary copy of their Parts Source List for out-of-production firearms. With that in one hand, the fingers of your free hand will have to do a lot of walking to find any parts you might need. Beals Revolver Hand Spring I just got a Remington 1858 from Cabela yesterday and found quite a few problems with it.

The hammer screw kept backing out after repeated cocking of the hammer; then the hand didn’t rotate and index the cylinder properly so the cylinder notch is not caught by the bolt. I completely took down the revolver and discovered that the hand spring is very weak, and with finger pressure it broke off. Is the hand spring the cause of the cylinder not rotating and indexing properly? Or is there something else more seriously wrong with this gun?

I plan to install anew hand and spring from Dixie Gun Works, but I’m not sure if it will solve all the problems. On the loose hammer screw, can I use clear nail polish to keep it from backing out? Cabela’s has good return/exchange service, and I might have to sent this one back, but I’m concerned about the whole production run (Pietta) using improperly heat-treated and brittle hand springs. I don’t want to exchange it for another one with the same problem. What’s your expert opinion on this?

If there is a recurring quality problem, it has not been brought to our attention. Nevertheless, a bad spring would certainly have a negative effect on proper hand operation. We suggest you order anew hand and spring, and use blue Lok Tite on the hammer screw. Remington M7400 Problems I’m a student gunsmith as well as a member of the A. G. A. I’m currently working on a Remington 7400.

The problem is that after taking the first shot, everything cycles the way it should except that it is not cocked even though it has ejected the spent cartridge and chambered a fresh round. It seems that the hammer falls Technical Assistance Hotline To access AGA’s Technical-Assistance Hotline, call between 1 and 3 p.m.

ET, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday once at all dan email to Chick Blood, Technical Editor, at with the forward motion of the bolt, probably while the finger is still on the trigger from firing the first round. Is this the job of the disconnector? Where the disconnector rides up on the action bar, this seems to be somewhat worn. Also, how does the disconnector work? I would really appreciate your guidance in this matter.

When the trigger is pulled, one section of its attached disconnector (also known as the connector) moves forward against the sear. The sear rotates and releases the hammer. During the hammer’s forward travel, the trigger and its connector are disengaged from the sear. The gun cannot be fired again until those surfaces reengage. How the triggerplate components are assembled have a distinct relationship to the functioning of the trigger assembly.

With the hammer cocked, the upper connector should seat fully into the sear notch with slight retraction. The lower connector should be above and fully down on the rear end of the disconnector. Check out the disconnector spring, sear spring, the engagement angles between sear and hammer, and be prepared to replace some of the parts mentioned.

If Remington no longer offers it, you will have to scour the aftermarket for a complete triggerplate assembly, because there are restricted components among those you may need. Removing Rusted Guard Screw On an Enfield No. 5 JC I’m working on, the front guard screw looks really rusted on the threads. I first let CLP (Breakfree) soak into it, then tried

(continued from previous page) WD-40 on the screw. Nether has worked so far. Any suggestions? Heat the screw, insert a properly fitting screwdriver blade in its slot, and give the screwdriver a couple of taps. If that doesn’t work, apply a penetrating oil such as Lok Eze, and try another heat/rap-on-the-head treatment. If you still have no luck, apply more penetrating oil and purchase a screw jack from Brownells along with a Mag Na Tip bit to fit the screw head.

Win 94 Feeding Problems I’m working on a 94 Winchester 30-30 that will push the round out of the magazine tube back under the loading gate when more than two rounds are loaded into the magazine. It feeds okay, but I can’t top up the magazine once I push the last round loaded completely into the tube; it comes back under the loading gate preventing further loading. Any suggestions? Thanks.

We suggest you replace the magazine tube (completely, inside and out) and both cartridge guides, and check out the carrier assembly for wear, breakage, or spring weakness. Beretta Stocks I’m trying to locate a stock and forearm for a Beretta FS-1 Companion 20gauge. The original ones are long gone, so having them made is not a possibility. Any help you can give would be great. Thanks. Having a stock made is not impossible if you’re willing and able to pay the price.

A stock-making outfit can do it at a reasonable cost if they already have a pattern. Otherwise, it will require starting from scratch, which, of course, requires some serious bucks. Try checking first with Boyds’ Gunstock Industries and Wenig Custom Stocks If they can’t help you, they may be able to point you in the right direction. Missing Model 58 Part A customer brought in a Remington Model 58, serial #L49242V. He stated that apiece was broken off in the forearm and the part was lost.

I went through every parts manual I have, and none of the diagrams show this block brazed on the magazine tube. As best I can tell, this must either be a forend support or an action-bar guide or support. Can you give me any help regarding parts for this firearm? Whatever part is missing must have been held on with the two roll pins on this block. The block is the follower latch block. The parts you seem to be missing according to the photo you sent are the latch itself and its spring.

The latch’s function is to tip downward into the magazine tube as the gun is fired and prevent the feeding of a second round. We’ll send you a copy of the exploded diagram of the M58 we have in our files. As for parts, you’ll have to get into the aftermarket…deeply. Start by requesting a copy of Brownells’ Part Source List for out-of-production firearms. Jumping Mauser Is there any way to get the "jump" out of a Mauser action? I have a heavybarreled .22-250 on a commercial M98 action with a Unertl 16X scope.

When dry firing from the bench, I can see the crosshairs jump up to 2 inches on a 100-yard target in random directions, even with a "death grip" on the rifle. I know the long firing-pin travel combined with the mass of the firing pin and cocking piece don’t help matters, but are there any solutions other than possibly using one of the Tubb Speedlock firing-pin/spring kits? Bed the action, free float the barrel, and install the Tubb Speedlock.

And don’t rest the forend on a sandbag; It causes a rifle to bounce aplenty. Only the barrel should be in contact with the bag.