Reader Forum

Jammin’ Daewoo I have a Daewoo DP51 that I bought new at a gunshow. It looks nice and feels pretty good, except the thing keeps jamming by feeding the next cartridge up before the expended shell case is extracted completely from the chamber. The chamber is not too tight, and the gun is not being limp wristed. Off hand, I wouldn’t think that the action spring is too heavy, but perhaps the magazine springs are. Have you heard of this problem on this particular gun before?

I would like to hear what you have to say, then I guess I will try to write the company to see if they can fix the problem. Although I like the way it looks, if the problem is common with this particular pistol, I think I’d rather get rid of it. I don’t want to have to try 15 different kinds of ammo or 15 different springs to try to get it to shoot reliably. Thanks for your time. Charles May We spoke with the present importer of the Daewoo.

Though they have sold many hundreds of these pistols, your problem was new to them. It does sound like the pistol may be short stroking. These guns arrive from the factory pretty dry. Try lubrication on the slide and frame rails. That failing, the Daewoo’s extractor might be too tight and could be holding onto the spent shell rather than releasing it. Take off the slide and the barrel, insert an empty case into the extractor, and see if it comes out cleanly and without difficulty.

If it doesn’t, use a fine file with one safe edge (a screw-head file would be perfect), and carefully widen 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 extractor between its-case contacting surface and its claw. One or two passes should suffice. Double Trouble I have two problems.

I have a Rossi 38 revolver with a broken hammer pin. How do I get the old one out, and how do I fit in another? I also have a 742 that pulls brass off the rim of the cartridge when fired. I think the chamber is bad. How can it be cleaned, or should I have it reamed with a finish reamer? Thanks. RDS The hammer pin on Rossi M68, 69, 70, and 31 revolvers is a stud. As with an S&W, of which Rossi is a clone of sorts, these studs are installed prior to the revolver being polished for bluing.

They are made absolutely flush with the outside of the frame. Replacing studs at S&W requires a proprietary factory tool which swages the stud back in the frame hole. Whether the revolver is then repolished and reblued is up to the owner. We understand the Rossi stud can be driven from the frame, but we can find no listing for replacement studs. S&W never offered them; perhaps the same is true of Rossi.

If so, you could try substituting drill rod cut to length, machined to diameter, polished, and then hardened with Kase Nit (Brownells). In lieu of the previously mentioned factory tooling, chilling the rod and slightly warming the frame before installation could result in a tight, "pseudo-press fit" between the two. Touchup blue will mask the bright end of the new stud that’s sure to show on the outer frame, but won’t make it disappear.

With your M742, cleaning and polishing should precede the use of a finishing reamer. To clean, use

(continued from previous page) an oversize bronze bore brush and solvent. To polish, use a cleaning mop charged with 800-grit polishing compound. Turn both by hand, unless you have a lathe large enough to hold the action. Even then, the rpms should below. You should also closely check out the extractor itself. Maybe it’s shot. Replacing it can be a pain with the Model 742, because the extractor is riveted in and has to be adjusted for tension. In addition, locating one may be difficult.

Beretta Buttstock Removal I’m having difficulty finding the proper tool to fit the Beretta Onyx 686 stock bolt. Can you provide some assistance? Thanks. Lawrence Werner Minden, Nevada According to the schematic, the stock bolt in the 686 wears a slotted head. Use a flashlight after you remove the butt plate or pad to see if that’s true with your gun. All you need then is along-shank straight-blade screwdriver to back out the bolt. If the bolt is a hex head, things can get more complicated.

Then you need a socket, socket wrench, and shaft extension. The problem is that the OD of the socket is often too large for the hole in the stock, in which case, you run the risk of splitting the wood by forcing in the socket. When you run into that problem, the outside of the socket has to be ground or turned down symmetrically to allow insertion with room to spare all around the bolt head. Lighten Angle Eject Trigger?

I recently purchased a Winchester 94 Angle Eject in .45 Colt caliber, and find it has a very hard trigger pull. Not wanting to mess with the sear, I’ve asked several gunsmiths if they could help me, and every one of them has told me that this model cannot be worked on. I don’t know if there is a liability question or what their reasons are. It’s not much fun to shoot a weapon with an 8- or 9-pound trigger pull, and I’m considering tackling the job myself. Incidentally, I’m retired from the U. S.

Air Force, and was an aircraft armorer for many years, but that type of work does not compare with the work of a qualified gunsmith. In fact, today, aircraft armorers are called "gun plumbers." Chuck Baisden, MSGT USAF (retired) You can rest assured there is a liability problem with any firearm. A few years back, every handgun sold had $65 added to its cost before it left the factory. This was just to cover liability insurance—per gun!

Unfortunately, this cost has only risen due to frivolous lawsuits and jury awards. As costs rose, so did trigger pulls along with factory efforts to discourage any attempt to lighten them. If Wolffe made springs for the Angle Eject, your task would be simple. They do not, which means you are faced with friction reduction. It makes the pull feel lighter because it reduces any drag that may exist between components of the trigger system and the receiver.

Engagement surfaces between trigger/sear/striker and/or hammer should remain untouched. The sides of the trigger, the firing-pin tunnel in the bolt, the sides of the hammer, any pins retaining the trigger and/or hammer and firing pin or striker, can be polished using fine stones and Cratex wheels (from Brownells), ultra-fine emery cloth, and mild metal polish. All work must be done cautiously, with many reassemblies for checking your progress.

This can be very tedious, which might help to explain the attitudes of your local gunsmiths. Out-of-Production Shotgun Info Regarding the letter in the March 2005 from Zeke Corder about the Montgomery Ward "Texas Ranger" shotgun: This gun is a Stevens Model 95, which sold in 1929 for $10. It was made in 12 and 16 gauge (see The Official Price Guide to Antique and Modern Firearms, page 570). For the shotgun’s mainspring, try the Wolff #13 shotgun hammer spring.

Regarding the letter from Rich Huggins about the Winchester Model 59 shotgun, see Brownells’ The Encyclopedia of Modern Firearms Parts & Assembly, Vol. 1, pages 934 to 948 for service and repair of the Winchester M50 shotgun. This should also work for the M59. Hope this helps. Everett Boyle Windsor Locks, Connecticut Thanks, Everett; your references on out-of-production guns are better than ours. Since our files are not set up to identify old firearms, we usually refer this type of question to the NRA Museum.

We do, however, welcome correspondence such as yours, and are happy to pass the information on.