Reader Forum

Winchester 97 Barrel Removal I’ve got a 97 Winchester in my shop and I am having trouble getting the magazine tube to slide forward. The tube rotates and feels like it unlatch es, but it refuses to slide forward so I can remove the barrel. Am I missing something, or is there is a "trick" to getting them to move. Thanks. Steve Culver The trick is that the barrel, magazine tube, and action slide are removed from the receiver at the same time. We can’t be sure of what you’re doing or not doing to let it happen.

There are complete disassembly instructions for the M97 in Gun Digests’ book of disassembly/reassembly for shotguns and in the NRA Guide to Disassembly for rifles and shotguns. Double-Nine Assembly I am in need of assembly instructions for a Hi-Standard "Double-Nine Convertible," in particular, the trigger-return spring and hand spring. Thank you.

Wayne Ross Having no printed resources on the Hi-Standard Double-Nine, because there are none, we spoke with one of the company’s former gunsmiths who dates back to the great Hamden, Connecticut, manufacturing days. Hopefully, what we learned will help you. After you swing out the cylinder, you’ll see a small hole up near the front end of the frame under the barrel. In there is the ejector-rod latch housing plug. We’re told it has a plunger. Depress the plunger with a small tool and detach the rod from the frame.

The crane and cylinder can now be separated from the frame. Under the cylinder are two retainers. The front one is a pin; the rear one a screw. Remove them both and the grip assembly can be separated from the upper frame. The screw you just took out is the hammer pivot, so you can lift the hammer assembly out. The trigger-return spring and hand spring are retained in the trigger. The springs you mention are held in the trigger by a single pin.

Our source mentioned that the Double-Nine had some recurring problems with its hand being worn, thereby wrecking the timing of the revolver and causing misfires. If you have that problem, and are unable to refit anew hand, let us know and we’ll put you in touch with that ex- Hi-Standard gunsmith. Firing-Pin Tool?

Perhaps you could refer me to a source for the screwdriver-type of firing-pin tool I need to unscrew and replace firing pins in .45 cal R&D cylinders I have (1860 Army .44, Uberti Dragoon .44, 1851 Navy .36). I want something with more precision than simply trying to grind a groove into the end of a screwdriver. Any leads would be appreciated. Rico Nance You are speaking, we trust, to R&D Conversion Cylinders for the revolvers you mention. The tool required is not a screwdriver.

It’s a nipple wrench exactly like the ones used to install and replace nipples on blackpowder rifles and handguns. In the R&D conversion, the firing pin is contained in the nipple, and both are mounted in the cylinder back plates used in the conversions. In our opinion, the pin and nipple should be replaced as a unit. Stevens Barrel Repair I bought an old Stevens Model 15 in very bad shape for parts. The barrel-lug screw was broken off.

In trying to remove the broken screw end, the drill tip penetrated the barrel with a pin hole. Will this cause problems when firing it, if so is there any way 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 to plug the hole? I was thinking about something like JB Weld.

Thanks You didn’t mention the caliber of your Stevens, but a hole in the barrel will allow propellant gas to escape regardless. If memory serves us correctly, the barrel-retaining screw in a Stevens is located just forward of the chamber, and we therefore suggest you rid yourself of all thoughts of using epoxy to fill the hole. You’re no doubt familiar with the blind screws used by manufacturers to "fill" scope-base mounting holes they’ve pre-drilled in their rifles.

If you managed to remove the end of the barrel-retaining screw, and without intruding further into the bore, widen the pin hole to accept one of these blind screws. Turn it fully into the opening and back it up with a fresh barrel-retaining screw. In the future, you might want to use a depth stop on your drill bit and avoid the problems of invading a rifle’s bore. Star Spring I want to install anew Wolff recoil spring in a Star BM. The BM captive recoil-spring unit has me baffled.

From everything I can see, the guide end plate is threaded and screws onto the guide rod. I can see no evidence of Loctite or staking, but attempts at unscrewing haven’t worked so far. I have it stored threaded-end up, with Kano right now. Any advice or tips? Michael North From what we can see on a schematic of the Model BM, the end plate doesn’t screw on the recoil-guide rod. What does screw on is the guide washer. Apply heat to the guide washer to break any bond that might exist.

Be extremely cautious when using any tool to unscrew the washer from the

(continued from previous page) rod. The metal used is by no means tough stuff and can be damaged easily. BAR Feeding Problems I have a customer who is having feeding problems in his .308 Browning Automatic Rifle. What is the most common cause of this problem? Thanks. Preston The most common cause is ammunition related, particularly if reloads are involved.

Other possible causes are rough or bent magazine lips, a weak or broken magazine spring, a sharp edge at the chamber rim, the bolt cover too tight or too loose, the gas regulator orifice too small, or the barrel gas orifice too large. The magazine follower could also be cocked or canted between the sides of the magazine when the shells are being chambered. Sauer Ejector Rod I am trying to locate ejector parts for a J. P. Sauer .22 Long Rifle western revolver. The ejector is missing on the one I have.

I have contacted the major supply houses without any luck. Would another manufacturer’s ejector work? The gun is in very good shape, and I would very much like to shoot it. Thank you for your time. Robert J. Loughlin, Jr. Columbus, New Jersey According to Pistols of the World, your revolver was made in the mid 1940s and was more or less a clone of the Colt Single Action Army. Sauer is nowapart of the Sigarms operation, but we are quite certain they have no parts for the gun.

If the revolver is a faithful copy of the Single Action Army as reported, it employs an ejector rod to push spent cases from the cylinder rather than a star extractor like the S&W, Taurus, Colt, Ruger, and other double-action revolvers. Therefore, another manufacturer’s copy of the Single Action Army in caliber .22 might have an ejector rod that will fit or can be modified to fit your revolver. Barrel Latch Fix I’m working on a Savage 311.

The barrel-latch lever returns beyond center when closing the barrels to breechface (see photo attached). Please give me your best suggestions for a fix. This is a purely cosmetic challenge, as all else is in good shape. This piece does suffer from a slight "low-hammer problem" that was covered very nicely by Sergey Lyalko in his article on the subject in the March 2001 issue of American Gunsmith.

The firing-pin indent is quite ample and the barrels only rise slightly, barely enough to prevent hulls from dropping out if the piece is inverted. We don’t feel a repair here is warranted. Thanks in advance for you help. G. E. Butler Disassemble the gun per instructions in Gun Digest’s book of disassembly/ reassembly for shotguns, second edition.

Replace the barrel-latch detent plus its spring or modify the latch’s interface surface with the barrel latch so the latter returns to the more cosmetically acceptable center position. Remington 7400 in .270 I have a Remington 7400 in .270, and shoot 130-grain bullets. I have had a recent problem with it. The first bullet chambers fine, but the second one jams. I found that the operating-handle pin was catching on the magazine. I filed the pin down so that it would not catch or slow the action down.

However, it is still jamming. What else could be causing it to jam? I have also tried filing down the tabs on the magazine, thinking that this could cause the rifle’s action to slow down. Kevin McIntyre Wheaton, Illinois The front magazine lips may be bent outward too much, the rear lips bent downward too much, or the magazine sides bent inward too much. The magazine itself could be riding too low in the receiver. If so, replace the mag latch with a higher numbered size.

If the jamming is caused by the action not blowing back enough, there’s probably a problem with the gas system. The gas-orifice diameter for the .270-caliber is supposed to be .073. Check it and, while you’re at it, make sure it’s not fouled. Inspect the gas-nozzle hole in the action sleeve to see if there’s a breakthrough into the spring hole in the receiver. And make sure the gas-orifice ball and screw are present. These parts often become lost during unauthorized or inept disassembly.

Finally, check the chamber, polish it lightly, and double check the ammunition. If the load is too light, the gun won’t function.