Reader Forum

Parts for 16-Gauge Stevens I am trying to locate information and parts for a J. Stevens Arms Company 16-gauge break-barrel shotgun. I have no idea what the model number is; it has been removed. The barrel has been shortened to an illegal length. I’m looking for new barrel, forearm, and stock to bring the shotgun back from the dead. You can see from the attached photos that the gun is in dire need of repair. I have done much searching and have not been able to come up with anything.

I would appreciate any help I can get in locating parts to get the gun back in working order again. Thank you. We can’t get very far in looking for parts without a model number. We suggest you send photos of the gun to the NRA Museum (Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030 )for help in identification. Once that information is in hand, call Brownells and ask for a free copy of their parts source list for obsolete/out-of-production firearms. Then start making phone calls.

A replacement barrel is something that will likely have to be manufactured. By the time you get finished with the project, the cost will probably far exceed that of anew shotgun that could safely swallow and discharge modern loads. Winchester Sight Removal How does the rear sight come off of a Winchester Model .255? Thanks. According to what we see on schematics and parts drawings, the rear sight on the M255 drifts out’unless the gun has been retrofitted with the rear sight from an M270.

These had a retaining screw that must be removed before drifting the sight from the barrel dovetail. Two Questions On the first question, I’m pretty sure I know what is wrong. The gun is an S&W Model 19-3. It’s an original service-issued U. S. Marshall’s service revolver that has seen a lot of service and was actually lost in a groundhog hole for several months. I have virtually rebuilt the entire gun for the owner, a retired deputy U. S. Marshall, however, it periodically experiences light hits on the primers.

I am positive the mainspring needs replacing, but I also think that there is an end-shake problem that needs addressing. I’m basing the end-shake diagnosis on two things’a slight movement of the cylinder after lockup and difficulty opening the cylinder (unless I physically hold the cylinder rearward and then push the thumbpiece forward). The next problem I have yet to see, but the owner tells me that his Marlin Old Model 60 is constantly breaking firing pins.

This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a rimfire breaking firing pins repeatedly. Any ideas? We think you’re right about the endshake and suggest you try and correct it with end-shake bearings (Brownells). We hope that’s all you’ll need to do, but the hard opening might be due to a bent crane or yoke. On the Model 60, does the customer do much dry firing? Is there a burr at the chamber entrance? Is the opening for the firing pin in the boltface clear?

The Model 60 has been around so long we doubt there has been an epidemic of broken pins or we’d have heard of it previously. If the just-mentioned possibilities don’t seem to be the cause, before installing anew firing pin, harden it with Kase Nit. And that’s only after making sure it’s a factory replacement and not one from an aftermarket source that might use cheap metal to save a few pennies. Mauser 96? I just acquired a Mauser 96 straightpull rifle.

I’m looking for a schematic, breakdown instructions, and a source of parts. Someone tried to open the bolt by lifting up instead of pulling back, so the bolt is about 60 degrees off. Thanks. We believe what you have is a M95 Steyr-Mannlicher, not a Mauser. The

NRA Museum tells us some of them were stamped "M96." We have no schematic or takedown data, but a sectional drawing can be found by directing your search engine to "Steyr- Mannlicher rifles." Then call Brownells to get a free copy of their parts source list for obsolete/out-of-production firearms. From there on, it’s phone calls and more phone calls. Remington M11 Restoration I’ve been asked to restore a Remington Model 11 Sportsman in 16 gauge. The buttstock is broken into two pieces.

In checking the usual antique parts suppliers I’ve been able to find a 12gauge replacement stock, but nothing in 16. The gun is in good working condition and, for nostalgic reasons, the owner wants to hunt with it. Any suggestions would be appreciated. The receivers of the 12- and 16-gauge Model 11 Sportsman shotguns are the same size. Therefore, the 12-gauge stock you have located should fit your customer’s gun. If any fitting at all is required, it should be minimal.

Browning 1900 Barrel Change I need to change a barrel on a Browning 1900 and was wondering how to go about doing it. Thanks in advance. The first thing you have to do is locate a replacement barrel in good condition. Otherwise, you’ll have to have one made’an expensive proposition. Either way, the old barrel is screwed in and a schematic of the pistol shows no retaining pin. You’ll need a receiver wrench with blank jaws you can conform to fit the receiver and a barrel vise. Both items are available from Brownells.

Before cranking on the gun, remove the grips and soak it in solvent oil for a couple of days. Dry it, secure the barrel in the vise, and tighten the wrench on the receiver. The barrel should loosen counterclockwise. When installing the replacement, use "go" and "no-go" gauges in the proper caliber. When the breechbolt closes on the go gauge, the headspace is okay. If it closes on a no-go gauge, the headspace is excessive.

You can correct the condition in this case, if it exists, by adjusting the barrel-seating depth and then rechecking with the gauges. Once the headspace is acceptable, use the self-wicking type of Loktite to secure the barrel in place. Taurus PT111 Questions I would like info on the Taurus PT111. I heard the frame is prone to cracking. If it is, what’s the correct method of repair or prevention? Also, what’s the best way to lighten and smooth up the trigger pull? Could you e-mail a parts breakdown?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. In the February 2001 issue, we covered the PT111 in as much detail as possible. The article contains a schematic and parts list. (Reprints are available by calling AGA Customer Service: In its present configuration, the pistol employs an aluminum-alloy frame and a titanium slide. We’ve heard of no cracking occurring when factory ammo is the gun’s steady diet, but no one can guarantee against cracks appearing with the repeated use of hot handloads.

The pistol is DA-only and striker fired when the trigger bar is disengaged from the striker by pulling the trigger. No sear or hammer is present and the frame can’t be fully disassembled for reasons explained in the article. About all you can do is make certain there are no burrs on the trigger bar, polish 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 the striker, and polish the striker tunnel in the slide. Remington 742A Malfunction The 742 I’m working on today has me flustered to the max. I’ve completely cleaned it, including using the appropriate drills to clean out the barrel orifice and nozzle, and it still will not complete the cocking of the hammer to fire the second round.

It shoots the first round, ejects the empty, closes on the next round, but will not fire it because the hammer is not cocked. What am I missing? Is there a book I need to get about troubleshooting this rifle? Is it possible that the magazine could be the problem? I’ve tried factory Winchester rounds and some surplus government ammo with the same results. The spent cases look quite normal. I’ve also read the Brownells Encyclopedia about the 740.

I thought maybe it was not closing on the new round due to the extractor, but when it does not fire on the second round, you can pull back on the operating handle and the round comes back with the bolt and the rim seems to be under the extractor where it belongs. A few suggestions from a Remington Field Service manual seem to be in order. The action is probably binding. This can be caused by a misaligned ejection-port cover. If so, replace the cover.

Or perhaps the action-bar spring is jamming the action-bar sleeve, and you’ll have to replace the spring. The operating-handle pin maybe promoting magazine binding. The pin has to be assembled flush with the bottom surface of the bolt carrier. Also related to magazine binding is the action bar. It has to be closely fit to

(continued from previous page) the receiver wall. In addition, you might have to install a lower number factory magazine latch so the mag rides lower in the rifle. The ejector may not be totally innocent and could be binding the breech bolt. In this case, replace the ejector and clean out the ejector hole. Now for the bad news: If the bolt is jamming in its receiver rails, you have a real problem. The receiver has to be replaced’as it would have to be if the barrel and bolt carrier were out of alignment.

Winchester M74 Assembly I need help on reassembly of the Winchester Model 74 .22 LR semi-auto. I have the NRA article on disassembly and reassembly; but like most of these articles, it merely says "reassemble in reverse." This does not always suffice’especially when the gun comes in in a sack. My question is: Does the bolt spring rod go into the bolt or the bolt stop? Also, how does one hold the two springs while trying to guide everything into its proper recess?

According to instructions that appear in the NRA Guide to Firearms Assembly, you install the plunger in the bolt stop with the slide spring in the access hole end of the plunger. Before installing the bolt-stop plunger pin, insert a drift in the plunger-access hole and compress the spring enough to clear the pin. The two springs you mention are housed in the rear of the bolt assembly. That’s what you hold onto while joining it to the front bolt assembly (operating slide).

Trigger Spring Replacement I need to replace the trigger spring in my BT99 shotgun (old-style beavertail). Do you have an article that explains the disassembly/reassembly procedure for replacing the spring in the above shotgun? Position the trigger spring in its hole in the tang plate. Position the trigger after inspecting it for any damage, and then install the trigger pin. Marlin Model 39A Parts I have an old-style Marlin Model 39A that has a three-piece carrier-rocker assembly.

I need a carrier rocker for this assembly. I have had no luck finding one. Can I use newer parts to replace the old assembly? Have you done an article on this subject? Thanks. What you have in your shop is a Model 39A with a carrier, carrier rocker, and carrier spring. The carrier design in these rifles is considerably different than that of the later models, the newer having no cutout in the carrier itself. Therefore, anew-model carrier would have to be machined extensively to replace the one in your rifle.

Receiver modifications also loom. We suggest you contact Pennsylvania Gun Parts for the old-style parts. Rossi 851 Stainless Queries Someone brought me a Rossi Model 851 Stainless, 4-inch barrel, with one problem and one very important question. In the Blue Book, Edition 24, it states that this model is capable of withstanding 38+P. My question is: What about +Pin the Mod 851 Stainless? I think I know the answer. The 851 was imported beginning 2001, and the 851 Stainless was imported in 1985-98.

I therefore believe it is not a safe bet. The problem I mentioned is that the cylinder has come in contact with something that etched an area, producing a cosmetic eyesore. Is there anything that can be polished that I can use to fill in the spot? Thanks. The rifles and shotguns are brought in by Braztech The handguns are under the wing of Taurus International and marketed under the Rossi brand. Sources at both those points of contact told us they believe that factory .38+P loads would be okay in the Stainless.

You’re welcome and encouraged to call both outfits and confirm what we were told. We can’t tell from the photo you attached, but the depth of the etching you mention doesn’t appear to be overly deep. That being the case, you can probably polish it out while retaining the contour of the cylinder chamber without weakening its walls. If the etching is too deep for polishing, there is no "cold patch" for stainless steel but there are stainless-steel welding rods that can be employed with either TIG or gas techniques.

The resulting welds could then be polished to contour. If you’re not set up for the job, a welding shop might take it on.