Reader Forum

Forum Feedback I have a few comments to add on letters in the September issue: Regarding Stu Grell’s problem with the Remington 742 not recocking, the disconnector is mis-positioned on the wrong side of the trigger bar. This is a common problem with Remington autos. Regarding Ernie’s inquiry about a schematic for the Mauser 96 straightpull, Mauser did make a "Model 96 American" straight-pull that was imported for a few years after 1996.

The bolt handle pivoted on a horizontal axis to unlock, and then pulled straight back. I had a few of these come through with missing extractors. Parts were impossible to find, and I ended up machining replacements. One of the rifles had an owner’s manual with it, which I foolishly failed to copy; perhaps some other reader could help Ernie with this. My recollection is that the gun was miserable to work on.

Lawrence Dullum Anoka, Minnesota Thanks, Lawrence, to you and those readers whose letters follow, for your tips on part sources. Nylon 66 Part Source I have some additional information for Allen, regarding his inquiry on parts for the Remington Nylon 66 in the October 2005 Readers Forum. He should contact Gunpatch Parts Depot Douglas, KS 67039; I have replaced parts in several Remington 66s and have found that Gunpatch has a large variety of Nylon 66 parts, including the outer mag tube, which others do not stock.

Dan Hewin Holts Summit, Missouri More Forum Feedback In the October 2005 issue, Mike wrote in, having difficulty with a Stoeger Condor. It would not cycle unless the safety was engaged, and then disengaged. We had one in recently that would cycle with heavy loads but not with light loads—unless one gave it a sharp rap on the buttplate. We too replaced springs, honed engagement surfaces, and so on. Finally, adding just a bit of weight to the inertia block (with silver solder) solved the problem.

In the September issue, Preston was looking for a Marlin Model 39A carrier rocker. These are very scarce, but as of two weeks ago, Valley Gun Shop West Falls, NY 14170; had a couple of them. L. W. Loveland Warren Center, Pennsylvania Inactive Remington Action I have a Remington Model 141 with an action that won’t open. The unlocking lever in the bolt appears to be free floating, sliding back and forth as the rifle is turned. What do I do to remove the bolt? Frank The 141 was replaced by the 760 in 1952.

It is possible the ejector may be riding on top of a shell head and preventing the breechblock from unlocking. The same unlocking condition could occur if there are any broken parts related to the action-bar lock. Try separating the stock from the receiver and using a wooden dowel to push the front end of the breechblock upward to clear the ejector. Then jar the ejector rod off the shell by holding the muzzle of the barrel perpendicular and striking the receiver with a wooden block.

If there are broken parts associated with the action-bar lock, they may be difficult to find, but try Pennsylvania Gun Parts Note that if the breechblock is damaged in any 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 way, the job of fitting anew one will have to be handled by an authorized Remington Service Center—assuming they have a replacement for your old-timer. L. C. Smith Queries I have an L. C. Smith double 12 gauge (S/N RE952xx) that I received "in a basket." The sears were missing, but I located some through Numrich Arms. The "Elsie" has the Hunter One single trigger mechanism.

In assembling the locks to the action, it appears the "legs" on the sears may be too long, and will need grinding to fit. I need some info on how the sears are supposed to interface with the toggles that go from side to side when a barrel is selected. I’ve looked through all my reference and takedown material, but can’t find the info I need. (I obviously don’t want to ruin the sears!) Also, the shotgun has what appears to be an "automatic" safety feature, which I’ve heard of, but have no info on.

There is a flat rod that extends from the safety-select slide to the lever, but I can’t determine how they should be interconnected. Are there any drawings available that could help me? Possibly I have something still missing from the parts. I can find nothing at all on this. This "Elsie" is engraved, and was a desirable shotgun at one time. I’d like to restore it back to original, if I can. Thank you for any help you can give me. Gary L.

Spears Hendersonville, Tennessee Dave Chicoine’s article in this issue should prove to be helpful. The serial number prefix suggests the model was a "regular" with automatic ejectors. This supposition can be affirmed

(continued from previous page) by writing to the Marlin Firearms Historian North Haven, CT 06473). Marlin took over the old L. C. Smith company in 1946 and produced the shotguns until a disaster struck down the Smith factory in 1949. They made no more L. C. Smith doubles until 1967. From then until 1971, Marlin manufactured over 2,000. Then, offshore-made doubles made production unprofitable, and Marlin ceased production. (We noted at the 2005 SHOT Show that Marlin is reentering the doubles market with anew L. C.

Smith made in North Haven, Connecticut.) During the manufacture of L. C. Smith doubles, a large amount of handwork was done on individual parts to ensure they functioned. As a result of this practice, few parts are interchangeable. Nor can they be fabricated by following drawing dimensions and "dropped in." This is unfortunate. A book (now long out of print) by William S. Brophy on L. C. Smiths carried page after page of blueprint-style drawings.

Beyond that frustration, any alteration made to an original or Marlin-made L. C. Smith will lessen its collector value. In addition to the aforementioned article, two disassembly/reassembly sources are open to you: The NRA Guide to Firearms Assembly for Shoulder Arms and Gun Digest’s Book of Assembly/Reassembly for Shotguns, Second Edition. Jack First lists parts in their catalog, but remember what we said about all the hand fitting.

Clean Firearms Produce Emotional Response I have a customer who inherited two antique firearms from her grandfather. The handguns were really dirty. One handgun was a .22-caliber, single-shot break-top pistol; the other was a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver. Both guns were nickel finished. I carefully disassembled both handguns and cleaned all parts of dirt, lead, and powder debris, without removing any of the original nickel finish.

After the cleaning was completed, I reassembled both handguns and called the customer to tell her the guns were ready to be picked up. When she arrived at my shop and saw the handguns, she sat down and cried. I asked her what was wrong, and she said she wished her grandfather could see them because they looked so good. Bradley C. Hively, Sr. Yadkinville, North Carolina It’s not often that the gunsmith’s art produces this kind of a response. Thanks for sharing your story with us.

Colt 1883 Reassembly I read the article in the February 2005 issue of American Gunsmith regarding working on the 1883 Colt shotgun. It told members how to disassemble the shotgun, but mentioned nothing about reassembly, other than to say that everything is done in reverse. Having just worked on this shotgun, I can attest to the fact that reassembling can be very difficult.

In fact, not having any literature about the gun, I was unable to replace the hammers, mainsprings, and drawbars without the assistance of another gunsmith. Colt does not even have any literature on this weapon. The only way I found to reassemble the hammer assemblies was as follows: You will notice a small hole in the bottom of the drawbar. Careful examination will reveal that it is a threaded hole. The size is 6-44. A corresponding detent is found on the bottom side of the mainspring.

I used a 6-44 bolt approximately 1.5 inches in length. The end was shaped to fit into the detent in the mainspring, and hardened in order to keep its shape when pressed against the mainspring. The hinge pin is put into place and one drawbar placed in proper order with the hinge pin. The mainspring is then pressed into its place over the drawbar. The bolt is then threaded into the drawbar and against the mainspring.

Tightening the bolt compresses the mainspring and allows the hammer to easily be placed into position. The hammer pin is inserted halfway to hold the first hammer in place and the bolt is removed. The procedure is repeated for the other hammer assembly. I must thank Bob Chavez of Lassen College (the other gunsmith), who helped figure out this procedure. We believe this to be the proper method for reassembly, as no other reason for the threaded hole can be determined.

We could find no other method to install the hammer assembly. I hope this helps those who are tasked with reassembling the 1883 Colt shotgun. Should any member have any questions, they can contact me at the address below. Doug Thanks for the input, Doug. ■