Reader Forum

Mosin-Nagant Conversion? I have a M44 Mosin-Nagant that I would like to rebarrel to .30-30 Win. What are your thoughts on this idea? Will the smaller rim diameter of the .30-30 cause me any problems? If so, how do you recommend I correct for it? I really enjoy the magazine and the great information you provide. Keep up the good work. Don Frost The M44 cartridge (7.62 x 54R) is only slightly less powerful than the .308 and has been employed successfully against dangerous game.

The .30 -30 is far less potent, but there are other considerations. It is shorter and has a smaller base diameter than the 7.62 x 54R. Without modifications to the receiver, for one, merely rebarreling the rifle would result in feeding and extraction problems. Or do you intend to use your M44 as a single shot?

Frankly, we’d recommend against making the change, since a properly functioning conversion would require the services of a gunsmith with a manufacturer’s license, meaning that the conversion would likely be quite costly. Stoeger Luger Woes Does anyone out there know anything about a Stoeger Luger .22? I once had one with an aluminum frame that was a very good, accurate pistol. I recently got the chance to buy anew one with a steel frame and jumped on it—not a good thing to do. The magazine doesn’t work.

I can fix this, but the toggle won’t lock down most of the time. The knee stays up in the line of sight between the front and rear sights. The bolt seems to be completely closed against the breech, but I can’t see the front sight. I suspect that the rear toggle spring (#47 in the NRA pistol and revolver book on firearms assembly) is not in correctly, but for the life of me I can’t see any other way to put it in. It seems to be just like the position in the book. Any help would be thankfully received.

Max Hoyle The old Stoeger manual we have on file stresses proudly that the frames for their pistols are steel. We were not aware they made an aluminum frame model. Interesting. Nevertheless, check for roughness or damage to the toggle and toggle ways in the frame. If present, polish them out prior to lubrication. To out knowledge, the toggle on the Stoeger is activated by the mainspring, as it is on the 9mm Luger. The spring is identified as #31 in our copy of the NRA guide.

Your mainspring may be weakened or damaged, and that could explain the toggle not fully seating. By the way, we hear a rumor that Beretta USA (the current owner of Stoeger) is considering a reintroduc tion of the .22-caliber Luger. BPS Feeding Problems I need to know the issues of any articles you have done on the Browning BPS shotguns. I had a 10-gauge Browning BPS 3-1/2-inch Magnum brought in with feeding problems.

The initial complaint was that the first rounds fed fired and ejected fine; but after reloading, the shells would not feed or fire. I removed the trigger assembly and looked for any broken parts. None were found. I took the gun out and shot it 17 times with no problems. I now have a 12-gauge Browning BPS 3-inch in my shop with the same complaint. I have not disassembled this one yet, because I thought I may be missing something and thought I would read any AG articles before proceeding.

Any info or education on this subject would be appreciated. Preston We haven’t run any articles on the BPS as yet. Considering what seems to be wrong with the 3-inch BPS, the first thing that comes to mind is the selector. It may be in the single-shot position. Next to consider is the magazine follower. Is it stuck in the tube? Another possibility: The carrier may not be lifting the Magnum shells high enough. If so, spring the arms of the carrier closer together or replace it.

Finally, the cartridge stops could be out of adjustment. To adjust, remove both stops from the gun and place them on a true surface. The forward ends of the stops should measure .350 inch up above the surface. If not, make any bend to correct the height 3.5 inches from the rear of the stops. After adjustment, position the forward end of the lefthand stop about 1/16 inch back from the magazine follower. Position the notch at the rear of the right-hand stop to align with the notch in the opposite stop.

Free Drawings from the U. S. Patent Office I just thought I would drop a line to you and other readers who may not know about the patent office. It’s not necessary to send for a copy of a patent drawing. The U. S. Patent office has a very fine website that enables a person to view images of patent drawings and text of the patent on-line. It does require a "plug-in" for

your browser, but they provide a link to the download site. It is a special form of a TIFF viewer. After installation, the drawings can be saved, printed, rotated, etc. The website is Hope this helps all the members. Whitney Owens Thank you, Whitney. There’s $3 we ‘smiths don’t have to spend. Remington Stock A customer brought in a cracked stock for a Remington Model 30 in .30-06. I can repair the stock, but the customer would prefer a replacement. I’ve exhausted stock suppliers I know of.

If no one has stocks for this model, is there another Remington stock I could adapt? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Bob Schmuck Republic, Michigan We spoke with Remington Technical staff members. They tell us there is no Remington-made rifle stock you can retrofit to a Model 30. The people we spoke to all suggested you contact Boyds’ Gunstock Industries Info Source for Ruger 96/22 I’ve been an AGA member since 1999 and have most issues of American Gunsmith since that time.

My question is, has there been an article on gunsmithing the Ruger 96/22 since its debut in 1996? I’m looking for something similar to afield-service manual or assembly/disassembly instructions. If there’s been nothing in the magazine, do you know of a source for such info? I’m not a licensed gunsmith, but do work for myself only, and have had no luck with queries to Ruger. Thanks very much. Harvey Langley We’ve covered several Sturm-Ruger guns but not the 96/22 as yet. We’re working on it.

There is no field-service or armorer’s manual on this rifle/carbine. However, Ruger does a better than average job and goes way beyond basic field stripping in their owner’s manuals. You can download the manual for the 96/22 from the the company’s web site (www.ruger-firearms.com). 17-Caliber Cleaner I recently installed a Green Mountain .17 HM2 barrel on my Ruger 77/22. The fit is great and headspacing is flawless. My problem is in trying to find a one-piece cleaning rod and jag for it.

I have seen some rods listed from Kleanbore and Dewey, but some are listed for air rifles only. I emailed Kleanbore about their SAF303 rod kit to see if it was for .17 HMR/HM2 or air rifles. The answer I received from Richard Small was that it would work for both as they are the same caliber. I was under the impression that the .17 HMR/HM2 was a .172-caliber bullet and that the air rifles utilized a .177-caliber pellet. Please help; I don’t want to hose my new squirrel gun with a rod that is too large.

Mike Fritz All the bullet-diameter references in our files show the diameter of the .17 to be .172. You do concern us some, however. The .17 HMR is a .22 Magnum case necked down to .17. The .17 MK2, or Mach2, is a .22 LR case necked down to .17, and we can only assume that’s what you are referring to as "HM2." You’d probably be all right with a .17-caliber coated rod, as long as you run it in from the muzzle until it extends out the breech, then attach your slotted tip and clean from breech to muzzle.

If you’re still nervous about it, check out Otis Technologies’ flexible coated-cable 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 system. They make one for the .17, and the flexibility feature makes breech-tobore cleaning much easier.

Forum Feedback In reply to the letter in the February 05 issue, the reader searching for a source for #4 Lee-Enfield bolt heads should try Springfield Sporters. They list them on their #4 parts page on their web site Hope this helps anyone who has a headspace problem with a #4. Lee Rohrer Thanks, Lee. We were under the mistaken impression that Springfield Sporters had gone out of business.

When we checked their web site, we were pleased to find they had not, and remain a fine source for military and other firearm parts. Convert .38 S&W To .38 Special? I’ve had an S&W .38 Special for several years now. I’m informed that it was a military sidearm issued during or after WWI (possibly a sidearm for the British, later re-imported into the U. S.). I’ve shot .38 Special rounds in it, but the cases bulge.

This is obviously unsafe, and I’d prefer to get a cylinder to make it a safe and reliable shooter of .38 Special rounds. I enjoy shooting historical military firearms, and am set up to reload .38 Special. I’d prefer to put in a different cylinder to make it an inexpensive shooter, and to keep the original cylinder so that it could be restored to original condition for historical reasons. The firearm is marked with patent dates of Sept. 14, 1909 and Dec. 29, 1914.

Other markings include .38 S&W CTG, proof marks followed by .38 767 and TON 3.5 (hard to read this one). The serial number appears to be V5422xx. The cylinder length is 1.57 inches, and the diameter is 1.45.

(continued from previous page) Is it possible to order a standard .38 cylinder from one of the reputable suppliers that would be a drop in replacement? If not, is there one which could be made to work (say, overly long but correct diameter that I could trim in a lathe)? What issues might I encounter in making this change? Thank you for your time. Kevin C. Hess We don’t believe even Old Town Station would have a "drop-in" cylinder for your revolver, and doubt that one was ever made.

A standard .38 Special cylinder would have to be overhauled (shortened) for the .38 S&W, and it’s likely that considerable work would have to be performed on the ratchets. A custom pistolsmith, like Ron Power could handle such a conversion. However, it would be easier and more economical to shorten .38 Special brass to 0.775 inch and fire-form it with a moderate load. Keep in mind that the .38 S&W has a .361-inch-diameter bullet, while the .38 Special employs one of .358 inch.

For accuracy’s sake, check the bore of your revolver and for more information on its history, contact the NRA Museum (Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030). Part Sources I am looking for parts for the following guns: an Iver Johnson "Sealed 8" .22 LR revolver, a Liberty Arms (Rohm) Model 30 .22 LR revolver, a Rossi Model 92 .44 Magnum, an S&W Model 1-1/2 top-break revolver, and a Stevens 14-1/2 Little Scout. I’ve already checked with Gun Parts Corp., Bob’s Gun Shop, The Traders Den, The Gun Garage, and Jack First.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. M. Belius We’re able to offer some additional sources. For Iver Johnson parts, try Firearms International (713/462- 42000; for the Rossi, Braztech The Rohm, Brownells Parts Source List for out-of-production firearms; for the S&W, try Liberty Antique Gunworks and for the Stevens, contact Rudi Prusok rprusok@ nmu.edu). Miroku Parts This is the first time I’ve been stumped and had to email you.

A customer brought in a Charles Daly field shotgun, serial number S4014MK in 12 gauge, 3 inch. When I first contacted Charles Daly, they sent me the wrong parts and I found they did not fit. I called them back and they said that the gun was not theirs but was made in Japan. I then found out the Japanese company that made these was a company called Miroku. I talked to Wisner’s and with Bob’s Gunshop, and they were not sure what parts would fit this shotgun.

They stated many other makes and models with parts that might work. If you look at Wisner’s or Miroku’s web sites, you’ll see the parts and drawings. The problem is that all they show are over/unders. This shotgun is a single-barrel semi-auto. The parts that the customer wants are the ejector and the ejector spring. Do you have a drawing for this gun and do you know what parts will fit this shotgun? If you have sources I have not tried, could you please let me know?

Thanks Dave We have no schematic for the Miroku you mention. We do have a source, however, that could be of help in either supplying the parts or linking you with another supplier. Heverling’s Guns & Gunsmithing operates out of Palmyra, Pennsylvania, and because of the owner’s daytime activities with a major importer, he is not available for phone calls until after 7 p.m. EST on weekdays .17 MK2 Conversion?

In the article in the April 05 issue on the Marlin Model 60, it states that there is no practical way to change it to .17 MK2. Is this because of the tube magazine? I have a 989M2 which uses a clip, and I would like to rebarrel it to .17 MK2. What else would I have to do besides installing a heaver recoil spring? Thanks. Chris Harvard, Illinois As stated in the article, the .22-caliber magazine tube is but one reason. Others include the bolt size, bolt weight, and size of the receiver.

The rifle you’re asking about went out of production in 1968. Marlin technicians support our conclusion that it cannot be adapted to the .17 MK2. ■