Reader Forum

Jamming Marlin 1894S I have a Marlin 1894S in caliber .44 Magnum. Occasionally, when the lever is lowered, it cannot be moved back to the firing position. The lever and bolt have to be removed in order for the carrier to drop down to the firing position. Thank for any suggestions you can offer. Jack Roche You have what is known as a "Marlin jam." It happens when the timing of the carrier is off and a "letting in two" (rounds) from the magazine occurs.

The condition is worse with .44 Special rounds fed in a .44 Magnum rifle. The condition is correctable with the proper tooling. Fortunately, a set of full instructions on how to accomplish the fix is shown on the Single Action Shooting Society web site by clicking on "Marlin Jam." The instructions, written by an engineer, will tell you how to bend the carrier upward and eliminate the double feed. Loose Llama As a current member, I enjoy your useful articles, especially the answers to the gunsmith questions.

Now I find that I need to submit one to you for your help. I shoot a Llama Minimax II 10shot subcompact in .45 caliber. I thoroughly enjoy it with one small exception. After a few rounds, the slide stop walks out. The result is embarrassing for me, but provides other range shooters with a moment of mirth as I attempt to gather up the slide, springs, and other parts that have been launched downrange.

The last time this happened, I reassembled the gun and began firing again, this time taking care to push on the slide stop after each round. While working the slide to clear a stuck round, the slide stop again just fell out, leaving me with the slide in one hand and the balance of the gun in the other. I am beginning to tire of the laughter. It seems to me that even with a loose fit, the slide stop should have enough tension placed on it by the plunger, the barrel link, and recoil springs to stay put.

What am I missing? I’ve contacted Brownells who directed me to Import Sports so I have a parts list that does not include a barrel link. Numrich was not able to help either. Jim Gowan We scoured our files looking for a schematic for the Minimax II. We discovered none, but all other Llama .45 ACP pistols show a barrel link. We then spoke with gunsmith James Watson at Walker Arms who services Llama and Bersa pistols for Import Sports. He insists your pistol has a barrel link.

Let’s say it should have one, because that’s what holds the slide stop in unless both components have damage or serious wear. He went on to say you should speak with Dee at Import Sports Call her attention to the missing link on your parts list, then order one plus a link pin and new slide stop. Continuing with his helpful commentary, Watson expressed a willingness to correct the problem with your pistol under warranty, if you’ll ship it to him at Walker Arms 870, Selma, AL 36701).

Misindexing Blackhawk I’m hoping you’ll be able to help me solve a problem with a Ruger New Model Blackhawk single-action revolver in .45 LC. The problem is that during rapid engagement of the hammer, one chamber overtravels and does not index or bolt up properly, causing the firing pin to drop on the rim instead of the primer. All of the other chambers align and lock up properly. If the hammer is cocked slowly, the chamber in question usually indexes and locks up properly.

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 I’ve checked the cylinder cut for burrs and polished it to ease engagement. The hand (pawl) has been checked and polished also. The cylinder ratchet appears to be okay— no burrs or dings. The latching-bolt spring and plunger have been checked and appear to be working fine.

There is no evidence of binding or dragging of parts. The revolver is relatively new but out of warranty. Could the cylinder cut be at fault? I would appreciate any assistance. Thank you. George Ohara Refer to the January 2002 article titled "Picking Apart the Peacemaker." Though not specifically addressed to the Blackhawk, it covers problems similar to the one you describe and their solutions.

Parts Challenges I am a certified gunsmith in my first year of practice, and finding parts is the hardest problem I encounter. I have dealer listings, Brownells catalog, and Numrich books, but still can’t find parts for afield-grade Charles Daly auto in 20 gauge. I’ve tried their web site, but can’t get through with email. I need a bolt handle or cocking lever—whatever you want to call it. Also, I need parts for a weird one. It’s an Erma Werke, with "Model KGP69" on one side and "La Dist. New York" on the other.

The pistol is chambered for .22 LR and is built like a German Luger. I need a magazine and an extractor for it. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Scott For Daly parts, send an email to jim Erma parts used to be available from Mandells in Scottsdale, Arizona. We haven’t been

(continued from previous page) able to contact them for over a year and assume they’ve left the firearm business. Get a free copy of Brownells Parts Source List for out-of-production firearms and see what you can turn up there. Ortgies Pistol I have what appears to be a World War II-era Ortgies pocket pistol, blue finish in .32 ACP caliber.

I have replaced the magazines (it came with a .380 magazine), and these seem to feed adequately after minor adjustments to the base of the magazines (hand cycling, not yet fired). I’m in the process of replacing the barrel, as the original seems to have a headspace problem in that the chamber depth is slightly less than the length of the cartridge.

Also, with the original barrel, when fully chambered, many rounds (even contemporary ones) allow the bullet to engage the rifling (with some effort), leaving slight marks on the bullet and case lip. The new barrel seems to be properly headspaced. Is it practical to polish the feed ramp in the frame and that in the barrel to allow more consistent feeding? If done, is it necessary to leave the factory "lip," such that the ramp in the frame is "stepped" slightly to the rear of the ramp in the barrel?

Is it safe to carry this pistol with around chambered (action components seem to be operating properly), with the grip safety engaged, or is it possible for the striker/firing pin to become dislodged from the sear and fire the weapon? With the grip safety engaged (pistol unloaded, with empty magazine installed), the trigger (or sear/disconnector) seems to be effectively blocked. However, I wonder if it would be too easy to inadvertently disengage the grip safety even in a secure holster.

The weapon seems to be well fitted and rather tight. I question whether the barrel it came with was original, as it is unmarked, although that may not be determinative. Do you have any info or manual for this weapon, or diagrams showing the functioning of the internal mechanisms? P. S. I was able to test fire this weapon before sending this message. The new barrel shoots to point of aim. However, none of the three magazines will feed truncated-nose jacketed hollowpoints.

The original mag (marked .380, with what appears to be a stylized "D" logo) will chamber and fire hardball only, with an occasional jam on the last round. The two replacement magazines work better with hardball, but jam frequently, nosing the cartridge down more or less perpendicular to the feed ramp. Any help or advice will be appreciated! Ralph Himelick The German-made Ortgies went out of production in 1926. It was made in three calibers: .25 ACP, .32 ACP and .380.

Full instructions for disassembly/reassembly appear in the NRA Guide to Firearms Assembly along with some information on the safety system. Make a chamber cast and measure it against OAL data appearing in numerous reloading manuals. It is possible the headspace problem you mention is related to a mix-up in the barrel that came with the pistol. We wouldn’t tamper with the throat of the pistol beyond a very slight radius. The Ortgies didn’t have a "ramp" like the Model 1911.

And unless it is equipped with a thumb safety (some models were), we would advise against carrying it loaded and in battery. As for your use of truncated nose bullets, remember, they didn’t exist at the time your pistol was made. For reliability, stick with FMJ. Non-Ejecting Mossberg I recently got in a Mossberg Model 835 Ulti Mag pump shotgun chambered for 2-3/4-, 3-, and 3-1/2-inch shells. At first, it wouldn’t eject 3-1/2-inch shells after firing; now it’s having trouble ejecting the shorter 2-3/4s after firing.

The customer is using Federal shells; the 3-1/2 inch are Premium Mag 2 ounce. The right-hand extractor doesn’t show any signs of wear. The only thing I can see that could be the problem is maybe the spent shell casing has expanded to where it has become a tighter fit from the unfired shell. There doesn’t seem to be any problem unloading an unfired shell; in fact, the loaded shell can be put into the barrel and it falls out freely. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Mark Wiggins We wanted to double check our response with the Mossberg technicians at the NRA Show in Houston before getting back to you. We did so, and they confirmed that you should polish the chamber, which may be a little tight. If that fails to resolve the problem, you may have an older model, in which case you’ll need to replace the right-hand extractor.