Reader Forum

Scoping the Hi-Point Carbine The January 2004 issue had an article on scoping the Hi-Point Model 995 carbine. It was a very well-written and informative article. I recently found a much simpler way of scoping the rifle utilizing the factory scopemounting system. I used an SKS-style compact scope that fits perfectly and creates no eye-relief problems. I used a Famous Maker 2-6×28 scope and Millet Weaver-style rings. This setup works great, and the compact scope on the compact carbine looks nice, too.

Sounds like a good alternative, Earl. Thanks. AMT Slam Fire A friend has a problem with an AMT .380 Backup. The firing pin broke and he took it to a gunsmith for repair. Unfortunately the pistol now slam fires when the slide is retracted and released without a finger on the trigger. Has American Gunsmith done any articles on the AMT Backup? Do you have any ideas? Thanks. We haven’t done an article, but the firing pin is obviously too long. You can shorten it, being careful not to alter the contour.

Or, you can call Survival Enterprises and see if you can buy anew one. Nagant Lever Spring Replacement I’m trying to keep a simple problem simple, but need one bit of info to finish the job (I hope). I’ve got a double-action Model 1985 Nagant revolver (1935 Tula Armory manufacture) in excellent condition, except that it will not cycle properly. Disassembly (with the aid of J. B.

Wood’s Assembly/Disassembly book) revealed that the action was swimming in oil, and that a small leaf spring had come loose from the action and came to rest inside the left sideplate. After drying it out, it’s clear that the spring belongs to the double-action lever on the hammer. Nothing appears dinged or burred, and it seems that nothing more than reassembly will be required.

That said, even Russians don’t build tiny leaf springs strong enough to resist getting buggered up by going in the wrong spot’ or upside down. Unfortunately, the illustrations in the book I’m using are of a singleaction revolver. Do you have a picture, schematic, or exploded drawing that might orient me on how to replace this spring? Thanks. Ray Leisner Prattville, Alabama In the October, 1995 issue, we provided a set of instructions for reassembly of the spring in question.

The article cautions readers that reinstalling the spring is the only hard part in getting these Nagants together, and warns that you’ll probably try several times before getting it right. Those instructions state: "Put the long end of the hammer spring into its slot in the rear of the trigger just enough to slide it into place later. It must remain out far enough for the top of the spring to be forced into its slot in the bottom of the hammer under the hammer pivot pin.

This strong spring makes this hard to do, because you must keep the other end in the back of the trigger. While holding both its ends in place, you must push the spring up into both the hammer and trigger far enough for the lug pin at the bottom of the spring’s "V" to be locked into place. After that, reassembly is simple. Scope-Base Mounting Tip Through necessity, I recently found a tip I thought might prove useful to others. I was restoring a cheap .22caliber bolt-action rifle.

I wanted to take the cheap, and poorly mounted iron sights off and install a scope on the gun. While it was not a highquality gun, the action was decent and the barrel was in good shape. The customer said the gun had some sentimental value, so I agreed to the restoration so he could pass it on to his progeny. The rear sight was a little piece of sheet metal with a couple of screws and a ramp shoved under it. It was installed way out on the barrel and was not easy to see.

As the front sight was also screwed on, I removed both and filled the holes prior to rebluing. When it came time to install the scope base on the receiver, I didn’t have a good starting point. I could determine the center of the top of the receiver, but I wanted to make sure the scope base was parallel to the bore. I came upon an idea that worked well for me. With the rifle mounted in my rifle vise, I mounted a laser level, the type you use to hang a picture on the wall, into a homemade bracket above the bench.

With the laser level aligned with the receiver center and the bore at the muzzle end, I had a nice red line to use for making the base-mounting holes on the receiver, without scratching marks and trying to use a square or some such thing to ensure alignment with the bore. The $20 laser level turned out to be a very helpful gunsmithing tool. I know this is not a huge, innovative discovery, but sometimes simple ideas fail to occur at the right moment.

I just thought I would pass this on in case someone else might have a similar experience. Great idea, Zeke. Thanks. Stock Adjustments I’m going to cut a walnut stock into two pieces about in the middle and at a right angle to its length. The cut will be to increase drop at the heel and cast off. I will use a compound miter saw. There is no other way to do it. My questions are concerned with reattaching the two pieces. Do I use wooden dowels or metal ones? What type of glue is the best?

And do the dowel holes have to be the same size as the dowels or if the glue is stronger than the wood could I make the holes big-

ger than the dowels so that the angles of the holes could be less precise. It’s almost impossible to match the angle of the holes in two pieces of the stock so that they match perfectly. Also, I need to know what is more critical to the strength of the bond, the dowels or the matching of the flat surfaces of the two pieces? Epoxy has excellent gap-filling properties and, used properly, creates a bond that is stronger than the wood itself.

Therefore, we believe that loosely fitting hardwood dowels would be sufficient. But before firing up your saw, we suggest you read the book Professional Stockmaking by David Westbrook. In it, the author describes and illustrates methods of adjusting for drop at heel, cast off, toe in, and pitch without sectioning the wood. Shotgun Woes At the present time I have two firearms with similar problems: One is a S&W Model 916A 12 gauge.

When the action is pumped in a rapid manner (as when hunting) the new shell is released from the magazine, but the carrier does not lift the shell up into position for the bolt, and the bolt slides over the shell, leaving it positioned on the carrier. When cycled in a slow and deliberate manner, everything works properly. The other shotgun with a similar problem is a Remington 870 Express.

What it does is to force the shell back into the magazine far enough for the bolt to override it when the pump is cycled forward forcefully, thereby creating a jam. The gun must then be taken apart to clear the jam. Again, when cycled in a slow and deliberate manner, all works as it should. And finally, a friend purchased an old single-shot 12 gauge called a Long- Tom with a 34-inch barrel. The gun shoots well and appears to be in excellent shape, but it patterns 12 inches below point of aim at 25 yards.

The barrel and action are tight and match up properly. I can’t detect anything that would create this problem. Is there anything I can do to correct the point of impact so it will be more near line of sight? Thank you for your time. Are both the pump guns owned by the same individual? It’s only a suspicion, but besides the possible need to replace some tired carrier-assembly parts in the 916, it’s also possible that excess haste to get a second shot away is resulting in short stroking.

That is, failing to bring the action fully to the rear before commencing the forward, or loading, sequence. The 870 is a greater puzzle. We’ve never heard of one that allowed a shell to reenter the magazine after it had been introduced into the receiver. But we suppose anything is possible if one tries hard enough. Check out the carrier assembly for worn or weakened parts. Add to that the shell stops, and, again, consider the possibility of short stroking.

You didn’t mention whether Long- Tom had iron sights or even a bead. If it’s wearing iron, file down the frontsight. If it’s wearing a big bead, replace it with a really small one. You could also remove the existing sights and install along-eye-relief scope or a "holographic" sight using adjustable mounts’or at least a rear mount you could shim upwards to get Tom on target. Star BM Barrel Link I have a Star BM 9mm with a broken barrel link. Parts appear to be unavailable.

The part seems simple enough to make, but I have two questions: Does the link pin drive out like any other pin with a punch, or do I have to drill it out? And is there anything special about the metal or tempering 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 of this part that I need to know about? Please note, I am not a gunsmith, but I am looking in that direction.

Thank you. You should not have to drill out the link pin, but we don’t have the manufacturing specifications for the pistol so we cannot tell you the exact tempering factors. For anew link, or pin or both, try M&M Gunsmithing Alexandria, VA). Modernizing the Win 190 I have a Winchester Model 190 .22 LR semi-auto rifle. I thought that I would kind of bring it into the 21st century. Cost is not a factor. If you have any recommendations, please advise. We think we understand.

You want to make your 20th-century plinker at least look like it was made in the 21st century and cost is not a factor. (Those last four words are seldom to never heard by gunsmiths.) Either refinish the stock and forend or contact Mc Millan Stocks in Phoenix and see if they’ll fabricate a fiberglass marvel for the rifle.

Before that, though, consider installing anew barrel. (If you decide on a heavier one, the forend won’t fit because it was built to mate with the original.) Speaking of barrels, you won’t find a fresh one awaiting you at Winchester so any new barrel you choose will have to be custom made. Any replacement parts you may need are likely available from Jack First, Inc. They carry components not only for the 190 but the 150, 250, 255, 270, 275, and 290 as well.

When ordering, you must use the serial number of your rifle as some

(continued from previous page) parts are unique to specific models. Since this is the 21st Century, you’ll probably want a scope or electronic sights to replace the iron originals. If the receiver is grooved for rings, there’s little to do but select a sight system that will clamp on. If the receiver isn’t grooved, it will have to be drilled and tapped for a base. This assumes there’s enough material in the receiver to make the operation feasible.

Shaky Tauruses I have a bunch of problematic Taurus .357 Magnum revolvers in stainless steel brought in by a security company. All the cylinders seize when the revolvers get hot, but they work fine for the first few shots. The cylinder/ forcing-cone clearance appears nonexistent. Can you please let me know what is the optimum clearance to stone the cone to on these revolvers. Many thanks The Taurus is a first cousin to an S&W.

Normal gauge for the latter between the cylinder face and forcing cone is .004 to .006 inches. In your case, we suspect the revolvers have a cylinder endshake condition, causing them to jam up against the forcing cone’at least we hope that’s the problem and not a bent crane or ejector rod. You can detect those by opening the action and spinning the cylinder rapidly with two or three fingers. If it wobbles up and down, the crane and/or rod are prime suspects.

Rather than attempt to stone the forcing cone (getting it perfectly true is close to impossible free hand), purchase a revolver chamfering tool kit from Brownells. It includes a 90-degree facing cutter for the breech of the forcing cone as well as a cutting guide for the barrel (which you don’t have to remove to use the kit). Just follow the instructions and take the cone down in small increments. Check your progress frequently with a .005-inch feeler gauge.

After the gauge can be inserted between cylinder face and cone, stop cutting. Burnish the cone with the tooling supplied in the kit. Finally, remove the cylinder and install a Brownells endshake bearing to maintain clearance after the revolver is reassembled. Jammin’ Mohawk 10 I have a customer’s Nylon 77 (Mohawk 10) that jams consistently. It jams in three different fashions.

The cartridge-guide shelf (nylon) below the rear face of the barrel is sharp, providing a perfect place for the bullet of the cartridge on its way to the chamber to hang up. I smoothed that guide area out and seemed to have taken care of that problem. Now, it continues to jam in two ways, whether cycling by hand or firing. Much of the time, the front end of the feeding cartridge does not seem to get enough lift, and the bullet nose jams into the lower portion of the chamber mouth.

Sometimes the "cartridge pickup lug" on the bottom of the bolt barely catches the rim of the case of the top cartridge. It actually forces the base of the cartridge back down in the magazine (thus presenting the cartridge to the oncoming bolt at a steeper angle), overriding the cartridge rim and jamming about midway up the case.

I was able to remove the magazine spring from the supplied plastic magazine and increase its tension (all this without damaging the magazine body or spring), but it didn’t help the jamming problem. I’m running out of undamaged .22 LR action-proving dummy cartridges. Can you help? As you know, except for being clip-fed rather than fed through a tube, the Model 77 was a ringer internally for the Model 66. Remington’s Field Service Manual for the ’66 is where we looked up possible causes and cures for your problem.

If it’s damaged or binding, replace or free up the cartridge stop. The cartridge-stop spring may be damaged or dislocated. Make sure it’s in good shape and supports the stop and cartridge-feed insert by being positioned beneath it. You may also have a damaged or binding extractor. Free it up or replace it. Finally, the magazine follower could be fouled and the bolt override could be happening because the magazine isn’t fully inserted or the magazine-catch assembly needs replacement.

Old Mossberg Parts I have a New Haven Model 295 12gauge (2-3/4 inch) made by O. F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc. of New Haven, Connecticut. I am missing the box magazine, probably two round. Can you give me any leads as to where to look? For obsolete Mossberg parts, contact Vic Havlin