Reader Forum

Replace Model 742 Extractor I have a book on the Remington Model 742, but it doesn’t go into detail on my problem. What I need is this: I have a broken extractor, and don’t know how to get the old one out. Can you help me with removing the breechbolt? Close the action and remove the magazine. Disassemble the barrel, forend, and operating handle from the action. Pull the action-bar sleeve forward to slide the bolt carrier, bolt, and ejection port cover from the receiver.

We’re assuming you’re faced with an extractor that is riveted in to the bolt. You’ll need a replacement extractor and rivet. Drive or drill out the rivet from outside to inside. Pry up the extractor from its inner rim on the face of the bolt to remove both the extractor and the rivet. Now squeeze the new extractor ends together slightly to tension it. Snap the extractor under the bolt rim, and align its rivet hole with the one in the bolt.

Insert the rivet with its flathead against the extractor, support the rivet head, and stake it from outside the bolt. Finally, smooth up the staking to blend in with the bolt body. Unsafe Luger Safety A friend has given me a .22-caliber Stoeger Luger semi-automatic pistol with a "non-working" left-side safety lever in the hope that I can figure out the problem. When the gun is cocked, it will fire whether the safety lever ison "F" for fire or "S" for safe.

I’m reluctant to disassemble the gun without some guidance, and I’m not familiar with this type of weapon. Do you have any suggestions for a cause and/or possible repair? The owner’s manual has a parts list and an exploded view (schematic), but no instructions for "deep" disassembly and reassembly are given.

There are instructions for field stripping the gun, and it mentions that when reassembled to make sure it will not fire when the lever is indicating "safe." Is it possible that it may have not been assembled correctly from afield strip? Or do you think it may have a broken part or something missing? I would appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks. Tom Rush Henryetta, Oklahoma We think the problem is related to wear and parts must therefore be replaced.

The copy of the original owner’s manual we have goes no farther than yours, but takedown for the pistol has been simplified compared to the German Luger. Instructions for the latter appear in Gun Digest’ s book of disassembly/assembly for automatic pistols. Purchasing the book would be a good start, and Jack First, Inc. lists parts for the Stoeger. Since Stoeger Industries has been acquired by Benelli USA, we’ve lost contact with the gunsmith we used to turn to when we ran into a stone wall.

But if all else fails you can call Benelli USA Sig Pro Trigger Replacement I am about to take on the task of replacing the original trigger on a Sig Pro SP2340 with a short trigger (a Sigarms factory part). Does one of the available back issues of American Gunsmith or one of the AGI video courses contain the disassembly/reassembly guidance I’ll need for the job? Thanks either way. Ray Leisner Prattville, Alabama Both the January 2000 and August 2001 issues contained pieces on Sig pistols.

The January article was on servicing the P-Series. The Sig Pro is one of them, although its decockinglever spring is part of its fire-control unit and not separate as it is in the P220 and P229. Nor does the Pro have a trigger spring, that part being replaced by the trigger-bar pusher. In addition, the Pro’s grip panels are not screwed onto the grip frame. They’re snapped in and must be removed by applying pressure from the inside of the magazine well.

We don’t believe reprints are still available for the issues named above, but you can call AGI to see if their videotape addresses the differences between the Pro and other Sigs. Remington French Lebel Parts I’m looking for a bolt extractor for a Remington French Lebel Berthier rifle. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. Merle Smith Tamewolf@webtv. net The Remington-Lebel bolt-action (Model 1899) was produced from 1899 to 1907 in military rifle, military carbine, and sporting rifle configurations.

Present value in very good condition is listed as $750. No parts are shown in the Jack First or Gun Parts Co. catalogs. We suggest you call Remington for the current address of the Remington Society. It’s a large group of collectors, one of whom may be able to help in your search for parts. Unlocking the Winchester M12 I have a Winchester Model 12 trap gun in the shop that has an unlocking problem. When fired, it requires forward pressure on the forend to unlock the slide for ejection.

According to the serial number, it’s amid-1930s gun. Otherwise, it’s in very good condition, with very little wear on the moving parts. The barrel-to-frame fit is tight and all controls are smooth. I know that the Model 12 does not unlock when dry fired, but this one will not unlock when fired unless you push forward on the forend after firing. Can you help me out? Ed Wallace Oak Harbor, Washington With a somewhat significant exception the Model 12 operates much the same as other pump guns.

In other words, moving the slide handle back and forth unlocks the breech bolt, extracts/ejects a fired shell, cocks the hammer, transfers alive round from the magazine to the chamber, and re-

locks the breech bolt behind the new shell. The exception with the Model 12 is that the action slide must be disengaged from the action bar by moving the slide handle slightly forward. If the shotgun has been fired and the hammer is fully forward, the same motion must be made before the slide is moved to the rear. This is because the descending hammer of the fired gun has already partially disengaged the lock.

If the hammer is cocked, however, it becomes necessary to press upward on the slide release prior to moving the action bar to the rear. The bottom line here is that having to push forward on the slide handle is not an indication that something has gone wrong with your Model 12; it’s the way the gun was designed. XP 100 Stock Repair I have a Remington Model XP 100 in 7mm-08 with a loose rear action nut. The laminated stock is epoxy bedded.

As I tighten the rear action screw, the milled-out slot for the T-nut is split on the side. Should I epoxy the nut in place, and have the epoxy come up the sides to meet with the existing bedding material? Or do you have a better repair procedure? Thank you. alter We covered the XP 100 in the June 03 issue and think you’re referring to the rear receiver screw and T-nut. Yes, match the color of the epoxy to the stock as best you can and re-secure the nut.

Taurus C85 Problems My friend brought me a Taurus C85 .38 Special. I have two problems with it. The first is that the hole in the frame through which the firing pin protrudes is elongated. There was also a tremendous burr around it. I used a Dremel tool to smooth that out, but the elongation worries me. Does that indicate the gun has other problems? The second is more serious. With the sideplate off, everything works wonderfully. As soon as I put the sideplate on, the trigger stops at the rear.

The cylinder advances, the hammer falls, and everything appears to work fine, except the trigger doesn’t return. Nominal pressure on the trigger pops it forward and then it’s ready for the next firing cycle. The screwy thing is, with the sideplate on but not tightened, everything works. As soon as any pressure it placed on the front of the sideplate, the trigger stops. If anyone has any experience with this, I’d appreciate some feedback.

The Taurus Model 85 has no firingpin or hammer bushing at the rear of the frame like a S&W, and no firingpin stop like a Colt. So the elongation is worrisome. Perhaps it is related in some way to the large burr you mentioned. But your friend has managed to damage the firing pin channel at the rear of the frame. If the revolver had bushings, a repair might be possible by replacing the bushing. As it stands, you’ll have to drill out and sleeve the channel. Of greater concern is the problem with the sideplate.

Is it bent? Check it for wobble on a dead-flat surface. If it isn’t bent, the problem may not be serious and might simply indicate a weak or broken trigger-return spring. If the plate is bent, you might be able to purchase a replacement, but we have our doubts. The condition of this revolver brings to mind an experience we recall with a lightweight Colt Police Backup .38 Special. The Lieutenant who owned it had been told it would be okay to fire +P rounds in the gun.

By the time we got it, it was frozen up solid fore and aft, the cylinder-stop slot in the bottom of the frame was shaped like a Banjo, and there wasn’t a stud inside the gun that wasn’t bent. 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 other times, you can send an email to Chick Blood, Technical Editor, at The Lieutenant had to purchase another gun. We hope your friend doesn’t have to resort to the same solution.

Replacing Ted’s Throat I have a Ted Williams (1200 Win.) 20 gauge in my shop with a broken magazine throat. I’ve looked at exploded drawings and found that the magazine looks to be pressed in. What puzzles me is that it looks like it is threaded on the end. The magazine throat looks like it is a single piece of plastic. Is the mag tube pressed through the receiver and into the plastic? How does it come out? Any advice would be very much appreciated. And thanks for a great publication.

Yes, the 1200s mag tube is press fit. It may or may not have a one-piece throat; some have a two-piece’one upper, one lower. In either case, purchase an extra magazine end cap and fabricate a slide hammer to fit over the mag tube. (Sometimes, a box or open end wrench can substitute for the hammer if it is heavy enough.) Screw on the extra end cap, remove the firing mechanism, place a wooden block in the rear of the receiver to prevent crushing, and secure the receiver between padded vise jaws.

With a rubber or rawhide mallet, drive the mag tube into the receiver until you can reach in and remove the throat(s). Next, remove the extra cap, install the slide hammer, and then replace the extra cap. Position the new throat(s) on the tube. Using the slide hammer (or heavy wrench), impact it in a forward motion against the extra cap to capture the throat(s) between the tube and receiver. Double check for throat position and continue the

(continued from previous page) forward impacts on the cap until the tube and throat(s) are flush with the interior of the receiver. Finally, remove the extra cap and replace it with the original. Note: Be careful to avoid damaging the end-cap threads of the mag tube during the series of impacts. Marlin Takedown Have you done an article on the Marlin Model 25-20? I have one in my shop and can’t find anything on the takedown and assembly procedures.

I’ve taken it down pretty much internally, but can’t quite figure out how to remove the magazine tube inner and outer piece. The reason I’m taking this rifle apart is because the customer wants it blued. Any help would be appreciated. After researching Marlin Firearm History (by Brophy), we know you don’t have a Marlin-Ballard rifle. According to the book, they weren’t made in .25-20 caliber. The same holds true for the Models 1881, 1885, 1888, 1892, and 1893.

The first Marlin lever-action chambered for the .25-20 ( except for one in 1889) was the Model 1894 in November of that same year. We’ve done several articles on Marlin leveraction rifles, but you’ll need to determine the model number, not just the caliber, to see if any of these articles apply to your rifle. If the model number isn’t indicated on the rifle itself, the aforementioned book would be helpful in identifying it. Rebluing Winchester Receiver I have a Y-serial-numbered Winchester Model 12.

I’ve been trying to touchup some spots on the receiver with cold blue, but I’m not having much luck. I have completely refurbished numerous Model 12s and never had a problem getting Brownells cold blue products to work. This includes completely refinishing all the metal on a half dozen or so. I have tried Oxphoblue cream and liquid, Dicropan T-4, Birchwood Casey Perma blue and Super blue. I have heated the parts up and still the metal does not take the blue.

Is there some strange metallurgical quirk that I do not know about in the metal on these receivers? I vaguely recall that they might have been investment cast. I have used these bluing products on Ruger firearms with good effect, so I don’t see how that makes a difference. Could you explain what my problem is and/or recommend a product that will work? In one of their takeovers, Winchester was acquired and managed by an offshore conglomerate.

Not long thereafter, problems surfaced with the rebluing of Model 1894 receivers. They started coming out of the tank purple. Your Model 12 predates that specific problem by roughly 30 years, but we believe the problems are related. Although all our old contacts in New Haven have retired and Winchester is now Browning-Winchester, we’re still in contact with a couple of people at a former Winchester Authorized Service Center that is still in business and we spoke with them.

The Y-series Model 12 shotguns did indeed have cast receivers. Silicone sand was used in the casting process, and therein lies the problem. The sand leaves a deposit that’s resistant to cold blue. Unless 44-40 touch up (Brownells) will attach itself to your shotgun’it’s worth a try’your only remaining choice would be hot bluing. One last hope: If the spots are really small, you might be able to touch them up with a fine-tip permanent black marker.

DW Revolver/Rust Removal I enjoyed the article in the March 07 issue on the Dan Wesson Model 15. I’ve been shooting one for over 30 years and it still groups well. I replaced the original grips with a onepiece grip from Pachmayr and recently installed a Wolff spring set which lightens the double-action trigger pull. I own other handguns, but this one is still my favorite. I would like to add a technique to Mitch Hobler’s suggestions for rust removal in the Reader Forum section in the same (March 07) issue.

When confronted with an older gun with a rusty barrel that still has some bluing under the pits and bumps, I apply a good oil such as Kroil or Clenzoil and rub the barrel with 0000 bronze wool (from Brownells). This soft abrasive does not leave scratch marks and will remove the rust without removing the remaining blue. Once the rust is gone, I degrease the barrel and if necessary, use a cold bluing to bring back a good color.

I have had very good success using this technique with older, lessexpensive guns, where the customer doesn’t wish to spend the money for polishing and hot bluing. Bob Schmuck Republic, Michigan Thanks, Bob, for the feedback.