Reader Forum

Remington Etron X Conversion The Remington "Etron X" novelty seems to have come and gone’fast. As such, there are many in the hands of shooters which are not being used and sitting in gun racks. I have a customer who is inquiring about converting his .243 to a standard Model 700 configuration. As best I can tell, all that’s required are new bolt and trigger assemblies. If I’m correct, is the conversion feasible, or are there some hidden dilemmas that I’m not seeing?

John Funk Fall River Mills, California As you and your customer know, the Etron X is an electronic-ignition rifle. The ammunition is still available, although the rifle itself is no longer manufactured. An article on the gun appeared in our March 00 issue. Your first dilemma would be to purchase a bolt. None are available from Remington for the Etron X or the Model 700.

The existing Etron X bolt could possibly be remachined to contain a firing pin, but since you can’t get a bolt or the blueprints for either rifle, the problem would be difficult to solve. Of course, the "brain" of the Etron X is in its stock and is connected to the trigger. There’s no guarantee you could cut those trigger connections and install a Model 700 trigger on the Etron X receiver. An entire trigger assembly for the Model 700 rifle is available from Remington as a unit, but the inner components are not.

The good news, if you can call it that, is that a complete Model 700 barreled action would come very close to fitting into an Etron X stock. If your customer doesn’t want to buy anymore electronic-ignition ammo, we think he’s going to have to go the route of the barreled action. Marlin Model 27/27S Info I’m looking for any information on the Marlin Model 27 or 27S pumpaction rifle. Specifically, I need info on takedown and reassembly, as well as any diagrams that are available.

I’m not worried about ammo; I know it’s obsolete, as they were only manufactured between 1913 to 1916 You’ve latched onto an old-timer. Both rifles were introduced in 1910. The Model 27 went out of production in 1916; the Model 27S in 1932. The 27 was chambered for .25-20, .32-20, and .25 rimfire. The first two might still be available due to the current popularity of cowboy-action shooting. There are no published parts drawings or schematics on either rifle.

However, there is a patent (#776243, November 29, 1904) covering both. A copy of it can be secured at minimal cost from the reprint section of the U. S. Patent Office in Washington, DC. You could also call Marlin ask for the historian, and see if a copy of an owner’s manual is available. Misfeeding Winchester 9422 I’m trying to resolve a feeding issue with an almost new Winchester 9422 .22 Magnum rifle. It appears that the cartridge lifter does not lift the round high enough to enter the chamber in a straight line.

It fails about 25 percent of the time. When it fails, the round attempts to chamber but because it is not in line vertically, the operating lever stops. Sometimes, some jiggling will get the round lined up, and sometimes not. This rifle looks to have been fired very little; all the parts look to be correct; and nothing is worn or bent. Have there been any factory recalls or technical bulletins on this problem? I sure hope I’m not alone on this; it’s been quite frustrating so far. Thanks.

The 9422 line was dropped from production in 2002 by the entity now known as Browning/Winchester. We’ve made a dozen phone calls in an attempt to ascertain the real reason for the discontinuance, and never got the same answer twice. We assume the gun wasn’t making enough money to keep it going. In checking with Winchester service centers, we found there have been no recalls regarding this type of malfunction, and no technical bulletins or service manuals on the 9422 are presently available.

In view of the 2002 expiration date, though, "almost new" could be interpreted as being at least five years old. In that time, it’s almost certain the rifle was disassembled by its owner (to "make it work better") and the possibility exists that its carrier assembly was improperly reinstalled. For your information, then, the carrier spring is placed over the small end of the carrier with the free (open) end of the spring upward.

The carrier and spring are then inserted into the yoke at the back end of the cartridge cutoff. This subassembly is placed in the frame with the tab of the cutoff in its notch on the frame’s front. Next, the carrier pin is inserted from the left and the closed end of the carrier spring is pushed back and hooked under the rear of the carrier. Now the straight end of the spring is pushed back through the clearance at the ends of the hammer-stop pin and hooked under the pin.

Since wear is not always apparent visually and weakness is generally invisible, we suggest you replace the carrier spring, deburr the carrier, make sure the carrier pawl moves freely, and replace the carrier-pawl spring and perhaps even the finger-lever arm. Different Shotguns/ Same Problem I have the same problem with both my Savage Model 30 and my Remington 870 Wingmaster. Both are pump guns in 12 gauge. Every other time I rack them, a shell will fall to the ground.

I replaced the shell stops, but that didn’t change anything. Can you tell me what I need to replace to make them work? Thank you. The problem with both shotguns is based in the carrier (lifter) assembly.

For one reason or another, the carrier is not returning low enough after chambering to catch the round being fed back from the magazine. The solution might be to bend the carrier so it falls below the magazine tube in the receiver or perhaps a weakened carrier spring needs to be replaced. Prior to any bending, however, we should pass along the response we received from a Savage technician who’s very familiar with the Model 30.

Although the Savage and the Remington are not exactly the same mechanically, they’re similar enough that the technician’s advice will apply to both. Here’s what he told us: "When the bolt is closed, the cartridge stop releases a cartridge from the magazine to lay on the entrance of the (carrier) lifter. It is stopped at that point by a bump on the bottom of the slide. As the bolt opens, the cartridge can follow the slide to the rear.

If the lifter is sticking slightly up so the cartridge can’t feed over the lifter, when the action begins to close, the lifter will move up allowing the cartridge to come out under the lifter. There would have to be some reason for the lifter not to fully return down. "There are several variations of trigger groups on the M30, but the lifter design remained the same from the original crossbolt-safety version through several top-tang safety versions.

With the assembly removed from the receiver, the lifter should come down in contact with the step surfaces on each side of the guard. If it is pushed up, the lifter spring should hold it in this position. The spring has a curve that rubs on the pawl and acts as a detent in the up and down positions. It should hold the lifter down as well as up. The lifter should not be loose at either extreme, as the spring is in contact with the pawl.

It also acts to force the pawl up against the slide as the pawl is cammed down when the slide moves back and forces it up to engage the front of the slide to turn the lifter up as the bolt is closed. With the spring removed, the lifter should freely swing through its travel arc. Early guards had screws for the lifter to pivot on, with screw heads that were staked in place. Later guards had the boss for the guard to pivot on cast in place.

Be sure the screws haven’t backed out if it’s an early guard. "Before bending the lifter, ensure that the lifter spring is working correctly. These will show evidence of polishing on the pawl end so there is no sharp edge to catch on the pawl. Older springs were round and later springs were made of square wire for more strength. If the lifter travels its full arc with the spring removed, then check the alignment in the receiver with a dummy shell feeding from the magazine.

The shell should pass above the end of the lifter with the bolt in the closed position. "The down position was not adjusted at assembly, but the up position was fitted at assembly by grinding a bevel on the corner where the lifter folds around the pawl. This was checked with a gauge by each assembler on every lifter fitted so the up position would feed the cartridge into the chamber. The guard and lifter were set on the gauge located by pins in the holes for the screw and pin that held the guard to the receiver.

At a later date, this clearance was also added to the lifter blank so no grinding was required. "It is common for the lifter to get bent low and the cartridge to feed beyond the stop on the slide, locking the action up by wedging between the slide and lifter. Remington 700 Integrated Security System I have a bolt-action Remington Model 700, over two years old, equipped with the so-called Integrated Security System (ISS).

Upon cleaning the bolt assembly, the machined stud composing the basic system came out appearing to be defective, and no retainer was observed. There is no mention (in detail) of this assembly in the owner’s manual. I would appreciate if you could give me some references in order to find an assembly drawing and part numbers for this item. It also appears that the rifle can be fired safely without the ISS. I also need references on this matter. The firing pin was integrated with the bolt plug in the ISS.

The system itself has been discontinued by Remington and is no longer serviced by the factory because it didn’t meet California gun laws’at least not in the opinion of the legislators who voted their thoughts on firearms design into those laws. But you are right. The 700 will fire safely without the ISS. In fact, any other Model 700 firing pin will fit your bolt and should function properly.

Beretta Sight Replacement I just recently became a member of the AGA and am about to tackle my first project’a simple one, I hope. I have a Beretta Elite 2 and want to replace the front sight with a fiber-optic sight. The instructions that came with the sight said to push out the pin in the front sight, but I can’t find a pin in the front sight. Just to the left of the center of the front sight is a small indention. Is it possible that this is a very small pin?

Please help with any instructions that I might be able to use. Thank you. Since Beretta provides no fiber-optic sight for the 92-Series, we assume yours is an aftermarket product. The supplier of the sight is misinformed; the front sight of the Brigadier employs no pin. It fits into a dovetail cut milled into the slide and is pressed into that dovetail. The front sight on your pistol can be drifted out right to left and the replacement drifted in left to right.

That’s assuming that the base on the new sight matches the base dimensions of the tapered dovetail on the bottom of the factory sight. If your new sight fails to measure up, you’ll have to carefully file and stone it until it does. A drop of gun oil in the slide dovetail will also help

(continued from previous page) somewhat to ease the installation of anew sight. Remington Bolt Problems I have had a couple Remington 742s in for service and had trouble removing the pin that holds the bolt handle in place. I’ve bent punches and the pin has not moved. How should that pin be removed? I also have another Remington 742 where the bolt is about a half inch from being closed and is locked up tight as a tick. It won’t move forward or rearward at all under normal hand pressure.

What could be the cause of such a problem with this rifle? The operating-handle pin is driven out from the rear of the handle. Four ridges on its bottom end make the pin a tight fit. Start the pin with a solid straight punch and then switch to a bent drift punch to drive the pin totally from the gun. The second problem could be caused by around stuck in the chamber, but since you made no mention of seeing one we’ll assume that’s not the case. The absence of alive or spent round presents several possibilities.

Most you can correct, but at least two will require outside service. The first possibility is an ejection-port cover that’s out of alignment. If that’s the problem, replace it. The magazine could also be binding the action. Make sure the operating-handle pin is flush with the bottom of the bolt carrier, the action bar is assembled close to the receiver walls, and the disconnector is assembled correctly on the firing mechanism and to the end of the action bar.

Replace the magazine latch if necessary, or install a lower-number-size magazine. Another possibility is the action spring is jamming in the action bar sleeve, in which case you’ll replace the spring. Another problem that you can correct is an ejector or its spring that’s binding the breech bolt. In this case, you’ll want to clean the ejector hole and/or replace the spring. In a worst-case scenario, the bolt carrier or bolt could be jamming in the receiver guide rails.

At one time, the factory offered corrective service for this, but it’s our understanding that Remington no longer does this. A longtime authorized service center’Nu Line Guns however, provide this service. Jammin’ Ruger .22 I have a Ruger Mark II pistol (serial #215-05301, .22-cal LR) that works flawlessly when cycled through by hand, but when live rounds are shot through it, it jams.

Either the bullet gets damaged or the casing gets 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 dan email to Chick Blood, Technical Editor, at and no longer will fit. Any ideas on correcting this problem? Thanks. We suspect your problem, if it’s not fouling, is ammunition related. When you cycle by hand, the gun functions slower than it does with live ammo.

From what you say, it appears the gun is short cycling’which most target pistols designed for standard-velocity ammo do when fed highor hypervelocity rounds. This causes the slide/ bolt assembly to react faster, throws off the timing, and around will commonly get a bash in the nose from the breechface or get trapped between the next round up from the magazine and the ejection port.

First, thoroughly clean the pistol including the extractor cut in the breech, then experiment with different brands of standard-velocity roundnose ammo. The pistol will let you know which brand it likes best. Generic Cleaning Info Can you please provide me with any information regarding the field stripping and cleaning of a Sterling Model 400 Mk II in .380 caliber? Thanks.

The slides on pistols like these can usually be removed by drawing them to the rear, lifting the back end, and easing them forward off the frame. If you can’t get that far with yours, takeoff the grips and immerse the pistol in kerosene or mineral spirits. Let it soak and then flush out the loosened fouling with a squeeze bulb. Repeated flushings and blowing out with compressed air will result in a well-cleaned pistol. Finally, lightly lubricate the gun and reinstall the grip panels.