Reader Forum

Don’t Short-Stroke It My customer is complaining his Winchester Model 1894 jams when he short strokes it. I’ve taken it down several times and can find nothing wrong. Any ideas? Paul Le Barge Sandusky, Ohio We’ve seen this "malfunction" when attempts were made to discharge an 1894 in rapid fire.

The gun was never originally designed to be short cycled and requires a complete cycling of the lever to lower the locking bolt, which allows bolt movement to the rear of the receiver to cock and prep the rifle for firing. (See U. S. Patent # 524702 for a full explanation of the action sequence.) Continued short stroking of the rifle can damage the lever, the linkage between the lever and locking bolt, the locking bolt, the bolt, and even the bolt ways in the receiver.

You should advise your customer of the potential dangers of short cycling. We hope no permanent damage has been done to this noble descendant of the legendary Model 1873. Light Hits on Primer? I have a customer who says his reloads aren’t touching off in his S&W .500, although they work fine in his S&S .500 rifle. No problem with factory ammo in the revolver. What can I tell him?

Bob Smith Waco, Texas Maybe your customer is seating his primers a tad too deeply or has backed off the mainspring tension to the point that it’s not hitting the primer hard enough to touch it off. There are differences in primers, too, you know. Weight is one. Hardness is another. A rifle chambered for S&W .500, you say? We’ve only heard of one that hasn’t blown up in attempts to make it swallow the round. It’s made by Wild West Guns in Alaska.

They’re a specialty operation producing a premium product and selling it at a premium price. Let’s put it this way. If your customer can afford a custom-built rifle, he should be able to afford to use factory ammo in both it and his revolver. Rough H&K P7 I’m having trouble with an H&K P7M13. I noticed that the trigger pull was quite rough. After removing the grip panels, I noticed the cause of the problem.

With the gun cocked, pulling the trigger causes the "transmission lever" to ride up onto the side of the disconnector instead of below it. The gun still functions fine, but the trigger pull is badly affected. There are very apparent wear marks on the side of the disconnector and on the top edge of the transmission lever. The worn areas appear rounded, thus allowing the transmission lever to ride up onto the disconnector. I purchased this firearm new in 1989 and have only fired approximately 500 rounds through it.

I read the P7 article in the August 93 issue, but this problem was not covered. Have you ever seen this problem in a P7 pistol? Can it be corrected or should I just replace the above mentioned parts as the article seems to suggest when working the P7? What’s a good parts source for the P7? Any help would be greatly appreciated. We’ve not encountered this problem, and find it a bit surprising, because the H&K tends to avoid any poorquality materials in producing their firearms.

The P7, however, being somewhat more mechanically complex than most pistols, must be kept clean and properly lubricated internally. Any metal part carrying a gritty deposit that comes into regular contact with another metal part during the normal function of the gun will result in wear on one or both components. Once worn sufficiently, they will not interact properly, if at all. The article advised replacement rather than attempted repair of P7 components.

We still do, and the best source for factory parts we know of is H&K, now in Trussville, Alabama Remington M788 Extractor I’m having trouble installing a riveted extractor in a Model 788 Remington 7mm-08. Brownells told me it took the same one as the Model 700. I’ve tried about four of them without any luck. I saw a gunsmith link on the internet and they said the 788"s extractor was different from the Model 700"s. Do you know if they’re different? Thanks.

The original, riveted Model 700 extractor was discontinued in 1980 and replaced with a rivetless variation. Until that time, both M700 and M788 extractors had the same part number and were interchangeable. The only riveted M700 extractor still extant is used in the bolt of a large Magnum caliber, which your rifle is not. You can get an extractor and some extra rivets, just in case, from Gun Parts Corp. or Jack First. To install the extractor, drive the rivet inward from the bolt.

Dislodge and remove the old extractor from inside the bolt rim. Squeeze the ends of the new extractor together to tension the part. (We’ll tell you how to achieve the proper tension in the next paragraph.) Flatten the end of the new extractor (the end opposite the rivet hole), place the extractor inside the bolt rim, and align the extractor/ bolt-rivet holes.

Insert anew rivet with its head inside the bolt rim and support the head with round steel stock as you peen the protruding end of the rivet to secure the extractor to the bolt. Smooth the peened end to blend with the outside of the bolt. Now, for proper tension, install the bolt in the receiver and invert the rifle. Chamber a fired case. Close the bolt and then open it. The extractor should hold the case as long as the ejector hasn’t been installed.

If the case snaps free with difficulty after minor finger pressure is applied, the extractor is too tight, and must be tapped back

under the bolt rim with a soft metal punch. If the case falls free, the extractor is too loose, and must be pulled from under the rim slightly to increase tension. Should this fail to correct the problem, it may be necessary to remove the extractor, squeeze it again, and reinstall it. Once the tension is satisfactory, smooth up the arc of the extractor claw to blend perfectly with the bolt rim. Visible Loader Takedown Have you ever done an article on the Stevens Visible Loader?

If you have, I would like to get the disassembly and reassembly info from you. I have one in my shop for a clean and oil, and it looks like one I’ll need instructions for. Thanks. Roy Dunlap, among innumerable others, has referred to this rifle as the "Miserable Loader." It appears to have been an attempt to transform the venerable Stevens Favorite into a pump gun.

We’ve never done an article on it, but there is a parts drawing (no schematic) in volume 2 of the Jack First catalog They may have some parts for the gun; if not, try Popperts. If you can get the wood off, you can give the rifle a better-than-good internal clean-up. You’ll need a gallon of mineral spirits and a rubber squeeze bulb. Use the bulb to thoroughly douse the interior of the rifle. Let it soak infor about 30 minutes, and then flush away the loosened fouling with more mineral spirits.

You may have to do this three or four times before all residue has been removed. After that, dry the rifle with compressed air and lightly lubricate it before reinstalling the wood. Hammer Follows Down I have a Model 190 Winchester .22 auto in my shop. The hammer follows the bolt down. I’ve replaced the disconnector and sear, but it still does the same thing. Any advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

The Model 190 was the last in this series of small-bore autoloaders, which went out of production in the late 1960s. Fortunately, that was in the era of schematics, and one appears in Jack First’s catalog, volume 2 With rifles as old as this one, even if it was well cared for, wear is almost certain to be a problem. Start your research by examining the schematic; in particular, the hammer and all parts associated with it. Why?

In most guns with a "hammer follows down" problem, it can be traced to poor engagement between the sear, which you have already replaced, and the hammer; or, on guns so discharged, between a sear surface and a striker. If the hammer and its related parts’including the safety’are sound, what you might be dealing with is a worn bolt, or worse. Worse would be worn boltways in the receiver that are allowing the entire primary ignition system to ride forward. Heavy-Up the Encore Trigger?

I recently had a customer bring a Thompson Center Encore rifle in for trigger work. The firearm has a smooth, light pull, and the customer would like the pull weight increased. He says it’s so light that when he shoots it with gloves on he can’t feel the trigger pull and has missed several deer. Has American Gunsmith ever done an article on adjusting the trigger pull on an Encore? If so, can you tell me what issue it’s in? And if not, will you be doing such an article in the near future. Thank you.

We ran a takedown article on the Encore back in September 00. That’s when we discovered that the Encore is no cinch to disassemble and reassemble. The simplest way to resolve your deer hunter’s problem would be to take a pair of scissors and cut off part of the index finger of his hunting glove.

If he insists on a heavier trigger pull, we suggest you remove the mainspring (hammer spring) from the action and send it to Wolff Springs Newtown Square, PA 19073), and ask them for a heavier spring. (Be sure the gun owner keeps the factory spring for future use.) This fix is preferable to making adjustments to the hammer/sear engagement because it’s easily reversible. Adjustments would not be so easy to undo. S&W Model 10 Project I bought an S&W Model 10 as a project gun.

When I took it apart to see why it wouldn’t fire, I found that the trigger lug was broken off. How do I replace it, or do I have a "parts gun"? We think what you’re calling a "lug" is actually the trigger stud, which is an integral part of the frame like the hammer stud. The stud is not replaceable, but if you have the entire piece, you may be able to TIG weld it back onto the frame. Alternately, you could silver solder it back on; but, either way, be prepared to reblue the revolver.

You did say it was purchased as a "project gun," right? Winchester M1400 Takedown I need the disassembly directions for the magazine tube of the Winchester Model 1400 MKII. Also, I need to know if it is pressed in or screwed in. Thanks. Bill Higgs Scipio, Indiana Complete instructions on taking down the tube contents appear in Gun Digest’s book on disassembly/reassembly for shotguns from Krause Publications Regarding the second part of your question, some were threaded in and some were pressed in.

It depends on the magazine throats in the gun. A one-piece throat indicates a threaded

(continued from previous page) tube. These tubes can be backed out with a strap wrench. Two-piece throats, one upper and one lower, indicate a press fit, which complicates things. In that case, purchase a spare mag-tube cap and replace the original. Make a slide hammer that fits over the tube. This can be made from a length of galvanized pipe, with some extra weight taped to the outside of the pipe.

Use a rubber or rawhide mallet to drive the tube into the receiver until the throats can either be fished out or fall out. Pull the tube from the receiver. To replace the tube, install the slide hammer over it and start the tube into the receiver. Position the throats above and below the receiver, and ram the spare cap with the slide hammer a couple of times (not too hard’you just want to capture the throats).

Once that’s done, continue ramming the spare cap until the throats are fully seated and the tube is firmly seated in the receiver. Remove the spare cap, the slide hammer, and reinstall the original mag-tube cap. The proper depth location of the Winchester’s new tube can be ensured by scribing a light line on the original factory tube prior to its removal. Then scribe another line on the replacement to match it.

Lockin’ Up Rossi I have a Rossi Model 971 revolver, stainless steel/nickel plated, in .357 Magnum with a 4-inch barrel. It’s a great revolver that I purchased used. The problem is that after about 15 or 20 shots, the cylinder locks up and will not rotate. There is no visible endshake, and I am unable to see more than a few thousandths space between the cylinder and barrel. The problem seems to clear up after a thorough cleaning, but will recur within the same time frame.

Do you have any suggestions on how to resolve this problem? Finally, would you have any suggestion on adaptive tooling for the handicapped? I have arthritis and tremors in both hands, which can be very limiting at times. By the way, your magazine is great and provides a huge amount of information for a beginning gunsmith. Thank you. Julian Harper Enoch, Utah The Rossi revolver is so close to being a clone of the Smith & Wesson that you can follow the same troubleshooting practices you’d use for an S&W revolver.

In a Smith, there may be no visible "cylinder end shake," but there may be "yoke end shake." This can cause the same set-back upon firing as cylinder end shake. Yoke end shake 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 can be corrected by installing a #2 yoke screw or a bearing washer if the yoke is loose in the frame.

Also, peening the yoke at its muzzle end sometimes helps. Of course, a bent yoke will cause eccentric cylinder rotation and subsequent binding. A bent yoke must be straightened. A faulty hand spring can also cause the hand to skip on a cylinder, thereby failing to rotate it. Replacement of the spring could be required. A stuck cylinder stop will prevent rotation. Repair or replace it. A bent extractor rod means hard rotation or no rotation at all. Straighten or replace a bent rod.

Insert a feeler gauge from both sides to check the gap between the cylinder and the barrel. The correct front gauge is .004 to .006 inch. An uneven hand face will reveal itself if the gauge reads higher on one side than it does on the other. Rear gauge, meaning head space, should be read from the sideplate side of the frame. Figure .060 inch as "go" and .064 inch as "no go." In the latter case, fired shells could set back and bind against the recoil plate.

And if you’re using reloads, make sure the primers are set flush and don’t protrude from the rear of the case. A worst-case scenario when the revolver fails to gauge is a stretched frame, due to the use of overly hot loads. If corrective measures are possible at all, they would have to be performed at the factory. Finally, we recommend you purchase Jerry Kuhnhausen’s book, S&W Revolvers: A Shop Manual (available from Brownells).

Unfortunately, we don’t know much about adaptive tooling for the handicapped, but we do know gunsmiths who have fabricated larger handles for their tools to ease the problem of arthritic hands.