Reader Forum

Marlin Model 19 Ejection I have a Marlin Model 19 that came into my shop today and it will not eject the shells. Can you help me figure this one out? I’ve cleaned it and the parts look okay to me. The two extractors hang onto the shell. I look forward to hearing from you. The shotgun went out of production in 1907. We suspect that getting parts for it’extractors and extractor springs, for example’will not be easy. There’s worse news.

We believe this is one of the guns that Marlin has since advised not be fired with modern loads. You can check this out with the Marlin Historian at Highlighting Gun Markings I frequently see older pistols such as the P38 with lettering and markings that have been highlighted with white "paint." Have any manufactures ever shipped pistols with highlighted markings, or are these all owner enhancements for cosmetic reasons?

I would appreciate any information or advice you might have on restoring highlighted pistol markings that are partially worn off or yellowed. Specifically, how can the "paint" be removed without harming the blued finish? And then what do I use to refill the letters and markings? Thanks. John Guth Albuquerque, New Mexico We haven’t seen many factory guns with inlay work, except for those coming out of manufacturers’ custom shops.

On the other hand, we’ve seen many inlays in silver, gold, and white on firearms produced by members of the Pistolsmith and Custom Gunmakers Guilds. And many gun owners purchase inlay materials of one kind or another to jazz up their personal weapons. We’ve even seen a few handguns with red serial numbers, the color being provided by red nail polish overcoated with clear nail polish. In such cases, any excess can be cleaned off with nail-polish remover (acetone).

How the inlay material can be removed depends entirely on what kind of paint it is. If it’s an oil-based paint, a mild solvent such as turpentine or mineral spirits can soften and eventually remove it without damage to the bluing. Water-based paints are usually easy to remove with alcohol mineral spirits, again with no danger to the bluing. To restore the inlay, we’d suggest you take a look at the Lacquer Stik from Brownells. They come in red, white, gold, silver, and black.

They wipe on easily and soon harden to permanence. Any excess can be removed with acetone. BLR Firing-Pin Removal I’ve got what looks like a post-1981 BLR bolt carrier and firing pin. How do you get out the firing pin without breaking the silly thing? Thanks for your help, You might want to confirm what you think you have by calling Browning but we can tell you what the Field Service Manual on the BLR says.

After you’ve removed the mainspring-tube assembly (including the follower), place the hammer at full cock and withdraw the bolt assembly from the receiver. Rotate the breechbolt lock (bolt head) 90 degrees clockwise, and pull it from the bolt slide (bolt body). Then drift out the firing-pin retaining pins’t here are an inner and outer pin’with a 3/32inch punch, invert the bolt slide, and the firing pin will drop out.

Ruger M77 Barrel Fitting Do you know if anyone sells an action-truing mandrel for the Ruger M77 rifles? I know the barrel-shank diameter is .998 and the thread pitch is 16. I can make one if need be, but purchasing one would save me sometime. Also, if you know of anything I need to watch out for when doing a barrel setback and action blueprint, I’d appreciate your input. I’ve done Mauser actions, but have not performed this on a Ruger yet. Thanks.

If Brownells doesn’t offer the mandrel you need, they probably know who does. If you strike out with them, mail an inquiry to John Hinnant San Antonio, TX 78269). John wrote the book on your requested subject: The Complete Illustrated Guide to Precision Rifle Barrel Fitting. It applies to all rifles. We purchased our copy from Brownells several years ago. Chamber Reamers My question is about chamber reamers. How much accuracy do you lose by using non-changeable pilot reamers?

I want to build a few custom sporters and am willing to spend the money for the interchangeable pilot reamers, but I can’t help but wonder if it’s really worth the money for a nonbenchrest gun. My name is on the line here, though, and I will do what it takes to make an accurate firearm. If I can hold 1-inch groups at 100 yards using a standard pilot reamer, I’ll feel good with that. Thanks.

Since all reamers are piloted, we believe you mean a solid piloted reamer when you say "non-changeable" reamer and a removable-pilot reamer when you refer to an "interchangeable" reamer. A solid-pilot reamer has a bore-matching pilot permanently attached to the reamer. In other words, the pilot is caliber-specific. A removable setup has an area ahead of the throating section of the reamer on which bushings that match the bore size can be attached.

In any case’s olid or removable’ both types serve equally well as long as you are precise with fitting the pilot or bushing to the bore after the barrel is in your shop. A tolerance of .0002 inch is recommended, and we’ll make

another recommendation: You might shoot 1-inch groups at 100 yards, but you should not guarantee that your customer can or will do the same. There are too many variables involved with marksmanship. Providing a target imprinted with a 1-inch group you’ve shot can never hurt, however. It merely shows the accuracy the rifle is capable of producing. Enfield Mods I have an SMLE No. 1, .308, that I’m making into a scout-type rifle.

The barrel cut to 18 inches, and turned to 0.555 inch for 1.25 inches to accept the original front sight. The muzzle is cut to target style, with a Williams rear sight on the barrel flat, and I’ve used an Advanced Technology stock set. (This stock set needed quite a bit of fitting.) My question is this: Do you think the removal of the bridge at the rear of the receiver will weaken it? I think it was mainly to accept the slots for the stripper clips.

Based on the caliber of your rifle, we think it was produced at the Ishapore factory in India during the 1960s. Designated "Rifle 7.62mm 2A or 2A1," due to the abundant markings on Enfields you should be able to confirm the date and place of manufacture by locating the initials RFI under the crown and the date under the initials. Unfortunately, India-made Enfields don’t enjoy the highest of reputations for quality. That reason alone would make us leery about removing the bridge from the receiver.

Ruger Blackhawk Buntline? I recently acquired a Ruger New Model Blackhawk in 45 Colt. The gun is a blued, adjustable-sight version with about a 7-inch barrel and is in very good condition. I purchased the gun with the intention of building a longbarreled "Buntline" type gun.

The barrel change does not appear difficult, but I see two problems: One, the ejector-rod housing is attached to the barrel by a screw which threads into an insert residing in what appears to be a flat bottom drilling in the periphery of the barrel. Obviously, I must duplicate this on the new barrel. Is it pressed or soldered? Do you have any information on the size on this drilling? The second problem is the frontsight appears to be soldered to the barrel and I would like to reuse it if I can. Is it soldered?

And do you have a table or other data to help estimate the needed height for the new 16-inch barrel? Thanks We see more than just two problems. First, you’d best check with ATF. They may consider a handgun with a 16inch barrel to be classified as a rifle and illegal as a handgun. Second, barrel change on Rugers can be very difficult due to the inch pounds of torque employed at the factory to turn them in. Two methods of attaching the ejector housing have been employed.

Early models had a screwstud hole that was end-milled in and the stud was soldered on. On later and current models, the barrels were drilled and tapped. Screw sizes and heads differed for these two methods. Check them out as well as their hole depth after you remove them and before you order replacements. The front sight is indeed soldered on and a general rule for height is the rear and front must be equal. This, however, can be affected by the contour of the barrel (e.g., bull versus tapered).

Sturm-Ruger still makes a 10-1/2inch barrel for the Blackhawk, which would be legal and eliminate some of the problems we’ve just described. That might be the best solution if a 10- 1/2-inch "Buntline" is enough for you. Rubberized Stock Coating? Some years back, there was an article in American Gunsmith about refinishing a gunstock with a rubberized product something like "Plasti-dip." I can’t find it in my back issues and I wondered if you could help me find it.

Thanks for your time, a great magazine, and for standing up for the 2nd. We’ve published at least half a dozen articles on stock refinishing, patching, and repair, but we can find nothing on plastic coatings.

Such a coating would probably require a large amount of the product, since the stock would have to be immersed in it to be entirely coated. (You might be thinking about Gun Kote, which we reported on in the August 06 issue.) If any readers contact us with information on a rubberized coating that can be applied to a stock, we’ll be sure to pass the info along to you. Identifying Mauser .380 Pistol I purchased a Mauser HSc .380. I would like to know a little about it. It has a double-stack magazine.

The left side of the slide is stamped with the Mauser logo and "Mauser-Werke A. G. Oberdorf a.h., Model HSc Super Cal. 380 ACP." On the right side, it’s stamped "Gardone-Italy, Interarms Alexandria, Virginia." The bluing is 100 percent. The wooden grips are in great shape. It shot great at 25 yards. I would like to know if the pistol is a well-built gun and whether it was worth the $290 I paid for it. It doesn’t seem to have a lot of wear and tear.

I took it apart to clean it, and found it to be in excellent shape with no rust at all. Can you tell me about when it was made? Thank you. The pistol is a post-WWII model of combined Mauser and Italian manufacture by Ghamba. It was imported by Interarms, now defunct, from 1983 to 1985. From your description, your HSc is in 95- to 100-percent condition, with a Blue Book value between $250 and $350.

Generally speaking, the Mauser is well made and, if properly maintained, should perform with few if any problems for many years to come.

Rumanian M1969 Conversion I have several of the surplus boltaction Rumanian Model 1969 .22 Long Rifle training rifles that were imported a few years ago. I would like to rebarrel them to Hornady .17 Mach 2 caliber. Would this conversion be possible or worthwhile? Is the barrel pressed or threaded into the receiver? What twist and barrel length and contour have proven to be best for this caliber?

Is there anyone that makes a quality replacement barrel for this conversion or will I have to buy a barrel blank and machine it myself? Will the original magazines continue to function, or will they require modification? Are there any replacement triggers available or do you have any suggestions on improving the factory trigger? The conversion would provide you the opportunity to enjoy shooting what we believe is the most accurate rimfire cartridge yet developed.

And, frankly, we’re surprised we haven’t heard of more injuries from amateur conversions. The ideal twist for the Mach 2 is 1 in 9 inches. Optimum barrel length is 18 inches. The preferred contour for best accuracy is the bull barrel. According to a previous importer of the Model 1969, the barrels are pressed and pinned in. Examination under magnification will help locate the pin. There should be no problem with original magazines that are undamaged.

Good-quality barrels are available from Shaw, Shilen, Douglas, and others. No replacement triggers are manufactured that we’re aware of. This limits your trigger work to highly polishing the existing components and possibly seeking any lighter-weight related springs that are available from Wolff. Bleaching a Wooden Stock I have an old stock made from beechwood and it was stained walnut. I striped the stock but did not get all of the stain out of the pores.

What kind of wood bleach could I use to lighten up the stain or get the stain out? Thank you. Knowing the kind of stain (oil, aniline, or witch’s brew) would be great help in selecting a diluant or solvent. Not having that information, we can only suggest whiting, turpentine, or mineral spirits if the stain is oil-based, or alcohol or acetone if it’s aniline.

If the stain base was prepared by a witch or witches, you might try oxalic acid 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 from a woodworker’s supply store or increasingly concentrated solutions of household bleach. If you can find it in a higher concentration than 5 percent, hydrogen peroxide might also work.

We were once told by an old Transylvanian stockmeister that rubbing in some wolfsbane before bleaching often assures success in bleaching out witch-brewed stains. But don’t ask us what wolfsbane is, why or how it works, or where to get it. Feedback on "The Slurry" First of all, let me say that this is the greatest magazine. My husband and I fight over who gets to read the articles first. I do, however, have a few questions about the article on the trigger smoothing with "The Slurry" (February 08 issue).

You say that I need to pour 1/4 ounce of mineral spirits into each jar (one jar for black, one jar for white, and one jar for gray) and then add half of the black, gray, and white polish to each jar. My question is: What do I do with the balance of the 555 polish? Is it really necessary to grate 3 ounces of each, or can I just grate 1-1/2 ounce of each? If you have any further directions or instructions on this, please let me know. Thank you.

Linda Weaver Fair Grove, Missouri The article goes on to advise that you may have to add more grated polish in order to achieve the desired consistency. Hence, the need for the additional liquid and grated 555 to be standing by. The balance of the polish particles, should any remain, can be stored individually in plastic bags until they’re needed. As for what remains of the bars of 555, they can always be used to charge polishing wheels as originally intended.