Reader Forum

Ruger Ejection Woes I’m having a problem with a Ruger Mark II in my shop. Extraction and loading is fine. The problem is kicking the empties out’a combination of stovepipe malfunctions and empty shells getting stuck between the fresh cartridge and the top of the slide. I have the two original magazines and they appear to be okay. The hammer does not fall of its own weight. Could that be a problem? Any direction you could give me would be appreciated.

Bill Dugger Fountain Hills, Arizona It’s been our experience that the MK IIis not overly sensitive to the differences between brands of standard-velocity .22 ammo. However, high-velocity .22s can cause the bolt to short cycle and cause the problem you’re experiencing. So cana dirty, enlarged, or scored chamber, which causes slow extraction and throws off the timing of the pistol. Also, while magazines may "appear" to be okay, check the lips under magnification for rough spots or burrs, and eliminate any you find.

Speaking of dirt and scoring, take a look at the bolt itself and then polish it. And yes, a hammer that fails to fall is a problem. Inspect it, the disconnector, the hammer pivot, hammer bushing, hammer strut, hammer pin, sear, and sear spring. Replace any damaged, worn, or bent parts. Ward-Burton Sporting Rifle I’m hoping that you can give me some help with this rifle. Maybe you have more resources available. A friend of mine received this rifle in a package deal for his gun shop.

We tried the online appraisal with "What’s it worth to You?" They just assumed that it was a converted military rifle, even after seeing the pictures. We have taken it to the NRA Museum and to the Cody Museum. Both of the curators said that they had never heard of or seen one. They felt that it was either a prototype or presentation piece. I am attaching photos of the rifle. I have chamber cast it and the dimensions duplicate the .45-70, except for the rim diameter which is smaller.

The tang sight base appears to be an add-on. My questions are: Do you know where we can obtain the missing parts of the tang sight to make it complete? Could it possibly be a Lyman No 1? (I have been unable to find a drawing of the No. 1.) Do you know of any Ward-Burton collectors association? Do you have any idea what it could be worth? Thank you. The Ward-Burton represents the first bolt-action rifle made at Springfield and followed the 1870 Trapdoor very closely.

Troops did not like it during the 1871 field trials, and only 1,011 rifles and 315 carbines were produced. The rifle was a single-shot in .50-70 centerfire. Due to the short production runs, values on the rifle range from $950 for very good to $2,500 for excellent; carbines can demand from $2,250 to $4,500. We’ve know of no Ward-Burton collectors association, but there is a very large American Single Shot Rifle Association.

The Association’s archivist, Rudi Prusok might be able to steer you toward a suitable peep sight if you send him the dimensional details. Remington 1100 Barrel Swap? I have a customer who is using a Remington 1100 18-1/2-inch barrel on a Remington 870. Will the gas ports in the 1100 barrel make this unsafe? And are there any other differences in these barrels? Thanks. The gas ports from a semi-auto would have little to no effect on a pump gun. But there are a few things we don’t understand.

First, the barrel extension on an 870 is shorter than that of an 1100. Second, the barrel ring on an 870 is farther forward than the same on an 1100, whose forearm encloses the ring. And third, due to these differences, we can’t imagine how these barrels could possibly interchange. We’re curious: Just how did your customer manage to force-fit one gun’s barrel to another gun’s receiver? Worn Winchester Model 1300 The purpose of this writing is to get information on repairing a Winchester Model 1300 in 20 gauge.

The problem is the bolt releases at firing. This is not repeatable from shot to shot, though when I fire it with a loose hold on the forearm, the spent shell will fly out of the action and the bolt will be returned to half closed. I have disassembled the shotgun and cleaned the action and the bolt completely. I found no signs of excessive wear or broken parts. The bolt-head lugs are square as are the lugs in the barrel. Do you have any advice or resources to turn to?

The 1300 came into existence when Winchester changed the designation of the Model 1200 in 1978, so your 20 gauge has some miles on it. The fact that the problem is not constant suggests a wear problem is developing or has developed with the slide latch. Though parts may be more difficult to secure now that Winchester is no more, we suggest you try to locate and replace those parts associated with the latch and restore the mechanism. SKS Parts Removal I own an SKS carbine.

Can you tell me how to remove the front sight and bayonet mount? J. Roberts Baton Rouge, Louisiana To remove the front sight, unscrew it from the stud and knock the stud from the sight base with a punch. How the base is attached depends greatly on the manufacturer. Some are press fit, some are soldered on, and some of the really cheap ones use a "highstrength" adhesive. Of the three methods, the latter would present the least challenge. It wouldn’t take much heat to wreck the integrity of the adhesive.

The bayonet mount presents its

(continued from previous page) own set of problems. Usually, the mount screw has been staked to deform its shank and prevent it from backing out. This staking may be so deep, the end of the screw will have to be relieved with a rotary file or grinder in order to undo it. Any replacement must be re-staked. If your SKS is a late military or Chinese-made civilian model, it’s likely that getting the bayonet off will delay any removal of the mount.

On most of these carbines, the bayonet is riveted, not screwed, in place. You have to grind off the head of the rivet, drive out the remnant with a punch, purchase a replacement of the same dimensions, insert it and upset both ends to retain the blade. Bent Revolver Frame? I have an early 1908 S&W Military and Police revolver. It’s a good-condition shooter, but the cylinder has become very difficult to swing out of the frame. It locks up good and tight’but maybe too tight.

When I try to flip the cylinder out to unload it, I have to push forward on the cylinder release and then smack the cylinder with my hand to get it to swing out of the frame. Any thoughts as to what would make this so tight? Thanks. The problem probably got its start by "flipping" the cylinder open and closed in the "Hollywood-movie style. It might look sexy on the silver screen, but over time it usually results in a bent frame. Check it out. Push the cylinder open and use two fingers to spin it rapidly.

If the cylinder wobbles as it rotates, the crane is bent. Repair is possible with a nylon wedge, a rawhide mallet, and a copy of Jerry Kuhnhausen’s book Smith & Wesson, A Shop Manual. The book is an excellent source for "how-to" instruction, and Brownells is an excellent source for the book and other items mentioned. Ah, the Visible Loader I was hoping you would have information on the disassembly of a Stevens No. 70 visible-loading slide-action repeating rifle.

The Model 70 Visible Loader was justifiably dubbed "The Miserable Loader" by gunsmiths unfortunate enough to work on it. We have been unable to locate any takedown/troubleshooting information whatsoever. We did discover through an internet source that the last of the batch was assembled in 1941 from left-over parts from the 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 1930s. The one sign of hope we can offer is a parts drawing in Volume II of the Jack First, Inc. catalog Security Six Latch Problem I have a Ruger Security Six where a couple of the chamber/cylinder stops are not always positively engaged. For instance, in checking this discrepancy (while unloaded), I can manipulate the cylinder a little bit on these two stops, and it will roll off. The other four are positive and secure.

I can’t see any burrs or why the cylinder stop wouldn’t be coming up high enough to engage on these two cylinders. Any ideas or suggestions? After more than a little furrowing of the brow (over the nomenclature), we believe the cylinder latch is failing to fully engage the latch notches on the two cylinders in question. This can occur when the sides of a notch have become beveled, or when the notch itself has filled in sufficiently with solidly encrusted residue.

The resolution for filled notches need not be explained. Rounded notch edges can be reformed or "sharpened," but this requires extreme care. Often, a botched attempt will only result in compounding the problem and require the fitting of anew cylinder. Another possibility rears its head; namely, a wear problem between the pawl (hand) and the related ejector star on the two affected cylinders. However, we don’t think your problem is as complex as either of the problems mentioned.

In all likelihood, it’s a matter of latch-locking tension. You may end up having to replace and refit the latch, but start with the latch spring and plunger.