Reader Forum

Ruger 44 Gas-System Check I have a Ruger 44 carbine that will not eject the spent round. The slide only comes back about three-quarters of the way and then returns forward. I’ve checked the operation of the slide by hand and it’s smooth. I don’t feel the bolt hanging up on anything, and there are no marks on the spent rounds. Is there a test I can do on the piston and piston-block plug to check for any leaks? Thank you. We assume this malfunction is occurring with factory loads.

As far as a test, make certain no fouling or damaged components exist in the gas system. If so, locate anew or good-as-new replacement in the aftermarket and install it. Convert Rolling Block? I have a quick question concerning changing the caliber of a rifle. My father-in-law has an old Remington rolling-block rifle, chambered in .25- 10. I was wondering, seeing as how there is not much ammo available for the rifle, how hard would it be to convert it to .22 caliber?

Would one be able to "sleeve" it with a .22 liner, or is the difference in caliber too great? Also, was the .25-10 a rimfire or centerfire caliber? I’ve looked on several different web sites for ammo, and none have anything about the 25-10. I’m sorry I don’t have the model number of the rifle, but I didn’t think to look for it when my father-in-law showed me the rifle. I do know there is a lever on the right side that rotates about three-quarters of the way around, and the barrel and forend come off the receiver.

Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. Your question might seem like a quick one, but it took usa lot of digging through a large number of books to come up with the following: The only volume mentioning the caliber of your father-in-law’s rolling block is Roy Marcot’s formidable history Remington, America’s Oldest Gunmaker, published by Primedia Special Interest Publications and available, we believe, from Remington.

Therein, the rifle is identified as a Remington #7 Target/Sporting model (1903) in .25- 10 Stevens rimfire caliber. Due to the designation, we have to believe it was a blackpowder round. We don’t foresee pressure problems by converting to .22 LR, but there could be extra expense in doing so if the bore isn’t large enough to accept a liner. The bullet diameter of the .25 is .251 inch, and the outside diameter of the liner could be no larger than that or the bore would have to be opened up to accept it.

Generic Parts I have a question concerning an article in the March 01 issue titled "Generic Parts." In the list of O-rings you mentioned a number 33 O-ring for the Remington 1100 12 gauge. Is the generic number you have listed the "dash number" of the O-ring? If so, then the number 33 is a 2-1/8-inch O-ring which is too big. I am also interested in the rest of the list. Are they correct, or am I going about this with the wrong info on my part. Thanks for your time. This subject has reared its head previously.

The word "generic," as used in the article, refers to a substitute for a factory part that will serve as well but costa bit less, like a generic drug. Unfortunately, the generic part number doesn’t apply to all O-rings made by all O-ring manufacturers. What’s a #33 to one could be a #3 or #35 with another. So forget about the part numbers.

Instead, measure the OD of the tube or part from which the old ring or seal was taken, measure the thickness of the old ring or seal, and take those dimensions to a hardware store and find the appropriate O-ring. By the way, Remington and Brownells both carry factory-spec parts for the Model 1100. Remington Model 12 Jams I have an old Remington Model 12, takedown .22 rifle (serial #295159).

Stamped on the barrel is "Pedersen’s patents, Jan 5, 1909, Oct 12, 1909, Mar 8, 1910, Nov 21, 1911, Apr 16, 1912" under the "Remington UMC’ line. This little rifle has the problem of canting the cartridge from the magazine to the left and stubbing the nose into the left side of the barrel, about 1/2 its diameter from the chamber mouth, thus causing a jam. This jam occurs about 30 to 40 percent of the time. The rest of the time it aligns the cartridge perfectly and functions normally.

When it jams, if I wiggle the slide back and forth slightly several times, the cartridge sometimes aligns itself properly and can then be inserted into the chamber. I’ve cleaned and inspected the bolt, extractor, and firing pin/ejector and find no signs of excessive wear or abuse, yet the problem persists. I have tried CCI Mini Mag, Federal, and Remington ammo with the same results. (Long Rifle only; I haven’t tried Shorts or Longs.) Any advice on how to cor-

rect this problem? Also, is a diagram of this rifle available anywhere? This is a personal gun which I purchased recently at a gun show, so I know nothing of its history, but it appears to be in good to very good condition. The original finish is 80 to 85 percent, with a brown patina on the barrel and underside of the receiver with no rust or pitting. The stock is a bit dinged, as would be expected of a gun this old. Can you tell me the manufacture date of this gun? Thanks for your help. John D.

Pedersen was awarded over 50 patents between 1903 and 1941. He was one of Remington’s greatest gun designers. Your rifle was among his creations. It may be a Model 12C, rated NRA Target Grade, and intended exclusively for the .22 LR. Extensive use of .22 Shorts in this, or any rifle with a .22 LR chamber, can cause cavitation and hard (or no) extraction. In your case, we suspect the carrier and/or its associated parts. A loose carrier will cant to one side or the other, causing the stubbing you describe.

Other things to look at: The cartridge retainer could be loose or badly worn; the carrier-dog spring might be weak; the cartridge stop could be loose; or the carrier dog might just be exhausted. You’d also want to look closely at the other springs in the rifle. Your rifle was made between 1909 and 1936. To determine the exact date, you’d have to contact Remington and give them the serial number. Rohm Model 63 Refinish I’m working on a Rohm Model 63 Single Action in .22-caliber LR.

I was asked to "see what I can do with it." Well, most of the finish is worn off, and the aluminum frame is a dull oxide color. I want to use aluminum black and produce a uniform matte finish. I don’t want to remove the oxide of aluminum, as it is stronger than the base metal. The remaining "black" on the finish is paint of some type. Acetone removes it with a lot of rubbing. The fumes get to me pretty quick and I have to stop, so I need a paint remover that won’t destroy the aluminum (or me).

My slightly altered memory tells me that an article was done on this pistol at some time in the past. A schematic would be a useful thing to have. So far, searches of Brownells" and Numrich Gun Parts" websites and threads on line have not turned up anything I can use. Any help and guidance will be greatly appreciated.

Common paint remover (the hardware-store type) will not destroy the metal, and a chemical respirator (same source) will help guard your health, but the most important thing is to apply the solvent or paint remover outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. We suggest you try Gun Kote (from Brownells) for the matte finish you want. We’ve never covered this imported revolver in American Gunsmith, but we think Bob’s Gun Shop might have a booklet containing disassembly instructions.

Clayco Model 4 Magazines I’m trying to locate a spare magazine for a Clayco Model 4 .22-caliber rifle. This is a five-shot, detachable-boxmagazine, bolt-action rifle that was apparently imported by Clayco Sports awhile back. It’s marked "Made in China at Norinco Zhongzhou Factory" on the right side of the barrel, forward of the rear sight. This a nice-shooting little rifle, but it would be nice to a have a spare magazine or two for it. The magazine inserts from the bottom and the magazine release is in front of it.

The magazine appears very similar to the older Winchester, Remington, and Savage magazines. I tried a Savage mag, but it would require extensive modification to work properly. I haven’t been able to locate anything current on Clayco, so they maybe out of business or bought out by another company. My understanding is that Norinco firearms can no longer be imported into the U. S.; however, I don’t know if replacement parts have been banned. Can you help me out here? Thanks.

We don’t know what happened to Clayco, but we’ve heard some stories about Norinco. One reason we’ve heard about the end of Norinco imports involved some big trouble with ATF when a shipment of Norinco SKS rifles arrived on these shores capable of full-auto fire. In any case, you should try Tom Forest in Lakeside, California, for spare magazines. Uberti 1873 Revolver Barrel I have to swap a barrel on a 44-40 Uberti 1873 Colt clone. I have the barrel blocks and I did swap one a few years ago.

My problem is that I’ve misplaced my manual and can’t remember if the barrel threads on clockwise or if it has a reversed thread. The customer is going from a 7- 1/2-inch barrel to 5-1/2 inches, and I don’t want to cause any damage by trying to unthread the existing barrel in the wrong direction. Thanks for any help you can give me, The Uberti barrel is "lefty loosey, righty tighty." Nylon 66 Woes Help! I’m working on a Remington Nylon 66 tube-fed rifle.

I’ve had the gun apart and can find nothing wrong, but whether I shoot one or five shells’ it doesn’t matter how many’it goes full auto. The firing pin is not sticking. Can you help? Thank you. Based on the number of queries we’ve received in the past, we have to conclude that this is a troublesome rifle. Generally, when a rifle doubles or

(continued from previous page) goes full auto, it means one of several things: The trigger is damaged or binds; the sear notch is damaged; the trigger spring is damaged, missing, or out of engagement; the sear spring is damaged or dislocated; or the disconnector assembly is damaged or dislocated. We believe you will require at least some, if not all, of the above-mentioned parts to return the rifle to safe operation.

And we’re reasonably certain you’ll have to locate them in the aftermarket, because Remington dropped production of the Model complete instructions for disassembly/reassembly of the Model 66 appear in Gun Digest’ s book on rimfire rifles. Ruger Mk II Info I need info on replacing the barrel of a Ruger Mk II and the preferred holding method, etc. Thank you. Few manufacturers turn their pistol barrels in tighter than Ruger does, and the frame of the Mk II isn’t entirely machined from a solid block of steel.

For those reasons, you’ll need a solidly mounted barrel vise that conforms to the barrel contour (available from Brownells) and a receiver wrench that conforms to the frame (also from Brownells). You may also need some rosin to keep the barrel from slipping in the vise and a cheater bar that fits over the wrench to extend its handle and provide greater leverage. The good news is that once you get the barrel started on its way out, the rest is fairly easy.

And don’t forget to use the right gauges when establishing proper headspace. Disassembling H&R Spur-Trigger Revolver I am looking for an article about disassembly and reassembly of the H&R spur-trigger revolver made in the 1870s (patented May 23, 1876). This model is a Vector No.3. Do you know if any of the back issues of American Gunsmith have such an article? Is your H&Ratop-break that ejects its spent shells when the action is opened?

When introduced to the public in 1878, these were identified by H&R as "auto-ejector" or "auto-ejection" models. Takedown instructions’s pur hammer or otherwise’ appear in the Gun Digest book of disassembly/reassembly instructions for revolvers. If, however, your revolver is not a 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, top-break and, instead, has a center pin or is an H&R swing-out-cylinder model (unlikely, since this design came along much later) takedown info appears in the combined shoulder arm/handgun edition of The NRA Guide to Firearms Assembly. We did an article on H&R revolvers many years ago’over 14 years ago to be exact’but reprints are no longer available from the publisher.

Winchester Scope Alignment I have a bolt-action .218 Bee Winchester Rifle. I believe it’s a Model 43. It has side Weaver scope mounts, which are apparently misaligned. Is there a method of aligning the scope mounts on this rifle? Thanks. The Model 43 was last produced in 1957. If yours has non-factory-drilled mount holes, you can deduct 40 percent from the possible value of $500 to $650 in very good condition. At the other end of the scale’poor condition’t he range is $175 to $200.

With the exception of a few, late-production rifles, Winchester did not drill and tap either the Sporting or Special Models. We therefore have to conclude that someone other than a factory technician did the drilling on yours, thereby probably creating the misalignment problem. For a permanent fix, we recommend installing blind filler screws in the existing holes, then redrill and tap for the existing mount and reinstall the scope. However, you can probably do some adjusting with the present setup.

If the rifle prints to the left when bench-rested and fired, install a shim under the rear of the mount. If it prints to the right, the shim goes under the front of the mount.