Reader Forum

Slow-Rust Bluing I just reread the March 2009 issue. The slow-rust bluing article described the process thoroughly. (Keep up the good work.) I’ll be giving it a try soon. The question I have is about the color. How does it compare to common hot bluing? Or is there a common gun that has a finish that looks like slow-rust? When I give this a try I need something to compare my work to, as I’m not sure what to expect the color to look like. Thanks. The article covers merely one of many slow-rust-bluing processes.

All are time-consuming, but not all of them require the serious acids of the Neider process. Before finally making a decision on which method to use, we suggest you secure a copy of Angier’s book mentioned in the article. Also, you might want to have a chat with Brownells, whose founder, Bob Brownell, based his early business on providing products for those in the bluing business. We know of no mass-produced gun whose manufacturer employs slow-rust bluing in its finishing. The cost is simply prohibitive.

If you could locate a Holland & Holland or a Purdy, you could see an example of the art carried to a fine degree. We once were invited by the present day manager of Purdy to examine one of their "best" over/under shotguns during a trip to the U. K. As you’d expect, it was immaculate and when looking closely at the upper barrel, the depth of the bluing seemed infinite. Unfortunately, we were not told which method was used to finish the shotgun, since the finish is considered proprietary.

Incidentally, the price of that particular O/U was $70,000. And that was several years ago. Ted Williams Rifle? I have a Sears Model 34 Series 583- 3401 Ted Williams .22-caliber semiautomatic rifle. I have general disassembly and assembly instructions, but I would like to remove the barrel for bluing and don’t know if it is threaded in, pressed in, or pinned. My intention is to rust blue the barrel, magazine tube, and sight, and remove some slight nicks in the receiver.

I plan to use Brownells bake-on paint on the receiver and refinish the stock with tung oil. Any information you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Mason L. Jackson Murphy, North Carolina Looking through the cross-reference list in the Gun Part’s catalog, the only Sears 34 we see was made by J. C. Higgins. This is puzzling, since J. C. Higgins products, like those bearing the name Ted Williams, were Sears’ store brands that were produced by numerous original-equipment manufacturers. For example, the J. C.

Higgins Model 36 was produced and sold by High Standard as their Model 34, and the only Ted Williams firearm we see listed is aside-by-side that was made by Savage and sold as their Model 49. We suggest you send a photo of the rifle to The NRA Museum (Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030) and include a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

The folks at the museum maybe able to end the confusion regarding the original manufacturer, and then we may be able to advise you concerning the barrel once we know who made the rifle. Winchester Model 1001 Recall My son bought a Winchester Model 1001 shotgun while stationed overseas in the military. I did a Google search on it one day and found out that Winchester had issued a recall of that model due to a "safety" problem.

I told my son and he called them, only to find out that instead of fixing the problem, they would replace his gun with anew gun’d ifferent model, different manufacture. All he had to do was send it in. They said that they couldn’t fix it because they didn’t have the parts. Do you know what this "safety" problem is? He’s not ready to give it up yet, since the shotgun is so beautifully engraved and inlaid with gold. Thanks.

We believe your son’s shotgun is a high-end Model 1001, which has been out of production for several years and predates the current Browning- Winchester arrangement. We suggest you call Jerry Stevens at Nu Line Guns ext. 5), a former Winchester authorized service center. if anyone can answer your question, he can.

Replacing a Model 1400 Magazine Throat A customer recently brought me a Winchester 1400 MKII with a broken magazine throat. (The shells won’t stay within the magazine tube.) I have no idea how to remove or replace this plastic piece. Also, I have searched for a replacement part and have found that the part is either not available or ranges in price from a few dollars to as much as $39, which leads me to believe that there are different parts with the same name.

I’ve also seen the parts listed as "one-piece" and "twopiece." (The model in my shop has a one-piece part.) Any help you can provide on removing and replacing this part would be greatly appreciated. Purchase a replacement magazine end cap and install it on the mag tube, and then remove the trigger group from the receiver. Insert a couple of fingers up into the receiver where it joins the tube.

With a rubber, leather, or wooden mallet, strike the replacement end cap until you’ve driven it in just far enough to free the single throat. Then withdraw the throat from the receiver to the rear and downward. Next, locate a closed-end lug wrench large enough to fit over the tube but not the cap. Remove the cap temporarily, slide the wrench over the tube and replace the cap. Properly

position the new throat and pull the tube forward by hand to trap the throat between the tube and receiver. Using the wrench (you can add some weight to its straight section), repeatedly run it from the interface with the receiver into sharp contact with the end cap. Keep this up until the throat is flush with the tube interface within the receiver. Finally, switch from the replacement to the original magazine end cap. The same procedure can be followed when faced with a two-piece throat.

Both oneand two-piece versions were employed in making the Model 1400, but not during the same production run. For parts availability, contact Nu Line Guns Browning Citori Problems I bought a very dirty Citori O/U 20gauge at a gun show for $200. I took it to my shop, did a good cleaning job, and test fired the top barrel.

I couldn’t test the bottom barrel because it would gtth way I angle the shell or try to open it up more, the shell won’t fit. (I guess that’s why it was only $200.) I took it all apart and everything looks normal. I would appreciate your opinion on what might be wrong. Unfortunately, you may be right about the pittance paid. And you didn’t mention whether the gun was a Type 1 (no engraving) or a Type 2 (engraved receiver).

Either way, when the gun fails to open, the action could be loose due to wear on the locking bolt or barrel lugs, a loose forearm bracket, or a worn hinge pin. The latter is rare but loose actions tend not to align properly. You can tackle the bracket by staking it approximately 1/8 inch to the rear of the front edge of the bracket cutout in the forend. Repair of the locking bolt, lugs, and hinge pin will probably require factory service.

Dykem or a magic marker can be used as an indicator to check for interference between the barrel "ears" and the receiver. If interference is present, any excess metal can be stoned away. This rubbing together doesn’t usually accompany a loose action, however. Browning Buckmark Trigger Work I have a Browning Buckmark Camper with a terrible trigger; it feels like grinding metal when pulled. Do you have any tear-down and trigger-work info on this pistol?

The gun was purchased new and the trigger has always been difficult to pull. Thank you. It’s too bad this series of Browning plinkers’including the Challenger models’have never been embraced by the accurizing aftermarket like the Ruger .22 has been. And we know of no pistolsmith who has worked over a Browning .22 pistol. As far as we know, this means that trigger work on the .22 caliber Browning would have to be approached the same as any DA/SA duty pistol, which tend to have horrendous triggers out of the box.

Basically, this entails reducing friction as much of it as possible’ without creating a negative effect on reliable function. You can use Arkansas stones, polish, and perhaps very fine emery cloth wrapped around a small, flat file. You don’t want to recut the sear, but you’ll polish its sides. You can do the same with the trigger, the hammer, and the trigger bar, and you’ll want to put a shine on every pivot pin in the pistol.

Don’t cut the mainspring, but make the mainspring plunger sparkle, including its upper end that interfaces with the hammer link. After all that, give the frame rails, slide frame rails, and the frame’s trigger-bar recess a close examination under magnification and smooth up anything resembling roughness. Finally, remove all traces of grit from everything you’ve worked on, lightly lubricate the parts, and reassemble the pistol. You probably won’t take any pounds off the pull, but the trigger will feel lighter.

Incidentally, disassembly and reassembly of the Buckmark is covered by Gun Digest in their latest book on automatic pistols. Installing Poly-Chokes I could swear I’ve seen an article in American Gunsmith on installation of Poly-Chokes or other adjustable chokes on various shotguns, but going through my extensive collection, I can’t find it. Am I crazy or am I just missing it? Thanks. While we have published an article (1993) on Poly-Choke ribs, we haven’t done so for the choke.

However, in the past there were two methods of installation practiced. One requires the exterior of the barrel close to the muzzle to be machined down and then threaded in a lathe. The second method still requires turning down the barrel, but eliminates the threading by soldering a threaded adaptor to the machined area. The second is preferred by most gunsmiths, because there is less risk of over-thinning the barrel. The new Poly-Choke II series is made for shotguns that already have screw-in chokes.

We assume this series would simply screw in to replace the OEM choke(s). Since Brownells sells Poly-Chokes, you might want to check with them or with the manufacturer, Nitram, LLC M1911 Sight Swap A customer brought in a Colt 1911 with target sights. He would like low carry night sights installed. The rear sight is a standard dovetail, but the front sight appears to be soldered into a 1/8- by 1/2-inch slot that goes clear through the slide. What’s the best approach to installing night sights on this pistol? Thanks.

We think you’re incorrect regarding the soldered-on front sight. The slot

(continued from previous page) width and length you describe sounds like it’s standard for a staked-on front comprised of a blade and tenon. Remove the slide, recoil assembly, and barrel, and then invert the slide. Look closely for signs of soldering. If you see none, use a drift punch to knock out the sight from the inside. (Note: These staked-on fronts can be easily detached by capturing the blade in a vise then rocking the slide side to side until the blade breaks free.

Afterwards, a punch can be used to knock out any portion of the tenon left behind.) If your customer wants a Novak low-profile rear, the slide will have to be machined aft of the dovetail cut. This will require a mill or combination mill/drill. Trying to perform milling operations with a dedicated drilling machine will only result in damage. You must be very careful when installing night sights that glow in the dark. You can’t pound on them without risk to their illuminating elements.

Tri Ji Con, for example, has gone so far as to design and produce a fixture for installing their night sights that eliminates this danger, but it is quite expensive. Whatever combination of rear and front sight is chosen, be absolutely sure their respective heights from the top surface of the slide are equal. Stock Finishing/Rust Bluing I’m having a lot of trouble removing dark oil spots from a stock where the metal was in contact with the wood. Any ideas?

I enjoyed Dan Herman’s article on rust bluing, but I wondered at which step you could let it rest if I had to take a break. (My guess would be after carding.) Do you have any idea how Colt got those deep blue finishes on their 1930s revolvers and Pythons? One final thing: Do you know any tricks for saving or restoring lettering on guns getting restored? Thanks. For the oil spots try some whiting (from Brownells).

After carding is okay for a quick break, but after the piece has been returned to its oxidation cabinet (or wherever the rusting is taking place) prior to the next carding is the time to get a good nights’ sleep. We have no details on the bluing compounds used by Colt, but we doubt they employed slow-rust technology. It would increase production time and production cost dramatically.

It may have been the excellent substrate preparation that you noticed on these revolvers, or perhaps it was a proprietary mixture of chemicals that resulted in the deep finish. (They don’t reveal their formulas, but some present-day bluing services come pretty close to matching those prized "Colt Blue" finishes.) The only trick we know of for engraving is to clean it out with a toothbrush and solvent. If it’s too worn, however, your only alternative is to turn it over to a reputable engraver.

He would be able to slightly deepen what’s left of the original. Fulton Shotgun Reassembly I have a Fulton double on the bench that needs anew firing pin or hammer and possibly anew hammer spring, causing the shotgun to misfire on one barrel. Getting it apart seems pretty obvious (drift out the hammer pin). My question regards compressing the springs and caps and reinstalling the hammers under tension and drifting the pin back in place. I’ve looked at the index for American Gunsmith and can find nothing on this.

Can you direct me to a source of help or advice, or was it was in an issue that I overlooked? Thanks. Fulton shotguns were originally produced by Hunter Arms, a company formed around 1915 in Fulton, New York, to manufacture L. C. Smith doubles. The Hunter/Smith relationship was maintained until 1950. Later, from 1968 to 1972, Marlin resurrected the L. C.

Smith. (Note: Doubles made in Fulton may have Damascus barrels and should not be fired with modern loads.) Disassembly instructions appear in the hard-cover edition of the NRA Guide to Firearms Assembly and the Gun Digest book on assembly/disassembly of shotguns. The tools and techniques for spring compression during hammer reinstallation are shown in the Gun Digest book. ican Gunsmith, address your email to ta letter to American Gunsmith Merritt Island, FL 32954.