Reader Forum

Sears Model 3T/ Winchester Model 190 I missed the opportunity to call you yesterday so I am writing today. Has American Gunsmith done any articles on the Winchester 190 .22 Rimfire rifle? If so, what issue? I have been brought one of these that the customer took apart to clean. Now, after pulling back the bolt and loading a cartridge, if I pull back slightly on the bolt, it fires. I have not worked on one of these before so I don’t know the pitfalls.

I found a disassembly article on the Internet and it specifically states to have the action cocked before removing the trigger group. I am guessing that this was not done and might be the source of the problem. If you have done an article on this rifle let me know and I will order it. Thanks in advance. We think we found the same information as you did and agree the rifle was probably "forced into submission" during removal of the trigger group. Parts were likely lost and/or the group was reassembled incorrectly.

We have not done an article on the 190. It went out of production in the early 1970s. Being that old means wear problems may well exist. See the newest edition of the Gun Digest Book of Assembly/Disassembly, Part III, Rimfire Rifles and follow its reassembly instructions closely. If the malfunction persists, contact Nu Line Guns for additional assistance and part replacement. Ron Brimhall Please note: The telephone hot line was discontinued by the AG publisher effective March 1, 2009.

Address all future e-mails to Remington Rolling Block Rebarrel I am rebarreling a Remington Rolling Block #2 action. I do not have the old barrel. Do you have dimensions, tension length, extractor cut, etc? We had to eliminate our first choice as a source, The Remington Custom Shop. Presently, they may not be producing the #2 Rolling Block. Our next choice is The Remington Society of America (www.

Remington Society. com/forums.) Go to that site and follow the prompts to the Rolling Block experts/aficionados in the RR/Pre -1898 section. There is a whole section dedicated to Rolling Block and similar vintage rifles. Needing Remington Advice I have rebarreled a Remington 700 in 7mm Rem Magnum to 358 Norma Magnum and have a problem with feeding. If I load two cartridges they both feed without problem, but if I load three the first one feeds OK and the second one jams. What can I do to improve feeding?

Gregg Slepicka Douglas Heritage Is this a 100% or intermittent occurrence? We think the cause is related to excessive compression and tensioning of the magazine spring. This can happen when the magazine well isn’t deep enough or when the OD of the cases, 7mm vs .358 Norma in your case, aren’t the same. It might even be due to bullet diameter. The Norma is .359, the Remington .284. There are no .358 Norma Model 700 magazines made by Remington.

This leaves you several options. (1) remove the 7mm mag spring and send it to Wolffe Company with a request for a lighter and a heavier spring. Try each in your factory magazine; (2) Scour the aftermarket for a Model 700 magazine in .358 Norma; (3) contact the Custom Gunmakers Guild for a metalsmith who can build you a replacement and deepen the mag well; (4) Build one from scratch yourself.

Colt New Service .44 I have a Colt New Service .44 that I recently acquired that is, to say the least, a very bad rust bucket. I’m trying to semi-restore it for a wall hanger. All went well until I tried to remove the crane bushing to replace the ejector spring. I soaked it in Kroil for several days and still broke two crane bushing removal tools. I then applied heat to the crane/bushing site, but still no luck. What do you recommend? Also, I can’t find a bolt for the same weapon.

I’ve tried, Numrich, Western Gun Parts, and Ahlmans. Any others? Gary Chief David Cunningham Our suggestion is an extended submersion of the frame, any wood removed, in penetrating oil. Even better, the oil should be heated as long as you’re wary of the flash point. A desperate measure might be taken if that fails; Substitute Birchwood Casey Rust and Blue Remover for the penetrating oil. This, of course, would also take off any bluing remaining on the revolver but it could be reblued.

For parts, we suggest two possibilities: (1) Old Town Station, Lenexa, KS (2) Dave Chicoine (pronounced SHE-quinn) in South Carolina email:

Stevens model 87D I have been working on a Stevens model 87D 22 semi-auto. When I first got it the bolt would not go all the way home. My customer said it wasn’t ejecting fired cases all the time, that they were still in the receiver, and the next live round was holding the empty in there. Upon inspection, I found the extractor band was broken (the left tip was gone) so I got anew one and installed it. The rifle fired, but after about 12 or 15 shots the problem came back.

I bent the new extractor and ejector to match the old one. Same story. After 12 or 15 shots it’s jamming the live cartridge and the fired case in the receiver at the cartridge lifter. Now the extractor/ejector look like they haven’t even been bent. How do I get them to hold the shape I need to get it working all the time? What is your recommendation?

If we took in a 44 year-old pop gun and called Savage for information or a confirmation of what we think might be wrong with it they’d tell us to call The Small Arms Shop, Inverness, Florida. The fellow who runs the place, Steve Simon, is one of the few still standing and specializing in long out-of-production Savage/Stevens guns. Steve could tell us our suspicion about your 87D is right and there’s a cartridge stop or guide missing or worn out in the vicinity of the rear end of the inner magazine tube.

He could also tell us right then that we’re full of beans and straighten us out. Then he could sell usa replacement part. Steve only takes calls from 5:30PM to 9:00PM weekdays Please give him our regards. Revolver Identi ication A customer brought in a S&W .38 Special. It appears identical to a Model 10, however, there is no model designation on the gun. The serial number is 9783XX and stamped inside the yoke is 3 over 687-91. What model is this?

It needs an extractor rod with right hand threads and a extractor rod pin. Any idea where I might obtain parts? Your help is appreciated. Papajo at Atkins Gunsmith Your first request should have been to Smith & Wesson in Springfield, MA. Give them the serial number of the revolver then ask them about parts sources which may exist outside the usual.

If S&W can’t identify the gun model we suspect you have a revolver that has been "reworked." We think it’s fortunate for all concerned that the serial number remains intact. Browning A-500R I have a Browning A-500R in my shop. The owner complains that it does not fire every round. The mis-fires area result of a light primer strike. When I took the gun apart I noticed some wear in the finish on the right side of the hammer.

The hammer and trigger housing are stamped "H", indicating it has been replaced with the upgrade. Jimi I did some research on this gun and found that a company was offering a hammer which has a recess on the right side to miss the springs which would cause drag on the hammer. I called Browning in Pevely, Missouri and they were no help. I thought about honing the right side of the hammer enough to clear the springs, but I wonder if it would make the hammer too light and increase the firing problem.

My question is if you are aware of this recessed hammer and if it actually works? Also, is there something else I can do to this gun to make it function properly? Sadly, Browning (a.k.a. Browning/ Winchester these days) has opted to discontinue the Model 500. We can only guess the decision was based on cost of manufacture.

No, we are not aware of the recessed hammer of which you speak but if you use an indicator such as Dy Kem on the right side of the hammer and only polish that side enough to remove signs of drag we don’t think you’ll be over-lightening the hammer. We wonder if this occurred with the recessed replacement and no stronger spring was available to counteract the deficiency. Mauser Stock Where can I get a replacement Mauser stock for a 1916 Mauser made in Berlin?

This rifle is chambered in 8mm and looks like a sniper model with no scope mount and a straight bolt. Terry Rybak Are you sure regarding Berlin? The vast majority of German-made Mausers came out of Oberndorf. Regardless, contact Boyds Gunstock Industries Remington Speedmaster 241 Can you assist me in finding takedown and assembling instructions for the Remington Speedmaster 241? Would appreciate any directions. Ellis G. Winstead Is this a take-down version of the rifle?

Regardless, the M241 went out of production in 1949. But Remington Customer Service may be able to send you a photocopy of the owner’s manual from their out of production files. Parts are probably available in the aftermarket. Marlin Mod 60 I need some guidance on the Marlin Model 60. A customer brought one in that was not extracting the spend brass. Easy fix — new extractors and problem solved… Another problem was not detected due to non-extrac Paul D. Backues

(continued from previous page) tion — it does not eject! Is the brass ejected by the firing pin or is there a "willow-the-wisp" I have failed to detect? The gun fires, just doesn’t eject. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Ivan Helton Trail Arms Gunsmith, LLC The "wil 'o the wisp" you mention could be the problem. It’s the extractor spring and may be weakened, damaged or incorrectly installed. Refer to the Model 60 article in the April 2005 issue.

It is very complete on the complexities of the firing system of the rifle and should still be available as a reprint. S&W 52-2 I have a Smith and Wesson model 52-2 with a swollen barrel due to an over charged reload. Smith and Wesson who tells me they no longer have any barrels for this gun and Bar-Sto tells me they will be happy to make me a barrel… as long as I want 50 or more! Although this gun has been out of production since 1993 it remains popular at bullseye matches.

You would think there would be some source due to the popularity and the fact that there are thousands out there, but I haven’t been able to locate a source. Even rough used 52's generally go for $1200–1600 and that is too much just for the barrel. A major problem it is. And a resolution could be very expensive seeing as the pistol, regrettably, is no longer made and the price of any major component for it is at the mercy of the aftermarket.

We personally know a Master Class pistolero who still uses his Model 52s in the centerfire stages of Three Gun bullseye shooting. Knowing he has more than one of the pistols, we checked in with him to see if he just might have a spare barrel. No luck. In fact, he is also searching for a barrel so he can complete construction of his fourth Model 52. He has done a considerable amount of gunsmithing in the past.

We fear he, as you, will have to rely on the aftermarket and call Brownells for a free copy of their Parts Source List covering out-of-production firearms. There are several specialty sources included in the list, among them barrel makers and barrel reliners. The latter is a wild card but someone with superior skills at relining might be able to bore out your existing barrel and reline it in .38. This depends on the bulge you mention but the possibility did occur to us.

As you know, the Model 52 was the only centerfire pistol designed to serve as a masterful target gun with .38 wadcutters. And while there may be thousands out there as you say, there are no cheap ones to be had among them. .22 conversions In the July 2009 issue of the newsletter there was an article about .22 Long Rifle conversions that made mention of the KART .22 conversion unit. I have a KART .22 conversion unit on an Essex frame. I cannot find any information about the KART unit.

Could you please advise me where I might find more information about this? Mike Solomon Ranger Doug The article you refer to was "Tech Topics." Within its content we referred to Tactical Solutions 2211 conversion which, in our opinion, is a reasonably close clone of Fred Karts' original conversion. Whether it could out shoot Freds' is a moot point but as present day conversions go we’d give the 2211 a first place finish.

As for more information on the Kart, you didn’t make clear of what you wanted so check the internet and if that fails you could try to reach Fred at his present facility in North Carolina Congratulations, by the way, on actually owning a Kart Conversion. We’ve heard a couple of unconfirmed rumors that it may go back on a production line… but it won’t be Freds'. All serious target shooters should hope this comes to pass. AG