Reader Forum

Baby Eagle My collection of magazines and books does not include a detailed procedure for disassembly of the UZI Baby Eagle 9x19mm pistol. Have you done an article on it? And can I get a copy? Stu Grell Grell’s Gunsmithing We ran an article on the IWI Jerico 941 in the January 2010 issue. That pistol and the Baby Eagle are sufficient kin to enable you to refer to the Jerico in taking down your Baby Eagle. Back issue info is available at americangunsmith.wordpress.com/back-issues.

Leade Lapping Abrasive Paper The article "Leade-Lapping A Bore For More Efficient Barrel Break-in" published in the August 2011 issue refers to a 3M abrasive sheet material or lapping paper coated with microngraded mineral patches on a high strength polyester backing. Could you provide more information about this product? I have tried to find information on the 3M web site without success. Any additional information, such as actual product name or other would be appreciated.

Do you know of any retail outlet where this can be purchased for use by an individual simply wanting to do some work at my small volume gun shop? James K. Ramsey Author Norman Johnson responds: Another company now handles the lapping paper that I use: PSI Int. (psidragon.com). I would suggest using the following numbers for leade lapping.

Micron US Product Color Grade Mesh Number 30 400 3M481Q Green 15 600 3M481Q Gray 9 1200 3M281Q Blue Stevens Mod 67 Series E I’m working on a Stevens Mod 67 Series E 12 ga. pump shotgun. The shell lifter will not operate and I don’t really understand how the mechanism raises the lifter. I’ve heard that this gun has a reputation for lifter problems. Is lifter assembly replacement the answer or is there something else to look for? This one has seen quite a bit of use but the owner doesn’t want to retire it.

Your comment about the extended use of the gun makes us suspect the springs in the carrier (lifter) mechanism. In most pumps the shell feeding back from the magazine strikes the carrier dog causing it to let go of the carrier (lifter) and allow the latter to raise the shell to the chamber mouth. When the pump handle is brought forward, the shell is moved off the carrier by the bolt and fed into the chamber.

When the bolt has gone fully into battery and locked, pulling the trigger releases the cocked hammer and the gun discharges. Before going crazy searching the aftermarket for out-of-production springs and/or parts, give the trigger mechanism a thorough cleaning and lightly lubricate it. Though action springs in old shotguns can and do weaken, at times they can and do become so fouled they lose much of their ability to act like springs.

P38 Pistol In a previous issue of American Gunsmith you have a letter inquiring about the safety of a WWII-era P38. The safety is supposed to block the firing pin and drop the hammer but P38 pistols made then have a safety with an extremely thin section that can break. This renders the safety useless as it no longer blocks the firing pin when the hammer drops and the pistol will then fi re whenever the safety is applied.

It is impossible to tell when the safety may break making each application of the safety an "adventure." Supposedly the firing pin was redesigned after WWII making more recent P38s safe. I consider WWII-era P38s as very dangerous firearms and I don’t know why this information is not better known. H. S. Mc Cann Wye River Arsenal Thanks. Arsenal workers usually know more about these subjects than all but the most fanatical collectors of a given firearm. We hope our readers will take your input seriously as we do.

Don Frost Trapdoor Spring eld Advice The original 405 grain loads for the Trapdoor Springfi eld that Winchester and Remington have produced for longer than I’ve been alive (I’m 55) were designed to be fi red in most early rifles chambered in that cartridge. Velocity runs about 1300 FPS and pressures are in the 25,000 PSI range, which is near black powder levels. I would advise against any of the modern smokeless loads marketed for modern rifles, such as the Ruger Number 1, Marlin 1895, and others.

There are specialty producers of black powder cast bullet loads that closely duplicate the original loads and these are quite easy to find. Do a quick search of online suppliers, such as Buffalo Arms, Midway USA, or Graf & Sons. As for the load differences between carbines and rifles, the carbine models could safely digest any load produced for the rifle, such as the .45/70/500, but it just kicked the snot out of the shooter. Shootability was the issue, not pressure levels or safety.

Some cavalry units during the time period purposely drew infantry loads as they believed the heavier bullet "carried" or "ranged" better than the lighter carbine load and considered it a decent trade off yielding more recoil but more range. Charles Moriarty San Antonio, TX What you state about the cavalry carbine may be true but the one we were

approached for reloading advice—a subject we do not make recommendations upon—involved an original trapdoor Springfield. Do to the distinct possibility of metal fatigue in a gun that old we felt the safest course was mention of the 55 grain cavalry load. That information, by the way, was provided to us by a manufacturer of black powder equivalent smokeless powder loads as part of a warning not to use modern .45/70 factory ammo in the carbine.

Sig Sauer P226 I just reassembled a Sig Sauer P226 after refinishing with Dura-Coat. The finish is not the problem, rather, the problem arises from the fact that the slide will no longer go on the frame! It seems that the feed ramp on the barrel is hitting against the front of the locking block instead of going over the top of the locking block. The frame and slide appear to be assembled correctly and all of the parts are where they are supposed to be. Can you give me any insight as to what the cause may be?

Au contraire and begging your pardon, the finish could be the problem if it has been applied too thickly. Clean the coating from the slide and frame rails, lightly lubricate both and retry function. Hopefully, a coating was not applied to the pistol’s internal parts, thereby throwing off Sig’s well-known talent for close tolerances. 1911 Sight Dovetails A few months ago I inquired about dimensions for different sights for the 1911 platform.

I received a lot of email saying that I must be crazy and that I would have to purchase and measure the various sights.

After exhaustive research, this is what I uncovered: Kimber: Adjustable rear .3605" x .164" x 60 degrees; Fixed rear .322" x .070" x 65 degrees; Front .3414" x .0745" x 60 degrees GI: Rear .344" x 60 degrees (some sources list this as .290" x 60 degrees) Novak: Rear .495" x .125" x 65 degrees (requires additional machining beyond dovetail cut); Front .330" x .075" x 65 degrees Robin Miller Bo-Mar: Rear .359" x 60 degrees (requires additional machining beyond the dovetail cut.) Heinie: Front .305" x .062" x 60 degrees Caspian: Front .300" x .060" x 60 degrees STI: Front .300" x .060" x 60 degrees Para-Ordnance: Rear .375" x 20 degrees; Front .250" x 30 degrees Anyone else wanting to add to this information is free to email or phone me.

Robin Miller Winchester 670 I have a Winchester 670 I’m restoring. After a thorough cleaning, disassembly, strip and rebluing and repairing of cracks in the wood and refinish I have it back together again. The rifle had been used for a crutch in the brush and as a lever to pull from. In short, it was abused and rough. The front sight was taped on with a few good wraps of standard electrical tape, put away wet and allowed to rust and dust. Now, thanks to my efforts, it looks like a respectable lady.

I was starting to check function and have one last issue that I can’t seem to find a fix for. It may seem trivial but the bolt safety is a bugger to flip. I must have disassembled the firing pin assembly a dozen times and reset the thing. In order to set the safety from the fire position to any mode of safe I have to simultaneously close the bolt and push forward on the bolt to get the firing pin rearward enough so the safety can cam over into place. What might some potential fixes be?

Dane Frazier We are referring all queries on old, old Winchesters to Nu Line Guns, a former factory authorized service center, who may also be able to provide any required parts. Call and ask for Jerry Stevens at extension five. AG