Reader Forum

J. C. Higgins Shotgun I’ve got a J. C. Higgins Model 66 12 gauge made by Sears and Roebuck, serial number 583XXX. My problem is that this shotgun double fires. I disassembled and cleaned the shogun for a thorough inspection. During my inspection I noticed some of the gas ports are stopped up. I unstopped the gas ports, reassembled and used some light oil to lubricate the moving parts. Despite this effort the shotgun still double fired when tested. I’m at a loss about the cause of this.

Perhaps the firing pin spring is weak? A puzzlement. "J. C. Higgins" is unknown to me as ever being a manufacturer, yet, the Gun Parts Cross Reference listing for this shotgun indicates a Model 66 made by J. C. Higgins. As you may already know, Sears never made the guns they retailed. High Standard, Marlin and Mossberg, among others, were contracted to produce the merchandise and imprint whatever name Sears wanted on it, such as J. C. Higgins.

As for the doubling, it is quite possible the gas ports were enlarged in the "unstopping" and allow more propellant gas into the action. This can cause short cycling of the bolt, usually resulting in a serious battering of the receiver, bolt over-ride, feeding malfunctions and other annoyances of greater or lesser degree. In your case, however, I don’t believe this problem is resulting from a full blown short cycling situation.

Orifice diameters are critical in any gas operated gun, particularly one as old as the Model 66 which predates by many years the design and inclusion of gas-valve systems that allow firing of magnum and non-magnum shot shells interchangeably. Any digression from these diameters, either by enlargement or reduction, directly affects the function of the shotgun, from short cycling to no cycling at all. As to your suspicion of a weak firing pin spring, I don’t think such is the case.

If weak, the spring would be more likely to cause misfires than doubling. In your tinkering with the gun, I suspect you may have created a rare malfunction of the action. The bolt disengages and starts its travel rearward, the carrier presents the next shot shell, but before the bolt has completed its trip it is released to travel forward, chamber the offered round and, because sear engagement is not sufficient, the firing pin is struck by the hammer to impact the primer of the just-chambered shot shell.

Parts to accomplish what is suggested here will require an in-depth search of the after market. Once in hand, an experienced gunsmith may well be needed to rebuild the firing system of the Model 66. It is within that system, I believe, that the problem lurks. Old guns do wear out. At times, getting them back to "good as new" runs the cost of doing so considerably more than that of anew gun.

Dana Thomas Frierson, LA M1 Carbine Where may I obtain information on removing the rear sight assembly from the receiver of an M1 Carbine without damage or modification to the carbine and so that the sight might be reinstalled if desired?

As to the specific identification markings of this particular model, the top of the barrel behind the front sight is marked "Underwood 9-43"; the top of the receiver, "US CARBINE CAL 30 ml"; recoil plate, "SG"; magazine catch thumb rest, "MA3"; left side of front band, "SI"; right side of the rear sight assembly, "I. R. CO"; right side of trigger assembly, "rock-ola"; rear of receiver lettering (obscured by rear sight assembly), "1968637". Al Fraser Al’s Frivolity Work Shop Underwood, I. R. CO. and Rockola?

Sounds as though you have a real mongrel there! Too bad it’s not all Rockola. The carbines turned out by the former Jukebox maker are the most prized by collectors. You didn’t mention the type of rear sight on your carbine. There were three. The earliest had no windage or elevation adjustment other than a flip-up leaf. The second, or intermediate, was a milled assembly with a windage knob on its right side that had a serrated edge like a present day ten cent coin.

The later type, like the second, was adjustable for windage and elevation with diamond pattern checkering on the windage knob. The base and parts, excluding the springs, were stamped. All three types of rear sight dovetail into the receiver. Removal drifts from left to right and installation from right to left. Both must be accomplished with the receiver secured dead level.

To avoid marking up the receiver a nylon drift is recommended but a rear sight pusher would provide extra insurance against any damage from occurring. Dented Barrel I had a shotgun barrel come into my shop with a dent in the barrel. I have been an American Gunsmith Association member since the 1990s but can’t seem to find anything in them that says how to remove a dent. What is the proper procedure to about this?

Gary Jones Brownells offers the Original English Hydraulic Dent Raiser for shotgun barrels that does double duty as a shotgun magazine tube dent raiser. They are offered in 12, 16 and 20 gauges sizes. At $467.99 each they aren’t exactly cheap but if you do much scattergun work the price is well worth it as these devices will spare you the time and effort of removing dents by hand.

Lacking a dent raiser, turn a hardwood dowel down to bore diameter, round or point its end to a lesser diameter and tapping the dowel into the barrel until the dent is raised. Sometimes, the dowel gets stuck inside and you have to drive it

back out from the breech end. A full article on the dent raiser and dowel method doesn’t show up in our files but we’ve mentioned them both several times in responding to readers with problems such as yours. G2 Contender Has American Gunsmith ever done an article on the G2 Contender? There is a ton of info on the old Contender but I can not find a parts list for the G2. We’ve published on the T/C Classic, Encore and Contender but no reprints are available on them.

The last phone we have for the factory is A call there should get you a G2 owner’s manual and parts list. .270 Winchester M70 Problem A friend of mine reported that he was having problems with his .270 Winchester. The bolt would stick closed after every fired round even when using quality factory ammunition. The rifle is a Winchester Model 70 bought in 1995 and features a stainless barreled action and synthetic stock. I haven’t seen the rifle, only the fired nickel plated cases.

Except for four or five annular rings running around the body’s outside diameter, which are very slight but can be seen and felt, and the firing pin hit is slightly off center by about half the diameter of the indentation, the cases look normal. The rifle was returned to Winchester, but they could not find a problem. Any thoughts on what can be wrong? Bob Curry John vito De Angelis Lawrence, KS We suspect the nickle-plated ammo, not the rifle.

Those OD rings, however faint, hint at the cartridge cases being slightly undersize or, conversely, the chamber slightly oversize. Both would cause cases to swell and make extraction difficult. The latter seems doubtful since Winchester has checked out the rifle. Use JB bore paste on a moderately rotating swab to polish the chamber, make a Cerro Safe casting to check out the chamber against SAAMI specifications for the caliber and switch to brass-case factory loads.

Star Firestar Barrel I have a Star Firestar in .40 S&W caliber and need anew barrel for it. I have checked Numrich Gun Parts Corporation, Jack First and a couple of others but have had no luck so far. Joe Zito Call Brownells for a free copy of their parts source list. Your fingers may have to do considerable walking before you find the barrel. As always, if the pistol belongs to a customer add the cost of the calls to your bill for services rendered.

Marlin Model 90ST I have a Marlin Model 90 ST 20 gauge in my shop. The bottom barrel will not shoot. Have you ever done an article on the Marlin 90 ST? I am especially interesting in learning how to take the Sear Block out. John Conti We haven’t even seen a Marlin 90 let alone do an article on one. It was last made in 1960 as a result of an agreement between Marlin and Sear’s Roebuck who wanted an O/U in their line. Sears sold it marked as a Ranger before WWII and as J. C.

Higgins after the war, though Marlin also sold the shotgun bearing the factory name. At present, Marlin has become part of The Freedom Arms Group, which also holds a controlling interest in Remington, H&R 1871 and Bushmaster. More companies may soon be added to Freedom’s list. As a result, our historical contact at Marlin has been temporarily lost to us amidst relocations, expansions, phone number and personnel changes.

Meanwhile, the best we can suggest is get in touch with the Patent and Trademark Office in Washington, DC. Ask for a copy of patent # 2,376,358. The facts on how the gun operates and accompanying drawings in the document can be of considerable help, more often than not. Last time we checked the cost of a copy was $3.00. AG