Reader Forum

Spencer Shotgun Where can I get info on Spencer pump shotguns? I especially need disassembly and operation info. To begin, the Spencer is considered to be the first successful pump shotgun. It came on scene about 1882 and later in 1896. The action was unusual. The breech opened and rose up at the same time the ejection port opened downward on the bottom of the receiver. In 2008, a speed shooting record in the Cowboy Action discipline was set with a Spencer. The video is available on YouTube.com.

You’ll also find an article with downloadable photos entitled "Repairing My 1896 Spencer Pump" on the CAS City website forum (cascity.com/forumhall). The guy who wrote it, Roscoe Coles, really knows what he is doing. In the same forum you’ll also discover a Spencer Shooting Society with contacts if you’d like more information from them. Putting "Spencer Pump Gun" into your favorite search engine will reveal more.

In your searching please note there is a novelty store called Spencer’s having nothing to do with shotguns. Following what initially seemed to be a promising link led us to this site offering things like Carmen Electra’s Professional Pole Kit for in-home pole dancing practice among other Rand X rated items. Not what we were looking for but nothing we’d call "boring." Chipmunk Ri le A customer has brought me a Chipmunk Rifle .22 SL made in USA by Oregon Arms, Inc., Medford, Oregon.

This little rifle was in the cocked position, the bolt could not be opened and the trigger would not fire it. Inspection revealed the trigger sear was broken. Could you give me any contacts where I might find parts? I could make the part if necessary but I would prefer to buy it if possible. Instruct your search engine to locate Chipmunk Rifle. You’ll soon discover the rifle was initially brought to market as a result of efforts from a father/ son team of auctioneers and originally named the Davey Crickett.

Oregon Arms came in later and renamed it Chipmunk. Subsequently, the father/ son team acquired Keystone Sporting Arms, who still make the rifle Rick We may be mistaken but we don’t recall the rifle being one that cocks on opening. This being the case, you can decock the bolt by pulling the cocking piece to the rear, hanging on to it and turning it clockwise. In any event, and assuming the Keystone-made guns do not differ from the Oregon versions, the former should be able to provide a replacement trigger.

Remington 3200 I am looking for information on disassembly, reassembly and adjustments for Remington 3200 over/under shotguns. I need to replace the firing pins and there appears to be a firing pin stop adjustment. To date, I have not had success finding literature on the 3200. We published an article covering the 3200 in the August 1996 issue. If you don’t have a copy, disassembly/reassembly information appears in the The NRA Guide to Firearms Assembly, hard cover edition.

Regarding the firing pin stop, the yoke rod fits in the firing pin housing and is retained by two yoke rod nuts outside the back end of the housing. When the rod is installed there should be a slight clearance between the buffer spring, its washer and the firing pin retractor when the top lock is positioned forward. Travel of the firing pin(s) is adjusted with the yoke rod nuts.

When proper travel has been established—firm enough to ignite but not puncture the primer—the yoke nuts should be bonded together with a blue thread sealant to maintain it. Bill Reinhart Bill’s Remington Model 12A, Smith & Wesson Model 10 I have a Remington Model 12A that came in missing the retainer. I replaced it but found that it also had a problem with long rifle ammo, hitting the bullet on left side of chamber. The gun has been thoroughly cleaned but still hangs up. No problem with shorts.

Any thoughts on what could cause the problem? The S&W Model 10 works for five or ten rounds, then locks up. Neither the trigger nor hammer can be moved and it won’t rotate the cylinder. After opening the cylinder to start over it works again but can’t see any reason for jam. Mark It’s possible the retainer, or guide, in your Remington receiver is for .22 Short, not .22 LR. The Model 10 could be suffering from excessive cylinder end shake.

As the gun is fired the cylinder is riding back into contact with the rear frame. This can be corrected with end-shake shims. Another possibility is a bent crane or ejector rod. This is a little more serious and can cause the cylinder to rotate eccentrically instead of in a smooth, circular path. The S&W Revolver: A Shop Manual by Jerry Kuhnhausen goes over how to repair this condition. If overly-hot handloads can progressively set the primers back to jam against the rear of the frame.

Finally, the trigger on a stock Model 10 should be allowed to return fully forward before being pulled again. Revolvers used by the top combat shooters have had major work performed to allow rapid fire strings in about one second. Jeri Mixed Bag I have in the shop a Stevens 67H, 12 gauge pump shotgun. The safety button, spring and detent ball are missing and I cannot find replacements anywhere. I’ve tried Gun Parts Corp, Bob’s Gun Parts in Arkansas and several stores online. Can you give me

any direction that I can try? I’ve heard that this gun is the same as the old Savage Model 30 but I can’t find parts for that either. I’m sure this will set the purists to howling but I am stripping and refinishing a Mosin-Nagant Model 38 stock. It is a laminate stock and it seems to have an orange shellac finish. I’m planning on using Tru-Oil on it as the owner wants the orange look without the shellac. Any suggestions? I may be working on a Remington Viper that has a problem with the trigger group.

Apparently, the little tabs that hold the assembly in have broken off (I haven’t seen it yet, this is what the owner has told me.) I’ve told the owner to write Remington and they would likely repair it for little or no cost, but he claims he doesn’t have time and wants me to do it. Can I write to Remington about this or does the owner have to?

On the Stevens, check in with Jack First and call Brownells for a free copy of their Parts Source List for out-of-production firearms and warm up your fingers to do a lot of walking. On the Mosin-Nagant, you’ll have to remove the shellac before you can apply anything else. How deeply the orange finish has penetrated into the wood will determine whether removal can be accomplished with the application of shellac thinner or a combination of thinner and sanding. All traces of the shellac coating have to be eliminated.

Then go to your nearest paint supplier, tell the honcho there of your customer’s desire for an "orange look" and see what he can do to mix you up a quart or so of neutral Minwax tinted to the color required. Minwax can be built up to provide a very high gloss finish when allowed to dry completely between applications, which are rubbed into the wood by hand as with a boiled Linseed oil finish. Unless we’re way off base, we think the Viper tabs you mention are an integral part of the receiver.

That being the case, call Remington, explain the problem and talk the resolution, if any, over with Customer Service. It’s always best to contact the manufacturer directly rather than receive the information second hand. Jim Ithaca Shotgun I just had an Ithaca Single-Barrel Trap Gun brought in to my shop for a cleaning and inspection. The owner said it was a Flues Model. I have worked on these before but this one does not have the typical three screw trigger plate screws that I have encountered.

The serial # is 3440XX, which puts it into the Flues era, but disassembly of the action looks nothing like others I have seen. It has a two piece offset firing pin and a different action lock up. I have searched all my books and websites to find this gun without luck. Bob Johns Shogun Gunsmithing & Sales Our meager files on Savage single shot trap guns led us up a blind alley. Sorry, but we do know of a source you can contact. He is the official Savage/Stevens Historian. John Callahan, Westfield, MA 01085.

Federal Ordinance M1A I have in my shop a Federal Ordinance M1A that is denting the primer almost to the point of ignition upon closing the bolt. I took a empty primed case and on the third closing it fired, indicating the firing pin is moving free. The bolt face, ejector and extractor all OK. Rons Gun Get some GO/NO GO headspace gauges and check out the rifle for meeting GO conditions. We don’t think you have excessive headspace. To the contrary, the primer hits indicate the barrel may be set too far back.

This might be corrected with a circular shim installed between the barrel shoulder and receiver and could definitely be corrected by installing anew barrel group. It would also be wise to make a chamber cast with Cerro-Safe and check it out against SAAMI specifications for the cartridge being used. Speaking of the cartridges, are they factory made or reloads? The latter may be on the hot side and driving the primers to the rear. AG