Reader Forum

High Standard Double Nine I need some help fitting anew "finger" in a High Standard Double Nine. This gadget rotates the cylinder to the next stop and I’m at a loss on getting it fitted and working. J. L. Halderson American Fall, ID The article we want you to read, "Correcting Timing Problems in S&W Revolvers," appeared in our September 2002 issue. We understand you’re working with a High Standard but the "gadget" you mention is the hand. It engages the ratchets to rotate the cylinder in all revolvers.

When a hand fails to do its job, a revolver suffers a timing problem. The cylinder fails to rotate at all or completely. 99% of the time this is because the hand is too short, too long or one or more of the ratchets need reforming. Contact our back order department at Norwalk, CT 06856-5656 or call It is possible the September, 2002 issue may no longer be available as a reprint.

If that turns out to be the case, get a copy of The S&W Revolver: A Shop Manual by Jerry Kuhnhausen, which covers the S&W J, K, Land N Frame revolver actions. It will provide all the help you’ll need. 1918 Erfurt Luger My Luger is 95%+, the bore is perfect and only the grips show wear. The serial numbers all match! The only problem with this gun is its inability to lock out (hold open, as the Germans call it) after the last round has been fired.

At the range we thought maybe the rounds didn’t have enough power to lock out the toggle but my P38’sand my P9R (Browning Highpower Hungarianmade clone) work fine on lock out. The hold open latch is chromed with the last two digits of the serial number as are all the other parts and has no look of repair work. The magazine lifts the hold open latch properly and can be manually locked out with no problem.

I put marker on the bottom of the bolt (they call it the breechblock) and fired three rounds with regular 9mm, 9mm +p, and 9mm +p+ but none of them lock out the bolt after the last round. The marking on the bottom of the bolt indicates it needs to move back to lock out about 1/16" or so. I’ve had many problems with some of my collection and have never had a strange problem like this. It almost seems as if this gun never worked properly.

I’ve heard tell that Erfurt Lugers were the runts of the litter compared to the other manufacturers, which may explain its great condition. Perhaps this one never saw action because of its disfunction, which is a shame because she is dead accurate and feeds with no problem. I just received a hold open latch and spring from Jack First and will not change the original one under any condition as both are identical in shape and size. The spring tensions seem fine through out as all other operations work fine.

I work only on my collection to put the ailing ones back to working condition. Joseph C. We’re not absolutely certain you should be firing +Por +P+ rounds through your Luger. As an Erfurt, we’re told it’s of higher value than some others. The hotter rounds might be cycling the pistol too fast due to their extra power and could batter it some or even seriously damage it.

Besides that concern, check out the following: Wear in the toggle linkage and about midframe there’s an L-shaped hold open lever serviced by a flat spring. Said spring could be tired and needing replacement. Shortening A Model 1100 Barrel I have access to a Model 1100 Remington in 12 gauge that I would like to convert to a home defense gun. I would like to cut the barrel down to 18.5 inches. Will it still cycle with the shortened barrel? If not, what will I need to do to make it work? Barton Slow down apiece.

How long is the existing barrel? Is it chambered for 2 3/4"? Three inch? Magnums? Did you know what there is of the gas system in an 1100 lives inside the fore end and that the shortest barrel ever offered by Remington for the 1100 was 22" from breech to muzzle? Even at that length, the two existing gas ports had to be opened up with a #43 drill in order to cycle the action with 2 3/4" field or magnum loads.

There is serious doubt expressed by the experienced Remington engineers we contacted regarding your inquiry that the 1100 will function with an 18.5" barrel. They added that an attempt to drill any additional hole, if required, would have to be at the same angle of the original and at a distance/size yet to be specified to assure reliability. The same engineers made the observation that shot dispersion difference between an 18.5" and a 22" cylinder bore 12 gauge would be close to nil.

Ljungman Agm/42 My dad has an old Ljungman Agm/42 that he is looking for a parts breakdown, something like a blue print. We are AGA members and feel that you may be able to help. John H. The rifle was made many years ago by previous manufacturer Carl Gustaf in Sweden. It was designed in 1941 and was the first, mass produced direct gas operated rifle. Original caliber was 6.5x55mm Swedish. When the rifle was adopted by the Egyptian armed forces it was rechambered to 8x57mm Mauser and called the Hakim.

We have never had access to working blueprints and have been unable

to locate a useable schematic for the military Hakim. Parts apparently are available from Numrich Gun Parts Corporation (gunpartscorp. com) but the rifle shown is identified as a trainer. Automag III Technical Question Where can I obtain an exploded view or frame reassembly information for an AMT Automag III? I have a customer that brought one in disassembled. The purpose and location of part #CM14 is not obvious to me, labeled part #CM14, "Slide Stop Plate," in the owners instruction manual.

The Automag pistol has had a chameleon-like existence. It was acquired by along list of companies in vain efforts to keep it in production. The alphabet soup of ever-changing owners culminated with AMT. Undoubtedly, your customer has failed to keep the owner’s manual and the sole disassembly/reassembly information we have been able to uncover is for the AMT Back Up. The good news is the son of the pistol’s inventor may be able to help you further: He also has some parts.

ATF Rules During a recent perusal of prior issues of American Gunsmith, I came across a letter sent to you through the Reader Forum portion of the magazine in the May, 2011 issue. A gunsmith wrote a letter asking for assistance with a Browning A5 which was having an issue with the safety sear after he modified the shotgun to accept 2 3/4 in shells. Your response was for him to "stop now", then going on to tell that gunsmith that he was "manufacturing" and would be considered so by the BATFE. Am I missing something?

I take particular issue with this notion of "manufacturing", and I was hoping you could set me straight. Neal According to the BATFE from their website, "Generally, a person engaged in gunsmithing requires only a dealer’s license (type 01). There are circumstances in which a gunsmith might require a manufacturing license. Generally, a person should obtain a license as a manufacturer of firearms if the person is: 1.

Performing operations which create firearms or alter firearms ( in the case of alterations, the work is not being performed at the request of customers {emphasis added}, rather the person who is altering the firearms is purchasing them, making the changes, and then reselling them), 2. Is performing the operations as a regular course of business or trade, and 3.

Is performing the operations for the purpose of sale or distribution of the firearms." Was this particular gunsmith not modifying the Browning A5 at the request of a customer? Was he purchasing multiple Browning A5’s, making the changes, and selling/distributing them?

Now, I understand this was not the brightest of ideas, to modify this particular Belgian-made shotgun, however, how can this possibly be construed as "manufacturing?" I change, as a matter of course in my gunsmithing shop, calibers and barrels of rifles (not necessarily shotguns). Can you clarify if this is considered manufacturing, per se? I thought it was just what we, as gunsmiths, were supposed to be able to do.

John Mc Bride, owner/gunsmith TENEX CUSTOM Firearms Concord, You are not the first to raise the ATF rules on manufacturing. However, it is not the gunsmith’s interpretation of that regulation that matters during the annual, unannounced inspection the holder of a dealer license is exposed to. There are about 1000 ATF inspectors. The one making the inspection interprets the rule as he or she understands it.

In other words, opinions of the individual FFL holder, the editors of this publication and even the Browning engineers contacted (as stated in the reader response under discussion here) matter not. What the inspecting officer thinks is what matters. Period. AG