Reader Forum

Remington 1100/11-87 I have a question concerning your answer in the July 2013 Reader’s Forum ( Shortening A Model 1100 Barrel.) Does the information you gave Mr. Barton Holland also apply to the Remington 11-87? The gun in question is a left hand 11-87 chambered in 12 gauge with a 28" barrel, Rem Choke and light contour. Michael T. Sweeney No, the 11-87 has a totally different gas system than the 1100 since it is capable of firing both 3-inch and 2 3/4-inch shells from a single loading of the magazine.

Spring ield Shotgun I have a 12 gauge single shot Springfield shotgun manufactured by Springfield Arms. The Model number is 1929 or 1829 and the serial number is 147XX. I am looking for a stock for it and can’t find this gun in any of my reference books. Can you help me find some more about this gun so I can find anew stock for it? In my research I found that Stevens and possibly Savage made some guns for Springfield Arms. Don M. Pfannenstiel At least you have the serial number.

Write to John Callahan, Savage Historian, Westfield, MA 01085, requesting the model to which your serial number belongs. With that fact known, call Wenig Custom Stocks and Boyds Gunstock Industries In each case, ask if they have a stock pattern for the model and pray they answer "yes." Then it’s a matter of determining wood, degree of inletting, finishing and price.

With no pattern or an old stock to go by, or at least a photo or schematic of a stocked rifle to show conformation, the stock will have to made from scratch. You can count on sending the gun to the stockmaker and the price being much higher. Zastava M70 Several years ago I obtained a Yugoslavian-made Zastava M70 pistol. I showed it to a stockmaker friend of mine and he wants to make a nice set of wood grips for it. If I have the new grips made I would also like to have the pistol reblued.

The problem is I don’t have a clue about how to disassemble this handgun. Is there a web site where I can download this information? Shoreline, WA We haven’t covered the M70 but an article on the M88 Zastava appeared in our July 2008 issue. If you don’t have your copy, reprints might still be available. Our technical contacts at European American Armory, who imported the Zastava in the past, confirms that, though different, the M70 and M88 are similar enough and you can use the 2008 article as a disassembly guide.

Stevens Favorite 1894 model I have a Stevens Favorite 1894 model in .22 caliber. I bought it for my wife due to her size and the size of the rifle. When purchased, it was in rough shape so the intent was to turn it back to a working firearm. First on the fix list was a liner for the barrel. At the muzzle, the bore was an oval shape from shooting and cleaning. Not having knowledge of barrel boring for a liner, I took the little rifle to a local gunsmith. He sent the rifle to another gunsmith to do the liner.

After several weeks, I was called to come to the shop and get my rifle. The reason it took so long was there already was a liner in place! This meant that the original bore was shot out and a liner installed. So now there is a second liner. My reason for writing is the rifle’s inconsistent ignition, misfiring about every other round. What should the depth of the extractor slot be?

Since the extractor is also the point where the firing pin strikes the rim of the cartridge, I think that there is too much spring action of the extractor. The slot measures 3mm deep and that seems excessive. The rims of many rounds have a good indentation from the firing pin so this would rule out the main spring. Gary Coles Perhaps we misunderstand, but how can two .22 caliber liners be installed in a single .22 caliber barrel?

It is apparent from your ovoid muzzle description that the old barrel had thousands of rounds exit it. This is not startling due the age of the gun and how often said muzzle was abused either by accident or otherwise. David Ringrose If you’re not having extraction problems we don’t believe there’s an extractor tension factor present. As for the depth of the extractor cut, .22 LR case rims vary in thickness from brand to brand. Makers of rifles realize this so cuts tend to be executed to accommodate the thickest.

It is very important that the cut itself be kept clear of impacted debris as it can prevent the extractor hook from properly engaging the case rim. An old toothbrush or even Q-tips dipped in gun solvent are very good at this small but vital clean-up. We suspect the firing pin could be worn and suggest a replacement. Check in with Savage Arms, maker of a modern day Favorite, to see if its firing pin will interchange with the original.

Of course, it might come so close that minimal reworking of the replacement would make it perfectly serviceable. Marlin Model 43 Shotgun Do you have any take down instructions or know of where I can get some for the Marlin Model 43 pump shotgun? The Gun Digest Book of Firearms Assembly/Disassembly, Pt. V didn’t have this model. John De Angelis

The Model 43 was made from 1922 until 1930. There is no schematic and we have been unable to locate a copy of the owner’s manual. Marlin, Remington, NEF, H&R 1871, Bushmaster and probably others by now have been acquired by The Freedom Group conglomerate and said organization has been annoyingly tight-lipped about providing phone numbers for their new acquisitions. We will continue to pursue breaking in to this iron curtain of sorts. Meanwhile, your best bet might be the Marlin Collector’s Association.

The latest address can be found in the back pages of a current Gun Digest. Savage Model 25 Have you done any articles on this one? I have one in my shop that will not feed from lifter to chamber. The bullet tips down and I do not see a cartridge guide. I’m not certain how to disassemble The closest we can come to the Model 29 pump .22 is a schematic and takedown instructions for the Model 29 which appears in the NRA Guide to Firearms Assembly, hardcover edition.

The 29 shows a cartridge guide is present, or should be. So far, we’ve found no mention of the same part in a 25. To confirm or deny its presence, write to John Callahan, Savage Historian, Westfield, MA 01085. Another possible cause is a magazine tube spring so severely weakened it can no longer push the rounds far enough back into the receiver to locate properly on the lifter. You would be wise to ask Mr. Callahan if the 25 and 29 are close enough kin to make the above mentioned schematic and instructions of use.

You should also be advised that John charges for such things as copying and mailing owner’s manuals for out-of-production Savage, Savage-Stevens and Savage-Springfield firearms. SIG 229 I recently purchased a used SIG 229 in very good condition, better than 95%, and took it to the range yesterday. It fired normally, but when the magazine emptied, the slide stayed closed over the last, unfired round. I shot another magazine with the same result.

Upon closer inspection, I found a slight firing pin dent in the primer, Sam Caudell not enough to fire it. My conclusion is that the firing pin does not contact the primer properly with normal force on only the last round in a mag. This does not make sense to me. Any ideas? Joseph Fasceski Indeed, the singular appearance of a light hit doesn’t make much sense. If the firing pin was damaged or its spring weakened they’d be showing up more often as misfires.

A suspicion has arisen amongst us that something may me amiss with the slide hold open mechanism. Among these would be a weak magazine spring that is failing to raise the follower high enough to activate it. You should be aware of the differences in .22 caliber rim thickness from brand to brand and make an effort not to mix brands in charging your magazines. We once witnessed a smallbore indoor gallery match where a competitor mistakenly inserted a cartridge made by other than the manufacturer he’d been using.

He suffered lack of ignition, no impact on his target and lost the match, a State Championship, by a single point. One doesn’t easily get over such things. 7mm Remington Magnum When firing this gun the bolt action is very hard to open. When it does open, the bolt slides all the way out. There are also pieces of hard plastic falling out of the action assembly and the bolt is very rough to operate. Lupe Vargas Hereafter, please specify the firearm by model.

The bolt should not retract totally from the receiver upon opening the action. The plastic or polymer escapees indicate internal interference is taking place between the bolt and firing mechanism but may represent other problems. We suggest you call Remington Customer Service at If the rifle is still under warranty corrective measures should be at no cost to you. AG