Reader Forum

Remington Repair I have a Remington 700 with a plastic tip and some marks on it. I called Remington and they said it couldn’t be sanded and must be replaced. The stock looks very nice and I still think the tip could be fixed. What do you think? How do I remove the plastic tip? We checked to see if Remington had changed their method of attaching wooden end pieces to their stocks. They have not.

The piece is doweled to remove the tip is to cut it off, redowel a replacement and the forend, remount and band sand/polish the new union. Tape is placed over the wood to protect it during sanding/polishing. Since your 700 has a plastic end piece, the means of attaching it to the wood is no different. Neither is the replacement procedure except for the sanding.

Tape is still used but the plastic is polished using a coarser grit to begin then working down to finer and finer grits until the degree of final finish has been achieved. Marlin 88 A customer brought in a Marlin Model 88 .22 semi auto rifle that he took apart to clean. The disconnector spring fell out and it looks simple enough to put back in but I am finding out that is not the case. I cannot find anything on the proper way put it back in.

Clarence Funneman It’s our understanding that the M88 was the first .22 LR semi-auto to be produced by Marlin. No schematic is shown in the second volume of Jack First’s catalog, which leads us to believe that none exists. You could call Jack First and request to speak with a technician and secure the information. There is also the Marlin Firearms Collectors Association (marlin-collectors.com) that has come to the aid of some of our readers.

Other firearm association addresses can be found in Brownells catalog or the rear pages of a current Gun Digest. We recommend a current issue due to changes in association contact information. Shotgun Parts I had an old Central Arms Company side by side 12 gauge come in that would not cock. Simple enough to find the problem, as the cocking levers had broken. The problem I am having now is finding a set of new ones. The broken pieces flew away in the field.

I tried welding and shaping what I thought they should look like with no luck so far. Any chance you know where I can get some cocking levers? Robert Pryor Well, with old cars you know right off who built it. Consider yourself lucky that "Central Arms Company" remains visible on the old timer. We think Central might have been one of those gun builders, like Crescent Arms, who put together guns for anyone hankering to have their name on one. Hardware stores and sporting goods outlets for example.

Heck, Crescent might have made the Central Arms double brought in to you. A major problem rears its ugly head with some long out-of-production side by sides: Damascus barrels. As you know, a modern load let off in a wound barrel can unwind it real fast. A good place to check out whether or not the gun brought in carries Damascus tubes is to remove the forend and scrub off the finish under it. If you discover twist marks, you’re looking at a barrel formed around a mandrel and hammered together.

No modern loads should be used. The cures are new barrels or full length Briley inserts. The latter reduce the gauge but are perfectly safe with the newest of factory, non-magnum hunting loads. As for parts, contact Dixie Gun Works or Dixie is a well-known provider of parts for some really old smoke poles and might have parts acceptable to yours. Arisaka I have an Arisaka that has been rebarreled to 6mm. It has excessive headspace. Due to the bolt nose configuration and extractor cut I’m unsure how to proceed.

I know that the receiver threads were originally metric but I’ve read some people will thread the barrel shank at If this is the case, removing the receiver might be a problem. I’m really needing to know the best way to do the barrel setback and cut the extractor cut to fit the extractor. I hate to call my customer to return his rifle not repaired. Jack Maye Michael Walsh First things first. You didn’t mention the specific cartridge the new barrel is chambered in.

If it is a 6mm Remington Magnum you’re strongly advised to contact SAAMI and check out the pressure it will generate compared to the WWII Japanese military 6mm. An original Arisaka receiver may not be able to withstand magnum pressure. Second point, whomever rebarreled the rifle apparently resolved any external barrel and internal receiver thread problems but it’s pretty lousy the same individual didn’t recut the breech extractor recess and assure proper head space as part of the job.

Thirdly, and usually, setting back a barrel requires lathe turning material off the barrel shoulder, assuring the barrel/receiver interface remains dead true and reuniting the two major components. Significantly greater detail appears in John Hinnant’s book, The Complete Illustrated Guide to Precision Rifle Barrel Fitting, available from Midway USA. com or the author at johnsharonhin-

Winchester 1300 I have a customer’s Winchester Model 1300 in the shop. When cycled, the slide plate would come out of the recess on the bolt and release the firing pin and spring, causing the gun to jam. I changed the angle of the edge on the slide plate and the forward recess of the bolt, making both edges match and forcing the plate into the bolt for more positive locking.

When I test fired the gun everything stayed together as long as I held forward pressure on the forearm, however, if the forearm was not held firmly the plate would again ride up over the bolt. Does the angle of the firing pin retaining tab of the slide plate need to be adjusted? It does not appear to be exactly 90 degrees to the firing pin axis. Can the bolt be drilled and tapped for a retaining screw to hold the slide plate to the bolt like the 1200s had?

I suspect that something is causing the slide plate to lift up in the front when fired. This is most likely the cause of the wear on the leading edge of the slide plate which I have corrected. Now I need to correct the initial problem. Richard K Spencer We thought you might have one of the "Speed Action" Winchester 1300s that opened the bolt as much as 3/8 inches on firing by design.

After checking out your problem with a Winchester/Browning service center we’ve changed our mind and have taken their suggestions made after we read your whole query to them. Yes, the bolt can be drilled and tapped for a retaining screw as present in the Model 1200, but Winchester bolts are wicked tough. Real drill walkers and tap busters. The slide arm bridge (slide plate) leaves the factory with a 90 degree angle at its front end.

Altering that angle to to prevent the bridge from coming into any contact with the bolt lug. Said lug sometimes leaves the factory with a 90 degree angle built in to its bottom step. 80 degrees lessens the problem of the bridge and bolt becoming entangled. We believe the degree changes were made in newer versions of the 1300 you have on hand. Winchester Request I am requesting information for trigger adjustment on anew Winchester Model 70 with metal encased trigger housing.

Roy Ruston The fully encased trigger mechanism has come into wide-spread favor with firearm manufacturers as a first line of defense against trigger jobs attempted by the unskilled. In most litigation involving accidental discharges the cause can be traced to botched trigger alterations. As a further defense, most factory set trigger screws are hidden behind proprietary, colored epoxy compounds.

Any disturbance of the epoxy is an instant tip-off to factory service personnel that the mechanism has been tampered with. This normally leads to a cancellation of any warranty still in effect. We found a schematic for anew Model 70 Winchester on the Gun Parts Corporation web site (gunpartscorp.com). Working our way through the owner’s manual in which it appears revealed an illustrated section on adjusting the trigger for pull, overtravel and take-up.

Though not visible in any of the illustrations, we can assume there’s some colored epoxy present over at least one of the adjustment screws. For the reasons outlined above we suggest you leave the OEM trigger untouched and replace it with a Timney #112 Winchester unit. It is adjustable from 1-1/2 to 3-1/2 pounds pull plus take-up and overtravel with manufacturing tolerances within 0.0005 inch. However, do not discard the OEM trigger assembly.

Should the rifle ever have to receive factory-only service remove the replacement and reinstall the factory trigger prior to shipment. Otherwise, the rifle might be returned to you with a fresh OEM unit installed and the Timney nowhere in sight. We’ll add that, in our opinion and that of others who carry firearms afield, to hunt a 1-1/2 pound trigger pull is entirely too light for the purpose. AG