Reader Forum

Letter From Brownells I just had the pleasure of reading "AR Upper Quick Fixes: Match Bolt Carriers" by Joe Carlos in the May 2014 issue of American Gunsmith. I want you to know how much I appreciate you mentioning our staking tool. Very kind of you! Really interesting to read about your work. Your experience with ARs certainly goes back and your article is proof of your great expertise.

Your mention of harmonics and how different carriers, lube, and bullet seating with affect accuracy are truly noteworthy, something I’ve heard of but never known a whole lot about until now. Nicely done! My sincere thanks again, Joe. Please let us know how we can help with future articles and projects. Frank R. Brownell Author Joe Carlos responds. Thanks for the letter. It is nice to know someone is reading and appreciating! Reader Forum Comments Some comments from the April 2015 issue.

First, the Ithaca 37 typically has weak magazine springs. Some people shuck a pump gun almost before the shot gets out of the muzzle. When this happens recoil pushes the last shotshell in the magazine forward, the action opens, the shell stop retracts, the carrier comes up, the weak spring recovers from recoil, and the shell goes out on the ground. The cure is to replace the magazine spring with a stronger one. I use A5 Browning springs to fix this. Second, the Winchester 1400.

The instructions for replacing the magazine throat is accurate provided you can find a replacement throat. Winchester/Browning no longer supplies these parts and 1200 parts won’t fit. I am not aware of anyone offering these parts anymore. Does anyone on your staff know of a source for these one or two piece throats (they are different)? I could machine anew one out of aluminum or brass but the cost would exceed the value of the gun. Finally, Remington/Sako extractor replacement.

Remington 721 and 722 rifles used a snap-in extractor that Remington hasn’t supplied for many years. The riveted type won’t work and the current snap-in type is dimensioned differently so it won’t work either. The Sako-type conversion is the only option left. Norman K. Weaver Weaver’s Gun Shop Thanks for the comments, To your question, Numrich Gun Parts Corporation gunpartscorp. com) lists 1400 throats. Also check Jack First.

Brownells doesn’t show 1400 parts but does provide a free list of parts sources upon request. We believe you’ll find Buckinghams in Trenton, TN on that list and their emphasis is on Winchester. Brownells.com Letter From Ten-Ring Sure enjoyed the May 2015 issue. The editorial on hammer forged barrels was excellent and I got a real chuckle out of the guy with the Browning Auto-5. Ideal with men who take their guns apart or mess with the actions on a daily basis.

When they get to the part where they have to put them back together, panic sets in and my telephone rings. The most common call is for the Ruger Mark II pistol. Alex B. Hamilton Ten-Ring Precision, Inc. Dave Sengelaub of Sunnen Products Company wrote that editorial and was gracious enough to send it in. We try to help gunsmiths avoid the type of messes you point out and imagine that serving as the American Pistolsmiths Guild President, Secretary, and Pistolsmith of the Year you’ve fixed plenty!

Switch Barrel Article I finally had the time and inclination to read "A Second Bolt And Barrel For Bolt Actions" by Norman Johnson in the February 2015 issue. I noticed a mistake on page nine, first column, first complete sentence, stating, "In this case the barrel shoulder would need to be set back or the chamber lengthened…" Lengthening the chamber would make the issue of excess headspace due to shorter bolt worse. Jim Corolewski Bloomfield, MO Author Norman Johnson responds.

Jim, you are absolutely right in pointing out my incorrect use of the word "lengthened" when I meant "shortened." This is obvious and I should have noticed it. Hope you otherwise enjoyed the article. Recoil Pad Installation On Synthetic Gunstocks I want to thank you for doing the article "Recoil Pad Installation On Synthetic Gunstocks" in the April 2015 issue. That article was great. It help me to understand the process and what was needed to complete it.

Can you also make one about how to install scope rings on hardened rifle receivers, including how is it done, how to soften the area to drill and tap, how to determine if it is hardened steel, etc? Details on what is needed to do the work would be appreciated. Jerry Spadorcio Author Norman Johnson responds. Thank you for the compliments regarding my article.

We’ve discussed your request for an article on installation of scope rings on hardened rifle receivers with the editor and are planning to arrange such an article in an upcoming issue. BLR Long Action I have a Browning Lever Action chambered in .30-06 that will not cock. The hammer is pushed back by the bolt but not far enough for

the sear to engage. I can observe the hammer rubbing on the gears on the bottom of the bolt and can stop the bolt at the point where the ramp on the bolt has pushed the hammer as far as it will go downward. At this point, pushing down on the top of the bolt with very little effort engages the sear. The hammer is a two piece unit and the top part rotates around a pin. When rotated to the rear to the fire position, the rearward movement is stopped by a spur sticking up from the bottom part of the hammer.

I can put a small piece of debris between the spur and the top part of the hammer and it will function normally. What is the proper fix for this condition? I have some ideas but would like to know the right way to fix it. I would also like to know how to properly headspace this rifle. I have an AGI video on the .308 model but not the long action and they appear to be quite different.

First thing we’d do is try anew, factory hammer because it sounds lie there’s more than the needed amount of "play" in the firing mechanism. As for headspacing, get a GO and NO GO gauge in .30-06. If the bolt closes on the GO don’t sweat anything. If it closes on the NO GO you have a problem with excessive headspace. Unless you’ve had some experience correcting the condition, return the rifle to Browning rather than risk what could be a serious accident.

Winchester Model 71 A customer brought a Winchester Model 71 lever action rifle chambered in .348 Winchester (serial number 314XX) with a stuck case in the chamber. The case suffered separation and was extracted with a common epoxy-fill method. The customer mentioned that the lever/bolt were forced open upon firing the suspect handloaded cartridge that separated. After a function test was preformed I noticed excessive forward and backward movement of the trigger along with sideways play.

I replaced the two piece trigger and sear along with the associated pin and that tightened up the sideways slop. Preston Potvin Why is there still forward and backwards movement in the trigger when the sear is either engaging the hammer or not? I have studied the two parts (trigger and sear) in relation to each other and can see no reason why I couldn’t add some weld to the trigger top where it meets the sear and then filing down the weld to mate the two parts for a better fit.

I am seeing a 1/32" gap in the two parts, old and new. Robert Coles MOA Gunsmithing We suspect the overload may have also damaged the receiver. We suggest you call Nu-Line Guns nulineguns.com), which was previously a Winchester Authorized Service Center, and ask to speak with Jerry Stevens. Extractors What will happen if the extractor hook in a pistol is too close to the slide face? Mark Amann D. A. M.

Good Wood, a Veteran Owned Business Most likely there will be poor or no extraction because the extractor can’t grab on to the case. The cause might be a broken extractor or totally useless extractor spring but check the extractor cut in the breech face. If it’s solidly packed with fouling then you have another reason the extractor can’t settle in ahead of the case rim. The worst case scenario is there is a broken or badly worn slide lug allowing a barrel set-back condition.

Raptor Ri le Have you ever done an article on the Raptor .270? This company was bought out several years ago by Mossberg and I need to know where to purchase parts. Verlin Weaver Mountain Man Gun Works No on the article. For parts, call Vic Havlin of the Mossberg Collectors Association. AG