Reader Forum

Letter From Brownells I really got a kick out of Joe Carlos mention of "gun plumbers" in his great article, "Predicting Barrel Wear, Part Two" in the July 2014 issue of American Gunsmith. Thank you for mentioning Steve Schmidt’s Gun Cleaning Clinic article as a good resource and for talking about our J-B Bore cleaner. This is a must-read article for anyone who owns a gun. You cover some very important points here, especially your advice on finding the correct sized rod and how to use them with the right cleaners.

So true about taking a lot of care and using metal bore guides too. Gunsmithing is one of those professions where good knowledge is something to continuously work at and share with others. Glad to see you sharing some of yours. Frank R. Brownell Chairman, Brownells.com Thanks again for the letter and for recognizing Joe Carlos. We’re glad to know you find benefit in the same articles that our members enjoy.

Remington Barrel Threads Are the receiver barrel threads for a Remington 788 chambered in .22-250 the same as the Remington 700? We can come up with no reason why Remington would balk at providing accurate factory specs to your question. Contact their customer service people in Ilion, NY. Of course you might prefer to locate a Model 788 and 700, remove their barrels and measure the inside receiver threads of each one.

After that, all you’d have to worry about was whether the customer was intending to screw in a belted Magnum tube to a receiver not made to take the pressure. FOX Carbine 45 ACP I’ve got this FOX Carbine (it is sort of like a Thompson submachine gun wannabe) in the shop and can’t find much info on it. The one website I found and emailed hasn’t responded. I can not figure out how to get into the action under the "bolt tray." The frame is cast aluminum with no seams and no apparent access from the bottom.

I’m hoping someone in our circle has worked on one of these before and can help. Mark Gabriel Patriot Gunsmithing, LLC This firearm was outlawed in the Assault Weapon Ban of 1994 that expired in 2004. The manufacturer has closed up shop. If you get back on your computer, direct your browser to search "The Fox Carbine." A site with a Thompson-type image will appear along with several links including one for a patent and patent drawing.

We covered the presently-produced Kahr Arms Thompson in a previous issue but due to the design changes made by the inventor of the FOX we doubt it would be much help. There are other resources to be found online. We suggest you try them all. Remington Model 760 .30-06 I have a Remington Model 760 .30- 06 in my shop that has been in my customer’s family for some time but won’t shoot. Although the rifle looks to be in very good shape, it makes a very light hit on the primer.

John I removed the bolt and firing pin and they looked good. After a thorough cleaning, I test fired it and it still won’t fire. I removed the trigger plate and noticed the breech bolt lugs don’t fully lock up with the barrel when closing the forend. Pushing the action bar assembly forward strikes and stops against the forend cap screw.

Unscrewing the forend cap out of the action tube assembly about 2/16" and pushing the forend action bar assembly until it stops against the cap screw has the breech bolt lugs fully locking up into the barrel lugs. I tested the rifle again. It fired. When I did this it left a gap between the action bar lock and the action bar of about 2/16". I don’t know what caused this to happen. It’s as if the action tube had shrunk or the action bars stretched.

The barrel locks up tight against the receiver, as well as all other parts of the rifle. The forend wood is tight on the action bar assembly. I’m planning to re-pin the forend cap screw in the action tube and TIG weld on the action bar lock to close that gap. Is this a proper solution? Jerry Before you get into the welding solution check a few things first. Are the firing pin retractor, its spring, plunger, and the plunger spring jammed up? If so, the bolt won’t rotate into the barrel lugs.

This same result happens if either lever on the front of the trigger is out of position with the action bar lock. If the action bar lock is improperly installed, the rear of the action slide has to jump over it. Check the breech bolt assembly. The cam pin entering it allows it to move forward, unless the pin hole has been enlarged or "wattled" due to wear. Remington 740 Barrel I recently had a Remington 740 (an older .30-06 in rifle length) brought into the shop.

My customer wanted the barrel shortened to 18 or 20 inches. My response was yes but I am not sure if it will cycle. First, is it possible to shorten the barrel on this rifle and still have it cycle correctly? If it is possible, is there anything beyond machining the barrel end that must be done to have a fully functioning carbine? Joseph Tullis Centerville, First things first. Check with Remington and see if they can provide a shortened barrel. They may or may not. If they do, they will insist on in-

stalling it at the factory. If they don’t, it is Welcome to the Wonderful World of Gunsmithing for you. The Model 740 is gas operated. It has a gas port in the barrel and another in the gas system. They may or may not match up after you cut the OEM barrel (how long is it?) back from its muzzle end. You have to install the cut down on the receiver and test fire the gun to check proper function. Usually, misaligned gas orifices restrict the amount of propellant gas and cause short cycling.

Remove the barrel, enlarge the orifice holes a thousandths in each with hand held twist drills, reinstall the barrel, test fire, and repeat until proper function is secured. Unfortunately, factory specifications on correct gas port/orifice size are not available from Remington. Mauser Luger Grip Safety I have a Mauser .30 Luger imported by Interarms in the 1970s which has a grip safety with checkered grips. The grips are damaged and need replacing.

Searching online has failed to locate any walnut grips with grip safety slots. Do you know of any sources for these? Try Eagle Grips (eaglegrips.com, If they don’t have these specific grips as a standard item, they’ll custom build you a set to your specifications. It’s only money and may be your only option as Interarms went bye-bye quite awhile ago.

Volquartsen 10/22 Conversion Kit Will shooting .22 Short in a Ruger 10/22 with a Volquartsen Custom Ruger 10/22 .22 Short Conversion Kit installed in the rifle be harmful to the chamber of the rifle? We haven’t seen the conversion you mention, but if it has a chamber suitable for .22 Short we can’t see how the use of Short rifle ammo will cavitate it.

The risk, as we see it, is trying to force the .22 Short chamber to digest .22 LR (especially the hyper velocity stuff) and enlarging the chamber over a period of time. Certified Gunsmith License I just got off the phone with a representative at Mossberg after attempting to order a trigger group assembly Roland for a Mossberg 500 shotgun.

He informed me that he could only ship to a "certified gunsmith." I have been doing gunsmithing for over 50 years and have never seen an official "Certified Gunsmith" license or certificate. I have seen certificates that were issued from gunsmith schools. In fact, I was recently talking to a young man who had just graduated from such a school. He completed the school in three months. I don’t know how good he was, but he was seeking my help.

How does a person get an official "Certified Gunsmith" license such as the Mossberg rep demanded? Who has the authority to issue them? James B. Hubbard Hubbards Outdoor Products Your long experience proves you to be correct. Though some correspondence schools and video courses promise a "Certified Gunsmith" certificate upon their completion, we believe what Mossberg was referring to would be an individual who had attended and completed their specific firearm armorers school.

Also, there may be a recently-created company requirement that a M500 in need of anew trigger group must have said work completed at the factory. If this is the case. Mossberg would not be the first manufacturer to restrict trigger groups to factory service so as to lessen the risk of litigation. Jack This fact remains unchanged.

Despite numerous pleas to the contrary, ATF refuses to issue an Federal Firearms License for "gunsmithing." Instead, and because the applicant must keep similar records, an individual doing business as a gunsmith must operate from a licensed premises and hold a Class to secure an FFL is to apply for one through the ATF Atlanta Office. A "Certified Gunsmith" license is worthless as far as ATF is concerned. We feel the same way about it as they do. AG