Reader Forum

Remington Model 12 I have a Remington Model 12 chambered in .22 Remington Special (.22 Winchester Rimfire) in my shop for repair. I need anew cartridge retainer as the retainer for the .22 LR does not work. Lacking a replacement part, where can I find a drawing with dimensions so I can make one? I have Lee Roy Wisner’s Handbook of Hardto-Find Gun Parts Drawings but this part isn’t in there. Allen J.

Wengerd Since the gun went out of production in 1926, Remington would be the only source we know of for a copy of a working drawing. The Jack First Catalog, Volume II #10 from Jack First Gunshop JackFirstGun.com) lists a cartridge retainer for the rifle. Workshop Aids On A Budget I enjoyed "Workshop Aids On A Budget" in the January 2016 issue. Like you, I have always made do with what’s at hand to keep costs down. I am still using the wooden adjustable rifle cradle I made over 30 years ago.

It is not as fancy and as adjustable as the one you described but it still fills my needs. The thing that took my interest most was the piece of angle iron screwed to the bottom of the tool you produced. For me, it was another one of those "Why didn’t I think of that?" things. The base of my rifle cradle is along piece of 1×8 pine that is made to sit on a flat bench.

I screwed a short piece of thin angle iron onto the bottom and now I can rotate my cradle to position the gun I am working on in nearly any direction needed by rotating the vise and locking it down. It works like a champ, except now I can’t sit my cradle on the work bench anymore when I need the gun held lower. To remedy, I cut two pieces from 1×2 pine to the width of my bottom plate and screwed each near the end of the plate, clearing the angle iron piece by several inches.

My cradle can now sit firm on my work bench again without raising the gun any more than the height of the 1×2. Thank you for your shop hints. Fletcher M. Pool Author Dick Maheu responds. Thanks for your comments and glad to hear your cradle is working with the modification. When I first started it was like pulling teeth to get old timer gunsmiths to give up any "secrets" or pass along hard-won tips. American Gunsmith publishes such info meant to help all, novice or professional.

Al’s Gun Repair Whitehall, WI Damascus Barrels The Reader Forum of the January 2016 issue had comments on shooting old shotguns with Damascus steel barrels. I have several that I use regularly to hunt small game with using nothing but blackpowder, fiber and cardboard wads, and one ounce of 7 1/2 shot. These guns have been carefully inspected and deemed safe though not recommended to shoot for the very reasons mentioned in the response to Hugh about Break Open Actions.

I have been giving careful consideration to the use of a sub-caliber/ gauge chamber insert called Chamber Mates by Seminole Gunworks (chambermates.com, in at least one of these guns, allowing the use of modern/smokeless .410 or 20 gauge shotshells. I have a pair of both sizes to fit my 12 gauge that fits all of my blackpowder doubles. I haven’t used them yet. Do you have an opinion on the safety of these?

Tom Lehmann Manhattan, Kansas We have never checked out the Chamber Mates inserts but the name alone concerns us as it suggests they do not extend the full length of the questionable barrel. Therefore, they would insufficiently contribute to preventing a structural disaster.

Inserts we’re quite familiar with are full length and made by Briley Manufacturing (briley.com, They have long been proven for preventing the unwinding of Damascus barrels when converting from black to smokeless powder loads in those cases where the hunter is not concerned about a reduction in bore/gauge or holds no similar concern should a barrel be bulged or blown, useless due to an accidental blockage.

Ordway, CO 1903A3 Barrel Threading I am looking for info on how to cut the square Acme threads for the 1903A3 barrel. David Cunningham Dave’s Gunsmithing Service, LLC The Complete Illustrated Guide to Precision Rifle Barrel Fitting by John Hinnant is an excellent book on barrel fitting and includes a brief but thorough section on turning these unusual threads. The cutter used is a parting tool. At its business end it is thicker and more trapezoidal when compared to a regular parting tool.

If you have machine tool experience and know the threads per inch required, you should have no great difficulty cutting the threads. Be certain, of course, that the internal threads of the receiver have been cut to accept the threads being cut into the barrel. On the other hand, if you lack machine tool skills begin acquiring them immediately. Direct your browser to "Lathe Operations." A lengthy list of links will result. Avoid involvement with the multi-function machine tools.

In our opinion, these lack the close tolerance capabilities required when working on firearms. Lathes that do, while quite expensive, are the wiser choice in the long run. Lathes are exactly like any other hand or machine tool: The higher the quality of the tool the greater the opportunity to produce an exceptional

result. Naturally, the skills of the tool user contribute heavily to the degree of exceptionalism. Other links to avoid at least for your purposes are those dedicated to mini lathes. While they can be very useful in becoming familiarized with lathe operations and making small replacement parts such as screws and firing pins, they simply aren’t big enough for rifle work. Ideally, the best route to follow is via a local machine shop willing to provide some handson tutoring.

Lacking one, investigate local colleges and/or vocational schools offering courses in machine tool operations. Correspondence schools are another possibility but to make the best of the courses offered you should have a mini lathe on hand to attempt and master the instruction provided. Mauser 98 Firing Pin I have run into a problem with the firing pin protrusion on a Kar 98k bolt. I have been working on one with a protrusion of 0.050" which shows shallow primer hits.

According to Mauser Bolt Action Shop Manual M91 Through M98 by Jerry Kuhnhausen, the correct protrusion should be 0.055" to 0.065". I tried using different firing pins, including ones from a BRNO, several Model 08s, and anew one from SARCO. I even tried several different cocking pieces and still end up at 0.050". Yes, the inside of the bolt is clean and the firing pin drops through substantially without the cocking piece and the headspace is minimum.

I don’t like the idea of milling either of the cocking piece to bolt sleeve surfaces as that can alter the safety cam timing and lock. In the days of black powder you took a big hammer and beat on the firing pin to extend it but that is not acceptable to me in this case. Any suggestions on "rolling" it or another method to elongate the pin about 0.010"? I don’t like the idea of welding if it can be avoided. Use a true, flat hard surface and a light chasing or flat head of ball peen hammer.

Roll the firing pin back and forth on the flat to expose 360 degrees of the pin surface while tapping it repeatedly with the hammer. Work from behind the tip of the pin to its front. It’s called "peening" and it works. Browning A5 What is the tap size for the carrier hole on the Browning A5 receiver? Robert Loughlin You might find the original A5 screw size in The Encyclopedia of Modern Firearms by Brownells. However, this shotgun, now discontinued, has been made offshore.

It would be best to contact Browning/Winchester customer service with the serial number of your A5 to confirm screw and tap size. Ithaca Model 37 I have a customer’s Ithaca Model 37 that will not extract a fired shotshell. The shotgun cycles perfectly with unfired ammunition but will not extract a fired hull. I polished the chamber but that did not help. I opened up the throat a little and that seemed to help but when I polished the chamber again, I was back to square one! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Gary Hutchins Make a chamber cast with Cerrosafe and measure it against SAAMI specifications. You may find it over length and the hulls are expanding to fill the space. Check the headspace with Go and No Go gauges. Check the extractors and extractor springs. Replace if worn, weak, or damaged. Ken Angst H&R 604 Revolver I am looking for a disassembly instructions for the H&R 604 revolver. Ron Vaillancourt Page 176 of The Gun Digest Book of Revolvers Assembly/Disassembly has this.

H&R, the company, has been passed between ownerships frequently. Despite all the moving about, there haven’t been major changes made in the basic design. As a result, while the handgun described in the Gun Digest book may not actually be a Model 604, the instructions given should not lead you astray. AG