Reader Forum

Article Error I believe there is an error in the article, "Correct Handgun Sight Adjustment" in the May 2016 issue. On page 18 in the Adjusting Sights section, the author mentions filing the front sight in order to move the point of impact down. Would this not cause the point of impact to be higher? Author RK Campbell responds. Thanks for reading and you are correct. If you wish to move the bullet impact down, a taller front sight is needed and that means sight replacement.

Filing the front sight down moves the point of impact up, not down. Stevens 124c Shotgun I need to know how to take apart a Stevens Model 124c shotgun to put anew firing pin in it. You have one of them "Grandpa’s oldies" there. It looks like an autoloader but it ain’t. Made from the mid 1940s to the late 1950s, it’s a three shot with one in the chamber and across bolt action that has a flimsy, plastic stock.

You can see how to disassemble and reassemble the gun as follows: Search "Stevens Model 124" on You- Tube.com and you’ll find a good disassembly/reassembly video lasting about ten minutes. Colt Model 1908 .380 My next project is going to be my favorite CCW pistol, a Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless in .380 ACP. I am looking for a gunsmith that can make the only improvement I think it needs: Removal of the European-style magazine release.

A 1911-style release from a Colt Mustang should be able to be fitted into the frame with proper placement machining. After the installation, it will require the notching of the magazines as well. It would be great to be able shoot and change mags with the press of a button. From my research and measurements, the release would mount high up on the frame, in line with serial number and about a 1/4" diagonally back and up from the upper rear radius of the trigger housing.

By placing it in this area there is solid metal all the way through and is above the trigger and far enough down on the mag to catch and retain it without modification to the grips. Mike Cusano Brownells used to offer the next best thing to a set of manufacturing blueprints on the M1911. All major and minor component measurements of the seemingly everlasting pistol are included. Those for the M1908 are not.

We believe with some certainty that modifications will have to be made to the frame to accommodate the conversion you seek. Lowell Rush With equal certainty, we believe modifications will have to be performed on the Mustang components to be installed after being proportionally scaled down from the M1911 .45 ACP measurements. If the safety button and assembly is too large for the frame you may have to fabricate one that will fit from scratch.

From what you have thus far appeared to accomplish, these tasks should not lie beyond your abilities. Iver Johnson Trailsman A customer brought in an old Iver Johnson Trailsman missing the assembly lock plunger and assembly lock. Both of these part are similar to the Colt Woodsman, which is the closest schematic I have. We were able to purchase the assembly lock and are trying to fabricate a plunger but the tongue that holds the two pieces together does not align correctly.

Where can I find a machine print for these parts? Tony Carbone T&C Gunsmithing, Inc. The Trailsman was a revolver (Model 66) produced from 1958-1975. It puzzles us how this can have parts similar to a semi-auto Colt Woodsman? Jack First shows parts but no schematic for the revolver in their gun parts reference book. Parts may also be available from Firearms International in Houston, Texas and among the aftermarket providers listed in Brownells Gun Parts Source List.

Other than the original manufacturer, we have no source for blueprints. Firearms International is your best bet there. Eric Kruger Marlin Model 27 I have been given a Model 27 .32-20 slide action and am looking for information on this gun. Bruce Try Marlin Firearms: A History of the Guns and the Company That Made Them by Lt. Col. William S. Brophy. Included are the patent numbers and disassembly/reassembly of the action parts. Read the entire section on the Model 27.

It was made to digest blackpowder and smokeless powder loads but has been out of production since the early 1900s. Chiappa M4-22 I’ve been having issues with my Chiappa M4-22 .22 AR-15 upper receiver. Upon pulling the trigger, a small dent would appear on the cartridge rim, nothing like the deep indentation of typical .22 firearms. There was plenty of potential firing pin travel but the issued firing pin return spring was heavy, so much so that I couldn’t press it in with mere finger pressure.

I had to use some sort of piece of metal to avoid hurting the tip of my finger. Finally, only a hint of the head of the firing pin protruded from the rear of the bolt. I’m a bit of a shade tree gunsmith. Usually I limit my work to the 1911, M1, and M14 but this Chiappa business drove me crazy with the firm

claiming my Colt AR-15 was the problem. Here’s my letter to Daniel Schreier, Production and Logistics Manager at Chiappa Group, LLC. The purpose of this letter is to advise you of a failure and remedy related to my Chiappa M4-22. I received a Chiappa M4-22 upper as a gift. The problem was only one round in every 5-10 would fire. I tried about half dozen different brands of ammunition with no change. I discovered the problem was due to insufficient firing pin impact.

Following your company’s instructions, I sent an email statement of the problem but received no response. After a third email I finally received a response to call your customer service and they told me my Colt lower was the problem and that I could send in my Chiappa upper and Colt lower for verification but because I was not the original purchaser it was ineligible for warranty service. I didn’t feel that was a satisfactory response.

Since the failure to fire problem was pretty obvious, the remedies were as well: Using a lighter firing pin return spring and more firing pin head exposure. It’s noteworthy that when I mentioned a too-heavy firing pin return spring to the representative, she said such spring force Submit a question or letter to the Reader Forum column by addressing an email to or posting a letter to American Gunsmith, 14439 NW Military Hwy, STE#108 PMB#410, San Antonio, TX 78231. Send subscription questions to was necessary.

As suspected, that proved quite incorrect. It took me about 1.5 hours to disassemble the bolt, replace the issued spring with a lighter one (it’s from a ball point pen!), and file and dress 0.03" off the back face of the bolt for more firing pin head exposure. Since this fix I have fired some 400 rounds from the modified Chiappa/ Colt rifle, new and old cartridges from a variety of manufacturers, and had no failure to feed problems and no failure to fire malfunctions.

Given that safety is a crucial issue, on normal bolt closure, with this much lighter return spring, there is no noticeable firing pin impact on the case head. If effected during original manufacture, there would be no cost to Chiappa to fix this. In truth, the lighter spring would probably cost less to acquire. And elimination of this failure to fire problem would help the company’s reputation. You’ve done just fine but we can’t dispute the Chiappa policy of limiting warranty service to original purchasers.

It is not uncommon with gun manufacturers. As for the corrective measures taken for a DIY fix, we’d only add peening the front section of OEM firing pin to lengthen it. But, then, why argue with success? Hi Standard R-101 I have a customer with a Hi Standard Sentinel R-101 double action revolver that was having problems firing and rotating the cylinder. The trigger guard was broken. I replaced it and now the cylinder rotates.

The revolver fires in single action but sometimes misfires in double action until it comes around again. Also, does this revolver require a return spring for the ejector? All the diagrams I’ve seen does not show a spring. Cana spring be installed for a return or does it need it? Mark Wiggins Refer to the second edition The of Gun Digest Book of Revolvers Assembly/ Disassembly. It contains all you need to know about the Sentinel. Included is the fact the revolver has no double action return spring.

It employs a double action lever activated by its spring and has a spring located inside the body of the ejector ratchet. CVA Apollo We had an Apollo rifle turned in for repair, a black powder firearm made by CVA. Someone jammed in a breech loader and we had to drill it out. Once we got that out (it was less than three inches long) we found the breech loaders for the Apollo were longer for it and can’t find a schematic. Also, any ideas where to get parts for the receiver as CVA is out of business. John C.

Tate Pat If CVA is no longer in business it is being falsely promoted on the web as otherwise. Visit CVA.com or call As for securing a receiver, we strongly suspect it will be attached to a complete rifle. Contact the company for an owner’s manual containing a schematic. AG