Reader Forum

Serial Number Conflicts I read "Ithaca Model 49" in the July 2016 issue where you stated that serial numbers were not required before 1968. However, in the November 2016 Reader Forum a reply to a question on a Springfield Model 67H sort of guessed it was 1933. Checking with the all-knowing Google, serial numbers on all firearms were not mandatory until 1968. Rocky Giordano From author Mark Hollensen. Serial numbers were not mandatory prior to the Gun Control Act of 1968 but some companies used them anyway.

The absence of a serial number normally means the gun was manufactured prior to the 1968 GCA but isn’t a guarantee. Any guns that did have serial numbers on them manufactured prior to the GCA of 1968 do have some records of manufacture as the manufacturers used the serial number to gauge the year(s) they were made. So in the case of the Model 67H, if it has a serial number the manufacturer probably had a date period of when that particular gun was made.

Therefore, a date of manufacture or range of dates are on file with that particular manufacturer. That said, some manufacturers kept dates when their guns were made even if they didn’t have serial numbers. They can provide a "date range" as to when they made a particular make/model firearm. In that case, the manufacturer can provide a series of dates that these unserialized guns were made, such as between 1933 and 1938 when their model XYZ made.

The absence of a serial number makes it impossible to know exactly which year a particular gun was made during the manufacturing years, however, there are times that a manufacturer will make a change to a gun during a given period and you can sometimes determine if it was an earlier or later model. Sako Finnwolf VL63 I am working on a Sako Finnwolf VL63, their out-of-production lever action in .308. I have it apart and need a parts source. The hammer hinge area is broke and I need a replacement.

Steve Young (aka Nate Kiowa Jones) Steve’s Gunz, "Rossi 92 Specialists" Contact Beretta USA, of which Sako is nowa component, at BerettaSupport.com or If you want to contact Sako in Finland they can be reached at 358/10-830-5200 or online at Sako.fi. Finally, request Brownells' complimentary Gun Parts Source List. M1 Carbine I have a M1 Carbine in my shop to refurbish. Judging by the wear marks on the bolt and action parts, it appears to have seen little use.

The bore is pristine and the finish is great, except on the muzzle end of barrel and front sight which has surface rust due to lack of attention during non-use. I have it cleaned and ready to remove the front sight and rust approximately 12" from muzzle to forend. The finish appears to be matte black but more of a charcoal shade. My intent is to match and blend the finish after removing the rust. My research yielded much and I found that finishes were often blended during production due to limited supply.

Matte finishes I have found require airbrush or spraying. I have a sprayer I purchased decades back for painting autos but have not used it in this application. Also, I have not sprayed an auto since the "van craze" of the 1970s! My research yielded no aerosol can applications. Any advice? Also, I’ve been enjoying your novels I found online at goo.gl/vo FCCN. Hugh Thompson Author Paul Mazan responds. It sounds very much like your Carbine has been Parkerized rather than blued.

If memory serves, many M1 Carbines that went in for rework after WWII were Parkerized if they had to be refinished. When I worked for Brownells I had asked the folks at Birchwood Casey if they could come up with a cold Parkerizing solution like their cold blue but they were never able to do it. Actually matching the color is going to be tough and you may well have to refinish the whole gun. The only thing I can suggest is to try Baking Lacquer in Parkerizing Gray from Brownells (#083-046-806AQ).

It retails at around $20 and can sometimes be found on sale but if the colors don’t match closely, you can always paint the whole barrel and receiver. Before placing an order for that, try bluing it with Oxpho Blue. On some alloys the first coats are more gray then blue. As I think about this project I suspect you’re going to have as much trouble matching the texture as you are matching the color.

I think your newly finished areas are going to be smoother and more shiny than the original unless you bead blast the area first. All told, the amount of work it will take to match the color and texture may make it easier to just strip and refinish the entire barrel and receiver. That gives you the option of bluing it as they were originally finished. I have a Rockola M1 Carbine that is most definitely blued, not Parkerized Thank you for the kind words on the books. I am glad you enjoyed them.

I am in the middle of two more at the moment. One is a cop novel, for want of a better description, and the other is a WWI story of my grandfather’s experiences that I started for the family. They’re available at goo.gl/vo FCCN. Remington 770 I have a Remington 770 chambered in 7mm Remington Magnum (SN M7176xxx) with a broken bolt. Apparently, someone dropped it before I acquired it and snapped off the bolt "throw." Their attempted fix was welding it back on without taking the bolt apart, which destroyed it.

The problem is that this is the series

of Remington 770 that was reputed to fire if closing the bolt with enough force and the rifle was recalled and reconfigured so that the new bolt assembly does not fit. Martin Wade Marten Firearms Training, LLC Too much tinkering and damage to the bolt has happened. It’s very doubtful the factory will send you anew bolt, the fitting of which they very much prefer be accomplished by factory service personnel.

Call Remington customer service, even though we fear the rifle is beyond warranty benefits Flobert Rifle I recently came across my saved short article copy from your Reader Forum in the July 1999 issue which addressed the subject rifle. Do you now have more updated information? I own one in .22 caliber with a 20inch octagonal barrel, serial number E37XX. I am particularly interested in the history, value range according to condition, and anything else you might be able to provide. Thomas M.

Mc Neill Submit a question or letter to the Reader Forum column by addressing an email to or posting a letter to American Gunsmith, Alexandria, VA 22310. Send subscription questions to Commence by directing your browser to "Flobert Rifle." You will soon see it should be referred to as a Parlor Gun existing for little more that in-home target games.

Regardless, continue your further education by contacting the NRA Museum (NRAmuseum. org, and request copies of any historical data they might provide, if you are willing to pay the cost. Next, pick up a copy of the Blue Book of Gun Values and explore its out-of-production section The serial number of your gun leans toward extreme age or quite early in production. Either way, locating and securing replacement parts could be very difficult.

The same is true of ammo, With the exception of .22 BB Cap or .22 CB Cap, Floberts were chambered for what have become obsolete European cartridges. Double Barrel Shotgun I have a double barrel shotgun of uncertain origin with a broken firing pin. On the left barrel is stamped "G. ZABALAY Cia S. A" and "MADE FOR RICHLAND ARMS CO- MADE IN SPAINon the right barrel. The cover over the firing pin is in a disk in the front of the receiver. It has three holes in a triangle that are 0.2295 center to center.

I have tried a Brownells disk tool for the three pins but it’s too big. Is there anyway to know if this is a right or left hand thread? I don’t have access to much information on this shotgun and don’t like computers much so I don’t get on them often. Morris Froelich Might be a good idea if you overcame your distaste of computers. We used one to discover Richland Arms went bye-bye in 1983. Hopefully, they laid out certain requirements the gun had to meet in placing the order with G.

Zambalay and the mystery threads are U. S. Standard. If so, the "righty tighty, lefty loosy" principle applies. We suggest approaching a machine shop, show them your Brownells tool, and request a copy made to accommodate the measurements you have taken. Prior to removing the disk we recommend injecting warm penetrating oil into the union between the disk and the receiver. A day or two later, apply heat to the disk.

In doing so, do not overheat the receiver to avoid negating any heat treatment it underwent during original manufacture. Browning .22 Pump I have my father’s Browning .22 Magnum pump. It’s still in great condition but has lost the inner magazine tube assembly. The gun is out of production and parts are seemingly near impossible to find. Any insight on where to have such apiece made?

Shane Townsend If you must have a custom part made, contact a member of the American Custom Gunmakers Guild (acgg.org, ACGG members can be searched and found from the member website. However, before going that route, it will likely be easier and cheaper to first exhaust aftermarket sources. Among many others, Brownells lists aftermarket sources specializing in Browning guns and include them in their Gun Parts Source List. AG