Reader Forum

Custom Marlin Ballard I have a Marlin Ballard rifle in my shop. The barrel is marked "George Schoyen" so I assume he rebarreled it. The serial number is 332XX. I’d like to know about when it was made. It is also missing a ferrule under the barrel along with the ram rod (I assume it was a ram rod, or maybe a shooting stick?) Could it have been blackpowder before rebarreling? The bore measures 0.370, the chamber at the case head measures 0.520, and the chamber the ramp and the barrel throat that must not be changed.

If that angle is changed the piece will not feed. A half round file is often suggested and they are usually the right size. I have discovered that a magic marker or Sharpie is just the right size. Tape apiece of fine grit sand paper over the Sharpie and carefully polish out rough spots and tool marks. This combination polishes up and down at the same time.

A surprisingly small mark or burr will tie the pistol up and this approach addresses it, leaving the feed ramp angle unchanged with only the effort needed for the bullet nose to feed properly. I use dummy cartridges put up on the Lyman press to check for feed and then take the piece to the range for live fire. In this case the work was accomplished and the carbine chambered and fired normally. I fired several hollowpoint loads with good feeding. just in front of the head measures 0.425.

The chamber seems straight The inexpensive SAM-based 1911 carbine has gone up several notches. The fit and finish are good. The engineering and adapting of the 1911 into a carbine is excellent. The trigger is good. Accuracy is good. The pistol would be suitable for home defense or even as a farm or truck gun once proofed, polished as needed, and paired with a good loading. There are two main concerns. First, I would modify the stock to help with missing the grip safety for some shooters.

I am not certain a beavertail would help in this application and that would likely prove too expensive for such an inexpensive firearm. Second, which seems standard operating procedure with many inexpensive 1911 guns, is a modest feed ramp polish. The Iver Johnson 1911A1 Carbine is a fun gun, a bit odd, but a good conversation piece. AG but I have not done a chamber cast yet. Any idea on what cartridge it should chamber?

Any ideas on where I may find the missing ferrule or what kind of sight was on the front and where I may find one? Kenneth W. Wright From Brian Smith. That rifle is a gem of firearms history! George

Schoyen was born in Norway in 1845 and eventually settled in Denver doing gunsmithing and bought out his employer. He became famous building breech-loading target rifles on Ballard, Stevens, Maynard, and Winchester 1885 single shot actions for the Schützenfest target shooting activities of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Schoyen rifles were every bit as popular and well-known as rifles built by Harry Pope. Schoyen’s customers included Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Cody. Schoyen passed away in 1916.

The Schoyen-barreled Ballard has chamber dimensions that are approximately those for the 38-55 cartridge but with perhaps slightly wider tolerances. Back in the day, shooters would reload brass many times, and the pressures generated by blackpowder loads were low compared to the newly-introduced smokeless powders of the late 1800s and early 1900s, so cases would fireform to fit a specific rifle’s chamber.

I’m not saying definitively that the Schoyen Ballard in your shop is chambered in 38-55, however, it seems to be and warrants a chamber cast. It is always best to chamber cast these so that you have actual chamber, throat, and bore dimensions to work from. 38- 55 case dimensions are provided above. Reader Forum Survey From Joe Carlos. I am seeking the experience of other gunsmiths regarding first shot fliers following cleaning.

Here are three submitted to me and all of these contributors agreed to having their names published. In the February through April 2021 issues I ran a series on AR-15 Fliers. I mentioned that following bore cleaning most AR-15s shoot one or two fliers (often called "fouling shots") before they settle down and begin shooting normally. I asked if any reader had a solution for this long-running problem to submit their suggestions to me.

I was pleasantly surprised to get three different suggestions which I will list Obviously, this would serve the dual purpose of helping to avoid corrosion during storage. Bob Coles from M. O. A. Gunsmithing recommends Lock-Ease also burnished lightly into the pores of the bore following cleaning. He says Lock-Ease contains graphite which may help eliminate fliers.

Michael Centofante, who was in charge of long range sniper training for a large sheriff department SWAT team, recommends using a patch or two of rubbing alcohol at the end of the cleaning cycle right before dry patching. I plan to test all three of these methods myself when time permits. In the meantime, if anyone reading performs any testing I would appreciate hearing from you at Lefever Shotguns I was just given a 1921 Lefever Nitro Special shotgun in 12 gauge.

Based on the serial number of 111,XXX, I was curious as to whether the receiver is nickel coated or just bare polished steel. It has light surface rust on all the exposed metal, particularly the receiver and trigger plate. I don’t want to polish it too much as to wear away the waterfowl engraving gracing both sides. My goal is just to clean it up. Bruce Cooper Mark Hollensen responds. To my knowledge, the Nitro Specials were not offered with nickel plating back then.

My assumption is that it has been polished down to the bare metal. That said, it could have been nickel plated by someone along the way over the past 100 years, however, I wouldn’t assume this to be the case. Check the receiver water table and do some light polishing there to see if you can tell if that area was nickel plated or not as the receiver would have been submerged in the nickel plating solution if that was done.

AR-15 Uppers What would you recommend for an all-around AR-15 bolt receiver group and barrel for close quarters shooting? I am interested in building an M16A2 replica similar to what I learned to use while in the Marine Corps. Phil Author Joe Carlos responds. Contact Rock River Arms (Rock River Arms. com, and seek their "Vintage A2 Rifles." Also look for their "Options and Upgrades" which may allow you to substitute more desirable characteristics.

At some point you may need to call RR and speak to one of their smart guys to make sure you are getting what you want. In addition to the barrel, you can purchase all other parts you will need to finish your build from RR or you can simply get them to perform the entire build if you wish.

Genuine A2 barrels are normally 20" long with threads on the front for a flash suppressor. They are skinny under the handguards and have a Delta assembly on the rear, a front sight housing held on with pins, and a triangular handguard end cap just behind the sight housing. I consider the following options to be desirable with regard to the barrel. First, if possible, substitute a Wylde chamber for the sloppy NATO chamber.

Second, depending on what ammo you will be shooting you may want to substitute a 1:9 or 1:8 barrel twist for the standard 1:7 twist. A 1:9 twist will stabilize all military bullets that you will have access to, such as 55 grain FMJ and 62 grain green tip. If you wish to shoot 77 grain magazine-length ammo, however, you will need a faster 1:8 or 1:7 twist. Finally, I recommend you get the barrel in chrome moly steel without a chrome lining.

If you have other questions, feel free to contact me directly by email at Savage 775 and SMLE I have an old humpback-style Savage Model 775 shotgun with a problematic aluminum receiver. A previous owner let the side screw holding the shell elevator work loose and continued shooting without tightening it so now the hole won’t hold the shell elevator in line to let the bolt close. I’ve looked for a replacement receiver without success.

Sarco has old Belgium-made receivers (I presume Brownings) but they responded it’s unlikely my action components would fit. Is this true? Second, I have an old #3 SMLE Ire-barreled to 444 Marlin. It is a single shot but I’d like to make it a repeater. Sgt. Bill R. Simpson Mc Clain Co. Sheriffs Office (retired) From author Ray Ordorica. It’s possible to have the hole in the aluminum receiver welded, redrilled and tapped. I had that done to the sparkplug hole on my old racing Ducati.

As to making the SMLE feed, I just say good luck. Go at it with a Dumore very slowly. Start the round up and see where it hangs. Grind a bit, do it again. I did this to my Springfield 03- A3 to make it feed 458 Magnum perfectly, upside down, slow, fast, and even with empty cases. This little task took a whole day of slowly grinding. H&R 999 Sportsman Revolver I have an H&R 999 22LR in my shop (serial number BA033xxx) that won’t advance the cylinder.

I have tried different cylinder advance hands from Munich, all new manufacture pieces. The spring seems to be extra long and I haven’t found any combination of cutting and bending this spring that seems to help the pistol. Any advice or technical help would be appreciated. The real frustration is I have worked on many of these pistols in the past. Kenneth W. Wright From RK Campbell. Without the gun on hand, I’d guess something is perhaps wrong with the reproductions. Do you have the old hand?

Match the new hand to the old one to see if there is a difference. Modify accordingly. You could slip a coil off the spring but that is a bit difficult as it is so small. There is always the old trick of taking the old hand and heating it very little and then beating it with a hammer across a metal block to make it a little longer—often this makes it work. From Dave Manney. Is it possible that the bushing the cylinder spins on is bent and causing the cylinder to bind when advancing the cylinder?

It might be bent to the side and bound on the bolt face when in battery. Check there. M2 Magazine Does anyone have any ideas on how to make a magazine for a M2 Springfield? I rescued a badly treated rifle, although I do not think it is worthy of a 200+ original. Maybe it is a conversion of some kind? I relined the barrel and got most of the pits out so it looks and shoots pretty good. Charlie Davies From Paul Mazan. Triple Kmakes the only aftermarket magazines for the M2 Springfield I know of.

Visit TripleK.com or call