Reader Forum

Joe Carlos AR-15 Update I am finishing up an article tentatively titled "AR-15 Muzzle Attachments" but before I can finish it I have to fire test groups on the machine rest with these devices. Unfortunately, the range is not usable at present for one of the most bizarre reasons I have ever encountered, so I’m writing up the details as the story is sort of funny and might be of interest to the dozen or so readers that follow my articles.

So… excuses. ingly enough, I could supply pressure and move the lock with the tip of a hardened screwdriver bit from my Real Avid tool kit. When the hammer is in place this may not be true but it isn’t a very rigid part. Also, the lock is of cast metal. I actually broke a wing off the lock lever itself by exerting pressure. The lock is removed by pressing the spring and tiny lever that butts into the lock mechanism itself. The lock then lifts out.

My example was stuck in the frame and did not want to lift out easily. This wasn’t a great concern as I did not intend to keep it on hand to return the revolver to original condition. Also, I don’t intend to sell the 625. I finished breaking up the action lock as I removed it. My advice is if you take this job in at your shop, try not having the heavy hand I used. Even then, I don’t guarantee you will be able to save the original action lock.

My primary interest is precisionbuilt AR-15 rifles for competition shooting. I machine rest test all the rifles I build and all the barrels I sell. The bullet impact area on my test range is at the bottom of a tall railroad grade that goes through my property. The few persons who see my operations universally offer the observation that many tens of thousands of bullets fired have landed into a very confined area that has really drilled quite a hole in that bank!

Once the lock is out it is a simple matter to slide the Lock Delete lever into the original spring and then slide the small hole cover in place. Original Precision offers the Lock Delete for J, K, L, Nand X-Frame revolvers. The fit is good and I’ve had no issues in installing several Lock Delete kits. For many of us, the S&W ILS revolver lock is more than a theoretical concern. If you wish to lock the revolver for safety, keep it in a safe or use a trigger lock.

The percentage of Smith & Wesson revolver locks that have malfunctioned is very small. However, I don’t wish to be the man that drowns in a creek with an average three foot depth either. If you are not willing to remove the locking device that is understandable. For those that wish to deploy a well made revolver with what some feel is a minor character defect, the Lock Delete is a good solution.

AG I live in a very rural area in mountainous north central Pennsylvania right in the middle of our elk herd which numbers an estimated 1,400 animals. I have mentioned in the past that I have to frequently either delay range testing or gently "encourage" elk to move so I can conduct my testing. When you choose to live in an county that is 97% forested with only one traffic light and twice as many deer as humans, wildlife is all around you and an important consideration in day to day life.

I have had a female groundhog living under my garage for years. She has given me many litters of lovely "grand-babies" over the summers. This year she had five and I have been enjoying watching them all summer. In late summer the babies are nearly full grown and they disperse and dig their own dens. They will be hibernating through the winter in those dens beginning around late October. Mom lays sole

claim to the original den under the garage. This year one of the babies discovered the tunnel in the bullet impact area. I guess it figured it could save effort as my rifle testing provided the "den excavation" and has since taken up residence, effectively closing down my test range. I realize that some people hunt groundhogs and I did as well when I was a kid.

However, my high school "senior trip" was spent in Viet Nam and after being hunted myself for a year, I no longer shoot anything that I do not intend to eat. Once I am satisfied those groundhogs are in hibernation, I’m going to block that hole to prevent any animals from wandering into a bullet. I’ll also pivot the machine rest base enough to move to a new impact area a couple of feet to the side to resume testing. Many of you who wear a shop apron began life as I did by relying on others to work on your firearms.

After spending years listening to gunsmiths making excuses for not completing work I had contracted for—and too often receiving substandard quality when I finally got my guns back—I finally started doing some of my own work and that finally blossomed into a career. In remembering those excuses for why my firearms were tied up for months on end, none of those excuses were as original as mine! So when my customers start receiving firearms from me again, they’ll know that my groundhog issue has been resolved.

That will also let me finish up my muzzle attachments article as well. When you see that in print, you’ll know my groundhogs are safe. Sabatti Stock I have a Sabatti (Sabatti.it) thumbhole M98 stock for my Voere rifle (Voere.com). When I first assembled this there was lots of space between the stock and my rifle’s bull (16mm thick) barrel. Should I fill this space? If so, what is a suitable fill material? From Mark Hollensen.

I am not familiar with this brand of stock, however, in most cases bull barrels (or any other rifle barrel style or profile) can be free-floated in the stock. This means that when the barreled action is secured in the stock (screwed down tight), you should be able to slide a dollar bill down the full length of the barrel in between the stock and the barrel until you get to within a couple of inches of the barrel shank, just forward of the receiver.

If the dollar bill will not slide down that far, you will need to remove any excess stock material in the forearm area until you can perform the above test. If you choose to fill the gaps, first check with the stock manufacturer to determine what the stock is made of and whether or not Brownells Acraglas will stick to that material. The reason for this is that there are some aftermarket stocks made that Acraglas will not adhere to and will come loose during use.

If it cannot or will not bond with Acraglas or something similarly suitable, you’ll need to keep it free floated or replace the stock with something made of a different material that can be glass bedded. Joe Carlos If the stock can be glass bedded, then you might consider Acraglas to fill the void. Not a simple job as you must make sure that the barrel and action do not get glued to the stock permanently.

If you are not familiar with glass bedding a rifle, or with relieving a barrel channel (free floating), then I highly recommend that you take it to a reputable gunsmith to get the work done properly. From Sergey Lyalko. Since you have a bull barrel, I would start with making sure that the action (receiver) with two screws and recoil lug are tightly sitting in the stock. Leave the barrel free-floating and not touching stock.

If there is a space around action and recoil lug, use Acraglas with metal powder filler to glass bed the action. It may be enough for providing sufficient accuracy. Nayyer Janjua This is best done professionally. If after this work is complete and accuracy is still not good, you’ll need to address other issues. AG