Winchester 1890

When I took this rifle in for the requested repairs, it seemed straight forward. The customer told me that he had purchased it on Gunbroker. com "awhile back" and that it was jamming. The Winchester Model 1890 Takedown pump action 22 Short has long been known as a "gallery gun" and many of these particular rifles were placed into service at local fairs and amusement parks many years ago. I decided to forgo historical information on this particular rifle so that I could cover some important aspects about it.

To start off, you all are aware of the convenience of Internet firearm purchases now in the mainstream. And, as great as this new type of vehicle for buying and selling firearms is, it also has some unforeseen issues attached to it. We all would like to believe that the seller is on the up and up, or at a minimum, inadvertently listed something that was not as good as their write up.

I tell my customers that when buying firearms used online they should first check to see how many firearms the seller has sold and what their rating is. More important than that, they should never buy a used firearm online if that seller doesn’t offer a return option. That way when they make the purchase, they will have time to run to the range, or better yet, have a local gunsmith inspect it to make sure it is in the condition specified by the seller.

The Winchester in my shop should have been returned as it did not match the seller’s write up. So be on alert, follow those instructions, and you can lessen your chance of being burned. Commonly used as a "gallery gun", these rifles were often seen at local fairs and amusement parks back in the day. Immediately after taking possession of this rifle, I decided to contact the customer so I could better understand what he meant by "the gun jams" on him.

As we all know, jamming could be feeding, extracting, ejecting, trouble chambering, or some other issue. It was then that my customer relayed to me that the rifle barrel had previously had a barrel liner installed and the gun had been recently reblued. All of this was purportedly done before he "won" the gun on Gunbroker. He didn’t offer up what he had paid for it and I didn’t ask. He told me that when he fires the rifle it jams up when ejecting the empty round.

He further stated that the magazine feed tube assembly was super tight when inserting it into the magazine tube, but that the previous gunsmith he had taken it to had already fixed that. Finally, he told me that the same previous gunsmith let him know that the jamming was due to excess solder from the barrel liner job and that he would not work on it. I had previously worked with this customer on a repair job, so I knew him and agreed to look the rifle over.

I began by initiating the basic operating and functioning tests (without any ammo or dummy rounds employed) and the rifle functioned as it should with nothing out of the ordinary noticed other than the magazine feed tube assembly was still really tight; so much so that you almost needed pliers to turn it the one-eighth revolution to remove it. It was also difficult to pull it from the magazine tube. The inside of the receiver was found to have some rusting, most likely due to the recent blue job.

The bolt assembly and screws all had ared coat of rust on them, as did the inside of the receiver. The good news was that the stock appeared to be original, although it had been refinished, and had a small hairline crack in the grip area but was of no concern. The bad news was yet to come. Knowing that the rifle had a barrel liner installed in the bore, I inspected it closely. I saw a jagged line around the liner and barrel at the muzzle end, with some specks of

what appeared to be an Brownells Acraglas product in that area. I also saw what appeared to be solder in the area where the liner joined the bore. That seemed strange to me as you typically do one or the other. I then ran a patch down the bore and the bore liner was bright and shiny. However, the patch kept getting caught at the very end of the muzzle area inside of the bore.

I looked in the muzzle end closely and found what appeared to be excess solder that had run down into the muzzle area, coating the circumference of the lands and grooves. It appeared that when the liner was installed, sol- Once that pin is removed, pull the magazine tube free from both dovetail mounts. This enables removing the action bar assembly next. der oozed down into the muzzle’s bore and then the muzzle was faced and then crowned over and into the solder.

The crown was in good shape but there was still approximately 1/8" of solder around the inside of the bore just before the crown. This would without a doubt cause higher pressures and diminished accuracy when shooting. Basically, this was a slop job. Typically, a good barrel liner job will not (or will barely) reveal that a liner was even inserted into the barrel bore when done correctly. And there will not be any solder in the bore at all.

My opinion is that the barrel liner installer had initially Acraglased the liner into the bore and then soldered the liner in flush with the muzzle end of the barrel, trying to skip a step on the lathe. There was no doubt that the installer either used a bad drill bit to do the job or ran the bit all the way down the barrel until it exited the muzzle end. That is a no-no when doing a liner job. With those findings, I then turned my attention to the breech end of the barrel.

Here again, I saw a notable line between the liner and the bore, but it was clean enough to let me know that the installer started the drill bit from the breech end. Looking closer, I saw silver solder in the chamber from the 5 o’clock position all the way up to the 10 o’clock position. That just didn’t make sense. If silver solder was used to secure the liner, it would only leave a gold-colored ring around the liner where it is seated into the barrel. But this was inside the chamber area.

Seeing this, I decided to perform a function test using a dummy round to ensure that it would feed, chamber, extract, and eject from the action. Five out of five did just that. I then tried live ammo with the same results. At this point, it seemed that maybe the gun would function okay and that a light tweaking might be all that was needed. But I spoke too soon. I decided to open up the action using the takedown screw to separate the butt stock and trigger assembly from the action.

To remove the bolt, remove the small pin that holds the magazine tube to the center dovetail tube mount under the barrel. With that pin removed, the magazine tube should pull out without need to remove either of the two magazine tube dovetail mounts affixed to the barrel.

With the magazine tube removed completely and set aside, remove the action slide cover from the left side of the receiver by backing out the sole screw securing it and lifting the cover off of the receiver. With the cover removed, lift the action slide and handle (the pump assembly) off the receiver and where it links up to the bolt. Depress the firing pin inward with your thumb to disengage the bolt assembly to lift it upwards at the front and then pull it rearward from the receiver.

The rifle has a rather simple design and disassembly firing order. Since we are focused on the barrel liner issue, I decided not to write a blow-by-blow disassembly procedure for the whole rifle. With the bolt out of the way, I was able to better see what the chambe ra rea looked like. To me, it appeared to be oblong or elongated at about the 5 o’clock position on the chamber breech.

I could also better see the silver solder in the chamber and the definitive line it left where it stopped flowing when added into the chamber area. The back of the barrel had been relieved for the extractor but that looked pretty rough. There was no doubt that it was not machined; it looked like it was done with a file—and rather crudely I might add.

I reinstalled the bolt assembly back into the receiver and pushed it all the way forward to lock it forward into po- Moving the bolt rearward slowly, you can determine if the extractor is in position to grab the rear of the cartridge case. Depress the firing pin at the back of the bolt with your finger to release the bolt and move it back and forth. sition. Then I watched as I moved the bolt rearward each time to see how the extractor was interoperating with the breech area.

It was there I could see that the extractor had not been fully (properly) fitted. In other words, the recessed cut out on the back of the breech was not allowing the extractor to fully grab the rear of the cartridge case. Some stoning and light clean-up work of the recessed area and the extractor tip itself remedied this problem. Since the functional part of the process seemed to be all in order, I reassembled the rifle and test fed the dummy and live rounds again.

And again, all fed, chambered, extracted, and ejected without failure. It was now time to live fire the rifle. I still had some concerns about the excess solder still in the bore at the muzzle, so I used lead tipped ammunition for the testing. I also took along some 22 Short (CB) caps (ultra-low velocity ammunition). At the local range, I loaded her up starting with the CB caps and fired five shots. All five rounds fired and cycled from the gun perfectly.

I then tried the standard 22 Short ammo and the problems began. When the action bar (pump) was worked, the fired case stayed in the chamber and prevented another round from being loaded. The extractor could not budge the case at all, so it had to be tapped out with a cleaning rod. A total of five rounds were fired and all had the same results.

Back in the shop, I looked closely at the fired casings and quickly discovered that each of the 22 Short (standard velocity) spent cartridges had a bulge in the case just ahead of the rim. Inspecting the CB caps revealed a slight bulge was there but it was not as pronounced as on the standard ammo. Judging where

the bulge was relative to the extractor marks, I found it to be bulged at the 5 o’clock position on the case; the same place where the chamber appeared to be elongated. Disassembly of the rifle again verified that the chamber was elongated at that position. Based on all of the above, I concluded that when the barrel liner installer was relieving the area of the breech for the extractor, too much was removed and some of that area removed was the rear of the chamber itself.

The installer then tried to silver solder the chamber up, making a patch so to speak, and built it up enough that they could again run the chambering reamer down the breech bore and "re-chamber" it using the silver solder as part of the chamber wall. When looking into the chamber, I could see where the reamer made the new chamber and where the silver solder had stopped inside of the bore. This created a ridge but the elongated edge of the chamber is still a mystery as to what caused that.

So what we have is a rifle that is pretty much a wall hanger. The best two solutions to this problem are to find a used but decent-shape barrel in 22 Short and replace the barrel completely, or re-line the barrel. However, drilling out a liner can lead to more issues, especially if the original hole drilled was not done properly. And everything I saw on this so-called repair was not done right. My guess is that this was someone’s first try at barrel lining a bore.

Furthermore, trying to replicate or duplicate the extractor recessed area using one that was not done properly as your guide sets you up for one heck of a rabbit hole to chase down. So my next question is, why would anyone deliberately sell this rifle without letting the unsuspecting consumer know?

And you would be correct… Without getting into all of the details of barrel re-lining, as that could be a stand-alone article or series of articles, I will cover some details of the process that should have been adhered to on this particular job. We’ll use this rifle and caliber as our reference here. First, when planning on re-lining a barrel bore, remove the barrel and pay close attention to the extractor recess (if any) at the back of the breech.

Photograph it (assuming it is original to the barrel) and take as many measurements and drawings of the recessed area as possible. Where it starts on the breech and where it ends, how deep, what particular shape and size, and how the extractor interoperates with the cartridge during feeding, chambering, and extraction.

Next, insert a 22 Short Go Gauge (or use a 22 Long Rifle gauge and mark the chamber length on it) into the chamber and take measurements as to how deep You might not see it here, but the rear portion of the chamber from the 5 o’clock position to the 10 o’clock position is made of a silver solder patch. All that effort and it still does not function properly. to chamber the newly lined barrel.

The bottom line is to take plenty of notes because once you drill out the bore, there is no going back for critical measurements you forgot to record. Next, determine if you "can" replicate the recessed area for the extractor. Can it be milled or machined? Do you have the proper bits or end mill to make a nice clean relieved area? Can it be done in one pass, two, or will it require many cuts? Practice on the original barrel breech before drilling out the bore.

Set the barrel up in your mill, lathe, or drill press and mock up how you will cut the relieved area. Then write down all of your steps. This is critical for replicating the original barrel relief. It takes time, so take the necessary time right up front to do it correctly when you have the barrel liner installed. Next, since this is a rimfire rifle, you have the option of using Brownells Acraglas or solder to secure the liner in place. You don’t need both. And you don’t need silver solder either.

So choose the one you plan to use and stick with it. In my experience, use of solder works really well to help hide the line between the barrel and liner when installed. This is personal preference. If you plan to reblue the barrel, solder is the better choice. If you are able to use brand new drill bits to drill out the bore to accept the liner, you may have a near perfect fit that won’t show the Acraglas or solder when done.

The trick here is to drill from both ends of the barrel; never run the bit through stem to stern. If you do, it will leave a larger than desirable hole on one end of the barrel depending upon which end you began drilling. I like to use new piloted drill bits for the job and Brownells sells short and long piloted bits. I always begin drilling from the muzzle end first, drilling down into the bore about six to eight inches, and then slowly back

the bit out. This gives a very nice cut that will nearly remove the visible line when the liner is finally inserted and the muzzle is faced. The reason I do not drill halfway down the barrel is to keep the bit nice and sharp for making the breech end cut, which helps hide the line between the barrel and liner. Invert the barrel and begin drilling the bore from the breech end. Go slow and use lots of oil so you don’t damage or break the bit.

Drill down the center of the bore until you reach the first portion you drilled out and then clean up the entire drilled out center. Just don’t allow the bit to exit the barrel on the muzzle end. A lathe with a four-jawed chuck works very well for drilling out the bore, especially on octagon barrels such as this one, but it can be done with a hand drill if you are very careful. Once the bore is drilled, spray it liberally inside with degreaser to clean out any oils in there from the drilling process.

You do not want to polish the inside of the barrel. It is better if left somewhat rough to help bond the liner to the barrel bore. Once prepped, degrease the barrel liner. Do not cut the liner length down yet, use the full length it comes in. If using Brownells Acraglas to secure it, run the liner down the barrel bore dry to make You may be able to see the jagged line where the liner meets the barrel muzzle. Being careful, a liner can be installed without a visible transition or line.

A target crown can at times be employed to obscure the line if needed. sure it will go in without binding. If it does, relieve the liner where it gets stuck in the bore and keep working it until you can push the liner down the bore without having to forcefully hammer it in. Once ready, mix up Brownells Acraglas according to the instructions (I prefer Acraglas Gel as it seems to make a cleaner job), spread a thin coat on the outside of the barrel liner, and push it down the bore.

Turn and work it back and forth to get the Acraglas to spread out inside. Leave approximately two inches of the liner sticking out the muzzle end (if it is long enough) and the rest can stick out the breech end. Once in place, look closely at the area between the liner and the bore on both ends to make sure you have an even coat of Acraglas all the way around the liner. If not, push some down inside the groove to ensure it will clean up properly when facing off the muzzle and breech ends. Let the Acraglas cure.

About a week is best to ensure a good set. If you decide to install the liner with solder, get a solder with a melt point above the temperature of bluing tanks so it won’t soften and American Gunsmith Reader Services 1.

Unfortunately, I’m missing the parts identification list for reference. leak out during the bluing process. Brownells carries this and everything you will need to do a nice barrel reline job. After the bore and liner is prepped and degreased, clamp the liner in a vise on only one end. Make sure you have enough liner sticking out from the vise to be fully inserted into the barrel bore. Test fit the barrel over the liner secured in the vise to make sure the liner passes all the way through the hole you drilled.

Using a source of heat (torch) begin heating the liner slowly starting at one end and just enough to get the solder to flow onto the liner. Keep heating the liner until the solder is flowing and use steel wool to spread the solder out. What you are doing is ‘tinning" the liner, getting a good coat of solder all over the liner where it will bond inside of the barrel. Once you have solder all over the liner, begin heating the barrel. You won’t need to heat the barrel up too hot.

Just get it warmed up and then heat the liner again with the solder on it until the solder flows again along the full length of the liner and push the barrel down over the liner. You will need to work fast so the liner does not get stuck. Work the barrel onto the liner by pushing and rotating the barrel while heating and get the barrel over and onto the liner in one motion.

Once you have the barrel on the liner with some of the liner sticking out both ends, make a final turn of the barrel and then remove the heat source. As it cools, you can see if you have enough solder between the liner and the muzzle, and the liner and the breech. If not, you can heat these areas back up and get some solder in there to fill the grooves. Then let cool. You can start working this barrel immediately after it has cooled.

To finish (by using either of the two methods above), use your lathe to face the muzzle, finishing by making one last clean fine cut across the barrel to true up the muzzle. Then, crown it to your liking. Turn the barrel around and cut off the protruding liner, then face off the breech end. Once flush and with a very fine clean facing cut (don’t face off more than 0.001") of the original breech face on the barrel, ream the chamber with a 22 chambering reamer.

A good quality finish reamer should be used for this job. Use the original measurements taken before you began this process to measure how much of the Go gauge protrudes from the breech end of the chamber, and then replicate that measurement with the new chamber reamer and Go gauge. Once the chamber is cut and finished, set up the barrel to cut the extractor recess area. Use the measurements and setup steps you put together at the beginning of the process and cut the extractor recessed area.

If you recess it exactly as it was when the barrel was new (or before you drilled it out) you likely will not have any of the issues that this firearm had. This is a thumbnail of barrel liner installation and only for this particular rifle and caliber. Had the "installer" taken some extra time and followed these steps, this old gallery gun would be back in service again.

The Brownells website has a Learn section (Brownells. com/guntech) on how to install barrel liners using Brownells Acraglas or solder if you are looking for more information. I recommend that you discuss with your customer the ramifications of re-lining a barrel to make a shooter out of it, especially if it has some collectible value. Essentially, the minute you bore out the barrel, the collectible value drops to the bottom of the charts (or lower).

Even if the original bore is pitted and worn out, keeping the rifle original also keeps the collectible value of it up. So have that conversation. Will it be a shooter or a collectible? You can’t have both with a barrel liner installed—in most cases anyway. And it is far better to let the customer know this before you drill the barrel out, because you just can’t assume that they know this most probably drop the value of their old classic firearm.

Finally, American Gunsmith ran an article on .22 rifle barrel liner installation back in March 1994 if you are interested in that write up. AG