1873 Winchester question
Hello....i am cleaning my rifle and have a question about removing the fore arm wood. I removed the metal end cap and the wood will not come off due to the wedge that the screw that hold the cap are held. To remove the wood do i need to remove mag tube??... If so how is that done??,..thanks
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I assume you have a rifle with a full length magazine. The magazine tube passes through the forearm wood so the tube needs to be removed first. The tube is held in place by a small pin that passes through the magazine tube ring located a little more than 3-inches back from the muzzle.
First you should remove the magazine tube end cap which can be one of several designs. There may be a screw pin that passes upward into a hole in the bottom of the barrel. Or, the screw may simply end inside the cap. If you have a very early gun, the end cap may screw into the threaded end of the tube. With the cap off you can take out the spring and follower.
Now punch out the pin. It passes through both sides of the ring and through a slot in the top of the tube. Punch the pin out using a drift punch of the proper size. Try not to strike it very hard since these pins were over hardened and can break easily.
With the pin removed, the magazine tube SHOULD slide out allowing the wood to be removed. However, it is not uncommon for some crud or rust to be packed into the joint making it tight on a gun that has not been taken down for many moons. Twisting the tube back and forth and pulling will often release it but it can also cause scratching of the outside of the tube. If yours does not slide out easily, give the joint a good soaking with a penetrating oil for a few days. Then apply some heat to the ring which will cause it to expand a little opening up the clearance between the ring and the tube.
Don't forget to clean the inside of the magazine tube. They often accumlate a lot of crud over the decades.0 -
Glabray is right on with his reply. also if tube if tight you just need to clear the forearm and turn the tube 1/4 turn and will come out of dove tail. definelty clean the inside of tube always seems to be rust and other demons in them. good luck and shoot that 73 straight.Kevin 0 -
Hello all....i picked up some good screwdriver and some formbys oil cleaner for the stock. I removed the screw at the end of the tube...does it just pull out after the small screw is removed?...i removed the small pin. I just don't want to bugger anything. The end of the tube has a slot??..thanks all 0 -
For firearms work, you might want to invest in a set of hollow ground screwdrivers available from Brownell's and Midway. Hardware store screw drivers have tapered blades and they apply the turning force at the top of the screw slot leading to buggered screws if the screws are stubborn. Hollow ground ones apply the force at the bottom of the slot as well as the top.
The tube does not have a slot, but some of the tube end cap designs do have. If you have removed the little screw, the end cap should come out easily. You may have to work it back and forth a bit with a large blade screwdriver being careful not to bugger up the slot. Some warm light oil might help. With the end cap out, the magazine spring and follower will come right out. If you have the pin out of the ring you should now be able to remove the magazine tube.
The Formby's product may give the wood more of a sheen than is desirable on an antique gun. I'm partial to a 50/50 mix if boiled linseed oil and turpentine.0 -
Thanks everyone...the rifle came out great. It looks a ton better. Super clean and ready to shoot...can't wait 0
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