Brownells Gunsmith Tech Corner - January 2007

By Jon Wittwer

Question: I need to replace the hammer spring in my 870. What’s the best way to proceed?

Answer: Very carefully. In all seriousness, you will need to remove the hammer pin which includes a few other pieces. Keep the correct order of disassembly on a drawing or use our schematic as a guide. When your done, you will need to re-stake the right hand side of the pin in order to keep the washer from coming out. This is almost a three handed job. After you re-assemble the parts, take a center punch and stake the inside edge of the hammer pin so there is no way for the washer to come loose. I hope this helps and I'm sending you the link to the schematic on our web site.

Solution: Use our 870 schematic as a reference point.


Question: I’m trying to convert a Rem 700 in 270 win. from ADL to BDL. I purchased your conversion kit (#078-030-110) for the project. After I inletted the stock so that the trap door lays flush with the stock, the screws will no longer reach the action and the aft of the trigger guard will not rest in the bottom of the inlet in the stock. Also, the magazine box is to tall. I'm now wondering if I got the right kit for my rifle. If I did get the right kit how would I fix these problems?

Answer: Yes, you purchased the right kit, but it is designed for a replacement stock, not an original. You might try using the magazine box from the original magazine. That is one of the differences between the two styles. If you were using an aftermarket stock, it would be deeper in that area. To fix this problem, you may have to remove metal from the shortest magazine bow in order for it to fit correctly. Scribe a line on the bottom of the magazine box and remove metal as required in order for it to fit correctly. We have extra length action screws available (items #084-271-000 and #084-272-701 depending on the style that you want) for just that reason.


Question: I have a Cimarron Uberti 1885 Low Wall in 22lr. I’m looking for a tang sight and globe front sight for this rifle. Can you point me to what I need?

Answer: We carry a Tang Sight (#579-009-800) for the 1885 Uberti. This replacement sight is designed for use with the original front sight out to ranges of 100 yards. For the globe front sight you would need, just measure the overall height of your existing front sight, then order the closest height globe front sight. The dovetail for the front sight should be a standard 3/8”, so it would take the Lyman #17 target front sights on page 332 of our big Catalog. The stock numbers would start with (#539-017-360) depending on the height needed.

Solution: Purchase a Tang sight (#579-009-800) for the 1885 Uberti, after measuring the height of the existing front sight, check out front sights (#539-017-360).