Brownells Gunsmith Tech Corner - August 2008
Question: I have a situation with my Remington 700 rifle that I have never had before with any of my other 700 rifles and need some advice.
I have the Rem. 700 in 300 Rem Ultra mag. I was sighting in/breaking in the barrel last weekend and noticed on the primer I had signs of what appeared to be high pressure with the firing pin strike on the primmer being cratered with a lip that you can feel when you run your finger nail over it. When I showed the factory loaded shells to a local dealer he said that it looked like a weak firing pin spring was the culprit and if this is true why then would it crater the primer if it is indeed weak?
Answer: The cratering is caused by high pressure and not by a weak spring. I would say that the ammunition is probably the problem. You may want to contact Remington if it was their ammo you were shooting. They would like to know if there is a problem.
-- Steve Ostrem, Brownells Gun Tech
Question: I will be installing a
#365-509-100 in a Remington Sparta sp310 over & under. Please tell me any useful info for doing this correctly.
Answer: If it will fit your existing stock bolt hole, use it. If it does not fit the factory hole you will have to drill a new hole using the correct diameter drill bit. If you go too deep, use a piece of heater hose cut to length to fill the extra depth. You want to make sure that it fits tightly in the hole (you can use tape wrapped around the reducer to keep it tight in the hole)as well as make sure that it does not move for and aft in the stock as well.
-- Mark Hudson, Brownells Gun Tech
Question: I am wondering if relining a .22 barrel is really a good way to go. I have mixed comments from people I know. I would suppose it makes a difference who does it. Do you have any insight?
Answer: I have done a number of relined barrels with better than expected results. Typically the job is done when the barrels on older guns are shot out or most often abused or corrosive ammunition is used and the gun goes un-cleaned or improperly cleaned. The procedure can be done by most anyone with the proper tools and adequate preparation and the gun will outwardly appear in original condition.
Lining barrels has been done for other reasons as well. I have done quite a few liners in special configurations of High Standard pistol barrels using light weight or composite materials to get a particular look or weight for customers. Accuracy is always the user's concern and I have been able to obtain consistently small groups in both rifle and pistol barrels with liners installed.
-- Monty Crain, Brownells Gun Tech