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Thread: Looking for an 1897 expert, Please?

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  1. #1
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    Looking for an 1897 expert, Please?

    Drilled, tapped and installed a front bead this weekend, but have had no luck getting the screws loose that hold the barrel band on. The magazine band bushing will rotate slightly, but the screws will not budge from it. Tried blow drier on hot , got it hot enough to the boil the Liquid Wrench I squirted on it but still will not budge. I'm afraid of breaking the screws. It does not appear to have an original barrel, and may be a slight bit smaller than OEM, thus causing the band to be too tight on the magazine and still not tight enough on the barrel to keep it from twisting when I rotate the mag. If I can get the screws loose, thought maybe shim the band on the barrel portion to tighten on the barrel and leave it a little bit looser on the magazine.



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    A Collector's View - The SMLE Short Magazine Lee Enfield 1903-1989. It is 300 8.5x11 inch pages with 1,000+ photo’s, most in color, and each book is serial-numbered.  Covering the SMLE from 1903 to the end of production in India in 1989 it looks at how each model differs and manufacturer differences from a collecting point of view along with the major accessories that could be attached to the rifle. For the record this is not a moneymaker, I hope just to break even, eventually, at $80/book plus shipping.  In the USA shipping is $5.00 for media mail.  I will accept PayPal, Zelle, MO and good old checks (and cash if you want to stop by for a tour!).  CLICK BANNER to send me a PM for International pricing and shipping. Manufacturer of various vintage rifle scopes for the 1903 such as our M73G4 (reproduction of the Weaver 330C) and Malcolm 8X Gen II (Unertl reproduction). Several of our scopes are used in the CMP Vintage Sniper competition on top of 1903 rifles. Brian Dick ... BDL Ltd. - Specializing in British and Commonwealth weapons Specializing in premium ammunition and reloading components. Your source for the finest in High Power Competition Gear. Here at T-bones Shipwrighting we specialise in vintage service rifle: re-barrelling, bedding, repairs, modifications and accurizing. We also provide importation services for firearms, parts and weapons, for both private or commercial businesses.
     

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    As with any screw, sometimes they are hard to get out. Standard methods include lubrication and force(spray some WD40 on it and give it a good crank). Make sure the screwdriver that you use is the proper size and is hollow ground so you get a good fit in the screw head. If you can't get it out like this then you should take it to a gunsmith so it doesn't get wrecked. Good luck!
    This is the front band on my 97 Trench Gun and my standard length 97, your band look like this?



    It should come apart like this:
    Last edited by GUTS; 03-18-2011 at 11:38 AM.

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    In conjunction with GUTS great post, this may help as yet another step in the process.

    This trick sometimes takes two to accomplish, BUT if you've a prorpely fitting screwdriver that will take a light hammering, then lean hard onto the driver whilst torquing it (so the blade won't jumop out of the slot) and concurrently tap fairlly briskly on the end of the driver-medium taps rapidly w/ a smallish hammer. Works more often than not- but you've got to have "educated hands". Torque too much-something breaks. Not pushing down hard enough- driver slips. Etc. etc.

    One of the first things taught me by a master smith many moons ago. He also insisted on not doing trials- had to jump in on whatever needed attention! Scary sometimes...

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    Thanks Guys, I've tried heating up the screw head with a soldering iron, it has been flushed regularly for 2 weeks now with liquid wrench, tapping etc. Today I bought one of the little hand impact drivers from Harbor freight, and will try it. I am a little concerned though taht I should take it off the mag tube to prevent the band bushing from digging into the mag tube.


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    You might have to make some sort of blocks to hold the band whilst in the vise. Aluminum or brass or even mild steel. Just something to keep the band isolated.

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    TADA A couple of taps on the impact (light/medium taps) and they both came out. Had to clean up the screw heads with a needle file first, but no damage. Now to shim the section of the barrel band that fits the Barrel so it will tighten up more without tightening on the Mag tube

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    I'm still wondering why the band doesn't fit the barrel better. I have an extra band(the one in the photos)if you want it I'll send it to you free of charge, if it works better keep it.

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    Thanks guy, I really appreciate it, but I think I have it figured out. I spread it a little and found an old set of Bushnell scope rings in my junk box that had a crosshatch gripper insert in them. I pulled it out of one set, trimmed it down a little , and put it on the barrel where the band goes. I gently slipped the band back in place, then cranked it down, and the band is locked tight on the barrel now, while still being just loose enough on the magazine to allow it to rotate for takedown. You can't see it at all.
    As for why the band was loose, the barrel has no markings on it at all, and looks brand new in the bore. Needless to say, I don't think it's original, and the taper may be a little different. The blue match is good from barrel to receiver, but it must be a replacement with no markings. I want it close to original appearance, but I'm not a stickler on this one (it was given to me by my nieces at Christmas, and belonged to my little brother who passed away last June at 47. It was just heart failure from unknown causes, he was otherwise healthy, didn' drink, smoke, and was regional manager for a drug screening company ((so that was never in question)).) It's a rememberance of him, so I would like it to look nice, but I'm not doing major character change on it.
    All I need now is to find replacement screws for the magazine cap (they weren't there when I got it). and I'm checking a local gunsmith today.

    Your offer is very kind and much appreciated . That's what I like about this site, people like you Guts that are willing to help other collectors out, you're a good guy.

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    ps: as soon as I get the screws for the magazine end cap and get it on, I will take pics. I sanded and resealed the dirty black beatup stock with about a dozen fine coats of Minwax Antique oil finish, and it came out great.

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    Well, in trying to free up the spring in the magazine lock pin, the spring broke. The pin was already pretty beat up, and the spring was peened into the slot in the pin, and in working under it, it broke in half (the spring). Found a guy that makes replacement pins and springs for these reasonably, so I'm ordering and should have it next week. He doesn't have the cap screws though, and no luck here so far. Still need to find the screws.

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