Author Topic: 243 BARREL & SHIMMING (Read 896 times)

BIGBOREFAN · « **on:** December 17, 2004, 03:31:07 AM »

Well, the 243 barrel I got off the classifieds does not lock up on my reciever. It's not even close. It looks like the front of the lug is wore or someone took a file to it. It is even so maybe its wore. Made a shim from a brake alignment shim. Cut it the same width as the lug and about a 1'' long. Shaped it to fit were the hinge pin rides and then bent it over under the lug. The shim is .010 and the lock up is perfect now. You can see very little light between action and barrel. You can see some but you can not even slip a piece of writting paper between the two. The little light you can see would normally bother me but there is no play or movement at all. All so, my TC G2 with the 45-70 barrel is the same and it has no problems. Now, back to the shim. Like I said it is shaped perfectly with the front of the lug. I plan on putting one spot weld on the bottom of the lug to keep it in place. Once I'm done you will not really know it is there. What do you guys think.

BBF

MSP Ret · « **Reply #1 on:** December 17, 2004, 03:42:38 AM »

I suggest you try a SMALL dot of JB Weld or 2 part epoxy between the center of the shim stock and the underlug cutout. Clean both pieces with denatured alcohol to remove all grease and oil and put a very small amount on the center of the underlug cutout so that when you then place the shim stock in place and put the barrel on the frame it does not ooze out and get onto other pieces. put the barrel in place and let it harden overnight and your good to go. Two part epoxy can be removed with heat. Perhaps even a small half dot of blue Loc-tite. Welding is a last resort!!!....<><.... :grin:

BIGBOREFAN · « **Reply #2 on:** December 17, 2004, 04:05:56 AM »

MSP, I am using a 2 part epoxy between the shim and the lug. I hava a bolt setting in it were the hinge pin would set and have it clamped. Plan on letting it set up over night but thought about the spot weld since it is underneath the lug.

BBF

MSP Ret · « **Reply #3 on:** December 17, 2004, 04:16:09 AM »

Sounds great BBF, lets us know how it works out....<><.... :grin:

BIGBOREFAN · « **Reply #4 on:** December 17, 2004, 04:29:59 AM »

MSP, I think since I have epoxy on the shim were ever it contacts the lug I'll not do the spot weld. Do not want to heat the epoxy up after it cures. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

BBF

quickdtoo · « **Reply #5 on:** December 17, 2004, 04:51:22 AM »

Sounds to me like a good plan!

robin-hood-90 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 17, 2004, 06:28:24 AM »

Shade-tree gun-smithing can be hazardous to your health ! :?

quickdtoo · « **Reply #7 on:** December 17, 2004, 06:41:09 AM »

Quote from: robin-hood-90

Shade-tree gun-smithing can be hazardous to your health ! :?

So can not shooting it if you're a handiholic! :grin:

BIGBOREFAN · « **Reply #8 on:** December 20, 2004, 07:32:01 AM »

Well, shade tree or not I can read a set of feeler gauges and know how much thickness I need for the shim to set the barrel back for proper headspacing. By the way everyone the .010 shim worked great. The action closes tight. The factory Remington ammo shows no sign of over pressure. The empty cases looke fine. Does not seem to be anything wrong with headspacing. If there were the action should be popping open on every shot. It does NOT pop open. By the way with a cheap 4x BSA groups were hovering around a inch at 40 yards. Considering the shooting weather that was not to bad.

BBF

MSP Ret · « **Reply #9 on:** December 20, 2004, 08:27:06 AM »

:shock:, BBF was that the .010 shim or the .001 shim!!!....<><.... :?

BIGBOREFAN · « **Reply #10 on:** December 20, 2004, 08:54:33 AM »

MSP, that would be .010 Which is 10 thousandths of a inch. A regular piece of note book paper is 3 to 5 thousandths. So, the shim was equal to two sheets of note book paper. The shim is not that thick. All I know is it locks up tight, the action does not pop open, and their is no vertical stringing. That does not mean their will not be. I would also venture to say that the lug was wore a little. Maybe someone was loading pretty hot. The lug area were it sets on the hinge pin was really shiny. Which idicated to me there was some were. I have been told and read on another post that the hinge pin itself is very hard. So loading ammo pretty hot could cause the lug to wear. IMO I would not think that the shim would wear out with normal loads.

BBF

Fred M · « **Reply #11 on:** December 20, 2004, 09:02:59 AM »

Robin-Hood 90.

Quote

Shade-tree gun-smithing can be hazardous to your health !

I think you should apologize for this remark, since you have nothing better to offer. You obviously don't know that this is a commonly used method and there is nothing hazardous about it.

BIGBOREFAN · « **Reply #12 on:** December 20, 2004, 09:15:57 AM »

Thanks Fred. The way I see it this method is not for everyone. If someone wants to try it (I had no choice because it was a used barrel) then they need to be careful. I happen to know just like a lot of people here that if the action locks up tight you should not have a problem. Like I said mine locks up tight and does not pop open after shooting. So, it is safe.

BBF

quickdtoo · « **Reply #13 on:** December 20, 2004, 10:17:58 AM »

I've done 2 of em the same way, an older H&R shotgun and the .357 maxi that I got from BBF, it works fine...and I expect I might have to do it with the .270 barrel when I get it from Jeff. It appears that H&R grinds the pivot surface on the underlug to fit the barrels, anyone ever done that with a barrel that was too tight?

Fred M · « **Reply #14 on:** December 21, 2004, 06:33:58 AM »

Quick.

Quote

It appears that H&R grinds the pivot surface on the underlug to fit the barrels, anyone ever done that with a barrel that was too tight?

Before I do that I check the barrel face/standing breech by smoking the surface of the barrel with a candle, to see if the two surfaces meet. If not a few strokes with a flat stone on a high spot may just do it.

The half round bearing in front could be done with a 3/8 stone chucked im drill press so any removal is straight with the barrel held in a padded vise that can be moved against the stone.

One or two thou should be easy to remove in that manner with light oil on the stone. doing it by hand would produce a rounded surface fron side to side and point load the hinge pin, and that would bent the pin and you be back to square one.

Low and behold there seems to be no end of all the things you can do on these lovely Handi's.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #15 on:** December 21, 2004, 08:02:06 AM »

Thanks Fred, that's what I thought. :wink: