6x47 back in the groove.

[Fred M]

After an extensive amout of gopher shooting this spring, the rifle lost its accuracy. It shot loose in the hinge pin seat two or three thou.

Applied a small amount of Devcon Steel to the seat and put a steel pellet behind the latch spring and got the whole thing what looked like  too tight.

The latch ended up with minimal bearing. In the back of my mind I thought maybe the rifle would open when fired. Well it did not. The additional tension on the spring held the latch tight.

Actually you have more tension on the latch with the spring at nearly max compression. Which means partial latch engagement.  Something I had not thought of before because I stressed to have the latch as far on the latch seat as you can get. Of course at that point the spring is the farthest relaxed.

So a strong latch spring is still the best accurizer in a Handi. The rifle is now back with super accuracy.

Yesterday as an after thought I went to my friend machine shop and redid the crown, which I found after close examination  not to be the very best. I had touched it up by hand which is mostly a failure.

[quickdtoo]

Thanks for the update Fred, sounds like you're on top of it as usual!! How many shots did it take to loosen up? Was that with a double spring or the original spring? I still have one of your double springs left if you need it back!!

Tim

[Norseman112]

Thanks for the info Fred, I have learned alot from your posts. I was wondering what type of frame do you have?

John

[Fred M]

Tim
I think about close to 300 shots it toke to loosen up. The spring is the dual springn like I send you. Only now with steel shot on the botton it is more compressed.

John.
The frame is a standard H&R Ultra S2 from a 25-06 and a 223 Ultr as per my accurising. Both the 257 Roberts and the 6x47 hsve the same treatmnet.

[quickdtoo]

Geez Fred, you just need more Handis so you can't shoot any of em too much!!! I only have about 100 rounds thru my .338-06 and about the same on the .405 Win, but I don't think I've broke more than 80-100 or so on any of em cept the .45-70, .45-120, Hornet and rimfires.

Tim

[hipshot300]

The lock up got loose after 300 rds?
Is that normal? Or is it a problem related to the 6x47? I don't shoot rifles alot but I would figure the handi's would go more than that.
Please advise more if this is something that is normal for the handi's in centerfire calibres.

[quickdtoo]

JPH45 had his .38-55 loosen up in 1500 rounds IIRC, so it's not unheard of, the underlug does wear, it's much softer than the hinge pin and that's just from opening and closing the action, the pressure on it with the high pressure calibers also takes its toll on it. One good reason to use some lubricant on the hinge pin, I've used Tetra and also have treated a couple with Moly-Fusion. Another point of wear that doesn't get much attention is the spacer on wood stocked rifles or the breech end of synthetic stocks. If these wear, the barrel will be loose when the action is opened and POI will change as it wears. I use beeswax or paraffin on them to easy the friction.

Tim

[hipshot300]

Are you refering to the spacer on the forearm? Thanks for the info I will watch that. I figured handi's in 12 and 20 ga, .22 centerfires and pistol calibres probably get fired alot more often than anything else on average. When I do the barrel program, I think I'll "spread it out" over two sb2 frames for the rifles and just keep the shotguns to themselves.

[quickdtoo]

Are you refering to the spacer on the forearm? .

Yes, although there's no separate spacer on the synthetic stocks, it's part of the forend.

Tim

[Fred M]

Well I should clarify about the shoot loose thing. The 257 Roberts was made from a complete 223 Ultra which had an extreamly tight fit against the standing breech. It has shot quite a bit too and has  got loose a bit and needed a small touch up.

The 223 barrel I got from Mitchel was loose in the 25-06 frame. This barrel was a very poor shooter and I turned it into the 6x47. I fixed the loose barrel/hinge pin seat with Devcon Steel Putty this is what compressed over 300 shots. So at present I am good for another 300 rounds. The small amount of build up will perhaps compress again. As I mentioned that in my web page. No big deal since it is a very easy fix.

I am thinking of a more permanent fix by removing the hinge pin and  weld a new steel seat to the under lug and drill a new seat hole. That is what I should have done in the first place. But Devcon Steel putty is doing the job the lazy way.

No I am not buying anymore Handi's for a while. The two I have give me enough
work to keep up with all the little shenanigans they come up with.

[Ditchdigger]

My 22 250 fluted barrel shot loose in about 60 rds.It took .005" shim stock to get it back reasonably tight. It was so loose that half of the ammo would not fire( very faint firing pin dent). It was very accurate when it was tight though.  Digger

[Fred M]

Ditchdigger
The bearing of the hinge pin against the underlug is poor in two ways. One is the soft steel of the underlug. The other is the the hole or deep groove for the ejector, which takes a big hunk out of the bearing surface. Not a good system at all, this is where the gun shoot lose.

There can't be to much control on the hardness of the steel, since some guns don't seam to shoot loose. The devcon Steel Putty is not a permanent fix but it works well for a while.

[Tentman]

Hello Fred

Wondering out loud here, so it may be a "brainfart" but . . .

If one had a loose handi and access to a machine shop, maybe a way of fixing it would be to press out the front pin, put the barrel (s - maybe do a couple while on the job) in the action and ream a new hole right through both (just enough so a new pin fits both parts).  I don't know what access you guys have to 4140 pin stock but even if one had to turn a lenght its not a big job), then press the new pin back in, obviously the barrels would have to be lapped to the new pin.

One could also have a "tig artist" close up the ""hole" in the front of the barrel lug before the reaming job.

What think you all

Foster (ducking for cover in case I've just said something real stupid)

[Fred M]

Tentman.
There is nothing wrong with your idea. Except the underlug won't get any harder.
The pin as is, is not the trouble from what I can tell. Welding that hole shut is a good idea and it has been done by someone here before, that is easy enough and may solve the trouble permanently without a new pin, since iit also increases the pin bearing.

This would not void the warranty of the frame. The barrel in any event is a consumable item. In this way you could sent the frame to the factory and have a new one installed.

Of course instaling a new pin would increase the bearing face considerable with the hole welded shut. All other barrels would have to be refitted and I believe would void the warranty on the frame.