doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com M17 question

I must beg your forbearance here once again, but I simply do not find such a depth of knowledge anywhere else. I am attempting to get a circa 1929 M17 ready for the dove opener here, and I believe I am battling some rust in the barrel threads that prevents me from taking it down (to allow it to be plugged to satisfy Federal migratory regulations). I had thought that perhaps at some time in its past it had been treated with some form of LocTite, but after dissembly I would tend to believe that it's former life in the soggy Northeast (Maine?) has left it with some oxidation issues. M17s have an access-port to their barrel-thread area through left-front area of the receiver by way of a very shallow slotted screw-head that can be removed (this feature doesn't exist on it's decendant, the Ithaca M37). I went ahead and treated it with some Permatex (LocTite)gasket remover and followed that with some penetrating oil. My plans are to use a strap wrench to try to get it to rotate, and perhaps even apply a little heat? Any other suggestions from the brain trust here?

Just unscrew the magazine cap and put the plug into the center of the spring. No need to take the gun to pieces for that issue. Am I missing something here?

Walt, I believe that you turn the barrel 90 degrees to remove the magazine cap and if the barrel threads are corroded you can't turn the barrel.

Walt's answer pretty much takes care of Lloyd's Remington Model 17 question about how to install a plug. I have the same question, but for a different gun, a Model 31 Remington. How do you do it?...Geo

Walt: Can't get the barrel out of the way to unscrew the cap. It won't rotate.

George: You have to dissemble the front of the magazine tube and take out the screw that secures the barrel yoke part in front of the pump handle. Go to "YouTube" and look for m31 videos. There's one there that shows the whole operation.

Thank you,I see what I was missing--not reading carefully. Good luck

Thanks Lloyd!...Geo

I think that the M 17 and M31 take down is very similar. There is a knurled ring at the front of the magazine tube that must be turned to disengage the barrel from the magazine tube before the barrel can be rotated 90 degrees to remove it. The lug on the barrel has a pin that engages a hollow pin in the magazine cap. The hollow pin is threaded into the magazine cap and retracts to free the pin on the barrel lug when the knurled ring on the magazine cap is turned. Once the barrel is off, a screw through the band around the magazine has to be removed to remove the magazine cap and install the plug.

I just checked my model 17.Push and pull out the pin in the magazine cap a short distance and using pin turn the cap and then remove barrel. Bobby

Penetrating oil didn't do much overnight. I was going to put the action in a vise, use a strap wrench on the barrel, heat it a bit with a propane torch and whack it with a soft mallet while applying pressure, but.......I think I will soak it in diesel for a couple of weeks first. If that doesn't work (combined with the above-mentioned tactics), then I'll just use it on non-migratory game and private stuff. It's too-nice of a light, little gun to wreck it.

After getting the action pulled apart, it's pretty clear that it has never been fully cleaned before, which is quite remarkable considering how well it has been working.

If this doesn't work Walt, I guess I'll have to use that darn old pre-war 37 on doves?