doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Winchester Model 24 "off face"

What is the best way and who do you suggest to tighten up a Winchester Model 24?
Thank you

Wow...you're gonna get some answers you won't like on this one!

GregSY:
I gotta agree with you on this one.
jim

I would try a shim. The problem is that the gun is such a low value gun that a repair that cost several hundred to do properly is hard to justify. Solider a shim on it and you should be fine. If it is a family heirloom you might pay for a proper repair but as a low cost shooter the gun will cost more to fix than buying another one.

Buy a tube of Lock Tight adheseve and a cheap feeler gauge set and geterdone.

Or, aluminum tape. Ofcourse it will require replacing after a few uses.

Does Mike Orlen do this work? Put a double back on face?

Jim

Over a year ago I asked about inexpensive ways to put a low-cost project gun back on face. Got lots of good to excellent responses. Here they are:
1) Scotch tape has got to be among the cheapest. Worked just fine for couple of rounds of trap or a day's hunting.

2) Al or other metallic tape. Did not try. Should outlast Scotch tape.

3) Thin, soft metal from beer can, etc. I found a metal juice can that was right thickness and cut strips that fit. Took a few tries till I got one that stayed put, without glue. That peice has taken quite a beating but after 10-15 rounds of trap and several hunting trips gun is still on face!!! No effective fix can be cheaper!

4) Shim made from feeler gauge of correct thickness. This is what I will have a gunsmith do, whenever I get tired of thin metal strips. Seems a pretty standard fix for less expensive doubles. Presume such a fix will greatly outlast that little strip of juice can.

5) You name it -- there are plenty of pricy ways for folks with expensive guns and enough money left over. Basically they involve replacing worn hinge pin with a new, slightly larger one, TIG welding worn areas, etc., eetc. Cost easily more than market value of a Winchester M24.

One thing that became obvious quickly on mine was that the hinge pin was not worn evenly but, was battered more on both "ends", thanks to a replaced extractor that was never filed down flush with ends of barrels. Perhaps this was a "blacksmith's" way of putting gun back on face!! Result was that barrels "rocked" side-to-side on this fulcrum when fired, battering the hinge pin and hook quite out of cylindrical form. Doubt that this is a common reason for going off-face. However, my understanding that both hinge pin and hook surfaces become increassingly far from perfect cylindrical shapes once gun is off-face. IF so, expect any simple fix, that does not return both pin and hook to perfectly mated surfaces, is doomed to failure by differential battering. However, I have more of that juice can ............

Niklas

Feeler gauge isn't going to work. It is hardened and ground to size, and resists bending and being attached to anything. Shim stock is milder and softer, and will work better.
Plain, old typing paper will take up .003-.004 of even, or uneven wear, as will a simple little rectangle of brass sheeting, available at hobby stores. A drop of oil doesn't hurt on either, but, inspect and replace the paper method on occasion. There was an article in the Double Gun Journal about a gent that had used a Nitro Special with a brass shim as his duck gun, using loads he wouldn't use in his good guns, for decades, with good results.
If I had a "Name" English gun (I have in the past, and don't anymore, by the way) I might not fix it this way, but, only because it would likely effect re-sale value. That is the cross you bear with a pricy gun. But, most of the guys here who bring up collector value, and mock low buck repairs really wouldn't know a collector gun if it shot them in the ass-look at any of the Parkers or Winchester model 12s on the auction sites and prove this to yourself. Most are worn out junk, with big prices on them. This same group will happily advise you to make a $400 repair on a $250 gun that will be worth $250 when you are done. A model 24 is just such a gun, and you will be better served by using it, with a low dollar repair, rather than throwing money at it.
Good luck, by the way. There are plenty of steel barreled, older, entry level double guns that could be back in the field with a bit of help on their loose hook. It doesn't take a master machinest to do it (you can do it that way, but, why?) just a bit of ingenuity.
Best,
Ted

Thank you all for the advice. My intent is to "shore up" the gun so it doens't get any looser. I must ask, however, where to I place the shim(s)? Are they placed on the barrel hook or on the action pin? I know this seems like a pretty simple question, but I am very new at any repairs involving the metal rather than the wood.
I see that many others end their posts with a phrase that means a lot to them. Here is mine:

Perfect is the enemy of good.
Mike