Ok, this could go a bit long, but I'll try to keep it on track. I have posted a couple of times before about getting this little rifle (my favorite Handi) to be a dependable shooter. Oh, it has always been a 'good' shooter, no complaints about groups, but it has been frustrating as I would get occasional FTF. I picked it up used and it is what I would call the 'original superlite' with it's old style light profile 30-30 barrel and light weight. I fell in love when I picked it up and put it to my shoulder! Yes! This is what a woods rifle should be; light and handi and I have always had a thing for shingle shots. So I took it home and found it would shoot Winchester factory loads but not Remington, or that may have been the other way around. Anyway, I said no problem and took it hunting picking up a nice doe that year. The next summer I go to take it shooting and it would not fire anything. So I check here and find the lifter is bad, so I replace it. No good. So on we go with firing pin, springs, and hammer. Better, but still not 100%. So talking to Quick, I file the hammer nose down to get more firing pin protrusion. Ok, it now shoots again! (for about 5 shots!) So frustrated, I put it away for a while. This spring, I talked to my local gunsmith and he said check the tolerances. So I'm surprised to find I have .0006 between the frame and barrel. Wow, I hadn't noticed that before. Further checking showed the rim cut to be .0065. Checking the 30-30 brass I had on hand showed the rims to be between .0050 and .0055. So now we are looking at too much tolerance stack. I talk to Marshall again and he says the proper fix is to file the back of the chamber to reduce the rim cut depth, then shim the barrel back to proper tolerance. Or I could go the 'easy' fix and just file down the rim cut of the extractor and put in a heavier spring to hold it and the cartridge against the breachface. I went the long (proper) way and filed down the barrel until the rim cut was just .0056 deep and them shimmed the barrel back. Feeling like I had finally gotten this gun going, off we went to the range. I loaded it up and pulled back the hammer. 'click.
Several more tries got similar results, so I got an idea and grabbed my little .45 colt carbine and pulled a barrel switch. It locked up good and I was rewarded with a roar when I pulled the trigger!
So I still have a problem with my old Topper receiver but I'm done. The Carbine receiver has the casehardened look of the old Topper so it still looks the same and the barrel has a new home. The old receiver is going into the bottom of the reloading box until someday I feel like fooling with it again and then I'll replace all of the guts and go from there. In the meanwile, I am happy and satisfied that my old friend is working and reliable at last. She looks good on the Carbine frame with the carbine wood on it. (stock is cut and a thin pad installed leaving it my favorite 13" LOP for quick handling rifles) It's been a 4 year journey, mostly because I would put it aside for long periods of time, but I wouldn't give up on it and I'm happy it has finally worked out. 44 Man
