new/old 30-30

[plowmaster54]

Couldnt help it----Was in a local pawn shop the other day and saw a topper 158 all by its lonesome. Went back 3 times and walked away twice. It reminded me of me----scuffed up,lots of grey and missing parts. Got to feeling sorry for it so I took it home. The barrel is slightly loose with about a .003 gap at the breach, the forend needs to be re-fitted, and I'm pretty sure the firing pin is broken. There's not much bluing left and the front sight insert is missing. Did I mention it was scuffed up? It has a slim,tapered barrel, is lightweight and  just feels right when you put it to your shoulder. The serial # starts with "AL" (1973?) ,does not have a transfer bar and is an ejector barrel----and it's a 30-30 .
My other handi's havent needed any work except to ream to maxi and an extractor modification on the .45. I've been looking for a project gun and I think I found one. Am  planning on fitting the barrel (shim?),taking it apart for a good cleaning and repair/replace parts as needed. Not for sure yet on the finish----may just clean,lightly polish and oil it good--leave it looking like the working gun that it is.
(update)---I maybe have figured out how to add pictures--we'll see how it goes. If this works, I'll try to update this thread as work progresses.
David

[quickdtoo]

Congrats, nice rescue!! 

Tim

[plowmaster54]

I started in on the receiver today. This was my first time, so i refered to the FAQ section on triggers frequently. The first thing was I was having trouble getting the trigger guard pins out "til I noticed they had been put in from the right side--guess someone has been into it before. They came out much easier after I noticed this. The other pins were all in from the left.
As I had suspicioned earlier, the firing pin was broken. The narrow nose was broken off flush with the thicker end. Both pieces were still in place.
I have a question for the members here. I went to Numrich's website to locate a replacement, but if I'm looking at the right part, it's sold out. The part number is 279190 for AA series to AR200001. Another part  #1161540B (.075 tip dia.) fits all series to Z.  My receiver is an AL(1973?), so the way i'm seeing it, the first, out of stock pin is correct, but the second part looks the same to me.
My question is can anyone tell me which, if either of these parts is correct for my receiver? I measured the broken pin,and my best read on the caliper showed .075 dia.,that's what got me to thinking maybe the second part  might work. Just to throw more numbers out, the pin from my receiver measured .218 dia on the hammer end, and the oal on the two pieces came to .795.
I would appreciate any input from the members on this forum. I apologize in advance if I ramble, I'm one of those two-fingered typist that hasn't posted much on here.
Thanks
David

[Winter Hawk]

Interesting, I'm going through the same with a 058 - Someone had filed the snot out of the seer and the trigger and it barely held in the cocked position.  Breathing wrong would set it off.  I tried to resuscitate it but ended up with a replacement trigger and hammer (the gold one from Numrich works nicely).  When it was all together again, the end of the firing pin fell out of the hole in the frame.  I have ordered the .075 firing pin from Numrich, it was shipped on Friday so hopefully it will be here tomorrow or the next day.  I'll let you know how it works.  I also ordered the .095 pin thinking I can drill out the hole if need be.

-Kees-

[plowmaster54]

Interesting, I'm going through the same with a 058 - Someone had filed the snot out of the seer and the trigger and it barely held in the cocked position.  Breathing wrong would set it off.  I tried to resuscitate it but ended up with a replacement trigger and hammer (the gold one from Numrich works nicely).  When it was all together again, the end of the firing pin fell out of the hole in the frame.  I have ordered the .075 firing pin from Numrich, it was shipped on Friday so hopefully it will be here tomorrow or the next day.  I'll let you know how it works.  I also ordered the .095 pin thinking I can drill out the hole if need be.

-Kees-

That would be great if you would let me know how it works out. In my earlier post I mentioned the trigger guard pins being in backwards,well probably as a result of this the back (larger) pin hole on the right side is slightly loose. I'm thinking I might try to lightly peen the inside of this hole with a small punch to try to tighten it up---Ive already put it away for the night so without looking at it further, I'm not sure if its do-able. Will likely replace the hammer spring while it's apart. The trigger felt smooth, but dont know how heavy.  Will probably leave it alone other than clean and lube. The barrel was a loose fit W/ a slight gap at the breech. Will probably shim it----i tried fitting it w/ a test shim of 3 layers of tinfoil and it locked up much better with no visible gap---I wanted a project gun and I got it!
Thank you for your response
David

[blind ear]

Do you feel like you found a lost friend? ear

[plowmaster54]

Do you feel like you found a lost friend? ear

I'm sure hoping it turns out that way---I left it on the rack twice but couldnt stop thinking about it---talked myself into and out of it several times over the Labor Day weekend, then got worried it would be gone before I could get back. I swear that it was sending me telepathic messages,kinda like the song of a Siren. Now that it is safe at home, I worry about doing it justice---but I have a good feeling about this one.
Thank you for your response
David

[Winter Hawk]

Nothing in the mail today.      

I did get a roll of steel shim stock at Fastenal, the only place in town which had any.  I got the .015" thickness, shimmed the latch plate of the .30-40 as CW shows in the FAQs.  It took a second thickness under the "wrap around" shim but now that barrel locks up correctly.  I have about 2" taken off of a roll which was 6" x 100", and most of that two inches is in my tool box for the next time.  $13 including tax.  Just grumbling....

-Kees-

[Winter Hawk]

The new firing pins arrived and the .075 is installed.  They appear to be castings and a bit rough.  It took me a while with file and 320 grit sandpaper to get it to go in the hole in the frame.  I also put a piece of sandpaper around a drill bit and worked that around in the hole in case there were rough spots it was hanging up on.  At first I would try the fit in the installed position, but quickly started doing it backwards so I could hold on to the firing pin itself while checking the fatter end in the hole (I hope that makes sense).

The .095 pin went in quite easily when I tried it backwards so you may have no fitting needed.  I would still polish it up so it slides better in the hole if I were you.

This rifle is an AP---- serial number so made in 1982, I believe, also with a rebounding hammer as yours is.  Someone had "worked" on it before to the point that the seer barely engaged the hammer notch and the seer and hammer profiles were filed down so there was nothing left to do but replace them.  I mentioned earlier that I used the gold hammer (the only one I saw which would work).  When I ordered the firing pin I also got the gold trigger which I installed today..  I can't say it made it look better, but they match and look rather unique.  I replaced the latch at the same time as the one on the rifle had some notches out of it.  Probably not needed, but since I was in there I might as well do it.

Okay, I've rambled enough.  The firing pin for all guns to Z is the one I used.  Good luck!

-Kees-

[kennyd]

One of the firing pins on my 12 ga. hammer double seemed short, so, as I work in a machine shop made a new one, hardened it, and it has worked since.  It makes a easily traceable indent, too.  That would have been my first choice.  Are you sure about the shim?  .015 (fifteen thousandths) or .0015, (1 and a half thousandths)?

[OldSchoolRanger]

plowmaster54 & Einter Hawk,

Thought you guys might enjoy this article;

http://perkloafm.com/pdf/058_fp_fix.pdf

it's about a repairing an old model 058. The model 058 & 158 are almost identical models, from what I understand, they were both low pressure frames, similar to current SB-1 frames.  Some were sold as combo guns with low pressure rifle barrels like the 30-30.

The article is by "Perklo", the same one who came up the Handi Rifle Trigger Work guide.

[plowmaster54]

 I have maybe figured out how to post pictures. If this works, these first pictures show what she(or is it he?) looks like now,fresh out of the pawn shop.
David