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At last I decided to clean my 1950-vintage 94 carbine thoroughly. So I took the wooden parts off, as well as magazine tube and so on. Disassembly went without any problems, and so did reassembly, but with one exception: I can´t get the forend band screw back to its place. I have taken the forend off once earlier, and then it went ok. It seems like the screw comes somehow on wrong angle towards the inner side of the barrel band and cannot be turned in. I have tried for hours with all kind of tricks (I loosened the front barrel band and the magazine plug screw thinking that they somehow twisted the magazine tube, but no help.) but the screw simply does not go where it should and does not take on to the band. Then I thought that there´s something wrong with the screw, so I tried it to my 1906-vintage carbine, and the screw went on its place without a hitch…but not to the original rifle, where it should. What to do?
I have disassembled numerous carbines and rifles, Winchester and Marlin, and always ran into difficulty when attempting to install the forend screw(s). My theory, which may be way out in ‘left field’, is that the wood expanded a wee bit after being released from the position it held for decades.
GMC(SW) - USN Retired 1978 - 2001
The forend band screw is usually tricky to reinstall. I have found, sometimes, that if the magazine tube is turned slightly, that it can help realign the screw. I leave the magazine plug and screw out and move the tube back and forth slightly or turn the tube one way or the other. Sometimes, with patience, this works.
Done that too, with no help. Somehow it seems that the screw is not on “square line” with the band hole on carbine´s right side, if you understand what I mean. The screw head does not “catch” with the twist of the hole, but the screw head can be seen as it tries to go to the hole…
Did you re-install the band in the right direction? Screw head goes on the left side. I know it is silly but it does make a difference sometimes.
Good luck!
Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
Yeah, I was sure that somebody suggests that I may try to put the screw in from the wrong side…anyway, if you read carefully my last post, there´s a line that says “the screw is not on “square line”with the band hole on carbine´s right side”…and I mean the screw head with the twist on it…Anyway, been tinkering with these things well over 20 years now, and this is the first time I can´t get the screw right…
Leverfan said
Yeah, I was sure that somebody suggests that I may try to put the screw in from the wrong side…anyway, if you read carefully my last post, there´s a line that says “the screw is not on “square line”with the band hole on carbine´s right side”…and I mean the screw head with the twist on it…Anyway, been tinkering with these things well over 20 years now, and this is the first time I can´t get the screw right…
I figured you knew what you were doing but I had to ask since it has happened more than once before. First rule of troubleshooting is eliminate the easy stuff first. Second rule of troubleshooting is don’t automatically assume all the easy stuff has been eliminated. 
It sure sounds like something is twisted slightly.
Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
My suggestion is to use a slightly undersized guide pin to align the milled groove in the mage tube with the milled groove on the underside of the barrel, and with the hole through the stock. Make sure that the stock and mag tube can move both longitudinally and horizontally if needed.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
November 7, 2015
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Reminds me of the tiny hand spring retaining screw on a Uberti revolver. Fought one for hours, finally lost it. Replacement screw went in first try. Sometimes I just have to put stuff away and try again another day.
Ive had that same problem a number of times and it has always turned out to be that the magazine tube has not properly entered the recess milled for it in the receiver. This is usually due to the wood forearm slot miss-aligning the magazine and the slot. It can sometimes also be due to a small amount of debris in the magazine slot in the receiver. I’d try removing the forearm and checking for any impediments is the receiver. Then insert the magazine in the receiver and note where it ends in relation to the muzzle. Then re-assemble and see if the magazine tube lines up in the same spot with the muzzle. If it does, the screw should go in with no problem, as long as it has no bends in it.
"This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
Finally, I DID IT! It took over a week, three different sessions that lasted about four hours, but now the damned screw is where it should be! How I succeeded? I used a sort of variation of Bert´s pin trick, taking a pin that was just the same size as the screw body, then sharpening the head of the pin a bit. I assembled the pin in the hole, tapped it just a little with a plastic hammer, so it made the inner side of the thread in band a little larger – but only very, very carefully. Then I put the screw in the hole, held the screwdriver firmly and tapped it too carefully with the hammer – and the screw was there, right on threads! Guess I´ll never ever take the screw from the band again…
November 7, 2015
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Good job, congrats!
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