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Hello, I own a Model 1894 with the half-octagon barrel and a button magazine. The rifle is in fair condition, was made in 1907, and is chambered for .30-30. My problem is that in trying to tear the gun down for a good cleaning I can’t remove the forend cap. The two small screws come out easily but the cap won’t budge. Should the cap come off the “button” easily or am I missing something? Any help would be appreciated muchly.
The forend cap is attached to a steel tenon (with the two screws you removed), and the tenon is attached to the barrel. The nose cap fit to the tenon is often quite snug, and it can also be gummed up with old oil/grease. To remove the cap you need to tap lightly on it while pulling it forward towards the muzzle. Keep in mind that the magazine tube is under spring pressure and will jump forward when the nose cap is removed.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Thank you Bert. The people who built the gun did an excellent job of fitting wood to steel, so I was reluctant to go at the joint with a hammer and plastic wedge for fear of damaging wood. If the forend is gummed up with old oil and grease is it okay to soften it with a solvent such as Hoppes #9 or Ballistol?
If you use a plastic or any kind of wedge between wood and steel you risk damage to the wood. It is common to see damage to the wood from screwdrivers. Hoppes and oils will wick in the end grain of the wood and darken it. Perhaps a small nylon punch used at an angle in cap screw holes will loosen it. The object of cleaning is to prevent rust not to leave permanent scratches, boogered screw heads, or marks in the wood. T/R
Point taken, TR. A previous owner mangled several screws, including the pair that attach the Lyman 1A tang sight. Worse, somebody filled a gouge in the forend with epoxy, leaving a cream-coloured blob about half the size of a dime. My goal is to minimize the evidence of abuse but to leave the gun looking like it had to work for a living. Given how much gunk I’ve already cleaned out of the action I feel I need to clean the magazine tube, but I have to get to it first. Surprisingly, there is no rust and the barrel is not too worn, so I am hoping to have a decent shooter when this project is done.
Tap on the nose cap only, do not try wedging it off. It may take an extra set of hand to pull forward on the cap while tapping on it with a plastic or hard rubber hammer head.
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Success! I needed to draft my wife in to pull in the opposite direction — and nearly had to harness up the dogs — but the cap came off without any damage or too much swearing. You were right Bert: there was a lot of gummed up grease and oil that acted like glue, but luckily there was no rust. I was mildly surprised to find the inside of the magazine tube fairly clean by comparison.
The high quality of the manufacturing workmanship was impressive. No burrs, tooling marks, or rough edges. This is not what one would expect these days for hidden, non-moving parts.
Thanks again Bert and TR for sharing your expertise.
Glad to see everything worked out. Now with that said, you really don’t need to tear a gun down that far for cleaning unless there is a real need to do so. You risk messing things up. A spray cleaner and lubricant will get to almost all points that need cleaning and lubrication. You will learn how to tear a gun apart and in some cases make a lot of unnecessary work for your self.
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