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Hi folks. Could use some tips on the best ways to loosen the action slide screw cap on a Win. 12. I have the spanner wrench, but, the screw cap is really stuck. I don’t want to bugger up the notches. I do not have the wooden wrench that AA Arnold mentions. I’m hesitant about using a solvent, like Kroil, because of the proximity of wood. All suggestions appreciated. Thanks in advance. Barry
Barry, I was waiting for a shotgun expert to weigh in, but see nothing as yet. I have but one model 1912 and have not had the problem of which you speak. So I am only adding my thoughts on the matter. Think things through and preserve finishes and integrity of metal and wood as best you can. First ask a good friend with strong hands to help. Have him hold the forend assembly as still as possible and then you use one hand to hold a forend wrench (mine is a Brownells) in firmly to the two slots of the forend nut. Use a large wood dowel or perhaps a gunsmithing hammer to rap the wrench. You want to just shock the wrench a bit much like an impact wrench. Vibrations will be what you want, not a complete turning under the force of the rapping. Try a couple of sharp raps and then try turning the wrench by hand and see if it loosened the nut enough to turn loose. IF no friend is available, I would then leave the assembly on the receiver, and lock the flats of the receiver in a vice but well padded by wood to avoid harm to the finish. Retract the forend as much as possible into the receiver by opening the action in an effort to support the action bar as well as possible. Then try the vibrating raps as above. NO big sledges nor trying to hammer the wrench all the way in one or two hits. Just vibrating raps! Then try turning by hand. Caution in every way to prevent damages. You can always try again later. Personally I would try using Kroil on the threads as much as possible and I don’t think you will notice damage to the wood or finish, but that is your call. I make no guarantees as I’ve never experienced this problem. Tim
Thanks for the inputs, Tim. I’ve tried the “raps” with no success. Guess I’ll try the Kroil, wait and rap/tap again. Perhaps someone on the Forum has a magic elixir and/or a tool recommendation other than the Brownell spanner which I have. Numrich has the cap in stock; but while this isn’t rocket science, I just hate to mess up an original part if I can avoid it. Barry.
Well, crap Barry! I had hopes. As I recall the threads are pretty fine. Rust or something could clog them. Worst I can think of is they are cross threaded by someone who then strong armed the nut into place never to move again. I think that highly unlikely tho as mine screwed in a ways before needing the forend wrench. But its been years. See if you can contact say Mark Douglas for any of his ideas. I thought he monitored the forum but he is busy and may not be reading it regularly. I don’t have his phone number handy, but about bet you could find a way based on his U Tube videos of rifles. He is amazingly handy. I marvel at his strong and STEADY hands. Mine definitely not either anymore. Good luck and let me know if you find a solution. Tim
Tim, I’ve sent Mark an email at his shop, Cinnabar Gun Works. I’ll keep you posted of my progress, or lack thereof. Thanks for your help!
Add the kroil (soak) and add heat from a heat gun, but be judicious, don’t burn it!
I got the screw cap off!
After using Kroil and heat in conjunction with raps/taps on the spanner with no success, I decided to get a little more aggressive.
With the action slide assembly locked in a vice with one of the screw cap notches at the 9 o’clock position, I positioned a thin bladed screw driver (perpendicular to the assembly axis) into the notch at the shallowest angle I could and gave it a few solid hits with a hammer in CCW direction of rotation. I then turned the assembly 180 degrees and did the same to the other notch. Voila! I got movement of the screw cap.
It’s worth noting at this point that I don’t think the application of Kroil and heat was of any great benefit. For one thing, the screw cap is internally recessed to accept the whole circumference of the end of forend, with the exception of the gap in the forend where it rests under the barrel. Thus, it is very difficult to get Kroil to the male threads of the screw cap which screw into the female threads of the action slide except for where the cap has the concave cutout which is also positioned under the barrel when the assembly is installed. As to heat, if the screw cap is heated, it expands tighter into the action slide. To expand the action slide, heat has to be applied to the forend and thence transferred to the action slide. Tough to do to any degree, with the hair dryer I was using.
The shotgun was born in August 1927. I’m pretty sure it’s the first time the screw cap threads have seen the light of day since then; and, no telling what the shotgun was exposed to in 97 years! No wonder the screw cap was in a bind, mainly at the threads and to a lesser degree at the wood/metal interface.
Lastly, I’ve used the spanner on other Model 12s without issue. Ole 27 was in a class by itself, and, I didn’t bugger up the notches/cap or the wood.
Use at your own peril
!
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