STRIPPING THE GUN.
The gun is stripped in the following order:—
Note.—All pins are driven in from right to left, and out in the reverse direction.
(i) Lock and Feed Block.
Raise the cover, turn the crank handle on to the buffer spring, see that the extractor drops, place finger between the extractor and stop, raise the lock and allow the crank handle to come slowly back on to the check lever; slide the live cartridges out of the extractor, keeping the latter down. Give the lock ⅛ turn to the left and lift off. Lift the feed block out.
(ii) Fusee Spring Box.
With the right hand at the rear and the left hand at the front, press the box forward until clear of the lugs, and remove. Disconnect the fusee chain and remove the box and the spring. Care should be taken to throw no cross strain on the chain.
(iii) Tangent Sight and Cover Lock.
Lower the cover, putting a screwdriver across the breech casing under the gunmetal block, drive out the axis pin of the stem and remove with its piston and spring. Close the cover, press in the cover lock, and, with the large screwdriver, remove the stop screw; the lock with its piston and spring can then be removed.
(iv) Cover.
Drive out the fixing pin of the cover joint pin, remove the collar and joint pin and take off the cover.
(v) Rear Crosspiece.
Drive out the tapered fixing pin, grasp with the left hand the left handle of the rear crosspiece, slightly raise the casing and, with the mallet, strike the top edges of the casing alternately until the rear crosspiece is clear of the dovetails on the casing. Lift out the trigger bar.
(vi) Slides, Right and Left, and Check Lever.
Pull out the slides. Drive out the fixing pin from the check lever collar, remove the collar and check lever.
(vii) Recoiling Portion.
Fold back the connecting rod on to the crank, turn the crank handle to a vertical position, and draw out to the rear the recoiling portion. Disconnect the side plates by dropping them and springing them outwards. If necessary, by taking out the fixing pin, the crank handle can be driven off with a drift and hammer, and the fusee unscrewed from the left bearing of the crank; but as a rule these parts should not be stripped.
(viii) Foresight.
The position of the foresight should first be carefully marked. Remove the fixing screw and foresight.
(ix) Steam Tube and Packing Gland.
Up-end the barrel casing so that it stands on the rear end of the breech casing. Remove the keeper screw and unscrew the steam tube. Unscrew and remove the packing gland and packing.
(x) Breech and Barrel Casings, and Ejector Tube Spring.
Rest the barrel casing on a table or bench, with the filling hole uppermost, and the breech casing clear of the bench; place the left hand under the breech casing and strike the top edges alternately with a mallet, when the casings will come apart. Lift the ejector tube spring with the point of the screwdriver and tap out the spring with the drift and hammer. (In converted guns remove fixing wire and unscrew fixing screws.)
Note.—The breech and barrel casings should only be separated when repairs are necessary. Care must be taken not to strike the barrel casing, and the blows should be struck as close to the dovetailing as possible.
(xi) Lock.
(a) Release the lock spring, lay the lock on a bench, left side uppermost. Drive out the sear, tumbler, and lock spring axis pins. (b) Remove the keeper bracket, extractor levers, lock spring, tumbler, firing pin, and sear. (c) Drive out the trigger axis pin, extractor stop keeper pin, remove the trigger, extractor stop, and slide the extractor from the face of the lock casing. (d) Push out the gib spring cover, take out the gib spring and gib. (e) Drive out the extractor spring fixing pin, and remove the extractor spring. (In converted guns the extractor spring is riveted to the extractor.)
Note.—(e) should only be done in case of breakage.
(xii) Feed Block.
(a) Drive out the spring fixing pin of the top and bottom levers, drive out the bottom lever and remove the top lever and slide. (b) Drive out the axis pin of the bottom pawls and remove pawls with feed block spring. (In converted guns unscrew fixing screws and remove feed block springs.) (c) Drive out the fixing pin of the band roller axis pin, remove the collar, axis pin, and band roller. (d) Remove the top pawls from the slide by pressing them outwards. The springs for the pawls, if weak or broken, are only to be removed by an armourer or qualified artificer.
(xiii) Tangent Sight.
(a) Remove the top fixing screw of the graduated plate. (b) Run the slide off the stem. (c) Remove the fixing screw of the milled head, and lift the latter off the slide. (d) Remove the fixing pin, pawl and pinion from the slide. (e) Place the milled head, face upwards, on a bench; then with a drift, applied to the rectangular nib on the spring slide, knock the latter down flush with the face, when it can be lifted out with the pliers.
(xiv) Rear Crosspiece.
(a) Drive out the axis pin of the firing lever, and remove the latter with its spiral spring. (b) Drive out the axis pin of the safety catch, and lift out the latter, also the piston and spring from their seating. (c) Remove the pivot screw and shutter. (d) Unscrew, from the handles, the milled heads with their leather washers and oil brushes.