Sometimes the lever spring will not remain in place, but will slip out. To remedy the evil, take a common Berdan cartridge primer, or any other kind will do, only take one that has been used or has had the priming removed, put inside it a drop of soldering acid and a bit of solder, enough to fill it when melted. Hold it over the lamp until the solder fuses. When it has cooled, wet the charger with a touch of the acid just where the bend of the spring comes, and there place the primer with the solder next the wet place. Hold it in position with a bent piece of wire or a strip of steel bent like a loop. Hold over the lamp, with the primer downward, until the solder is melted. Replace the spring, and it will be found that it will remain firmly in its place.
Broken Plunger Nipples.—When plunger nipples are broken or are lost from the gun, and none are at hand to repair the damage, a substitute may be found in a common gun-nipple by filing away a portion of the cone where the cap is placed. It is worth while to save broken nipples, as they are taken from guns with this end in view for their use. They can be annealed or the temper drawn, and they can be kept ready for drilling for the strikers and cutting over to fit the gun in which they are to be inserted. The nipple used in military arms makes a good substitute for a broken plunger nipple, as the thread is nearly the same as that of some plunger nipples.
How to Remove Rusted Screws, Broken Nipples, etc.—Sometimes it so happens that a screw is so rusted in a lock or other part of a gun, or a rusted nipple refuses to start from its seat, and by repeated trials the sides of the screw-head adjoining the slot are worn away or the squares of the nipple are forced off, and the removal of either screw or nipple an almost impossibility with the hand screw-driver or nipple wrench. In such cases have a screw-driver or the nipple wrench fitted to the lathe chuck, and, holding the screw or nipple in place to be thus turned out, move the dead spindle of the lathe so that the work be firmly held in place, with no chance to “give back,” then turn the lathe by moving the fly-wheel with the hand, or hold the wheel fast and turn the work, and, as there is no chance for the tool to slip from its place, the screw and nipple is almost sure to be started. If so, it may be readily turned from its place by hand.
Converting Muskets to Sporting Guns.—Very often old muskets are brought to the gunsmith to have the rifling bored out and changed so as to present more of the appearance of a sporting gun. If properly worked over they make a gun not very bad-looking, but very serviceable, as they will stand a great amount of abuse and will bear large charges. For shooting hawks and keeping corn-fields clear of depredators they are “just the thing.”
After the rifling is removed, cut off the barrel to 30 or 32 inches in length. Take off the bands and throw them away. Cut off the stock where the top of the lower band comes, solder a rib on under side of the barrel and attach two thimbles to receive a wooden ramrod. Bore out the stock to receive the wooden rod, using the thimbles on the rib as guides in so doing. Fit the rod as in sporting guns. Cast a tip on fore end of stock where the lower band was, using the lower shoulder where the band rested for the shoulder of the tip. Remove the elevating sight by heating, if it be soldered on, and fix muzzle sight by soldering on a bit of brass, or by drilling a hole and putting in a pin and filing to shape.
In boring for the rod the bit may strike the forward lock-screw, and when this be the case float the stock so that the rod will go above the screw. Don’t attempt to change the shape of the stock by removing any portion of it, otherwise than stated, for by so doing the shape and symmetry will be lost, and it will show to be a botch job.
To hold the barrel in place a loop for either wire or bolt must be attached to the barrel a little distance back from the fore end, and a wire or bolt put through the stock the same as other guns are made. In place of the wire or bolt a very good plan is to put a short stud on the barrel, and from the under side of the fore end put in a screw with a large head, like a tumbler-screw. In this case it is necessary to drill a hole through the stud to let the ramrod pass through.
Patent Breech, Bursted.—As the right-hand barrel of double muzzle-loading guns is fired more than the other, it sometimes happens that the patent breech of this barrel is destroyed or becomes defective. It can be replaced by taking a piece of good sound iron, cut down one end of it, and cut a thread the same as if making a breech-pin. After being fitted to the barrel cup it for powder-chamber like the one removed, and cut the hook end off to length. Make the nipple seat as given in the article on that subject. File the hook so as to fit the break-off, remove from the gun, and case-harden. A somewhat formidable-looking job to the one who never made one, but very easy and simple when once accomplished.
Broken Tumblers.—It often happens that the tumbler in a lock is broken off where the hammer goes on, and no tumbler is at hand to replace it. A repair may be made by filing away the broken square and filing a groove or slot down the round part where it went through the lock plate. Fit a piece of square iron or steel, of the size of the broken square, or a round piece that will make the square, to the tumbler by filing away one end to fit the slot filed in the round part. Hold it in place with a piece of binding wire twisted around it, and braze it with spelter solder or good soft copper or brass, then finish to fit the hammer.
Another way is to remove the end where it goes into the bridle and then drill a hole through the tumbler of the size of this end or bearing; make the piece to be brazed on with one end to fit this hole and put it through far enough to make the end filed away. When fitted, braze and finish.