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Old May 3, 2001, 12:46 PM   #1
nedfig
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Join Date: March 2, 2000
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 263
My neighbor bought a Rem. 514 for his 5 year old son. He paid $8 for it. Appearance is rough. The bolt handle broke off and the previous owner welded on a peice of ALL-THREAD . Brilliant. It shoots, but the bore is rough and the the bolt is hard to work.

I tried to clean the bore with Remington bore cleaner and some JB paste. It is still rough. What can I use to get the bore shiny and smooth and retain a smidgen of accuracy?

On to the bolt. There is a little detent ball at the rear of the receiver that I beleive is causing the bolt to be rough. Can this detent ball be removed? I polished the bolt and inside of receiver with JB, but it didn't seem to help. Any suggestions? Numrich has the bolt assembly for $60. Is it worth the dough. The all-thread isn't pretty, but it works.

Last question. When the idiots tried to apply heat to the all-thread to bend it, they burnt the hell out of the stock under the "handle". Is there a way to get the "burn" out without destroying the wood .

I also have to replace the extractor, front site and rear site. That is the easy part.

Thanks
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Old May 4, 2001, 09:34 PM   #2
James K
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Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
Hi, nedfig,

The 514 was a pretty good beginner's rifle, but there is some economic consideration here. The little guns only sell for about $75 in nice condition (I saw one near new for sale at $100), and IMHO, it would not really pay to spend a lot of money on one. $60 for a bolt, plus at least $20 for other parts, plus shipping on it all, plus new stock or stock work, plus.....

Anyway, you get the picture; it would be throwing good money after bad. I would tell him to not spend any more on that rifle and look around for another 514 or, better, one of the excellent 510 or 511 models that crop up at gun shows and dealers used racks. The 510 is a single shot, the 511 a clip repeater. Both are fine for a beginner because the clip can be removed and the rifle used as a single shot until the youngster gains experience.

Other Winchester, Mossberg, or Savage/Stevens .22 rifles can be found easily; only the Winchesters go for more than $100 or so, even in top condition.

He has a while to look around, since 5 years old is, I think, too young to start him rifle shooting. A couple of years will add both size and judgement.

Jim
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Old May 5, 2001, 07:58 AM   #3
George Stringer
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Join Date: October 12, 1998
Location: Earlington KY
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Nedfig, I echo Jim's comments but I also know that a lot of folks will pick up an old abused rifle like you describe and work their hearts out on it more for the project itself than worrying about how much it cost. Especially when there is sentimental value attached. About all you can do with the wood is to sand it down until the scorched area is gone. Depending on what it looks like you might consider "tiger striping" it. You take a flat piece of metal and put several holes 1/8" to 1/4". Hold the plate with a pair of pliers and use a propane torch to scorch striped into the stock. That will camoflage the seared area and hopefully blend it into the rest of the finish design.

The detent ball shouldn't intefere with the bolt travel. It sits on top of the trigger spring if memory serves. I've never attempted to do without it so I don't know what differences it might make. I'd paint the bolt with dykem blue and find out where it is rubbing. That would point the way to what might need attention to make it work more smoothly. Polishing the areas indicated by this might save you the $60 for a new bolt. George

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Old May 8, 2001, 07:31 PM   #4
John Lawson
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Join Date: August 28, 1999
Posts: 281
WHAT?

Yeah, George, but this guy's NEIGHBOR palmed the work off on him and he probably expects it for free. The only sentimentality is the neighbor's for his wallet's contents.
It's dumpster time!
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Old May 8, 2001, 08:50 PM   #5
BBBBill
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Join Date: January 5, 2000
Location: Alabama
Posts: 197
Not to worry John. My buddy NEDFIG just LOVES to get eyeball deep in gunschmitting projects when he's not playing rock & roll in his other incarnation as a member of a famous foursome! Just kidding! He do take on some wild projects though.
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Old May 9, 2001, 08:26 AM   #6
nedfig
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Hey BBBBill,

I can't carry a tune in a bucket, I had to leave the band and go out on my own. (Let's see if they figure it out)

To John, It really is a neighbors gun. Though I almost bought one a month earlier. BTW, this gun is not ready for the dumpster. He didn't palm it off on me, I offered. He's already bought the parts and PRE-PAID with an old H&R 12 ga. That's another project that I can bug BBBBill with

With the stock I did a nice camo job. Yes, another one BBBBill.
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Old May 9, 2001, 08:47 AM   #7
John Lawson
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Join Date: August 28, 1999
Posts: 281
OH?

You didn't make any of that clear in your post. It is hard to second guess a chattering transmission stuck in overdrive.
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