Win 97 Slack adjuster Need Help

kemassey · April 30, 2011, 07:58 PM

I just got my 97 back from the smith. When it went it there was a small amount of play between the barrel and receiver. When I got it back there is no play at all. Will this wear this out being tight like that? The gun is around 102 years old. My local gun shop said there should be a small amount of play. Don't know who to believe. Hope someone has some info for me.

gyvel · April 30, 2011, 08:09 PM

Sounds like the gunsmith did you a favor by adjusting the looseness out of the gun. When the gun came from the factory, there was no play. The barrel to receiver fit should not have any play, although a small amount of play won't really affect anything other than the accuracy of the gun. I would say your gun will probably last for another 102 years.

eastbank · April 30, 2011, 08:11 PM

my 97 has no play after 1000,s of rounds and i don,t think your 97 should have any play after being adjusted. my only complaint is my 97 seems to kick the snot out of me. eastbank.

kemassey · April 30, 2011, 08:13 PM

Thanks for all the good posts. That is exactly what I wanted to know. Hoping to get out and shoot some this weekend if the weather cooperates.

kirbythegunsmith · May 5, 2011, 01:20 AM

I did want to emphasize the point that any play in the barrel adjustment can create barrel peening of the mating faces that gets worse with each shot and is a greater problem with increasing amounts of gap.

Peened surfaces and thread contacts make the repair/refit less effective and/or may require the removal of excess metal to allow a closer match to the contact faces.

Don't make more problems for your treasured Winchester by allowing any play to be present between the barrel and frame on any takedown gun.

There is a similar potential peening issue with other swap-barrel guns like the Remington 870 and even more so with the 1100 and 11/87 cousins.

I have to refit and rework plenty of problem guns already, so don't make more unnecessary work for me, OK?

I'm perfectly happy fixing problems that occur by accident or wear, and less enthusiastic about fixing the unfortunate amateur repair.

Kirby

April 30, 2011, 07:58 PM	#1
kemassey Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2009 Posts: 148	Win 97 Slack adjuster Need Help I just got my 97 back from the smith. When it went it there was a small amount of play between the barrel and receiver. When I got it back there is no play at all. Will this wear this out being tight like that? The gun is around 102 years old. My local gun shop said there should be a small amount of play. Don't know who to believe. Hope someone has some info for me.

April 30, 2011, 08:09 PM	#2
gyvel Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2009 Location: Northern AZ Posts: 7,172	Sounds like the gunsmith did you a favor by adjusting the looseness out of the gun. When the gun came from the factory, there was no play. The barrel to receiver fit should not have any play, although a small amount of play won't really affect anything other than the accuracy of the gun. I would say your gun will probably last for another 102 years. Last edited by gyvel; April 30, 2011 at 08:15 PM.

April 30, 2011, 08:11 PM	#3
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	my 97 has no play after 1000,s of rounds and i don,t think your 97 should have any play after being adjusted. my only complaint is my 97 seems to kick the snot out of me. eastbank. Last edited by eastbank; May 26, 2011 at 10:47 AM.

May 5, 2011, 01:20 AM	#5
kirbythegunsmith Member Join Date: February 15, 2007 Posts: 75	Details I did want to emphasize the point that any play in the barrel adjustment can create barrel peening of the mating faces that gets worse with each shot and is a greater problem with increasing amounts of gap. Peened surfaces and thread contacts make the repair/refit less effective and/or may require the removal of excess metal to allow a closer match to the contact faces. Don't make more problems for your treasured Winchester by allowing any play to be present between the barrel and frame on any takedown gun. There is a similar potential peening issue with other swap-barrel guns like the Remington 870 and even more so with the 1100 and 11/87 cousins. I have to refit and rework plenty of problem guns already, so don't make more unnecessary work for me, OK? I'm perfectly happy fixing problems that occur by accident or wear, and less enthusiastic about fixing the unfortunate amateur repair. Kirby __________________ [email protected] New gunsmithing website: http://theshotgunshop.net/ Articles containing valuable information are on every page.

April 30, 2011, 08:13 PM	#4
kemassey Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2009 Posts: 148	Thanks for all the good posts. That is exactly what I wanted to know. Hoping to get out and shoot some this weekend if the weather cooperates.