Gunsmithing Broken Sling Swivel.

[YankeeZulu]

Took a precision course a few years ago and at one point during the shoot, the instructor grabbed my rifle, said "you don't need this on there", took a pair of pliers to the rear swivel and snapped it off in what I'm guessing was an attempt to unscrew it. Needless to say I was PISSED but I kept my cool out of respect for my shooting partner who I hadn't seen in several years. We'd arranged this course together as a "bro-up" reunion of sorts months prior and I didn't want to ruin it for him. He'd gotten out of the military circle years beforehand and the shoot meant a lot to him.

Anyhoo- Chandler system(I know..."ouch") on a McMillian stock. Here's pics of the rifle and the damage. Rear sling swivel broke off:

What's the recommended course of action, call McMillan, new stock, or can someone recommend somebody who can do this? I'd like it fixed,

 

[pmclaine]

I snapped a ring cap screw flush with the lower and had nothing to get a tool on to turn it.

Took it to a place that does microwelding, think quality machine shop/manufacturer.

For $10 they welded on a tiny stud, probably grabbed it with regular pliers and threaded it right back out.

McMillan will send you the new swivel likely.

No having to ship the rifle and lose shooting time.

Nice rifle by the way.

 

[YankeeZulu]

Thanks. She's one of my favorite rifles, for obvious reasons. The action and the trigger are unbelievable.

I contacted IBA a couple/few years ago when they were still up and running and spoke to the COL..., may he rest in peace. They were willing to repair it but I was only Stateside for a few days(contracting). He mentioned coring it out and reinstalling the threaded socket.

I really wish I'd just sent it back and had it returned to a buddy's or something. Hindsight is 20/20.

 

[pmclaine]

Its not a hard fix.

Im guessing the metal is soft enough on a sling swivel stud and they are of big enough size that an "easy out" of some sort may actually work. Personally though Ive neer had an easy out be easy or get anything out. Just broke off hardened bits that ensured I could not drill again.

Better yet if you have a drill press....put the stock in a steady vice, use a reverse cutting drill - ie instead of the drill cut workign a righty tighty direction it is designed to cut in the lefty loosey direction - such a drill will likely bind and end up screwing the broken stud out nice and clean

 

[YankeeZulu]

Will the receiver/barrel just lift out of the chassis w/ these 2 screws on the L and R removed or is there something else holding it on there?

 

[huntsman22]

dig it out, and install a flush cup.....

 

[pmclaine]

Will the receiver/barrel just lift out of the chassis w/ these 2 screws on the L and R removed or is there something else holding it on there?

View attachment 6948323

Not being judgemental but judging by that question Im guessing you are not the mechanically curious type.

Noy trying to be a dick, you are doing the right thing by asking questions. Dumb fucks like me would only come here when I have to post a picture of an easy out snapped off in the broken stud asking "How do i remove the easy out so that I can remove the broken stud?"

Those two screws should be all that secures a Rem 700 in the stock.

If bedded the stock will be held in by friction from the bedding you do not want to disturb.

If you like how it shoots now use a torgue wrench that reads in the counter clockwise direction and record the reading as the screws just backout so you can get back there later when you reassemble the rifle. It should be around 55-65 inch pounds with clean dry screws.

To remove the tight barreled acttion from the stock put the stock in a padded vice and use your fingers/thumbs where ever you can get purchase to "pressure the barreled action straight vertical out of the stock.

If you are in any way unsure of messing with this pay a gunsmith or machinist familiar with guns to do it.

It will be cheap money, you will learn the tools/techniques to do it right if you ask and you will avoid the emotional trauma caused by ruining your stock.

If you check with the stock manufacturer they will fix this for you or make revisions such as a flush cup if desired.

 

[hangunnr]

For starter that’s a HS Precision stock not a McMillan.

HS uses a machine thread swivel stud in the rear. Using a left twist drill would be the route I would take. If that isn’t an option for you then give HS a call as they may fix it for free.

 

[pmclaine]

Just read the original post again....

I would have been pissed at the instructor and told him to fuck himself and you will decide what is needed or not needed on your rifle but you are welcome to take his verbal suggestions of what may help you.

 

[...]

1) i would have punched that "instructor" square in the dick.......unless the students weapon is mechanically unsafe....you dont fuck with it.

2) ide get yourself a left handed drill bit set, and start to drill it out....if you are lucky it will grab the remaining of the stud and unscrew it.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

I'd have asked myself what useful purpose could be served by starting a confrontation with my Instructor, and let it pass, simply because whatever was the outcome to that was, I would still have the same problem the next day, and maybe now, a few more. Needles to say, that Instructor would never see another penny of my money.

Maybe I should be a bit more confrontational, but it seldom comes out the way I'd like vs just getting on with the job at hand.

Not being preachy, I just have my own way with such things. It seems to work, I've been here since the beginning (actually before it).

My approach to the repair would be to get a stub welded on and unscrew it. I would then inquire of HS whether they have an upgrade for this issue. How the part snapped is not the issue, the fact that it did is.

I am not the kind of craftsman who can easily perform this fix, so I apply money where money can have its best effect.

Greg

 

[Mike Casselton]

Greg,
The product that broke was the sling stud which is most likely an Uncle Mike's product.
The stock itself is unbroken, just chipped a bit around the stud hole.
H-S screws the stud into part of the aluminum rib that runs nearly the entire length of the stock. Breaking the stud shows how strong the rib is.

I don't think H-S would mess with this.

 

[ken226]

Clearly the torque applied by the instructor wasn't sufficient to free the threads.

An ez-out may possibly work, but its unlikely. More likely, the easy out will work its way into the broken stud, expand its diameter, then strip away metal leaving you with an even bigger mess.

The sling stud threads are likely permanently fixed in place with epoxy, or seized, otherwise the head wouldnt have broken.

I think this needs to be set up on a vertical mill, the stud properly located and completely removed with an end-mill = to the studs minor diameter. Then, retapped to clean out the old threads, and a new stud installed.

The aforementioned flushcup install would be a good option as well.

 

[Terry Cross]

The "instructor" needed his ass handed to him for phucking with your kit.

The remainder of the threaded stud is mild steel and easily drilled out if an EZ out or other extraction kits. This should be an easy fix for one of your local rifle shops and if not H-S could do it with a quick turn around.

./

 

[YankeeZulu]

Wow, guys. Humbled by all the responses here.

I'm really not the "mechanically curious type" when it comes to systems this precise. I've learned the hard way that Newton's Law definitely applies to tinkering at this level. This stock IS bedded, so I'm definitely not inclined to go MacGuyver on this thing.

I don't know why I wanted to say it was a McMillan other than off of memory. IBA dealt in both McMillan and H-S. H-S it is, then. Both McMillan and H-S have lifetime warranties. McMillan's is unlimited, not sure about H-S.

I got this rifle about 10 years ago and it's got about 75 rds through it, maybe 10 were put through it on it's first shoot, the one when the instructor snapped the swivel. Like I said, I was paired up w/a buddy from my reserve days in .mil and the day really meant a lot to him. He'd gotten out and went white collar, and still kind of had the "hooah bug." It was out of respect for him that I didn't lose my cool. It was my 1st such course and I've since gone on to do a few more. Looking back I definitely upped my game noticeably on that 1st day but overall the experience was lackluster. I was not impressed by the way the course was run, but it did teach me how easy 800yd shots are. I was offered no compensation for the damage, not even a few bucks off the "tuition." Basically just an "Oh well, guess it was on there wrong. I can give you a stock off one of my rifles if you want." He spoke very disparagingly of IBA which was extremely unprofessional and annoyed me even further. The friggin' sling itself was like $85.00 and this prick just nonchalantly took a pliers to the swivel and broke it off. I'm starting to get angry again it so I'm going to stop typing about it.

I'm even more prone now to get it to somebody who knows what they're doing here after reading some of these recent replies. I can build AR's and do a lot of basic to maybe some intermediate gunsmithing but this is definitely out of my league. I'm not too far from both Bragg and Lejuene so I guess I'll run down specialist gunsmiths starting in those AO's. Anyone know anybody around there, I'm all ears.

I really appreciate the enthusiasm, gents. So far you've all been a great help.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Mike, I genuinely appreciate your input/clarification. I'm just not comfortable with confrontation, even though I will step up if lines are crossed. I figure if someone was as impulsive and aggressive as the account indicated, I'll do better to step aside and let the next guy get the blood on his hands. There just isn't any fixing nukulturny.

YankeeZulu, getting worked up over stupid sh*t is bad enough the first time, and letting it come back to play is worse than unproductive. You learned a lesson, and in my humble opinion, handled the situation just right. Let the fools play with other fools and leave their presence when gracefully appropriate.

Your alias is very interesting to me. Back in the 'Nam (late 1966 & most of 1967), I was a part time (during ops and incoming arty, as opposed to running generators and pole line construction) AN-PRC 25 radio op for our company commander (as well during as night interdiction patrols) in the 11th Engineer Bn, 3MarDiv in I Corps. I answered to call sign Yankee Zulu 6. Ringing any bells?

BTW, I have The Beatles 1962-1968 on my earphones as I type. Dy No Mite...!

Greg

 

[supercorndogs]

I am guessing, and this from selling and working on several dozen used HS stocks. It probably broke because it is cross thread locktighted in there like no-ones business.

I probably would have given him shit for the rest of the class. Asked him if there was anything else he wanted to break off my rifle, or maybe my car like the radio antenna, I mean...I use my radio but that damn antenna, it is sticking off there. Then forgot about it. Some times people feel bad, but their pride keeps them from saying sorry.

What does the stock say on the but pad. HS puts their name on there, unless they made it for remington, then it will say "Remington."

Fill the hole and poke in some left side flush cups. IMO

 

[fdkay]

My first inclination would be to call HS Precision.
Might as well get it fixed by the folks that made it.
As far as removing the barreled action, it is just the two screws in the floor plate.
For reference, you can get on you tube and do a search for it.
Send the stock in, well packaged.
I would expect to pay for the repair.

 

[YankeeZulu]

Your alias is very interesting to me. Back in the 'Nam (late 1966 & most of 1967), I was a part time (during ops and incoming arty, as opposed to running generators and pole line construction) AN-PRC 25 radio op for our company commander (as well during as night interdiction patrols) in the 11th Engineer Bn, 3MarDiv in I Corps. I answered to call sign Yankee Zulu 6. Ringing any bells?

I put that handle together a few years ago while living in S.Africa. I was a "Yankee"(American) living in the land of the Zulu. I'm always extremely interested in any other history or legacy behind that NATO Phonetic combination, though. You're not the first to inquire. I've used it as a callsign a couple times downrange too.


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At work for another hour. I'm going to take a another look at the system when I get home, maybe fuss w/those 2 screws a bit... real gentle like. If I hit a snag I'll set her down and take some pics to post in here.

Thanks again for all the support guys. It really means a lot.

 

[YankeeZulu]

What does the stock say on the but pad. HS puts their name on there, unless they made it for remington, then it will say "Remington."

For the record...

 

[Greg Langelius *]

The Yankee prefix was repeated for several instances in and around the I Corps/Quang Tri Province, etc., area.

For example offshore fire positions, (USS Canberra, USS New Jersey, etc.) responded to fire mission requests under the call sign Yankee Pirate.

It may have been used elsewhere, but of that, I have no knowledge.

Greg

 

[Mike Casselton]

Looking at the recoil pad, your stock could be H-S Precision or a Bell and Carlson.
Inside the barrel channel is a date code stamp. If it's round, then the stock is made by H-S.
An oval stamp is B&C.
Both stocks were made to the same specs.

Either way, the barreled action come apart with two screws as indicated above.
When reinstalling it, the front torque is 55-70 inch pounds, 60-65 average.
The rear usually works best at a firm screwdriver torque, which is about 40inlb.

Don't be afraid to pull it apart. It's so easy, even @1J04 can do it.

 

[Threadcutter308]

Don't be afraid to pull it apart. It's so easy, even @1J04 can do it.

Tools ?........you're implying he should be allowed around tools ? Oh dear God.

 

[Threadcutter308]

All smartassery aside, a decent local smith could take care of it and not bung it all up. Microwelding a stud onto it is not a bad idea. If there is enough heat from the process, it would temporarily loosen up the Loctite or epoxy and the person doing the welding could just turn the whole works out.

 

[hermosabeach]

This bloke uses a drilled out cap head screw as a guide. This helps to prevent the bit from walking and damaging the stock



here are his 2 ways to drill out the cap screw- Lathe and Drill press

 

[YankeeZulu]

Well I finally got closure on this… a full 3 1/2 years later. Been busy with work, numerous other projects, travel, and the occasional shoot.

I found this higher-end gunsmith while on an unrelated Google search a couple weeks ago that had recently stood up only a few miles away from me. Pilot Mountain Arms in Garner NC. Just saw them pop up on a MapQuest search about a mile away from the actual business I was looking for, a boxing gym. Gave 'em a call, dropped it off, and after 10 years they crushed it in less than a week… cheap as chips too. The original broken hardware was a fixed buckle. The swivel mount they installed makes much more sense.

So without seeming like I'm advertising for these guys I'll keep it brief- They're are going to make several of my other projects MUCH easier to finalize. I've had a Hell of a time finding a competent armorer since I moved to Central NC over 10 years ago through trial and error. A couple have even damaged my stuff. I can't even say how great it is to finally have real local talent.

I know this thread died a quiet death a long time ago, but nonetheless I really appreciate everyone's advice and input. Thanks again.