Remington Model 14 / Works Missing "Key" Part

[nambujim]

Here I thought I was through putting posts on the site but I have a "14" that is really one of a kind, it functions normally without a cartridge stop. Yep, no "stop" but loads into the magazine, feeds, fires, and ejects without a hitch.

Purchased the rifle a few weeks back from a dealer in Texas thinking I could strip it for parts, had some good stuff on it like a "full" crescent butt plate, wheel sight, and overall looked like something you could mine for parts. Down side was it was an early gun made about mid-1913 but when I opened it up it had the hook/lever safety system that wasn't available until about 1921-22.

The first thing I do when I purchase a rifle is to test the feed system with "quality" dummy rounds, bloody rifle worked like a champ. I then started to go through it piece by piece cleaning every part as I go and found it had a well made/machined after market follower which I left in place and there was little else to draw my attention.

Had the old style action bar cover with the indentation on it which don't come off as easily as the later ones but as it popped off I looked for the "stop".............no stop so I think maybe I dropped it. It couldn't have gone far, looked all over, inside the rifle, got out the big magnet with the handle, and no stray "stop" anywhere to be found.

OK.........this is impossible, owned over 100 of these, fixed over 400, and ALL required a "cartridge stop". I put the rifle back together without any stop only to find it works perfectly. Loaded single rounds in the magazine with perfect feed, then loaded two rounds, then three, and ALL load/feed/fire/eject perfectly. In fact these older guns are known for being fussy, this damn thing works better than the late manufactured 14's.

I can't see anything around the stop area that could/would replicate the function of a stop, just nothing there!!! I look at this damn rifle thinking "WTF", will take it down to the shop and run 3-4 more dummy rounds through the system, works fine every time. Just talked to Tom Hemphill, he's never heard of this, and so it was decided NOT to even try putting a "stop" in place. If I go to sell it, think I'll attach one of my factory letters to it stating the situation, and enclose a "stop" so "they" can mess it up if they so choose. I'm NOT parting it out, too unique for that!

These rifles are bizarre, when you think you have seen it all, you haven't. OH, my favorite before this was where a piece of copper tubing was used for the magazine tube, threaded to fit the action bar, had a normal magazine plug, and functioned normally. OH Well!

Take care, behave, and stay cool!

Jim Peterson
Charlotte, NC

[54bullseye]

Your probably the only person in the world who would have noticed that !! Congrats on a unique find !!
John Taylor

[nambujim]

Thank you John!!

I got into it and conducted sort of a "controlled experiment" and figured out what was going on. Basically, the "key" to the whole thing is the "old" style action bar cover with the indentation that extends slightly into the action bar itself, the other part was the
professionally made replacement Follower. Remove either of those and it won't work but the dimension of the follower is what makes the difference.

Funny, wonder what John Pedersen would have thought?

Take care, behave, and stay cool!

Jim Peterson
Charlotte, NC

[Eddie Southgate]

Which Cartridge Jim ? ...........................................

[nambujim]

Its a .30 Cal with a 1913 date that has the hook lever safety. I found a combination of parts including a stop to make it work properly and put it up for sale on Gunbroker.

Jim Peterson
Charlotte, NC