[boots]

quick question here...i recently purchased a belt mountain basepin with a standard lock...the lock is a screw that can be torqued down against the barrel of the gun...do i have to use it for the base pin to function properly??? i would have ordered a standard base pin without the lock, but brownells was out of the standard and only had the locking models available...the standard and locking model look identical except for the aforementioned screw...the lock is a nice feature, but i don't want to marr the barrel of my gun with the screw...if i were to just remove the screw and not use it, would the basepin i purchased function properly like a standard basepin without the lock??? thanks for your time...


forgot to ask, but all belt mountain basepins are oversized, correct???


thanks again...

[Old Fuff]

No, you don't have to use the screw. It is a bit of a bother, but it keeps the basepin from jumping the latch and moving forward under recoil. If, or when this happens the transfer bar safety can get hung up under the firing pin and then you can't cock the hammer unless you point the muzzle up. I go so far as to spot a shallow hole in the barrel for the screw to sit in. When the basepin is in place you cannot see the hole.

Yes, the basepin is slightly oversized. This usually poses no problem with the cylinder, but it may with the holes in the frame. If so, Brownells sell a pin reamer that will take care of the issue.

[rcmodel]

Yes, it should work as long as you base-pin catch engages like it should.

Sometimes Belt-Mountain pins need to be fitted to get full engagement on some guns.

I believe Belt-Mountain pins are .002" over-size, although it's been a few years since I last installed on on a Colt SAA.

If it goes in the gun, and the catch fits, you are good to go without the screw.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/rcmodel/KTOG/1224.gif
rcmodel

[boots]

thanks for the info fellas...

hey fuff, what do you mean by spotting a shallow hole???

[Old Fuff]

I want just the tip of the screw in the barrel, rather then just pushing against it. With the basepin assembled and the screw removed I reach through the screw hole with a small punch and center punch (O.K., just mark) the barrel where the screw will be. Next I remove the basepin and really center punch the mark I previously left. Last, I clamp the barrel in a padded drill press vise and drill a little, shallow hole for the screw. If the screw is tight there is no way the basepin will move.

On new model Ruger single actions this is important, because if the basepin moves forward, so does the little plunger in the back of the pin, that keeps the transfer bar from getting hung up under the firing pin.

[boots]

thanks a lot fuff, i might just try that...