how to repair loose mag tube? Win 120 shotgun

[twofifty]

Looking for ways to re-fasten the loose mag tube on my Winchester 120 Ranger shotgun. This second-hand gun is more than 30 years old and has seen much duck hunting.

It came loose the other day, most likely from being repeatedly hammered forward by the slide bumping into the barrel's lug. Lug bumps into the tube cap, and eventually the cap pulls the mag tube out of the receiver. The end result is that the bolt does not lock up as the barrel itself is now out of reach.

Re-seating the tube with rubber mallet strikes on the tube cap was not a permanent fix, as upon firing 2 shots the tube had crept forward 1/4" out of the press-fit splined area at the receiver.

So I pulled the tube right out, by using the pump handle as a slide-hammer. Then scraped out what looks like dried varnish from the splines on the tube. Maybe this was an adhesive?

Anyhow, from this point how would you proceed with the repair?

Thanks.

 

[RaceM]

Since there was already some type of adhesive in there that'd be the way *I* would go. Gorilla epoxy has worked well for me on various projects, not all gun-related. It's strong and has good shock resistance.

But, seems to me that you really need to fix the underlying problem, that of the slide banging the barrel lug. Sounds like maybe the retainer has backed off.

 

[dfariswheel]

The Winchester 120 was a budget version of the Winchester 1200.

The Winchester 120/1200/1300 series guns use a plastic or aluminum set of collars in the front of the receiver to lock the magazine tube in place.

Either the collars are out of place or are damaged.

AS I RECALL (note the qualifier) the tube is installed into the receiver farther back into the receiver, the collars (there's an upper and lower) are installed, into the inside of the receiver, then the tube is moved forward until the tube locks into the collars.

"I think" that an impact puller type device is used to move the tube forward.
This is a heavy weight put over the tube, the cap is screwed on the tube and the weight is gently bumped forward against the cap to pull the tube forward until it locks in place.

 

[twofifty]

all steel-no plastic or alum

^^ You are right about the 120-1200-1300 family relationship, with the 120 being the runt of the litter. lol.

However in the 120, the tube is all steel; there is no plastic or aluminum insert on the tube's back end. And it will only come out through the front - here's why:

The alum receiver has a milled lip at the bottom of the mag tube recess (.892"ID), against which the tube's back end (.999"OD) sits when it is pressed in place. This is not an interference fit, it is merely a stop.

The last .3" of the tube has 4 grooves cut into it, like on a ringtail; their OD is .999", same as the tube's back end.

The next .5" has many tiny shallow splines that run parallel to the tube; in this spline area the tube OD is 1.002". Here we have an interference fit as the receiver's milled recess measures .999", or 3 thou less. It seems that with wear and tear, this is not enough of an interference fit.

Any other suggestions on the type of adhesive or liquid metal that I could use in that area?

RaceM, I will definitely look at the underlying cause and adjust the pump handle retainer itself so that it does not hit the barrel lug. Thanks.