Yet more help on the Ithaca M37 cycling bind...

[Sam1911]

Hi again!

So my Dad and I shot a beautiful 100-bird round of clays this morning. I with the full-choked Rem 11-48 20 ga. and he with the Mod. 12 ga. M37.

I was very careful to check that the magazine nut was set to "tight, minus one click" and double checked it a few times as we progressed. The gun ran very well, too. But, even with my carefullness, he did have one tight lock-up that cost him a shot. I was able to butt-stroke the gun against the ground and clear the stuck empty hull, but that kind of rattled my confidence in the gun again. After that, I set the nut to "tight, minus TWO clicks" and he had no more problems.

That worked, but it really seems like something must not be quite right. The gun is noticeably loose at two-clicks back, and it just feels "wrong" to have to run such a finely engineered gun "AK-47 loose" just to get it to cycle.

What more can I do? What actually binds and what can be done to really fix the problem?

Thanks!

-Sam

 

[Badger Arms]

Have a gunsmith look at the chamber. Might run a finish reamer down to take off any ridges and then polish the chamber. Might also check for burrs on the sides of the extractor and extractor notches in the barrel. Might also thoroughly clean the locking lug on the bolt and mating surface in the receiver. If you find burrs, take them off with emery boards or fine sandpaper backed with something solid, like a popsicle stick.

For polishing the chamber, I used a spent 16ga shell and cut a slot lengthwise to slip a fabric patch in. Take a shanked deck screw and screw it into the rear of the shell. Cut off the head of the deck screw and chuck the 'polshing tool' in a drill. Apply Fitz (Flitz?) metal polish to the patch. and run the drill in the chamber a bit. Your idea is to finish the surface, not remove metal. Once you're satisfied with the finish, THOROUGHLY clean the chamber and bore.

 

[Sam1911]

Thanks! I was thinking about going on a "burr hunt". Maybe with a thorough going-over I can actually see some spot that's getting burred or worn.

Good suggestions, thanks!

-Sam