You are not missing any pieces. On the late 67A rifles the lug was welded to the barrel using the electric resistance welding process (similar to spot welding). You have broken that weld. Unfortunately it is not an easy fix without destroying the surrounding bluing. Sorry.

A good TIG welder "might" be able to tack it back in place and keep the heat localized enough to only affect the bluing below the wood line but it would be iffy at best.

Best Regards,

 

Thank you so much for clearing that up! I kept telling myself there did not appear to have been a dovetail attached to that lug but could not figure out how it was installed from the factory. I was entertaining the idea of drilling/dimpling both surfaces and using a JB Weld steel stick or product of that nature. Your thoughts?

 

Could the barrel be drilled and bottom tapped then use a threaded lug? Obviously not original but could keep the bluing.

This is good forewarning... I also have a 67a (boys rifle).

 

This is good forewarning... I also have a 67a (boys rifle).

It is certainly the weak point of the later rifles. The single lug is extremely susceptible to shear and dropping the rifle on the butt or muzzle is enough to snap the weld in most cases. I have a Model 47 that was dropped with the exact same problem and have spent years trying to come up with an elegant fix and finally just parted the rifle out.

Best Regards,

 

Good thought but at that location you only have .26" from the outer radius before you would hit the bore. That means a threaded hole depth of about about .187" depending upon the radius of the hole. Not enough in my opinion to hold the lug.

Best Regards,

 

Maybe a unique barrel band that will cost more than rifle value.

 

Could you dovetail the barrel then mill the lug to fit it?

44

 

Would JB Weld or other epoxy work?

 

I had an old time guy/friend, fix a similar problem years ago, as he set the barrel in a tub of cold water, and leaving only the top part out of the water, and Tig welded it back into place, as he was literally a magician when it came to fixing things, and we did a lot together, as far as fixing things and spending time, before he passed. I miss my old friend!
Good luck with you're repair.

GS

 

Even if you find someone to reweld it, it's still a bad design and probably susceptible to failure in that spot again.

I would fit it for a barrel band. If you give me the barrel diameter and installed dimensions, I can measure a few of my banded rifles to try and find something close to start with.

 

I agree, bad design and likely was a cost-cutting measure.

The problem with JB weld or a barrel band is the main sear spring is attached to the groove in the lug and provides significant pressure on the lug (pulling it away from the barrel), in addition to the rearward recoil load. It is not simply a static connection so the epoxy would ultimately fail.

Without the lug attached to the barrel the sear spring won't work. Again, sorry.

Best Regards,

 

Billyr, I suggest you find a tool and die shop that has a laser welder. The old rough, fuse-weld can be dressed with a file to yield a clean, flat mating surface. The threaded stud could be chamfered and the stud could be clamped to the barrel and welded using the laser welder. Very little heat would be conducted to the surrounding metal. The process is absolutely amazing.

Tom

 

I think that is your best way forward. Those laser welders are ~$20K, so not every shop will have one In house, but they may direction you to a place that has that capability.

 

I had an old time guy/friend, fix a similar problem years ago, as he set the barrel in a tub of cold water, and leaving only the top part out of the water, and Tig welded it back into place, as he was literally a magician when it came to fixing things, and we did a lot together, as far as fixing things and spending time, before he passed. I miss my old friend!
Good luck with you're repair.

GS

Billyr, I suggest you find a tool and die shop that has a laser welder. The old rough, fuse-weld can be dressed with a file to yield a clean, flat mating surface. The threaded stud could be chamfered and the stud could be clamped to the barrel and welded using the laser welder. Very little heat would be conducted to the surrounding metal. The process is absolutely amazing.

Tom

Billyr, I suggest you find a tool and die shop that has a laser welder. The old rough, fuse-weld can be dressed with a file to yield a clean, flat mating surface. The threaded stud could be chamfered and the stud could be clamped to the barrel and welded using the laser welder. Very little heat would be conducted to the surrounding metal. The process is absolutely amazing.

Tom

That sounds like a pretty good solution, thank you! I am not familiar with all the nuances of posting/replying on this forum but I do wish to thank all who offered advice and direction for my situation . Great website and most generous members!

 

Laser welder, great idea!

 

They make some terrific paste type heat shield/sync that you can mold around the area to be welded. Lots of times those are used in the classic car and motorcycle industry to weld something, minimizing panel damage and paint loss. A guy that knows his way around a TIG welder should be able to zap that on a couple sides and keep the heat localized to where you won’t see it. A couple of zaps with the Tig welder will be much stronger than that first spot weld anyway. JMHO

 

The earlier rifles had either a sort of square stud or a round stud and fit into a dovetail. I am not sure of the measurements. Numrich may have one or the other. If you got one of them and make a filler slot (dovetail) to your barrel with a dovetail to fit the stud that would solve the problem.
If you have a machinist or good smith you could also make a stud to fit your slot with a dovetail (what I would do).
I would be very hesitant of someone welding it that is not fully competent. A warped barrel is just no fun.

 

I was thinking about how to do this w/o heat last night before bed. Make a square dovetail that the stud can be press fit into. File dovetails in the sides of the slot and press it in place. Make it a little thick and then relieve the wood below the dovetail and use JB Weld, pro Bed or Devcon Steel to bed it. Wrap the front of the stud with enough tap that you don't rip it apart taking it out. It ain't going anywhere and just takes time. You could also high strength (not five minute) epoxy to adhere the stud and dovetail to the barrel, if you have some. Wouldn't hurt.

 

Update: Contacted JB Weld, they recommended original formula. I roughed up the stud and the barrel surfaces and applied. Waited 18 hours cure time in cool basement then attached the spring and extractor piece which really loaded the spring. Nada, lasted five minutes and popped.!
I then filed several grooves into both surfaces, cleaned well and tried again, this time curing time was 29 hours but in proximity of a pellet stove so nice and warm, which should improve the curing process. Re assembled and held my breath. So far so good, holding together. If it works I will post pics, if not , back to the drawing board!

 

You explained it better than I. I would make the stud to fit the existing hole in the stock (square or round). You taper the sides of the existing slot in the barrel and the new stud and drive the stud into the slot. I would use blue lock tite (spell check doesn't like it) rather than epoxy. You would have a stud that would look right, no finish or heat problems. I know Brownell's has dovetail files (pricy) you can use a mill if available or a triangle file with one side flat (no cutts) 60° angles.

 

Ditto on the heat control paste. Tack in place with a tig torch in 4 places. Did one just like this at least once that I recall years back. Some small tig tacks will hold that in place till the cows come home! Also did a few single shot shotguns this way, without harming bluing. Wet rags also work good for tig tacking if you don't have heat paste. The 67a's are fun little guns!

 

I can't fault you for trying, as you're second method, including the increased warmer temperature, and removing air moisture, in the process, never hurts. IMO!
I would put a little stress to the stud in question, as the time it's gonna fail, will not be optimum. There's never a good time for something like this to fail, we can all agree. One of my main concerns is that this repair might work and it might not. My father was in the tool and die business for years and he introduced me to a product like JB Weld years ago called Propoxy 10. The stuff was an industrial strength JB Weld! It got hard as steel, where you could file it, drill it, and even tap into it. I was impressed with it as I've used both on several products through out the years for different applications. I just don't think this would have been the route I would have taken on this firearm. I hope it works for you, and good luck!

GS

 

I too think this repair has a fair chance of failing but at least it got it off my bench and out of my mind for awhile. "Tiggin" is the way to go for a more permanent and failsafe repair. I just got so tired of walking by the bench looking at the parts I would wake up thinking about it! Anyway, I appreciate the input and if and when the fix fails, you will be the second to know about it!

 

Well, You were right, checked on it earlier and things were great until I cranked the stock screw, felt the pop and that's about it!. Back to the classifieds for welders, hopefully laser but a skilled tigger mite have to do! Onward and upward!

 

I really feel when you find the right guy to do the work properly, it'll be worth it.
The other factor that always enters my mind when I'm fixing or repairing a firearm is, that we're only caretakers, and we don't own anything forever, and what I mean, and am saying that, when it travels down the road, and someone lees knowledgeable gets they're hands on it, they won't know the history of it, and that's when things and stuff happens. For whatever that's worth.
Good luck with it!

GS

 

I really feel when you find the right guy to do the work properly, it'll be worth it.
The other factor that always enters my mind when I'm fixing or repairing a firearm is, that we're only caretakers, and we don't own anything forever, and what I mean, and am saying that, when it travels down the road, and someone lees knowledgeable gets they're hands on it, they won't know the history of it, and that's when things and stuff happens. For whatever that's worth.
Good luck with it!

GS

Did quite a bit of searching for laser welder equipped shops, most were not interested in my predicament. Shot in the dark I called a buddy who does heavy duty fabrication and his response was "I know a guy"!
It was like magic what the guy did, the finest nearly flat bead and done in two minutes!
Took it home, put things together and shot it a dozen times without a hiccup, I am a happy man. I can now pass it on to a family member 10 year old with confidence! PS. This rifle was not for collecting/investment, just a shooter that a kid could learn basics with. Thanks to all who replied, Billy R

 

That is great! Just yesterday evening I was thinking about this dilemma and thought that filing the sides of the slot to take a model 69s/75/43 stud that slides into a dovetail would work too. It sounds like you have a permanent fix.