Guest Post: Remington Model 12-CS Restoration Part 2

Part 2 of this restoration of a Remington model 12CS, see part 1 here

I got started late yesterday afternoon and had some successes:

1) Removed the butt plate - both screws came out in good shape - they were tight and will go back in and be snug
2) Removed the Stock Bolt holding the Butt Stock in place - the Butt Stock was loose - I tightened it before I removed it to see if the Butt Stock which was loose would tighten up and be solid and it did
3) Did get the Take Down screw to turn and start to back out
4) Got the Front Sight to drift out ( if you can call a small war with a hammer, punch and oak dowels drifting ) It was quite stubborn - could see where rust was under it after I got it removed
5) Had to file a small amount in the groove of the screw holding the front sight leaf in. Screw head was either really warn down leaving no grove for the screw driver to fit into or it was machined that way from the factory. Got the Rear Sight Base to drift out ( if you can call a small war with a hammer, punch and oak dowels drifting ) It was also quite stubborn - could see where rust was under it after I got it removed
6) The 2 screws that hold the fore grip on the right side came out - ( ones on the left are missing ). They were a little stubborn - but with a little light bump hammering and some slow small movement attempts to get them started out they were removed with no damage to the screws

The sights did not need to come off at this point but I was waiting on solution to work its way into some places so I couldn't resist the temptation to see if I could get them out.

Also had my inevitable first "Oh Crap" ...

In a catch 22 here it seems. The Magazine Tube is threaded and screws into the Action Bar ( at least that is what I found in research ). The fore grip slides over the Magazine Tube. To remove the fore grip one must remove the Mag Tube. The fore grip covers the area where the Mag Tube is screwed into the Action Bar. The Mag Tube seems to be, "semi welded - well not really" ... but really tight in place, it will NOT turn. I need to be able to get the fore grip off so I can work close to the attachment point in trying to work the Mag Tube out but can't get there for the fore grip being in the way. So round and round we go with this problem.

Gonna have to find a way to get enough torque on the Mag Tube to get it turned with out destroying the mag tube by crushing it while trying to grip and turn it or scar it up beyond repair. Letting it soak in what loosening solution that I have been able spray on that area repeatedly.

I am afraid to lower that portion of the gun into the soaking solution - don't know what effect a prolonged submersion of the about 2 inches of the fore grip wood have on the wood if it stayed for awhile.

Rolling around a couple of ideas on removal - but for now - "stuck in the mud" ...


Did get the gun disassembled. Went at getting the "Action Bar" and "Outer Mag Tube" out of the gun a different route than I had considered and tried. Researched some more and found an alternative to what I had seen and read about previously. Got them out as a unit without having to get the "Mag Tube" unscrewed from the "Action Bar".

• Disassembly was a chore. Removed the Trigger Assembly which is removing the "Take Down Screw" and just pulling it out. From watching some videos on disassembly and how the action in the gun worked I had come up with what was wrong with the gun in my mind. For once in my life I was correct. The "Action Bar' connects to the "Bolt" using a hook system which lets the "Bolt" to hook to the "Action Bar". I had surmised that one of the 2 parts had a broken hook. I was correct. The hook was broken off the "Action Bar". The piece had wedged itself in among the "Bolt" - the "Action Bar" - and the Receiver.

So after getting a heavy duty hooked pick underneath one edge of the broken off hook and working the action what little it would move I got the broken piece out. I was then able to move the "Bolt" enough to get it removed and after that I was then able to slide the "Action Bar" along with the "Mag Tube" out the back of the receiver.

Trigger assembly will be disassembled a little later.

Next order of business was getting parts ordered that I KNOW I am going to need.

1) Action Bar *
2) Mag Tube ( most likely going to get ruined trying to remove it - ordered in self defense to save shipping cost - list it on ebay if not needed )
3) Inner Mag Tube ( missing at the start of the project )
4) Fore grip screws for left side ( missing at the start of the project )

* Can not find an "Action Bar" listing anywhere that says it is specifically for the Model 12-CS ... all I find say for .22 short - .22 - .22lr. Have inquires on forums out as to compatibility with the CS model and WRF ammo. Have a couple of phone calls to make today also trying to find out.

After getting everything apart I was now in a position to examine the bore. First look was very disturbing. It was either 1) really dirty 2) really rusted or 3) a combo of both. Fingers were crossed for #1. Filled the bore with Rem Oil. Ran the brush through. What came out on the shop towel was disturbing, a redish brown almost a mushy residue. Repeated after adding more Rem Oil. Ran pads through it. They came out almost black. Repeated several times taking a peek inside after each cycle. Repeated until I was getting clean white or at least almost white pads. The bore is not pristine. It is shiny with no major pits. Groves look good and in tact all the way up and down the barrel. What flaws I can see are very small ( almost described as speckles ) and may go away with firing the gun a few rounds. No major damage and surely nothing that would stop me from being very comfortable shooting the gun.

Started on getting the Barrel - Receiver - Take Down Screw - Front and Rear Sights stripped, repaired and polished for bluing. Spent about 4 hours so far on just the barrel and have the first rough out stripping done. I have repaired several scratches, holes, lots - lots - lots - lots of pitting marks and the usual dents along each edge.

This Octagon Barrel is a whole new experience. A round barrel is just one surface - with this you have 8 surfaces with 8 edges. Each dent on a barrel surface edge affects 2 surfaces and the flaw has to be worked on on 2 surfaces. So the work doubles for each dent.

I have been working with 220 grit sand paper. Have another 2 or 3 hours with it on the barrel and then to a 400 grit and go over the whole thing again. I think it will look fairly decent when finished. The pitting was pretty extensive.

Got tired of working on the barrel and turned to working on the Take Down Screw which was a real mess.

I have finished what repair I can do - took about an hour - not overly happy with the result but I tell myself to go back and look at what I had to start with for repair - The underside of the screw against the receiver was really uneven, jagged and sharp edged all the way around, I can't imagine how it got that way. I will show the owner what I have done and see if what I have done will be a satisfactory fix, so we can keep an original part, or order a replacement. Will be his choice.

Got some metal stripped and some repair done. Finish repairs and final 400 Grit sanding over the weekend. Tomorrow is shot ... family obligations.

Note - the dark places in the pictures are not near as dark in reality. Camera just makes it look really much darker than it is.

There was a lot of damage to the metal surfaces. More work than usual getting the metal repaired.

The Take Down screw is not a work of art but at least does not look mangaled ... don't know on getting a replacement yet. It functions perfectly now. Screws in and out with finger turning. Just need a thicker blade screw driver to tighten. Got the underside repaired so it doesn't scar and scratch the receiver any more.

Got the Outer Mag Tube removed from the damaged Action Bar. Small miracle ... did not destroy the Mag Tube getting it loose. Had to really clamp the vice grip on them very tight and had to really come down on the amount of torque it took to get it loose. Got it stripped, repaired and polished and ready for bluing.

It had been a while since it has housed an Inner Mag Tube. When I looked inside there were cob webs and dead spiders. Another first. Was really rusty and dirty. Took quite a bit of cleaning. Ran the cleaning brush and Rem Oil about 8-10 times with pads in between. Finally got it clean and looks newly polished inside.

I noticed something tonight that I have looked at since getting gun and have never seen. Notice anything wrong in the picture below? The ribs are not complete. So I had to get those worked in and then did some preliminary sanding. Will get a picture or two up in a day or so.
 

Gonna have to make a decision on some work on the butt stock. Got some cracks and the wood missing where it butts up to the receiver. So looking at some wood replacement there maybe.

So getting the stock refinished - disassembly of the Trigger Group / cleaning and polishing - getting the sights ready for bluing - and final work on the barrel, butt pad and other metals - all on the list of stuff remaining. 

Guest Post provided by:
Bobby Turner - STOCKAID RESTORATIONS - stockaidrestorations@gmail.com.