Fitting a stainless cartridge lifter to a Winchester trapper

[ovenpaa]

I base such projects on availability of spares and when a rifle comes in with a broken part I take a view on how easy is it to source and fit. Alternatively:

Can I repair the part
Do I need to manufacture a replacement part.
How often is this part likely to fail and have I seen this problem before.
Does it render the firearm inoperable.

Probably most importantly, would it be worth my effort to both the owner and myself to put the item back into running order? This is the killer part as sometimes it simply is not worth the cost, especially when a part that should cost a fiver if mass produced in the thousands actually takes three hours or more to produce plus materials and heat treatment and ends up in excess of GBP100 each and that is if I sit down and design and make a run of parts which may end up sitting on the shelf for the next few years.

My goal is always to return a firearm to its intended use and I must admit older and quirkier things are a bit of a labour of love and it actually the shiny stuff that pays he bills.

[Alpha1]

I rechecked the rifle my concern was that I seemed to have a part left over from the reassembly. The bit I have left is actually a damaged ejector I can only conclude that I have replaced the ejector some time in the past. I have a jar that I keep my Winchester bits in. Currently there are a lifter a firing pin and what I now believe is a used ejector.

Should David at the shooting shed decide to re manufacture an ejector for the Winchester trapper I feel that its only the right thing to do and volunteer my services as a prototype tester at no cost to the shooting shed and I will of course provide a totally un biased detailed review in the forum totally free of charge.

And of course any shiny bits they want testing well they should not hesitate to send them to me for a totally impartial review.

[ovenpaa]

Well thank you very much indeed Alpha1 :)

[Alpha1]

On a more serious note if you do decide to do a run ejectors put me down for two.

[Alpha1]

I have been shooting the rifle for a couple of weeks now. I decided to try some .357 magnum cases but loaded up to .38 special specs.
I ran several different bullets semi wad cutters round nose flat point etc etc. They all worked no issues at all. In fact I think the .357 cases worked better than the .38 special but i have a feeling its due more to bullet profile. The favorite is a 140 grain semi wad cutter.

Oh and as an aside my groups are getting smaller I think I have got back in the groove with my under lever.
The new glasses obviously played a part.

[Dark Skies]

I haven't fitted mine. I'm just gonna keep it in a drawer like a little lucky charm - because there's no point in the fates buggering up my Winchester now I have a spare.

[Alpha1]

[ovenpaa]

I seriously doubt you will ever be able to break the new one short of bludgeoning it with a 2lb hammer so get it fitted and keep the old one as a souvenir :)

[Alpha1]

I seriously doubt you will ever be able to break the new one short of bludgeoning it with a 2lb hammer so get it fitted and keep the old one as a souvenir :)

Exactly why wait for the old one to go when you are in the middle of a comp or just about to shoot the best group ever.
Its not a difficult job it takes about twenty minutes to fit. I can vouch for the fact the lifters fit fine and they function flawlessly out of the box. Go on you know you want to. Sell your old one and recoup some of the cost you are never going to need it again.

Any way whats the story on the firing pins are you going to do a run.

[ovenpaa]

Yes, I did hear of someone advertising their old factory one for GBP75.00 which I thought was a bit high however I guess it is a good way to recoup some of the outlay.