Just took a trip back east, and came across a Greener Martini in 45-70 that has been messed up beyond belief, though it LOOKS like I can salvage a nice action out of it if I am lucky. I do not want the barrel if that has any bearing on the outcome of the situation. Came by it VERY cheap as a "non-shooter", but not fully knowledgeable of the problem, at least beyond the extractor not working. Dad used to have one like it years ago, so it piqued my interest. Anyway...
.45-70, with a very ridiculously heavy barrel. I mean crazy heavy! Don't want that... All looks good to start with, as the action closes, but that is the end of the "looks good". When I open the action the extractor does not operate, and looks "mangled" on the right side. I just got home with it, and I can pull the extractor away from the breech with a screw driver, but it is twisted and bent on the right side looking at if from above and behind the action. Thought I was good to go at this point... But: I opened the action, undid the pinch bolt, pulled the action down ALL of the way to open the extractor all of the way (using a screwdriver as far as I can get the extractor to move), and turned the barrel as if to remove it. Now comes the PROBLEM: the barrel turns only until the top of the breech at the extractor cut on the right side contacts the threads on the receiver (not quite 45 degrees of rotation). The easy rotation then stops with quite a solid "clunk". On very close inspection, those threads at the start of the thread cut in the receiver at the very start, look a little "buggered" up. Could that have happened when the extractor was bent? Am I missing something? If the threads are damaged at that point can they be fixed? There does not appear to be any contact with the breech cut and the extractor at this point. At this point I'm only using hand power, and have not used force beyond that. Do I need to use some force?
My father had one very similar to this rifle in the late 60s/early 70s (can't remember exactly), and we used to remove his barrel very easily using a very simple procedure (including holding the lever down to open the extractor fully), at least as far as I remember it. ?? It truly looks to me like this one is really messed up, but if I can get the barrel off and replace the extractor with one appropriate to the caliber of a replacement barrel, then that is what I got this mess for. Or, is it a boat anchor? Can I even get barrels and extractors at reasonable prices?
I leaped before I looked on this one, but I had hopes without understanding the extent of the problem.
So, good suggestions would be appreciated. If a boat anchor, well, I tried...
Thanks.