carcano bottom feed

[nekshot]

I cannot get a carcano to feed 7.62x39 cartridges thru clip successfully. So I decided to try change to bottom feeder. I am not a machinist, metal worker or anything near a pro at this stuff so bear with me for my stumbling in this project. First take magazine completely apart and look at the parts. I welded and fit metal to follower housing to fit into trigger guard. Then I relieved bottom of trigger guard to allow follower housing to swing down. I welded a 3/8 lip on follower housing to go up against clip latch. I then took clip latch and cut off top hook, leave spring housing on latch. The follower spring is perfect to cut and weld on to clip latch to use as a catch on extended follower housing when closed. The follower spring has a rib on end I used as a catch. Then file a notch on 3/8 inch return of new bottom. works slick as snot! I soldered ribs(nails from air gun heated to lose glue and galvanizing, these also make for good welding rods for torch welding) to back end of rails in action. Now the cartridge slides along and feeds into chamber fine. I received a spring I ordered for the cartridge lifter and it is a 3 wire coil spring and doesn't fit. The leaf spring from a savage 340 clip measures .372 and fits in trigger housing perfect. Here is where I am stumped, I do not know where to get a .372 wide leaf spring or 2 of them and I can solder them together(I think) to get proper fit when new door on bottom is closed. The whole deal up to this point was very simple and the latch works perfect and retains original look but I don't know where to get these leaf springs as everything I have found is twisted coil and that won"t do. Any help from you all as finding springs would be appreciated. If this sounds confusing, well that is what I am half the time!!Nekshot


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Original pieces

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Pieces cut

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Latch with piece attached


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notch in follower housing for clip latch

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Area metal removed for bottom plate to swing

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[justashooter]

very different from what i did, which was to adapt the single stack AK magazine. the AK mag is too wide to fit in the carcano well, so the well is cut out entirely and side slabs are added that accept and align the AK mag. see the pix on p2.

i see where you are going. it should work if you get a traditional shaped follower and leaf spring.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=133427

[nekshot]

justashooter, that is really slick.
nekshot

[justashooter]

i saw you looking for 788 magazines in another thread. i considered them, also. the 35 remington carcano conversion i did involved a savage 430 magazine bought from numrich that is about 1/4" proud of the stock bottom. i made a floor plate for it to latch into that joins the carcano bottom metal bolt bosses. everything between the trigger guard and front boss is scrapped.

you were right about single feed position. no double stack magazine would work because of the bolt face geometry. i find that in operating either the bolt must be run smartly in order for the controlled feed bolt face to take the cartridge in properly.