most difficult gun to reassemble

[Battis]

I've struggled and fought with guns that were tough to reassemble, but I read somewhere that a gunsmith claimed the toughest gun to reassemble is the Remington Nylon 66, due to one small part. I have one and of course I stripped it down, something that you're not ever supposed to do with that rifle. I cannot remember which part it is, but I do remember fighting with it.
What's the toughest gun you've ever stripped and reassembled?

[lightman]

I'll agree with the Nylon 66. I nearly never got mine back together. It seems like I had to use a slave pin to hold a few parts in the correct position.

[nagantguy]

Nylon 66 is tough - but I think Ruger standard and Browning A5 are just as tough .

[Petrol & Powder]

The original Remington model 51. It field strips easy enough but if you go farther and detail strip that pistol, be prepared to spend some time.

A LOT of times when dealing with a tricky gun, the right tool makes all the difference.
Replacing the trigger and trigger return spring of a Beretta 92 is a bear of a job without the right tool. If you have a tiny hook to grab the leg of the trigger return spring, it takes about 3 seconds and your done.

[Budzilla 19]

I agree with the Nylon 66!!! Whew, it’ll try your patience for sure!!! I used to get them in a ziplock bagggie, “ my kid took my gun apart” type of things. Another one that took me awhile was S&W 916 pump action shotgun, looked simple, but, noooooo. Moss berg 500 in a pile of pieces, trigger group in a baggie, “ I took that trigger thang apart to clean it” . Really? Never heard of carburetor cleaner, there, Sparky? Glad I had the disassembly books handy on some of them.

[rl69]

Nylon 66!!!!!!

[Markopolo]

ruger 44 carbine!!!!! I say that cuz I have never owned a Nylon 66

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Trigger group of a Winchester Mod. 100 semi auto stands out in my memory.

[DxieLandMan]

Never tried with a Nylon 66 but the Russian SVT-40 is tough because of the buffer(?) spring. I don't know what it is about mine but it took 4 people to put that spring back in. Needless to say, when I clean it, I never mess with that spring.

[sparky45]

MK 3 without a handy uTube video.:lol:

[smoked turkey]

I have no experience with any of the above mentioned rifles or shotguns, but the firearm that came to my mind immediately is my old Ruger 22 semiautomatic Standard Mk1. Mine is an old one that was so difficult to reassemble that you almost never take it apart. There is a trick to it and once you learn it you can do it, but I have to relearn the trick every time it seems.

[redhawk0]

For me...the Ruger MK-II. It seems like it just magically fits together...but then you can't pull the bolt back....restart....restart....restart.

redhawk

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Never tried with a Nylon 66 but the Russian SVT-40 is tough because of the buffer(?) spring. I don't know what it is about mine but it took 4 people to put that spring back in. Needless to say, when I clean it, I never mess with that spring.

I've never owned a nylon 66 and never had anyone elses apart.
I did have a SVT-40, I don't recall it being difficult, but I remember there were lots and lots of parts involved.

The one I've had trouble with is the Colt Woodsman, I had a series two apart once, and had to bring it to a gunsmith to get it back together, he showed me the 'trick', which I have long forgot.

[Elkins45]

Never done a Nylon 66 but I have sworn an oath never to take a Ruger 22 auto pistol apart ever again.

[Winger Ed.]

After spending 2 days getting one back together, I'm voting for the Nylon 66.

[johniv]

I've had very little trouble with the Ruger standard.
Never tried a 66. Just lucky I guess. Detail stripping a Colt Woodsman can be a pita. I think any of them that you don't work with regularly will give you grief. Trigger mechs and belt feed systems are rough, and yes special jigs and tools are key.

[Petrol & Powder]

The Ruger Standard, MII and MKIII pistols are extremely easy to reassemble once you grasp how the parts interact. The problem is explaining that interaction of parts.
It's like riding a bicycle, you can tell someone how to do it but until they do it themselves, those words mean nothing.

The good news about the Rugers is once the concept "clicks" with you, you never forget it.

[beemer]

I didn't even want to try a 66. One that really fooled me was a Remington 550 .22 auto. There is one part that I found out you were not supposed to take out, after I removed it. Probably spent 5-6 hours over a couple of days before I finally figured it out. I took it apart to clean the floating chamber, that's no big deal but thought while I'm at it why not the whole thing.

[gpidaho]

I don't own a 66 but by far the most aggravating pistol to field strip for me is the slide biting *** Remington R-51 (new addition). Gp

[lightman]

Wow, I don't feel so bad now that so many others have had trouble with the Nylon 66!

[Battis]

This gun, a Savage and North .36, looks complicated but it was relatively easy to reassemble. Not the Nylon 66.

[Wayne Smith]

H&R revolvers. Elmer Keith christened them 'gunsmith's nightmares' and recommended returning them to the factory for repair. Unfortunately no longer possible. After my gunsmith tried (and succeeded) in working on my 999 he put up a sign saying no more work on H&R revolvers! He stated that in repairing mine he broke two other parts.

[BPSharps]

MK3 22/45 was the roughest for me.

[415m3]

My Ortgies pistol gave me fits until I learned the secret tricks.

[bikerbeans]

Hammer assembly on an H&R single shot rifle/shotgun if you don't know you need a slave pin.

BB

[Battis]

My Ortgies pistol is what got me thinking about this.

[Trapshooter]

I've not had the pleasure of working on a Nylon 66, and I also found the Ortgies and H&R revolvers to be "interesting", but I think the Winchester 97, the shotgun with 97 moving parts, was my biggest challenge. Some semi-autos ( pistols, rifles and shotguns) are tough because of very strong springs are difficult to reassemble unless you come up with a way to hold all the parts in place while pushing with all your might, but not so much because of complexity.

Trapshooter

[abunaitoo]

Ruger #1
Trigger group needs three hands to get everything lined up.
Never had a Nylon 66
Always wanted one.

[megasupermagnum]

Hammer assembly on an H&R single shot rifle/shotgun if you don't know you need a slave pin.

BB

If it wasn't for youtube, this gun would be quite the challenge. Once you learn which parts need to go back in first and held with the pin, it's not so bad.

Honestly one of my least favorite guns to work on that I currently own is my GP100, which is also my favorite revolver. Specifically, I hate trying to fight the cylinder off the crane. The best I've found is to soak it in Hoppes for a while to soften it up, then slip a long T handle allen between the crane and cylinder. This gives you something to pull on. Then you pull, twist, PULL, twist and pop it comes out right when you least expect it. I don't understand why Ruger couldn't have made the GP100 like the SP101, which is far easier to remove the cylinder.

[Bazoo]

I've not disassembled a nylon 66 further than the receiver cover.

I'd say the hardest I've ever done was an NAA mini revolver.

I've disassembled several Ruger 22autos. I owned a 22/45 for several years. As a result, I can disassemble it and reassemble it blindfolded.

[Peregrine]

I've heard the BAR/FNAR are really difficult to take apart and the manual says you should only ever perform a basic field strip.

I've never had one to play with, I have had an Auto-5 apart and while it was easily the most complex rifle/shotgun i've serviced (I've heard JMB never used a single part when he could use two :)), I also didn't find it all that bad.
However I live in the modern era and I had a couple videos and guides to help me along, without those it probably would have taken me much longer. :)

[super6]

remington 552 speedmaster 22 auto for me, If you had 7 fingers on each hand it would cut a days worth of time off reassembly.

[xs11jack]

I have both a Nylon 66 and a Ruger MarkII. One time I started to slide the receiver cover off the 66. Saw all those parts and slid the cover right back on. The Ruger got me and after a good cleaning I fought that monster for a 1/2 hour. I then inlisted the talents of my wife and it only took another hour and it was a good as new! Never again on either one.
Ole Jack

[Texas by God]

Nylon 66 is tough - but I think Ruger standard and Browning A5 are just as tough .This ^^^^- and the Remington m8/81 IME. The last 66 stock that a neighbor broke; Remington just sent a "black diamond" stock- that's all they had left. That was the second one I'd done and I cussed just as much as the first one.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I've never owned a nylon 66 and never had anyone elses apart.
I did have a SVT-40, I don't recall it being difficult, but I remember there were lots and lots of parts involved.

The one I've had trouble with is the Colt Woodsman, I had a series two apart once, and had to bring it to a gunsmith to get it back together, he showed me the 'trick', which I have long forgot.

I agree with the Colt Woodsman. A fellow worker brought one to me one day in a bag and asked if I could reassemble it. I did it with difficulty. When I gave it to him the next day I warned , don't ever press that button on the top of the slide again.

[beshears]

Nylon 66 , Japanese version of 1885 Winchester and Stevens 311 double.

[BNE]

mk 3 without a handy utube video.:lol:

yes!!!!

[trails4u]

This gun, a Savage and North .36, looks complicated but it was relatively easy to reassemble. Not the Nylon 66.


Drooling...….

[parson48]

Unless my Ruger Mk III starts oozing crud, I'll never break it down again! Thankfully, I don't shoot it much.

[jj850]

Hammer assembly on an H&R single shot rifle/shotgun if you don't know you need a slave pin.

BB

Have one in a box in the basement right now. Got most of it could not get the spring down the side of the hammer . Sometimes it is better to just walk away for awhile.

[fiberoptik]

Nylon 66!!!!!!

+1!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lead-1]

I had a dickins of a time with the reassembly of a Springfield 87A. I swore I would never attempt another, but in my defense I had never touched one before and was handed this one in rusty pieces. Once everything was cleaned of rust, oiled and a couple missing parts replaced I accidently got it back together and it worked.
I must say it worked really well for as rusty as the parts were and the owner has already picked off a couple squirrels this year with it.

Also, I am no fan of stripping and reassembly of my Ruger MK1.

[Walks]

If I had a dollar for every Ruger MKI and MKII I put together from a box of parts brought in by a Customer in my 12yrs working Gun Stores, I'd have enough to Buy a COLT Python at today's prices. It's just a flip of the wrist at the right moment.

But that was more then 20yrs ago. Now I refer to the laminated instruction page I keep in my pistol rug.

Nylon 66-YES, only regret I don't have it anymore.

Win/Uberti 1873, had a misaligned spring. COULD NOT see it. a Friend who had never owned one spotted the problem right away. Back together slicker then mule snot. A week later.

[rking22]

I did a trigger job on my MkII back in the 80s, really had no problems getting it back together, but I had a lot of practice stoning and testing and stoning.....
Now I refurbished a 30s I’ve Johnson boxlock double, had fits getting the mainsprings back in with “makedo” spring compressor! The right tools would have made it easy. I would say any of the Peterson designs can be very interesting to get back together the first (or 12th) time, depending. Never had a 66, so ??!

[Winger Ed.]

Not as hard as the '66, but I had fits with a old Winchester 12guage double barrel awhile back.

A co-worker had inherited and asked me to 'fix it'. As well as not firing, it had a big dent in one barrel.
I knew it was over my head, so I took it to my old buddy of 30-odd years,,,, the local gunsmith.

First thing he said was, "If it wasn't something real hard, you'd already have done it,,,, right"?
Anyway, he took it in, and told me the firing pins were worn/broken.

"You can't get them any more, but weld extensions on them right here,,,,,
bring it back, I'll check it over, I'll iron out the dent, and you'll be ready to go".

After I'd welded a little on the pins, I couldn't get it back together and 'work'.
I finally got it, but there for a day or so, I thought I was going to have to find another gunsmith to put it back together
so I wouldn't be laughed at every time I cast my shadow on his door for the next 15 years.

[Traffer]

A couple of years back I bought a Mossberg 702 Plinkster from Walmart for $99. I was surprised to find how hard it was to reassemble. Kind of like a Chinese puzzle. I thought it was just me but maybe is it really is one of the tougher ones. Anyone else have trouble with that model?

[Thundarstick]

It's amazing how many guns have" tricks" or special tools that make assembly easy. It also amazing how many guns get screwed up the same way by home table top gun smiths. IE, 552 Remington screwed up, or Browning BL-22 missing the ejector and spring! I'm also amazed at some that are considered difficult. I've never liked them, never owned one, and certainly never worked one one, but I'm throwing in for the Nylon 66 because of the horror stories real gun smiths have told me!

[desi23]

A lot of guns can be a pain to reassemble if you don't know the tricks or have the right tools. They may come apart easy enough to make you think they should go right back but they don't.... I would agree that the Nylon 66 is royal PITA if taken down too far, proper alignment is critical. Also used to see a lot of Ruger 22 auto pistols show up in pieces or locked shut when I worked for the gunshop. H&R and Iver Johnson revolvers are easy with the right slave pins, a nightmare without. One of the worst for me was an old Spanish side by side shotgun that arrived in pieces. Getting the main springs compressed to get the hammers back in was a nightmare. Not having whatever tool the manufacturer used it ended up requiring two sets of hands to do the job.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

It's interesting how many mention the Ruger MkI ..MkII ..MkIII
Like Walks says, the trick is just a flip of the wrist at the right moment.
I suppose it became easy for me, as I used one in League for several years?
Funny thing is, it's been years since I've had one apart, maybe I'd have trouble reassembling it, if I took it apart today? ,,,good thing there is youtube, LOL.


If I had a dollar for every Ruger MKI and MKII I put together from a box of parts brought in by a Customer in my 12yrs working Gun Stores, I'd have enough to Buy a COLT Python at today's prices. It's just a flip of the wrist at the right moment.

>>>SNIP

Side Note: Has anyone ever installed a trigger shield on a Ruger MkI ..MkII ..MkIII ???
If not, I highly recommend it...I don't know if there is a commercial manufacturer selling them anymore?
But there is plenty of DIY posts about it.
https://guntalk-online.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1175

It keeps all the crud out of the trigger mech, so if you rarely clean it, the trigger won't get crunchy.

[David2011]

When I got my 66 I was warned to only remove the cover even for rebluing. The Ruger Mk I is a challenge the first few times as well but mine has been apart many times since 1981.

[grayscale]

My Ruger Mk1 is the only gun I ever took to the gunsmith in a bag. Now I clean it with carb cleaner spray....
Grayscale

[bob208]

the ruger mk I and I I gave me a fit then I learned how to clean them. lock it open spray it out with carb. cleaner, blow dry oil and done. po8 luger was a joy till a friend showed me how. the broom handle was a learning experience. right now I have a 1910 mauser .25 I am fighting with.

[johniv]

1897 Win. Is a wonder to work on. Soooo many parts.

[Bazoo]

Not a hard gun to reassemble, but the winchester 94 takes some time should it need detail cleaning or drying.

[txbirdman]

the ruger mk I and I I gave me a fit then I learned how to clean them. lock it open spray it out with carb. cleaner, blow dry oil and done. po8 luger was a joy till a friend showed me how. the broom handle was a learning experience. right now I have a 1910 mauser .25 I am fighting with.. Funny you should mention the carb cleaner. When I was fresh out of college and broke I borrowed an auto 5 to do some quail hunting. Not long after borrowing it it became in essence a single shot. Knowing nothing about how they worked I began to disassemble it. Didn’t take me long to figure out I was in over my head so I took all the parts to our local postmaster who was the main gun guy in my small town. In a day or two he returned the shotgun and told me that the next time Igot the urge to clean it to take off the butt stock and set the action in an container of chain saw gas. He said swirl it around ever so often then set it out and let things dry out for a couple of days. He said your gun will then be both cleaned and oiled. Doubt that would work these days with unleaded gas but I tried it a time or two with a .22 auto with good results.

[quilbilly]

My fifty year old Ruger RST-6. It is still a mystery how it goes back together. I just learned to turn it upside down after cleaning then shaking it until it somehow goes together and that is after 50 years of shooting it.

[Ramson222]

Marlin camp carbine in 9mm, after someone used a ball peen hammer to drive in the tapered pins which hold the thing together from the wrong side. They also managed to miss about 20 times it looks like.

I did get a really good deal on it $150 as a bag of parts. Fired a few thousand rounds through it and then sold it for about $550 on gunbroker about 3 years ago, in order to fund a 9mm AR which I still haven't purchased.

[jonp]

Ruger MK1. Pull just right, turn it over this way, stand on your head and hope it works. My Mark IV is a dream. Other than that the Hi Point Carbines are interesting to say the least

[Texas by God]

Lead-1 mentioned the Springfield 87 "Gill gun". I thought my head would explode on that one. I let it set for a few days, held my mouth different and got it together- to this day I've no idea what went wrong or right! And a +1 on the Ruger Mk1. Even with a slave pin the H&R Topper/ NEF single shots can be Vexing.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[ShooterAZ]

Ever try to re-assemble an M1 Carbine bolt without the special tool? I have, and that one makes the Ruger MK 1 look easy. Several hours of cursing and numerous blood blisters later, I finally got it back together. I ended up using a vice, still wishing I had four hands. Yep, I don't know if I'll ever need to do an M1 Carbine bolt again, but if I do, I have the tool now:oops: The M1 Garand bolt is FAR easier.

[OldBearHair]

Well no one mentioned my Remington Model 600 in 222. Fine shooter. No wind, good 300 yard prairie dog. Gusty a lot of drift. . Takes three hands to get it together. Sort of like tying the springs back on a motor with brushes till you slide the end plate back onto the armature. Then you clip the string holding the brushes back.

[El Gato]

The Mauser–Vergueiro bolt is rough if you don't know what you are doing!

[Petrol & Powder]

Assembling a Ruger Standard pistol, MKII or MKIII is like riding a bicycle. Once you get it.......you get it.

You have to grasp how the parts interact, particularly the hammer strut and the mainspring housing. Once it "clicks" in your mind, you don't even have to think about it.

[bob208]

left out the m1 carbine bolt. took it apart 3 days later when I found the spring. I found a guy that had the tool to put it back together. yes it gets the carb. cleaner treatment too.

[john.k]

Ross 1910 bolt is tricky too,easy enough to reassemble either way,but if wrong it doesnt lock up,but still fires.......However nothing beats double guns with inertia selectors ,in fact any quality double is tricky to work on.

[richhodg66]

No experience, but have heard that broom handle Mausers are a real bear to reassemble.

[rking22]

Not a reassembly issue, least not yet, but I can’t get the but stock off my Ithaca NID to save my tail! Need to clean and lube the trigger. I can get everything loose, but there is something keeping the stock from sliding off????? Suspect it will be interesting to reassemble once I figure out the dis part :)

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I find the newer aluminum frame Browning BLR to be miserable to take apart and to reassemble. The older steel frame with pins are annoying but go together much easier.

[wv109323]

My experiences are a Browning 78 and an early Browning BLR lever action stand out in my memory. One other thing I learned never to take apart is a Kodak Carousel Slide Projector.
Like the old timer said, I have had this pocket watch apart 3 times and it is still not running.

[10x]

Trigger group of a Winchester Mod. 100 semi auto stands out in my memory.

The action / trigger group on a Winchester Model 88 as well.
Slave pins are needed.
The trigger spring on a FEG copy of the high power.

Assembly of the action of an old style Taurus 22 revolver.

Getting the timing right on a BLR is a challenge.

[10x]

Well no one mentioned my Remington Model 600 in 222. Fine shooter. No wind, good 300 yard prairie dog. Gusty a lot of drift. . Takes three hands to get it together. Sort of like tying the springs back on a motor with brushes till you slide the end plate back onto the armature. Then you clip the string holding the brushes back.

Funny, it went together fine for me the first three times. The fourth was a challenge.

[Thin Man]

Many years ago I used to hear the old time smiths gripe about the L.C. Smith side-by-side doubles. Several of these guys flatly refused to take them in for repairs. No, I have never been inside one of these and hope I never get asked. Odds of being asked to repair one of these now is greatly reduced as there are fewer of them being used and broken. Most of our hunters carry more modern designs that are user friendly for cleaning and repair.

[Texas by God]

Not a reassembly issue, least not yet, but I can’t get the but stock off my Ithaca NID to save my tail! Need to clean and lube the trigger. I can get everything loose, but there is something keeping the stock from sliding off????? Suspect it will be interesting to reassemble once I figure out the dis part :)Using the buttplate for a template, drill two screw holes in a suitable piece of flat thin rectangular metal plate about 4" longer than the buttplate(2" protruding top and bottom)- tap gently on each end to see if it breaks loose. It may just be old dried oil that is holding it. I had two Ithaca doubles back when and I miss them blah, blah, sigh, cry.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[BrutalAB]

Had a Taurus 357 pump i think it was called the thunderbolt. First time i disassembled it to clean it took hours upon hours to reassemble, eventually discovered that a part was broken. Got the part ordered and replaced, still took a good bit of luck to get it back together with everything staying in the right place. The same part broke very shortly after, like maybe a month. Got rid of that rifle after that.

[KCSO]

I have J B Woods disassembly guide for the rifle and the small tool you need to get it together again. I can e mail you the guide if you PM me with an E Mail and give me a day or two to scan it in .

[KCSO]

I have Woods guide to the 66 and can scan it in and e mail t=it to you if you snd me your e mail.

[Battis]

There was one particular part of the Nylon 66 that was almost impossible to replace but I can't remember what the part was. I remember I was able to force it in place, only because the gun was made of plastic. Anyone know the part I'm talking about? I really don't want to relive that takedown and reassembly. It was this part that a gunsmith said was the hardest part of any gun he worked on to replace.

[cwtebay]

1877 Colt, model 8 Remington, 1905/07/10 Winchester self loaders. Getting my daughter's Walther CCP apart and back together was no picnic either though!

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[mtnman31]

1877 Colt, model 8 Remington, 1905/07/10 Winchester self loaders. Getting my daughter's Walther CCP apart and back together was no picnic either though!k

+1 on the Winchester SLRs. I have a 1910 and after a complete disassembly, getting that big recoil spring back in is a bear. I am guessing there must be some sort of tool or jig used with these. I also have an old Grendel P10 pistol. It has a few parts that are pretty complicated to get back together, and still have a working gun.

[catmandu]

I remember several smiths saying to dip the 66 in kerosene for a while and then blow it out with compressed air. +! On the M1911 carbine bolt till you get the tool.
Paul in WNY