I'm tired of having my 1873 trapdoor disassembled and all the parts on the bench. It desperately needs a new stock, and I have a new semi-inletted one. How do I remove the spring-loaded barrel band catches to put them on the new stock?
The existing stock isn't really usable—somebody cut through it vertically with a bandsaw and reglued it, or it was made from the best halves of 2 stocks. The biggest problem is that the butt was also shortened about 3 inches and the buttplate doesn't fit.
The rifle was from an antique shop in Tucson, Arizona. All metal was spray painted gold, and with the funky stock, they didn't think it was a "real" gun. So I picked it up for $150 as an antique toy. (Which it is, in a way...for me)
Thanks, all.
Richard