Someone was asking about this here not long ago, and I had to do a conversion job today, so figured I'd post the "how to". Maybe one of you will find it useful.
So firstly - why would you want to do this? Well, there are a number of barrels Remington makes and sells (and clones) that were made for use of the Express magazine cap (I call them ratchet caps?!?). These rely on dimples in the magazine tube to hold a serrated plug as the spring cover that the mag cap clicks against to prevent it from unscrewing.
If you want to use one of these barrels on a Wingmaster that does not have the dimples to retain a serrated plug, or if you wish to use a magazine extension, the detent system is used in lieu of the "ratchet cap". Also, express barrel often sell for less than half what a Wingmaster or Police version of the same barrel costs. If you plan to sandblast and parkerized or cerakote your receiver/gun, it might not make sense to pay $320 for a new highly polished Wingmaster barrel with choke tubes when a new Express barrel can be had for under $150.
In this little tutorial, we are using a new "take off" 28" express barrel from Dlask Arms. This barrel is destined for a 1960's Wingmaster receiver that I just converted to 3" (but I forgot to take pics of that process! Sorry!).
So first of all, you need the detent and spring. Brownells (among others) sells these for about $6 each. Or you can salvage them from a roached Wingmaster barrel, if you have one.
Next you need to drill the hole for the detent. The hole is 1/8". I put the spring on the detent and use callipers to measure from the bottom of the UNCOMPRESSED spring to the top shoulder of the detent. You want to drill the hole roughly that deep (give or take a few thou). We'll get the "how" in a minute...
I mock the barrel up on the receiver and install the mag cap. Using a fine scribe, I mark the outer contour of the cap on the barrel ring. I measure the distance between that mark and the inner diameter of the ring. Divide by 2. Now reset your calliper to that new distance and scribe a radial line half way between the outer contour of the cap and the inner surface of the ring. Use a punch and put a divot on that line where you want the detent to end up. This is where you will drill the hole so it engages the divots on the underside of the mag cap.
Now we need to make a special tool
I love tools.
The problem is that a 28" barrel (or any barrel longer than 18") will be too long to drill a hole in the ring that is parallel to the bore. Some guys cheat and drill on a slight angle, but this will result in the detent not engaging the cap divots as well, and is harder to "rivet over" in a later step. so we need to make a really long 1/8" drill.
I did not take pics of making the tool because I've done this job a few times and built my drill jig some time ago. You take a piece of long 1/4" drill rod, cut it to a length that will clear the muzzle and leave enough for a (good quality) cordless drill to grip the end. Chuck the rod up in a metal lathe and bore one end about 1/2" deep and 1/8" in diameter. Grab a FRESH 1/8" bit and soft solder it into the bored-out piece of drill rod. Let it cool. Mount in drill, and now you can drill a straight hole in the ring. I use a 18v Milwaukee professional grade drill on the slow setting.
Drill the hole, and clear the swarf every few millimetres. I use a fresh piece of copper 12 gauge wire to gauge depth. Blow out the swarf with air, put in the wire, twist it so the top edge of the hole marks the wire, and measure it with a calliper. Repeat until the hole hits your target depth.
Voila!
Brownells sells a fancy punch that will crimp in the detent with 3 equidistant dimples. It's a thing to behold, but I'm cheap and don;t want to spend $30 plus shipping for that tool. Remington uses a hydraulic press with a 1/4" tool steel rod to deform the metal around the detent to hold it in. I just use a 1/4" hand punch and hit it with a 2lb ball peen a few times. Works well enough, though not as pretty as if I had a hydraulic punch. One day I may just buy the right tool from Brownells - lol.
Done! and works like a charm too.
So firstly - why would you want to do this? Well, there are a number of barrels Remington makes and sells (and clones) that were made for use of the Express magazine cap (I call them ratchet caps?!?). These rely on dimples in the magazine tube to hold a serrated plug as the spring cover that the mag cap clicks against to prevent it from unscrewing.
If you want to use one of these barrels on a Wingmaster that does not have the dimples to retain a serrated plug, or if you wish to use a magazine extension, the detent system is used in lieu of the "ratchet cap". Also, express barrel often sell for less than half what a Wingmaster or Police version of the same barrel costs. If you plan to sandblast and parkerized or cerakote your receiver/gun, it might not make sense to pay $320 for a new highly polished Wingmaster barrel with choke tubes when a new Express barrel can be had for under $150.
In this little tutorial, we are using a new "take off" 28" express barrel from Dlask Arms. This barrel is destined for a 1960's Wingmaster receiver that I just converted to 3" (but I forgot to take pics of that process! Sorry!).
So first of all, you need the detent and spring. Brownells (among others) sells these for about $6 each. Or you can salvage them from a roached Wingmaster barrel, if you have one.
Next you need to drill the hole for the detent. The hole is 1/8". I put the spring on the detent and use callipers to measure from the bottom of the UNCOMPRESSED spring to the top shoulder of the detent. You want to drill the hole roughly that deep (give or take a few thou). We'll get the "how" in a minute...
I mock the barrel up on the receiver and install the mag cap. Using a fine scribe, I mark the outer contour of the cap on the barrel ring. I measure the distance between that mark and the inner diameter of the ring. Divide by 2. Now reset your calliper to that new distance and scribe a radial line half way between the outer contour of the cap and the inner surface of the ring. Use a punch and put a divot on that line where you want the detent to end up. This is where you will drill the hole so it engages the divots on the underside of the mag cap.
Now we need to make a special tool
I love tools.The problem is that a 28" barrel (or any barrel longer than 18") will be too long to drill a hole in the ring that is parallel to the bore. Some guys cheat and drill on a slight angle, but this will result in the detent not engaging the cap divots as well, and is harder to "rivet over" in a later step. so we need to make a really long 1/8" drill.
I did not take pics of making the tool because I've done this job a few times and built my drill jig some time ago. You take a piece of long 1/4" drill rod, cut it to a length that will clear the muzzle and leave enough for a (good quality) cordless drill to grip the end. Chuck the rod up in a metal lathe and bore one end about 1/2" deep and 1/8" in diameter. Grab a FRESH 1/8" bit and soft solder it into the bored-out piece of drill rod. Let it cool. Mount in drill, and now you can drill a straight hole in the ring. I use a 18v Milwaukee professional grade drill on the slow setting.
Drill the hole, and clear the swarf every few millimetres. I use a fresh piece of copper 12 gauge wire to gauge depth. Blow out the swarf with air, put in the wire, twist it so the top edge of the hole marks the wire, and measure it with a calliper. Repeat until the hole hits your target depth.
Voila!
Brownells sells a fancy punch that will crimp in the detent with 3 equidistant dimples. It's a thing to behold, but I'm cheap and don;t want to spend $30 plus shipping for that tool. Remington uses a hydraulic press with a 1/4" tool steel rod to deform the metal around the detent to hold it in. I just use a 1/4" hand punch and hit it with a 2lb ball peen a few times. Works well enough, though not as pretty as if I had a hydraulic punch. One day I may just buy the right tool from Brownells - lol.
Done! and works like a charm too.
