Husqvarna Model 21 Loading Gate Leaf Spring HELP!!!

[HuskyDude]

Recently acquired a Husqvarna Model 21 Single .22 (1877-1890)
What is unique about this little guy is it has a Flobert action.

I was told it shoots 6mm -.22 Short and BB Caps.
I purchased some .22 shorts and went up the FSR to test her out.
The loading gate seemed a bit loose and didn't really fit squarely. I thought that was just it's age.
Tried 3 .22 short rounds in her and each round blew the gate open against the trigger. Wasn't comfortable with the results and stopped.
Today I took it apart and this is what I found.

The loading gate leaf spring was broken but was still being held in place by the screw.
And the Loading gate pin was bent.
Thinking maybe from trying to fire .22lr rounds in her. (not me)

Don't think I'll find a replacement...any ideas.
It's around 40mm long 7mm at screw end, 6mm at other and has a unique bend to it too.

Any help would be appreciated thx.

 

[trevj]

Find a piece of spring steel and hacksaw, file, and bend what you need from it.

Spring temper steel is a little chewy to work, but all the normal metalworking tools will cut the stuff just fine.

Stick to hand tools, not power tools, and you avoid having to redo the heat treating.
Whether you hacksaw a slab off an old Chevy leaf spring, or Doctor up another bit of spring stock, it looks like about an hours work start to finish.

 

[Waba]

The Flobert "Remington System" actions are a very weak design. Even the back thrust of a high velocity short against the breech block can cam the hammer free.
All that broken spring was for is to hold the breech block either full open for loading or full closed until the hammer can "lock" it.
That spring would be very simple to make.
You will need to replace the breech block pin with a closely fitted new one, made of higher strength material eg drill rod. I would advise against heat treating the pin unless you can confidently draw the piece to a softer spring temper. It should work alright as is.
Once fixed stick to CB power levels.

For all the weakness of Flobert rifles I have always found them to have comfortable ergonomics when compared to American boy's rifles of the same era. Your Husqvarna looks to be better made than the run of the mill Belgian guns and will be a fun plinker when repaired.

 

[trevj]

Yeah, I did not even look at the other parts.

That pin. Ugh! And it does not fit the hole in the breech block, so who knows where it originally came from. Check carefully that the hole for the breech block matches the hole in the frame that it goes on.

All not lost though, if they do not match, as you can bush the hole in the breech block to fit a suitable pin. Gonna take some careful work, and some close measuring, but the block needs to both align and rotate around the pin with almost no slop, while also locking in on the hammer with no perceptible movement when it is down. This may mean filling the hole with a solid bush, then drilling it in situ, while clamped together. This only applies if the holes are different sizes.

I would suggest looking at dowel pins or ejector pins as a source for hardened and ground material that is suitable for what you need. Another source is to scrounge through an old printer or other electro-mechanical junk, and see what you can find in the way of hardened smooth polished rods that might work. Dowel pins are pretty cheap though, even in boxes of 100. Any machine tool supply place or nut and bolt, or bearing supply house should be able to provide.

In order to prevent further damage, you need to eliminate pretty much any and all the movement that is available between the breech and the hammer, while still allowing free movement to load and eject the case.

 

[HuskyDude]

Worked a bit on the Husky today.
Found an old Sawzall blade that had seen better days.

Did a few dry fits and now seems very tight and solid when in the opened and closed positions.
It also takes a lot more force to open and close, where as before it would almost fall open if you held the rifle upright.

Tomorrow I'll work on a new pin.
Which turns out, the bent pin is the trigger pivot pin, not he gate pin.

 

[Waba]

Good work Sir, you are well on your way.
I don't know just what the temper of your material is but that spring doesn't have to flex much, so it doesn't have to be fancy.
Does it have enough snap on opening to kick the ejector ?
From the photo it looks to these eyes as if the tip of the cam on the bottom of the breech block is a bit chewed up. Be careful if you decide to clean that up, removing very little material can change a lot.
A couple of new pins and you're on your way. I would be interested in how it works out.

 

[HuskyDude]

Made some new pins out of an old 9/64 drill bit.
Also found the receiver fit to the barrel was off. This made the gate not fit flush with the back of the barrel.
The barrel needed to sit back just a bit more.
Spent some time trying to adjust it. Didn't want to take too much material off at once.
So I took my time. Now the fit looks pretty good.
Everything lines up and all parts are tight again. The gate opens and closes with a good snap.
I see the trigger sits a bit to the left, but I'm pretty sure it was like that when I got the rifle.
If I get some time I'll head out tomorrow and see how I did.

 

[HuskyDude]

Just a follow up.
Finally took the little Husky to the range to try out.
Little disappointed, even with only shooting .22 short, 1 out of 5 shots still open the gate.
I don't think it's a big problem, just be better if it didn't.
Bottom line... Fun little plinker, not bad for a smooth bore that's 140ish years old.

https://vimeo.com/431946089

Apparently YouYube doesn't like LZ for back ground tunes...