Magazine tube issue

[SiringoMN]

After a shooting session today I noticed my magazine tube had slid forward a little. I had a little trouble removing the cross pin and it came out in two pieces. It may have been cracked or broken before. But the tube slid over the pin and damaged the groove in the tube. I assume the fix is to rotate the tube 180 and recut the groove. Any tips on cutting a new groove.

The pin is 2.5mm so a #39 drill shank will work as a pin. I don't know if originals were made this way, but it's asking a lot of that little pin to stop recoil forces.

[Boone May]

Dang, that's a disappointment to have that pin break.  I have owned and shot quite a few original 1876's and I have never heard of a magazine pin breaking.  It sounds to me like your idea is a good one.  I don't know how the reproduction tubes are made but the originals are rolled steel and can be dented or bent easily. 

[Cliff Fendley]

small needle file should do the trick.

[DarkLord]

Sadly that's not uncommon with tubular fed rifles.  Seems to happen more with rifle that have the little magazine hangar that fits into a dovetail on the under side of the barrel vs. the rifles with barrel bands. 

I have seen (and own) rifles that had some significant damage to the magazine from that.  Sometimes you have to tap a mandrel down the magazine tube to get it all nice and round again.  But yeah, reverse the tube, cut a new half-moon slot, and reassemble. 

Then be mindful of the screw at the end of the barrel.  I actually keep a spare under my buttplate on my Win 94 as it has bit my 3 times over the past 40 years. 

[greyhawk]

    If all else fails this will work. The rifle forend nosecap, if its an original or a proper copy, will be machined to take this kind of collar (I think its how the "button" short magazine tubes were retained)
Picture is a 92 but I have done the same mod on my uberti 76 rifle - collar does not need to protrude out of the nosecap like this one - I was taking up some windage in an old nosecap I retrieved for this rebuild
so the collar once it is fitted up properly is silver soldered to the tube and engages the machined groove in the nosecap.
assembly is not as easy as before but ok so long as the tube will slide easily through the front retaining band --

[SiringoMN]

Grey hawk - thanks for the picture. I got it all fixed up yesterday. Rotated 180 and cut a new slot.  I then used loctite retainer compound to lock the tube into the barrel band. Just added insurance. I use this for loose bearings and it is removable.   I am certain I probably broke the pin during a reassembly. I took the opportunity to glass the hand guard rear to the frame. I had a little movement forward and backward. The new barrels nose cap retainer is a few thousandths off too, so I also had to relieve the inside of the nose cap as it was binding of the mag tube. All seems solid.