Old Winchester 1897 "c" model in need of repair

[Trader Dan]

Did some horse trading and got a well worn 1897 C model built sometime is 1924. The old gun lived on the coast of Texas for most of it's life then was given to the son of the owner after he passed away who put it in the closet and forgot about it until I came along.
I have completely taken the gun apart and cleaned it up. I have ordered the worn parts. It will live again and it will be shot in Wild Bunch shooting.

However, there is something that is beyond my capabilities.

Here is the situation. There is a lot of play between the receiver and the barrel. Did I mention this is a take down model? OK I understand why. The adjusting ring needs to be adjusted. I have moved it to the "tightest position" and there is still play in the barrel to receive fit. So I deduced that it is at the end of it's useful life, time for a new adjusting ring. Internet research indicates that it is not a simple thing to fix and a new adjusting ring may or may not work. It seems that a bunch of bad ones were released from the factory many, many years ago and are still around, they may or may not be marked right, after you install the new adjusting ring, assuming you get the right one the first time, you have to "fit" the barrel assembly to the receiver by taking measurements and then filing on the receiver face as the face of the receiver is not square and it purposely milled at a slight angle, and after you do that you have to take a chamber reamer and ream out the barrel extension ring inside the receiver. You should not just file new v-grooves in the adjusting ring so it draw the threads tight as this is unsafe and the chamber to the chamber ring might not be right.

So I am confused as heck. What is right and what is myth and why is simply filing new v-groves in the adjusting ring unsafe? If the adjusting rings are all marked wrong, then how do you go about buying one, if you can even find one, and the correct one at that and how do you know the correct one.

One guy even suggested buying several that were marked differently and trying all of them until you find the one that works best.

So I am not even going to try to fix this mess my self. I need the name of a gunsmith that is intimately familiar with the ins and outs of the 1897 c model take down barrel fitment procedure.

TIA pards.

[hp246]

The Mackinaw Kid in Lapeer, MI has worked on a couple of 97s for me.  I can highly recommend him. I will pm his information to you.

[Trader Dan]

OK thanks!

[Coffinmaker]

Next suggestion is to contact "TL" through the "Cowboys and Indian Store" in California.  They are on the web.  TL is well versed in the Black Art of Necromancy as applied to the '97 Winchester.

Coffinmaker

[Trader Dan]

Thanks Coffenmaker. I will do that. I just hate to send a gun to the land of granola with their weird gun laws. Ya know, what ain't fruit and flakes is nuts. I have bought some stuff from them.