Model 32F Dilemma

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lowgun
Posts: 104
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:57 pm

Re: Model 32F Dilemma

Post by lowgun »

You are repeating what I posted earlier. Headspace is a non issue in a shotgun as long as the gun is tight on the water table. Krieghoff will not force a trunnion change on a customer because of a few thousandths of headspace.
Kman-5455
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2010 5:35 pm

Re: Model 32F Dilemma

Post by Kman-5455 »

Not sure why you think being off face is not a problem. When a shotgun is off face a number of issues arise:
1st - The firing pin eventually will not hit the primer hard enough to ignite
2nd - Blow back around the case head (shooter injury)

Remington 32s and Krieghoffs will be flat on the table as long as the barrel wings and top latch are in contact. Wing wear can be observed by the angle of the release lever being past 90 degrees. When the top latch moves forward and engages the barrel wings the barrel is flat on the table. If the top latch is not engaging the wings the barrel more than likely will start popping open when shot. Popping open when shot is obviously a nuisance but it is not dangerous. Being significantly off face is dangerous.

Krieghoff hasn't replaced trunions, as a means to bring a barrel on face, for decades.

Problem with Remington 32s as well as k32/k80 Krieghoffs revolve solely around barrel wing wear and barrel hook wear. Both these problems are easily fixed by re-working the barrel and not, as they did prior to tig welding, changing trunions or installing oversized top latches. Remington 32s and Krieghoff K32s are not case hardened so issues around a gun somehow shooting loose is easily remedied by pinching the frame together a few thousandths. Sounds unscientific but that is how it is done.
lowgun
Posts: 104
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:57 pm

Re: Model 32F Dilemma

Post by lowgun »

I only know what Krieghoff gunsmiths have told me about my excessive headspace, in other words, don't worry about it. I know that recutting trunnion recesses is Krieghoff's way of approaching headspace problems, but it is beyond the scope of 99% of gunsmiths. I have seen it done at Ottsville, and I was impressed. I would not like to have to pay to have it done on several sets of barrels.
Kman-5455
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2010 5:35 pm

Re: Model 32F Dilemma

Post by Kman-5455 »

Not sure which Krieghoff gunsmith told you not to worry about headspace but I think you may have misunderstood what he was saying. Lets use some common sense for a minute - every time you fire a gun that has a lot of headspace (say 10 thousandths or more) two things happen; first there is blow-by around the cartridge and second the shell recoils against the standing breach causing wear to the breach face. The blow-by/hot gas will erode metal surfaces and the shell's recoil will dent/dimple the standing breach. The blow-by will also escape through the gap between the barrel and breach possibly causing injury to the shooter.

You may not shoot very much so headspace may not concern you. For those of us that go through 10s of thousands of cartridges a year headspace is and should be a concern. Headspace and barrel wing wear is a function of usage. Fortunately even those guns that are heavily used do not wear out overnight. Instead they will give reliable service for many years and only after many 100s of thousands of rounds do they need barrel R&R. The price to re-tig barrel hooks and wings and then re-blue is $250 dollars. Replacing trunions and installing an oversized top latch can cost several thousands of dollar depending on the guns engraving pattern.

In my opinion a $250 expense to maintain the integrity of the gun as well as prevent injury is an extremely cheap investment.
lowgun
Posts: 104
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:57 pm

Re: Model 32F Dilemma

Post by lowgun »

My K-32 is forty something years old and has had the Kolar tubed barrels with excessive headspace mounted on it for twenty years or more and I have fired it tens of thousands of rounds with no sign of blowby or any other damage. We both must face the fact that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of K-32s and K-80s floating around that have barrels that were not professionally installed, yet are giving good service, bad headspace or not.
lowgun
Posts: 104
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:57 pm

Re: Model 32F Dilemma

Post by lowgun »

I have seen Krieghoff gunsmiths build up and recut trunnion openings while I watched. Maybe they would do a Remington for you. They seem to think it is a normal piece of gunsmithing.
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