Model 14 thumbnail safety
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farmonemoto
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 6:15 pm
Model 14 thumbnail safety
I'm just starting to read Ken Blauch's book The Remington 14 and already I'm enthralled. I have a model 14 s.n. 73xxx that has a thumbnail safety but no access slot in the receiver. Was the slot only put on the retrofitted receivers, or do I have a mix-and-match gun? Any light shed on this would be greatly appreciated.
Re: Model 14 thumbnail safety
The slot was put on all receivers, so your gun is probably a mix and match gun. However the opposite is true, leftover slotted receivers were used later with non thumbnail bolts when Remington changed to the hook and lever safety system about 1921.
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farmonemoto
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 6:15 pm
Re: Model 14 thumbnail safety
The only thing about my gun being mix and match that bugs me is why would someone go through all that trouble. The safety plugs by the trigger guard appear to be factory installed (although I'm certainly no expert), the serial number is certainly in the range it needs to be for the thumbnail. Is it even a possibility that some of the recievers, when they were retrofitted (grammar?), somehow escaped having the slot put into them?
Re: Model 14 thumbnail safety
Hey Farmoguy!
Ken Blauch is the "world authority" on the Model 14 and is a man of very precise but few words, I am hardly the latter and to that end will give you my opinion of your rifle.
On almost every one of my postings I try to convey to all that "no two Model 14's are identical" and have come to that conclusion after not only collecting them for many years but also based on those that have come into my shop for repair (I repair only the Model 14/141).
My opinion is that your rifle most likely exited the factory in its current configuration either by accident, by design, or perhaps to fill a special order. Remington was notorius for not discarding anything in an effort to keep costs down which resulted in countless variations and oddities of which I think yours is just one of those.
The fact that your rifle has a blank in where the crossbolt safety tips the scale in favor of it being assembled by the factory in that "the blank" requires a special "trigger spring rod" which is more rare than a TNS bolt (not that you couldn't make one) but unlikely.
According to my repair records I worked on one other rifle that had your configuration, it too was in the 70,000 serial range and this gun like a few others that I have repaired (and two that I own) have bolts with serial numbers stamped on the top, matching the gun. I might suggest that you check your bolt to see if maybe by chance it might be serialed to your upper & lower receiver.
Personally speaking I think the way Remington shuffled parts around, made continual improvements or modifications, and had numerous factory options makes almost every one of these rifles/carbines unique. If by chance you would prefer to have your rifle put into a more standard configuration (non TNS bolt and crossbolt safety) I would be glad to convert it for you at no cost while retaining the "odd" parts if you get my drift......LOL!!!
Hope this was helpful!
Best regards!
Jim
Ken Blauch is the "world authority" on the Model 14 and is a man of very precise but few words, I am hardly the latter and to that end will give you my opinion of your rifle.
On almost every one of my postings I try to convey to all that "no two Model 14's are identical" and have come to that conclusion after not only collecting them for many years but also based on those that have come into my shop for repair (I repair only the Model 14/141).
My opinion is that your rifle most likely exited the factory in its current configuration either by accident, by design, or perhaps to fill a special order. Remington was notorius for not discarding anything in an effort to keep costs down which resulted in countless variations and oddities of which I think yours is just one of those.
The fact that your rifle has a blank in where the crossbolt safety tips the scale in favor of it being assembled by the factory in that "the blank" requires a special "trigger spring rod" which is more rare than a TNS bolt (not that you couldn't make one) but unlikely.
According to my repair records I worked on one other rifle that had your configuration, it too was in the 70,000 serial range and this gun like a few others that I have repaired (and two that I own) have bolts with serial numbers stamped on the top, matching the gun. I might suggest that you check your bolt to see if maybe by chance it might be serialed to your upper & lower receiver.
Personally speaking I think the way Remington shuffled parts around, made continual improvements or modifications, and had numerous factory options makes almost every one of these rifles/carbines unique. If by chance you would prefer to have your rifle put into a more standard configuration (non TNS bolt and crossbolt safety) I would be glad to convert it for you at no cost while retaining the "odd" parts if you get my drift......LOL!!!
Hope this was helpful!
Best regards!
Jim
Jim Peterson
Re: Model 14 thumbnail safety
With the added information that the gun has a dummy safety it is likely that it slipped thru without the slotted receiver. Like Jim says, if the bolt has the s/n of the gun, then you have you have a case, otherwise you will continue to defend the configuration each time it come up.
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farmonemoto
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 6:15 pm
Re: Model 14 thumbnail safety
I may just see if the numbers match. In any case, I plan to leave it in this configuration. It is what it is and all that. It's the TNS I was after when I bought the gun, so that's the feature I most want to keep. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and insight into this situation.