Parts for the 14 & 141 / BULLETIN #11

[nambujim]

I've been silent for a long time and many of you are probably grateful!!

I'm going to address buying parts from Ebay, Numrich, Gunbroker, and any
other source including Jack First who I consider the "last" resort and even then wouldn't bother to contact them.

I would estimate that 80% of the people selling parts don't know the difference between 14 & 141 parts so they just list them showing both Models, many will list for one model and the part is for another. If you know specifically what you want/need, no problem but if you're some guy that picked up a Model 14 for a reasonable price at a gun show thinking you can make it work...........you are in very deep poopies!!

Let me just list a few examples of things you need to avoid:

Trigger guard assemblies:
The Model 14 has a number of variations with some differences in actual
dimensions. The Model 141 has what I would call two variations, before
Serial 55,000 and after Serial 55,000...........avoid the latter. The chances of you finding a guard to fit your rifle are virtually nil !!!! OK...less than 3%. Odd trigger assemblies are good for one thing, spare internal parts and plug screws for tang sights.

Bolts:
Same thing as above but the variations on bolts is far more severe than
guard assemblies. I have identified at least seven (7) variations of Model 14 bolts so good luck finding the "one" that will fit your rifle. Then there are those selling stripped bolts (Breech Blocks), a 14 or 141 bolt has twenty (20) parts, and the block is only one (1) of those. It requires a lot of luck coupled with a great deal of experience to transfer parts from one bolt to another.................my personal favorite is the extractor.
I might add that Remington redesigned bolts for the Model 14 about Serial 85,000 and added a "washer" inset in the upper part of the frame inside so the older bolts would not fit. Again, I have had little luck with using late 141 bolts in early 141 rifles but you usually can do the reverse. When it comes to late 141's my best fix is to throw all the late parts away and install and early set from a parts gun.

Cartridge Stops:
Around serial 80,000ish Remington went to the "large" stop and while
fairly consistent there are multiple variations of it. Prior to that the 14 used the small stop which comes in "countless" sizes, shapes, and forms.
When I work on an older 14 I will lay like 40 stops out on the table, half
won't even fit in the hole so you can figure out for yourself what your chances of finding the right one on a website are. Your best chance is buying one from Wisner's and keep your fingers crossed. Their stop for the Model 14-1/2 has fit/worked in every rifle in which I installed one.

Repair Manuals:
Nice to have but what they don't tell you is "watch out for parts that will fall out and you won't know it". I love it when they say "if this doesn't fix it you will need to install a new one".

General:
Remember that before serial 85,000 no two Model 14's were identical!!
I have consecutive serial 14's in the 69,000 range, both .30 Cal. and to date I have found more than a dozen differences. These rifles in general were hand made/hand assembled and are VERY parts specific.

So good luck with your repairs but be wary of the parts you buy, get educated or you will waste a lot of your time and money.

Jim Peterson
Charlotte, NC

[nambujim]

Just a little addition to the above regarding 14/141 bolts.

As a rule, you can use late Model 14 Bolts in a Model 141 But not the reverse.
141 bolts have a slightly larger top on them to fit more snugly into the top of the frame. You can grind a little off with a Dremel tool and make them fit, a practice I don't recommend but its doable.

Jim Peterson