Over a year ago I asked about inexpensive ways to put a low-cost project gun back on face. Got lots of good to excellent responses. Here they are:
1) Scotch tape has got to be among the cheapest. Worked just fine for couple of rounds of trap or a day's hunting.
2) Al or other metallic tape. Did not try. Should outlast Scotch tape.
3) Thin, soft metal from beer can, etc. I found a metal juice can that was right thickness and cut strips that fit. Took a few tries till I got one that stayed put, without glue. That peice has taken quite a beating but after 10-15 rounds of trap and several hunting trips gun is still on face!!! No effective fix can be cheaper!
4) Shim made from feeler gauge of correct thickness. This is what I will have a gunsmith do, whenever I get tired of thin metal strips. Seems a pretty standard fix for less expensive doubles. Presume such a fix will greatly outlast that little strip of juice can.
5) You name it -- there are plenty of pricy ways for folks with expensive guns and enough money left over. Basically they involve replacing worn hinge pin with a new, slightly larger one, TIG welding worn areas, etc., eetc. Cost easily more than market value of a Winchester M24.
One thing that became obvious quickly on mine was that the hinge pin was not worn evenly but, was battered more on both "ends", thanks to a replaced extractor that was never filed down flush with ends of barrels. Perhaps this was a "blacksmith's" way of putting gun back on face!! Result was that barrels "rocked" side-to-side on this fulcrum when fired, battering the hinge pin and hook quite out of cylindrical form. Doubt that this is a common reason for going off-face. However, my understanding that both hinge pin and hook surfaces become increassingly far from perfect cylindrical shapes once gun is off-face. IF so, expect any simple fix, that does not return both pin and hook to perfectly mated surfaces, is doomed to failure by differential battering. However, I have more of that juice can ............
Niklas
