Follow-up to: Sending my Spencer Carbine to Chiappa FA Repair Dept

[.56/50 Iron]

Good Morning!  I debated sending this as part of my original post, but for clarity used a new post.

I sent the carbine to Chiappa in Dayton, Ohio on Monday. They received it on Wednesday morning at 10:50. I received a phone call from Ron in the repair department at 3:50 PM. I was impressed! The heart of the matter was the loose barrel that I had provoked by tapping on the front sight base to push out the cross-pin holding the blade. Let's address that first. There is no cross pin! I was tapping on what looked to me to be the end of a cross pin. Ron stated that they have not made the front sight base that way since the prototype carbines were run out. If you have an instruction manual showing a cross pin in the front sight base, it is wrong!! He explained that as these carbines are turned out using CNC machining, the barrels do not have to be turned in to the receiver and adjusted the "old fashioned way". The threads in the receiver and barrel are timed exactly and while the last little bit of the screw-in process  is a bit more than hand tight, it is no way the wrench and vice process it was before. He complimented me on getting the barrel turned back in and leveled. I told him I would like him to remove the barrel and clean off the lubrincant that was on the threads. He asked if I wanted the threads Loctited with a removable 300 degree Loctite, and I said absolutely! I mentioned that I wanted that barrel not to move in the slightest and suggested that a not fully tightened barrel might explain some of the accuracy problems that some guys have supposedly had with these. He noted that he has three in his rack right now for accuracy testing. By the way, he uses Ten-X factory ammo for his test ammo. This is not cheap! I don't know how many of you use this? I would rather spend my money on brass cases! I had dinged up the front sight base a bit and Ron noted he will polish it up and blue that part for me. If I decide to put a sight insert in the front blade, I will have a machinist mill a slot in the base for me and cut me out an insert blank that will fit the slot. I am leaning on having a Lyman Globe front sight installed instead....
Not much else to report. Ron is very knowledgeable with what he is doing with these Spencers. We chatted for about 45 minutes. Not much else to do as a blizzard was raging here. He did tell me that they are expanding the Chiappa website and will be pleased to post shooting results that you may have with your Spencers. He is also knowledgeable in so far as photography and told me he does the photos for the website. He could be a real good resource for us to have in regard to these Spencers!
That is all! Now I have to wait a couple of days for the carbine's return to me.
.56/50 Iron

[major]

Can you post a link to the web site please?

[.56/50 Iron]

I did not think of asking Ron what the website is. He did say it is very limited as it now exists. I can find one site and that is http://www.chiappafirearms.com/  .

Here is the phone number Ron uses: 937 835-5000. Ask for Ron in the Repair department. Give him a call and get aquainted! The man is very familiar with what he is doing!  Ask him about the .38/55 Spencer single shot he made....

.56/50 Iron

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[Fox Creek Kid]

...He explained that as these carbines are turned out using CNC machining, the barrels do not have to be turned in to the receiver and adjusted the "old fashioned way". The threads in the receiver and barrel are timed exactly and while the last little bit of the screw-in process  is a bit more than hand tight, it is no way the wrench and vice process it was before...

IMO he is not exactly correct. The engineers calculate for a ¨crush¨ fit but tooling wears as well as other ¨stacking¨ tolerances, hence the need to use a headspace gauge and the barrel has to be turned with a tool for a ¨crush¨ fit unless you´re King Kong. If not there is a good chance the barrel may loosen down the line. Just my 2 cents. 

[.56/50 Iron]

Yes, I would agree that there is a wrench involved with tightening. I would think that they will check the work with a headspace gauge as would be done with any other barrel work. I don't know anything about the process they use other than what Ron passed on to me. Thanks for the note!
.56/50

[.56/50 Iron]

Latest news regarding my Spencer Carbine!
     I made another call to the Chiappa Firearms Service Department at noon
and caught Ron in the service department. He was not in yesterday and
today was his first day back since a bad auto crash he had on Christmas
Day. The delay with my Spencer was caused by the complete exam and
shooting test that they put all the guns through that they service. I
did find out that they secured the barrel with Loctite (tm). Then they
put the carbine through a shooting test and did not like the way it fed
from the tube. He noted that the 2nd round feed was not smooth. I would
agree with that. Following the 2nd round, he says it feeds smooth as
silk. I would also agree with that. According to Ron, the problem was
the spring tension on the magazine spring. I felt after working with the
carbine for awhile that the spring did not push the first round far
enough into the action thus causing the 2nd round to end up a bit wrong
in the front of the tube. I hope he didn't cure all the problems as I
would like a few more to solve (big fat joke)!
The carbine will definitely go out yet this week.
We'll see!
.56/50 Iron

[.56/50 Iron]

Last note on this situation.... The Spencer is on its way to me here in Hayward, Wisconsin, by way of Fedex, as of half past noon today. It took an email to the main office in Italy on Monday, apparently received in Dayton this morning, to get things moving. The experience of having this Spencer in for repair at that location rapidly deteriorated. No more warranty work for any of my guns. The local machinist will get the work. Over and out!
.56/50 Iron