Sleeved Rem. 722 questions

[AlNyhus]

Looking for a little info on a sleeved 722 that I'm working with.

It's a pretty slick gun and was originally done by the late Seely Masker. The aluminum sleeve is 9" long, 1.625 wide, shaped like a Panda with a flat bottom and a nice integral recoil lug and glued in to a Lee Six stock. Removing the barrelled action was no problem...the standard clothes iron technique I've always used worked like usual. I'm not sure whose sleeve it is...possibly a Davidson or maybe one that Mr. Masker made?

Anyway, my original thinking was to remove the sleeve and re-epoxy it to the receiver just to ensure that time hadn't loosened up the bond. The material holding the sleeve and action together is not an epoxy. It seems to be almost some sort of 'grout' or 'cement' agent. It reminds me of Durham's Rock Hard, for those familiar with that product. Heat does not release it or change it from solid to soft, like epoxy does.

Anyone have an idea what types of bonding agents were commonly used in that era? I've gone back through my old P.S. magazines as well as the Benchrest Shooting Primer but don't see anything that specifically addresses that. The closest thing I've come across is an article in the Sept. 1983 issue of P.S. by Don Spencer ('Taking Them Apart') where Mr. Spencer states that the heat used to remove a glued in sleeve from the stock does not affect the material used to join the action to the sleeve.

I did find an obscure reference to sleeves of this era being machined off due to the bonding agent used...supposedly a product used to coat steam pipes on ships. This kind of fits with what I'm seeing.

I'll hang some pics for reference. Having the sleeve off would certainly make the work I need to do easier but it's not mandatory.

Thanks for any help or info on this. It's a pretty slick rig from the era. The aim is to modernize it a bit without losing the Old School Cool factor.

Good shootin'. -Al

 

[BoydAllen]

If it is that secure, why remove it? Do you have any actual evidence that the action is loose? Just polish it glue it back in the stock and call it good, with that much area, and today's epoxys there won''t be a problem.

 

[AlNyhus]

No evidence of it being loose at all, Boyd....just want to do as complete and thorough job on this one as possible. There's no doubt this sleeve is on there permanently, as my efforts to budge it have shown.

Also, I'm modifying it to a pillar bedded bolt in rather than a glue in. -Al

 

[WayneShaw]

Sure looks like a Davidson sleeve I put on a LA Remington. The only difference I can see is mine had mount holes spaced all the way down the top. I didn't glue mine in the stock, I used JB to glue the action in. Wish I still had it......

 

[ND shooter]

Don Spencer was a dear close friend of mine and unfortunately he passed away in Sept 2020. Otherwise I would hook you up with him. Whether he knew how to take them apart I don't know. He smithed alot of guns for me and my 2 pandas came from him. Miss his knowledge a bunch. I have a couple of sleeved Remington at home I will take a look and see if they are done the same( never really paid attention). One was done by Ferris Pindell and other I don't know but has same kind of sleeve. I think I was told it was a Davidson. Unfortunately many of the guys who would know have passed. I would be surprised if Butch didn't know something or some of his group. Maybe Speedy? Good luck.

 

[1911nut]

Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty

www.waterputty.com

CAN YOU REMOVE DURHAM'S ONCE IT HAS DRIED AND HARDENED?
Removing Durham's can be difficult, but if you get it wet and let it absorb some moisture it will not make it soft, but may help in getting it out. You will need to break it up or dig it out. Or if it's not too thick, sand it out. It needs to be removed by mechanical means. We have had pretty good luck drilling down through the middle of the patch and putting a screw or nail in to break the putty loose or into smaller pieces.

CAN WATER PUTTY BE USED IN HIGH HEAT AREAS LIKE FIREPLACES?
Durham's is not intended for use in high temp areas. Especially not in fireplace repairs and the like where flames or heat is high enough to start a fire. It doesn't burn, but it will break down and crack after such exposure.

 

[AlNyhus]

Don Spencer was a dear close friend of mine and unfortunately he passed away in Sept 2020. Otherwise I would hook you up with him. Whether he knew how to take them apart I don't know. He smithed alot of guns for me and my 2 pandas came from him. Miss his knowledge a bunch. I have a couple of sleeved Remington at home I will take a look and see if they are done the same( never really paid attention). One was done by Ferris Pindell and other I don't know but has same kind of sleeve. I think I was told it was a Davidson. Unfortunately many of the guys who would know have passed. I would be surprised if Butch didn't know something or some of his group. Maybe Speedy? Good luck.

Sorry to hear of his passing, sir. What a great resource and pal to have...one of the guys that was there and doing things as Benchrest evolved! I treasure the guns that my good friend Stan Ware did for me, as I'm sure you do for the ones Mr. Spencer did for you. I can't imagine a better legacy for his work.

 

[AlNyhus]

As an update, it appears that Embeco 885 is likely the bonding material used.

Now I can take off my 'Columbo' overcoat.......

Good shootin'. -Al

 

[Ggmac]

I remember soaking in water or some liquid an then freezing the whole sleeve . Im not sure if itll work on what you have . I only had to remove one that wasn’t epoxy , by request of ATF to verify ser number . Just guessing it was in the late 70s . Wish I could remember more .

 

[jackieschmidt]

http://www.masco.net/pdf/catalogs/liquidandpowder/datasheets/fivestar/embeco885.pdf

I would leave it as is.

 

[AlNyhus]

I would leave it as is.

Yeah, I agree.

It would have been nice to open a port above the original serial number and expose it. You never know...it might well be pretty chewed up, anyway.

I'll do the needed work on it and if there's any interest, i could post the pics and notes here. -Al

 

[DaveTooley]

I've pressed out several from sleeves and barrel blocks. An automotive press, a steel ring with the ID slightly over action OD to act as a stop on the rear, a short piece of steel to press against the action face. Add heat. It'll move.

 

[AlNyhus]

Dave, I've got a piece of 1/2" thick 7061 plate here. I was going to cut a 1.350" hole in it to support the back of the sleeve, then use a piece of 1.350 round chrome moly tubing to push on the action face with a .050 thick copper flat washer between the action face and the tubing......stand it up in the press and add some heat with some press tension on the action.

We'll see how much intestinal fortitude I have after another cup of coffee!!!! -Al

 

[AlNyhus]

Got to work on the big stuff today.

Properly caffeinated, to start with:

Determined 3.750 for screw spacing and put some pilot holes in. Being a hacker, I use a crutch whenever I can. My secret weapon for centering:

Pilot holes in, pillar holes next:

From the top:

And the bottom:

Milled, tapped, recoil lug narrowed and few other small things addressed:

 

[AlNyhus]

The gawd awful green/gray paint on the sleeve and stock is some sort of epoxy-ish finish that's harder than the Hubs Of Hell. The color was actually starting to grow on me so that's when I knew it was time for it to come off. Tried two paint strippers that I had on hand and neither did a thing. Hit it with some 80 grit to open the pores up and repeated with the same two. No dice. Stopped at a commercial paint supply place that doesn't do any retail sales, told them what I was doing and asked the guy for whatever had the most skulls and crossbones on the label.

He comes back from the warehouse area with a Honest To God glass Mason Jar full of a yellowish goo. Told me to wear a couple pairs of gloves and that if asked....he'd never admit to seeing me in his store!

Pillars are in:

These little 5/16" O.D./1/4" I.D. sleeves go in to center the guide pins:

Guide pins:

Test fitting and somehow it all fits. Guide sleeves will be epoxied in prior to bedding the action. After the action is removed from the bedding the sleeves come out, leaving .031 clearance around the action screws.

 

[AlNyhus]

Bedding will get final clean up mill work today. Took some time yesterday to bed the bases to the sleeve top. Bases pic is pre-clean up, hole radiusing, edge chamfering, etc. -Al

 

[AlNyhus]

Finished up the bedding part of the project. The tang area still needs work and the stock needs to be stripped, prepped and finished. Or maybe not?

Trigger pin holes needed attention to correct a few things. A spot face on the stock and cut back on the knurled knobs cleaned it up a bit.

A true blast from the Benchrest past. Gun has three barrels with it, two 222's and a unique 221 1/2.

 

[RGRobinett]

Yet another nice job, Al - thank you for sharing. That "Chris" is a real pushover for the vintage stuff . . . It's always best to barter with him following a couple of rounds of BLACK JUICE! Indeed, a .221&1/2 is unique - I had a couple of great .222 &1/2 BBLs, but never heard of the .221/half! RG

 

[AlNyhus]

Thanks, Randy...appreciate it, buddy! With the dial indicator on the fore end of the stock and the magnetic base on the barrel, it doesn't wiggle the needle over .001, no matter which screw you crack loose first. The action just falls out of the stock with the screws out. With that much span between the screws, and a three screw at that, the screw setup we discussed certainly seems to have been the right approach.

It wasn't BLACK JUICE but some Tullamore Dew somehow found it's way here. Any thunks on how that might have happened?

Wondering in the Wasteland.....