My wife and I have always been firearm enthusiasts, even as kids. Subsequently, we wanted to pass that interest and understanding of firearms to our children and we are both glad we did. They usually took turns shooting one of the family guns, but about the time our eldest turned twelve, we decided to get a rifle for each of them. So we took them to a large area gun store and let them pick out what they liked while providing budget guidance. The eldest picked a Remington Model 700, chambered for the 243 Winchester, the middle guy picked this Marlin 989 M2 and the youngest picked a Browning Semi-Auto 22.
Over the next few years they put a lot of ammo through those guns. The eldest went hunting, the other two enjoyed competitive shooting at the range. All and all it was a lot of close, fun family time. When they got older and spread out into other interests and the time consuming activities of college, followed by marriage, followed by families, we tucked each of the guns away in anticipation of giving them to their owners when they asked for them.
The other day, our middle son, Richard, brought up the subject of his childhood gun, asking if we remembered the make and model. I guess he forgot we were holding it in safekeeping for him. Since he shoots frequently with his own son, it seemed a good time to return the Marlin to him.
The only problem was…
About thirty-five years ago, when I was just a little less patient, I was rushing through a post range cleaning session, applied too much torque to the aft trigger guard screw, and snapped off a piece at the aft end of the casting. No time, no money…. the gun was still functional, so it was left as is with the thought I would someday get a replacement part and change it out.
The Marlin Model 989M2 was produced from 1965 – 1979. A clip fed model, it replaced the tubular magazine Model 99M1. The subject rifle is of 1977 vintage and in like new condition with the exception of the tweaked trigger guard. Obsolete for thirty three years, Marlin for some strange reason seemed to be out of stock. Numrich, typically an excellent source of salvaged parts, had two types listed for the Model 983M2. I was worried I would get the wrong variation, so I purchased one of each… both were incorrect. One had a square tang, the other an oversize rounded tang and a slide release tab slot.
Casting a single part or machining one from a chunk of aluminum was bring considered when a sense of Déjà Vu set in over this whole part seeking experience. Then some of the cobwebs must have blown out of my memory because I remembered purchasing the correct used part from Numrich ten years earlier and putting it in my “Real, really… really important” spare parts box. I guess I figured the part wouldn’t be available when I finally got around to repairing the rifle. Do I know myself well, or what? So I had the correct piece and I had cornered the market on incorrect Model 989M2 trigger guards.
Looking down, the differences are obvious. This is always something to consider when seeking parts for obsolete firearms. Just because the model in the description is the same, that doesn’t mean it is the same generation or revision as the part being sought. Also, salvage parts are often used parts, so getting them in hand is only part of the solution to a broken obsolete firearm. The guard assembly on the far right had a damaged finish, a silver rather than gold trigger and a different diameter safety.
Not always a drop in fit…
Before getting too excited about having a replacement assembly, the old assembly was pulled, compared closely to the to the replacement assembly and replacement assembly was installed and operationally checked on a cursory basis. Salvage parts can be a little rough so the replacement assembly was disassembled for inspection and restoration.
Other than the replacement assembly looking like it had been stored in a box of dirt, the finish was worn off and the pieces were a little beaten up. With all of the piece parts removed the guard was bead blasted to clean the part and to give it a little tooth for the finish that was going to be applied.
The original guard had a matte finish that contrasted with the magazine guide, but matched the sides of the gun’s receiver. The guard was sprayed with Duracoat matte black and, even though this wasn’t bake on Duracoat, the part was baked in the shop toaster over at 150°F for an hour to help cure the paint and assure good adherence.
One of the enjoyable parts about repairing and refinishing broken firearms, is watching the transition from trash worthy to usefully restored for use. This doesn’t have to be a costly process. There are lots of small blasting cabinets on the market and Scotch-Brite pads will do as well with a little elbow grease and patience. Duracoat comes in couple of gun quantities with pump and aerosol propellant for a few bucks. In short, the tools may vary, but the results can be the same.
The little parts…
With both trigger guard assemblies apart on the bench, measurements were taken and profiles were compared to see how much could be carried over from the original broken assembly to the salvage assembly. Close fitting pin gauges through the pivot and travel limit holes in the triggers allowed a check of angles, tabs and contact surfaces. In this case they were a match so the original gold trigger was carried over to the replacement trigger guard.
The salvage replacement assembly’s safety, far right, was found to be approximately 0.020″ larger in diameter than the gun’s original, the “safety on” surface was positioned and contoured differently and the safety detent was a different design. Subsequently, the salvage assembly’s safety was carried over to the salvage trigger guard as a loose fitting safety could create an unsafe condition.
The rest of the task was reassembling the trigger guard, installing the trigger guard assembly on the rifle and performing a fire and safety functional check of the finished work. The salvage part locating and pivot pins were reused as they have coined heads that stake into position – right to left out and left to right in.
Worth the effort…
The finished gun looked as good as it did when it was first purchased and it is headed back to its owner. A gun with a little family history to share with his son.
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