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First_Shirt
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Browning 1885 Assembly Tips
Jan 19th, 2006 at 5:19am
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I didn't want to clog up the other post on the new Winchesters with all this, but since the actions are virtually the same as the Browning 1885's, these might come in handy for someone.  I have two documents to post, one is the Browning factory disassembly/re-assembly instructions, and the other is a tip sheet from Lee Shaver on re-assembly.

ASSEMBLY/DISASSEMBLY OF MODEL 1885

Left/right refers to the sides as seen by the shooter when holding the rifle in a shooting position. All pins, sights, etc., are installed from right to left and removed in the opposite direction. Fit will be tight and protecting the receiver with duct tape is suggested.

Place rifle in a vise with padded jaws, grasping the barrel in front of the forearm.

DISASSEMBLY --

* REMOVE BUTTSTOCK: Remove the buttplate, rear sling swivel (Low Wall), top tang screw (Traditional Hunter & BPCR), and the stock bolt. This should allow the buttstock to be removed.

* REMOVE FOREARM: Turn rifle upside down in vise. Remove two forearms screws and remove forearm from barrel. On the High Wall and Traditional Hunter it may require sliding the forearm slightly forward to clear the ejector system.

* REMOVE EJECTOR SYSTEM: (High Wall and Traditional Hunter) Turn the rifle left side up in the vise. With the action open, depress the ejector hammer spring guide (PO74767) and move to the side allowing both the guide and spring to be removed from the ejector hammer (PO74753).

* Pivot ejector hammer sear (PO74763) down away from ejector hammer and lift off of pin.

* Slide ejector hammer forward off of the ejector hammer extension (PO74756).


REMOVE RECEIVER COMPONENTS:

* Remove the trigger housing pin (PO74938).

* Remove the hammer pin (PO74826).

* Close action slightly to dislodge the hammer. 

* Slide the hammer, mainsprings and trigger housing out the bottom of the receiver as an assembly.

* Turn the rifle upside down in the vise.

* Push the lever pin (PO74836) out of the receiver.

* Remove the breech block and lever assembly from the bottom of the receiver. CAUTION: Be careful not to loose the extractor spring plunger (PO74776) and extractor spring (PO74774) from the extractor.

* Remove extractor out the bottom of the receiver.

* Remove the ejector hammer extension out the front of the receiver.


ASSEMBLY --

Make a slave pin the same diameter (.1875) and length (1.330) as the lever pin.

Sharpen one end to a point at 30 to 40 degrees.  This pin will be used to align the lever, and extractor while compressing the extractor spring and plunger.


INSTALL RECEIVER COMPONENTS:

* Place rifle in vise upside down.

* Install ejector hammer extension, and extractor.

* Install the breech block and lever assembly.

* Align the lever, and extractor with the receiver using the lever slave pin, then push it out with the lever pin.

* Turn the rifle left side up in the vise.

* While holding the hammer, main springs, mainspring guides, and trigger housing together, slide them up into the bottom of the action.

* Close the lever, pushing the hammer and trigger housing assembly in to place.  Slowly open the action.

* Align the hammer with the hammer pin hole and push the hammer pin in from the right side of the receiver.

* Install the trigger housing pin from the right side of the receiver.

* Turn the action right side up in the vise.

* Seat the hammer pin and trigger housing pin using duct tape to protect the side
* of the receiver.

* Install Ejector System.

* Turn the rifle left side up in the vise.

* Install ejector system in the opposite order of disassembly.


INSTALL FOREARM:

* Turn the rifle left side up in the vise.

* Install forearm and forearm screws.


INSTALL BUTTSTOCK:

* Install using the reverse of the procedures outlined in disassembly procedures. 

  
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First_Shirt
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Re: Browning 1885 Assembly Tips
Reply #1 - Jan 19th, 2006 at 5:21am
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This one is from Lee Shaver, and might help clarify a couple of points.  This is the method I use on my personal Brownings.

Greg

Browning 85 assembly instructions

The hammer must be removed from the breechblock if you haven't already done so. The hammer pin drives out from the left side towards the right side, and installs from the right. Lay the hammer aside till later.

Reassembly should begin with the rifle in a padded vise, with the bottom of the action facing upwards. The breech bock will slide right into the action once you push the ejector plunger forward. The ejector plunger is the shinny chrome plated rod looking piece that lays along one side of the inside of the action towards the front.
You must also install the ejector at the same time you install the breech block, and align the stud on the side of it with the groove in the ejector plunger. All this must be done with care to not loose the small spring and plunger that are inside the ejector where the lever pin goes through.

The lever can be slid down into the action now and moved into place to accept the lever pin, which can be started at this time. Once you have the lever pin started through the action, and one side of the lever you will have to place a small punch down through the hole you can see in the bottom side of the ejector to push the spring and plunger down into their recess so the lever pin can be shoved the rest of the way in. When the lever pin gets in far enough to make contact with the small punch you have in the hole you can remove the punch, and continue pushing the pin into the action till it is fully in place. The spring, and plunger hold it in place, as well as push the ejector up to catch the rim of the cartridges. If the ejector does not work properly when you get the rifle put back together, then the problem will probably be in that the spring or plunger is missing.

Now you can turn the rifle over on it side so the lever is pointed out towards you, and get ready to install the trigger housing. It should slide into the action quite easily, and when you have it fully in you can reinstall the pin that holds it in place. You might like to read over the rest of the instructions before you continue though, because it might be a good idea to put all of the pieces of the trigger group, and hammer, and mainsprings together out in the open once before you start just so you can get a good idea of how they all fit together.

Now comes the fun part. Take the hammer with the small rotating rod in it that makes a stool of sorts for the mainsprings to set on, and carefully install the mainsprings into the holes in this rod, and hold them that way so the whole mess can be installed at the same time. The solid end of the guide pins goes towards the hammer, and the pointed ends go up into the trigger housing. You should be holding the hammer in your left hand, and helping hold the springs in place with your right hand, and the lever on the rifle should be open all the way to make room for these parts, and your hands.
As you slide these parts in you should guide the mainspring guide pins towards the holes in the mainspring rocker, which is located on the trigger housing you just installed. As the mainspring guide pins make contact with the rocker it will rotate so the holes do not line up with the pins. You will then have to let go of the mainsprings with your right hand, but they should be well lodged into the action by now anyway. The reason you have to let go of the mainspring is because you will have to take a small screwdriver or some such tool, and rotate the rocker back into the proper location for the points of the guide pins to get started in to the holes. 

As the guide pins slip into the holes in the rocker, you should notice that the hammer has slipped a little further into the action, but now you have a considerable amount of spring tension to contend with if you try to push it any further. At this point you can grab the lever, and begin closing the action, and this will push the hammer and mainsprings into their proper location, but as it closes you will have to make sure that the hammer spur does not contact the inside top of the action. The upper end of the hammer will tend to be pushed rearward so it will be necessary to help it rotate into place. When it does the action will close, and look normal, but you still have to get he hammer pin back into the breech block.

To do that you just slowly open the lever, and watch as the hammer goes very near to the point it needs to be. When it gets close to lining up you just stick a small punch into the holes, and help line them up so you can reach underneath with the hammer pin, and slide it into the lower side of the breechblock, and push it through the hammer. You will then have to turn the rifle over, and finish driving the hammer pin into place. When it is in flush you can cycle the action, and see if it feels right. If it does you can go ahead and replace the stock, and such and go have fun. If it doesn't feel right, or if it doesn't function at all you will have to take it apart, and try again.

I know that these instructions probably make more sense to me than they do to you, but if you take your time, and try the parts together on your bench before you attempt to put them in the rifle you should be able to get it back together.

Good luck,
Lee Shaver
  
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Dale53
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Re: Browning 1885 Assembly Tips
Reply #2 - Jan 19th, 2006 at 10:38am
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First Shirt;
Thanks for posting this information. Also, thanks to Lee Shaver for making this available to the shooting public.

However, I am still going to go with the "flush" method. Grin Incidentally, if you flush with "Ed's Red" you only have to do it once (don't have to use a solvent and then follow up with a preservative). Ed's Red will do it all in one operation. Of course, remove the wood and after you flush, let the action drain over night, then wipe off all of the excess. It really is not as "bizarre" as it sounds. My rifles have been shot a LOT (all with black powder) and have not presented a problem.

Dale53
  
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