Need repair on win model 42
 

Hello All, Hopefully this is the correct "place" to post this. My father-in-law gave my daughter a Winchester Model 42 from 1939. It shoots fine and will "shuck" empties just fine. But when it is loaded and one pushes the "button" and tries to shuck/unload the live rounds it will not. Does anyone know who could repair this issue or if it is a simple fix? I build railroads, but I am not sure about my abilities as a gunsmith. The gentleman who used to repair my guns is 82 and retired and I live in the black hole known as SE NM(Roswell). Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

model 42
 

I think you have to run them through gun or press detent on loading gate to unload live shells.

Ron

Ditto on the Eubanks gunsmithing recommendation!

Thanks for the responses. I will contact Eubanks. When I press the detent it does not allow me to extract the live shells. It is not working properly.

I have a couple of the Browning Model 42 clones. They are high grades and shot only a few times. They suffer this same issue. I found that if you put forward pressure on the fore end stock while pressing the release, they work fine. You might try that to see if it releases.

It appears that these guns have very tight tolerances when new and you need to release the pressure on the mechanism by pushing the slide forward while releasing in order for the catch to let go. It functions normally after a shot. I have not idea if this is a trait with the 42.You may just need to shoot it a bit to settle everything in.

The best plan may be to send it to me and I will break it in for you at a really modest fee.

(Don't forget that, in Roswell, weather ballons or aliens may be a contributor)!

Model 42
 

If you push forward slightly you should feel/hear a slight click, this will let you operate the action slide. This happens naturally when firing the gun with recoil. Hold the action slide release button and work live rounds thru.

Hopefully this is all that it takes.

Thanks for the advice fellas. I've been trying to push the slide action forward while pushing slide action button and in different variations, etc....It is not working empty, should it? When I dry fire it, the action works properly. My father in law said the person he bought it from stated it had never been fired. It is in "sweet" condition s/n: 367XX says proof steel. It also says 3". Maybe it is not broke in. I will shoot several boxes thru it and see if it loosens up. I am assuming "wal-mart" loads are ok? Thanks again for trying to help. If any of y'all are high tech and can post a video that would be helpful. I would probably not be able to myself.

I had the same issue with my Mod 12 Heavy Duck. Pushing forward on the slide did not help. I removed the trigger group and cleaned with an ultrasonic cleaner and it works much better. Having said that, on a 42, I would leave that kind of work to an experienced gunsmith.

Thanks Frank, I was beginning to think I might push to hard and damage something. It definitely won't engage. I believe I will send it off to a gunsmith, after I shoot a few more thru it. I like the feel of it. I might not send off until I try it on some dove shooting here in a couple more weeks. I'm ready for bird season!

What grade M42 do you have? I love those little guns.

I bought a never-fired 42 which I began to shoot about 15 years ago. It began to fail to feed. Took to Brad Batchelder, who apparently was the last person trained in the Winchester Custom Shop. He looked at the serial number and said "Give me a few minutes". Went behind the curtain, stroked the feed ramp with a file a few times and problem was fixed. Knowledge is king!

Yes, knowledge is king. I’ve been a railroad contractor for 20 years now and my partner retired from bnsf and has taught me and the boys everything. He is the toughest and nicest man God ever made. I owe him a lot. There are tricks of the trade that turn an 8 hour ordeal into 10 minutes. Let the rr man fix track and let the gunsmith fix guns.
Frank, I don’t know what the model is, but the serial # is 367XX and it says full choke. Tell me how to identify model and I’ll let you know. It is in pristine condition. The only thing that bothers me is the inability to shuck live rounds.

Meant to say grade, not model. We tossed a few back after work.

The forend is the first thing to look at. Corncob= field grade, checkered = skeet grade, checkered with diamonds = Trap or Deluxe Grade depending on year of manufacture. There are lots of fake upgrades FYI.

I did not even think of Eubanks initially. Or else I would have mentioned them. Justin Julian has case colored a number of Bee engraved M42s for them recently.

It is corncob-field grade. I'll try to post a couple of pictures. Thanks!

Model 42
 

Another possible gunsmith maybe Simmons Gun Specialties in Olathe Ks. They were always good at work on Win, Rem and others. I had them do some work on my 42 and they are very familiar with the gun.