New project: Ithaca crass model

[Bach Melick]

Originally Posted by alcaviglia

I can buy that there were some changes over that time frame. I would have to look at your shotgun to understand if the difference in the safety mechanism is one of those changes, and/or if it has anything to do with yours being an ejector gun. The safety assembly seems to be the most profound difference.

The difference in the top lever/cam assembly only makes sense as an improvement if you break the lever and have to replace it. Then having it affixed to the cam with a pin will come in handy, but when installing those parts, I would think that the single piece found on yours and Jeff's is much easier. The differences in the top lever assembly will have no impact on the timing of the locking bolt, so that part of the tutorial will still apply to your shotgun in its entirety.

As for the trigger spring, assuming that it is the same in your shotgun as it is in this one, I don't think you need to have one made. It is just a piece of spring wire for shotgun triggers. As long as it is bent to engage the triggers in their forward positions, there will be no slop. You will need a piece of spring wire approximately 2.5" long that you can work into the proper radius to fit in the channel for it on the trigger plate. Spring wire size is 0.024" which is S.W.G. = 23 or M.W.G. (Piano Wire) = 10.

I definitely agree that your tutorial will indeed help me, regardless of the differences in some of the pieces between our respective shotguns.

If you have not yet already returned the shotgun to its owner, then could you please take detailed close-up photos of that trigger spring and the bend(s) to which you are referring? I'll have to look again at home this evening after work to see whether there is a channel in the trigger plate for that... I never noticed (nor knew to look for) it before...

[alcaviglia]

Below are two images (if upload is successful). In the first, a pin punch is illustrating the rear of the channel for the wire spring. The second shows the spring laying in the channel.

[alcaviglia]

Also, the trigger spring pin is on it's head above my index finger in the second photo.

[Bach Melick]

I'm not at home right now, but I don't recall any such channel, nor any extra threaded hole into which a trigger spring pin might even screw...

[alcaviglia]

Okay, I will send out some emails to see what I can learn about the designs of Crass and Lewis and when changes were made.

In the meantime, if you are having trouble figuring out what - if anything - you are missing from the trigger plate assembly, upload a few photos of it.

[alcaviglia]

Bach,

The shotgun that I am working on is actually a Lewis model, confirmed by Mr. Snyder. Lewis models were made with serial numbers starting at 55000.

The similarities are quite numerous, but some of the tutorial (which is 2/3 completed, by the way) is not going to apply to a Crass.

[alcaviglia]

Lewis Model pins (refer to album):

[alcaviglia]

Crass Model pins (unlike the Lewis model, the Crass has sear pins that screw in from the outside of the receiver):

[alcaviglia]

Jeff,

If your shotgun is still disassembled and it's at all possible, could you please pass along the basic dimensions of the cam tensioning spring (that curved one you have laid out in the photos on page 1 of this thread)? I would need wire diameter, overall length of the spring, outside coil diameter, and # of coils. I'd like to make a replacement for the Lewis model and that would, at least, give me a good starting point.

Thanks either way.

[Bach Melick]

Originally Posted by alcaviglia

Bach,

The shotgun that I am working on is actually a Lewis model, confirmed by Mr. Snyder. Lewis models were made with serial numbers starting at 55000.

The similarities are quite numerous, but some of the tutorial (which is 2/3 completed, by the way) is not going to apply to a Crass.

I can reassemble my Crass, I just need help and guidance on how to properly install both those v-shaped mainsprings on each side...

I also figured out which parts I am missing, and your tutorial on timing the locking bolt will surely help as well...