Adjusting Sleeve Kit 1-2-3-4-5-6 12 Ga. ***
USR3312KIT6

We do not sell barrel adjusting sleeves one at a time because we can’t be sure we are sending a sleeve that will fit. The adjusting sleeve on your gun may be miss marked (as many of these were) or not marked at all. When fitting an adjusting sleeve, we have found that the next size may not tighten the barrel – sometimes you will need to go two sizes up and once in awhile we found you may have to go three sizes up. We do however sell the adjusting sleeves in a kit form with one of each of the following sizes 1-2-3-4 in this kit. We also have a set with 1 through 6. This will assure that you have a sleeve that can be fit to tighten the barrel. Reorders for adjusting sleeves will be accepted one at a time after this kit is bought. These parts will only be sold with the understanding that it will be fit by a qualified gunsmith. Reorders are $39.95 each

Winchester Model 12

Will apply to 97 Winchester also

ATTENTION:

Before you undertake the job, you should make sure the gun passes all safety tests and in good safe mechanical condition. We assume no risk or liability of any kind if you decide to do this work.

Properly fitting a replacement barrel and/or adjusting sleeve:

NOTE: To Replace a Barrel or Barrel adjusting sleeve on a Model 12 – 42 or 97 is not simply replacing the part.

Barrel adjusting sleeve:

First you must determine which size sleeve you need. The adjusting sleeve on you barrel may not be marked, or it may be marked incorrectly and if it is marked correctly, the next size may not tighten the barrel that is why you must maintain a selection of adjusting sleeves.

All of the adjusting sleeves we sell have been properly gauged and marked.

The last part that was fit to a Winchester model 12 at the factory was the adjusting sleeve. The work was done even after the gun was blued, that is why when you see a new model 12 with the face of the receiver and face of the barrel in the white. The barrel adjusting sleeves come in 9 different sizes:

B-A-REGULAR-1-2-3-4-5-AND 6.

We sell the most popular sizes in kits:

One kit has numbers 1-2-3-4 and the second kit contains 1-2-3-4-5-6.

1.         Remove the adjusting sleeve. Check the sleeve for size, if marked. It will be marked on ring at bottom, or on side of sleeve.

2.         Pick new adjusting sleeve and install it on barrel. Usually 1-2 numbers up from present size. If unmarked, start with a #2 adjusting sleeve.

3.         Put a new adjusting sleeve on the barrel. Turn it all the way down until it stops. With the rear of the barrel facing upward, rotate the sleeve counter clockwise until the adjusting sleeve lock aligns with the first 3 notches on the right, on the sleeve. This will leave six notches to the left of the lock for future adjustments. Push the lock against the adjusting sleeve notches, and replaces the screw behind the lock.

4          Try the barrel on the receiver. If the barrel is still loose on the receiver, or turns into place too easily, go up one number on the adjusting sleeve. If the barrel will go onto the receiver all the way firmly, proceed to step 8. If the barrel begins to turn onto the receiver, but stops part way proceed to the next step.

5.         Using black marker, darken the face of the receiver. Turn the barrel onto the receiver as far as it will turn. Remove barrel and find where the receiver extension on the barrel rubbed against the receiver.

6.         With a fine file, lightly remove receiver material in area rubbed by the barrel. NOTE: the face of the receiver is NOT 90 % square with the side of the receiver. It is about 2 or 3 degrees off square – you must maintain the angle. Re-darken receiver, and when the rub marks do not appear on the receiver that means the rear of the barrel is bottomed out on the chamber ring. Put black marker on rear of barrel and try the barrel into the receiver again. Look for rub marks on rear of barrel, and with a fine file- remove material from the back of barrel. You must now file the rear of the barrel until the barrel starts to move further in place. The rear face of the barrel must maintain a 90% angle to the side of the barrel. If you file more off of one side than the other, you will have a gap between the chamber ring and rear face of barrel.

7.         Alternate filing the face of the receiver and rear of barrel until barrel turns firmly onto the receiver.

8.         Once the barrel is fit firmly to the receiver, check the inside of the chamber where it meets the chamber ring. If there is a smooth transition between the two, installation is complete. If there is a step at the meeting of the chamber ring and chamber, the step must be removed  with a mating reamer(#2Reamer) from the appropriate gauge chamber ring tooling. Once the step is removed the fitting is complete. Be careful with reamer to avoid making the chamber oversized.

9.         When all of this is complete, remove the metal chips from fitting and give the gun a good clean and oil.

Continue on with step 10 through 14. If you are fitting a replacement barrel and want you original barrel to fit the gun.

10.       You will now need to fit a new chamber ring. This requires a set of 3 reamers per gauge, plus a 36” handle.

11.       Install the new chamber ring, NOTE: the ID of the chamber ring will be smaller than the ID of the chamber. You will push the # 1 reamer all the way through the new chamber ring. Clean out the chips and cutting oil. Be sure to use a good grade of cutting oil.

12.       Pull the #2 reamer through the new chamber ring to mate it with the chamber. Be careful not to go to deep. If you do you will have an over sized chamber. Clean out the chips and cutting oil.

13.       Pull the #3 reamer into the chamber ring to set the headspace. Because, if you go deep you will have excessive headspace.  Clean out the chips and cutting oil.

14.       You may now need to repeat steps 2 through 9.

NOTE: After the replacement barrel and/or barrel adjusting sleeve has been fit to the receiver, and if you want the original barrel to fit the receiver and to interchange with the replacement barrel, this will require additional work.

15.       The chamber ring will need to be matted with the original barrel, and the barrel adjusting sleeve will need to be adjusted or replaced. (see #12)

16.       If you have a 2^nd replacement barrel (3 barrel all total) that you want to fit to the receiver and interchange with the original barrel and the 1st replacement barrel, then steps 2 through 15 must be repeated.

This is how we fit barrels and barrel adjusting sleeves in our shop, and it is the same way they were fit at Winchester. Henry Fallon trained us to do it this way. Henry started back in the 1930’s and he was paid 52 cents per gun and could fit an assembly 7 to 8 guns per day. Henry worked at Winchester for over 40 years.

            We will repeat – this is how we do it. We accept no responsibility or liability of any kind if you do these jobs the way we do them. How you do it is up to you.

            ONE MORE ITEM OF NOTE: We have fit thousands of barrels and barrel adjusting sleeves, and occasionally we find one chamber off center to the left, and the chamber in the other barrel off to the right. In this case we must sleeve one or both barrels, in order to get both chambers in the center of the receiver. This is a VERY RARE situation, but we have found it in the past.

            These fitting procedures were written by Nu Line Gunsmiths and published by J Fletcher.