I picked up a new .22 pistol

I won an auction on Gun Broker for a Charter Arms Explorer II .22LR pistol with two barrels.  A 8" barrel and an 10" barrel.  And Yes, I KNOW about how the pistol isn't that great when it comes to reliability.  I KNOW about how the chamber will need to be chamfered slightly to feed properly.  The barrels on this particular example show evidence of a LOT of dry firing, so I will need to iron out the chambers before I can chamfer them.  I also will need to use the modern Henry US Survival magazines for proper feeding.  I KNOW these things.

This pistol isn't going to be a carry piece, it's just to add to my collection.  I will get it so it is as reliable as I can get it and it will probably get gussied up as either a Star Wars type blaster pistol or as a Megaforce Sidearm

So I will have to get one of these:  Chamber Ironing Tool




Some new magazines


I wrote the above over a month ago, waiting for the Chamber Ironing Tool to come back into stock.  Well It did earlier this week, I ordered it and it came in today.

I spent 20 minutes ironing the chambers on the two barrel my Explorer II came with and I THINK, I figured out the largest reason so many people say the Explorer II is unreliable.  It is really very simple.  The magazine catch allows the magazine to drop about 3/32nds of an inch, so the bullets hit the bottom of the chamber at an angle with doesn't allow them to feed properly.

Once I ironed the chambers I tried to see how well the rounds would feed and all of them, flat nose, round nose, ALL of the rounds were hitting just under the chamber and getting hung up.  And yet, when I pushed up slightly on the bottom of the magazine, and ran the bolt, all of them would then feed properly.  I compared my brand new Henry AR-7 magazines to the old Charter Arms magazines, and all of them would do the same thing.

So it isn't a magazine issue, it is a magazine release issue.

I tore down the Explorer II and the magazine release tip is rounded.  It's possible I can just buy a new mag release from Henry since the Charter Arms Mags fit and feed properly in the Henry and are held in place properly by the Henry, NOT dropping down like they do in the Charter Arms.

I just sent an E-mail to Henry Rifles to see about ordering the new parts I need.