gregg877 Posted June 28, 2021 Report Share Posted June 28, 2021 Good morning all, I had bought a Bitokopher .22 conversion with my 1928A1, having a hard time getting it to run. Ive tried winchester and federal. I did get a couple of box tops with it from the seller (which came from Merle) but the green box Remington seems to have dried up and I tried the winchester stuff that is available. Apologies if this has been covered somewhere, but there are too many posts for me to sift through on government time 😉 Thanks,Gregg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerslayer Posted June 28, 2021 Report Share Posted June 28, 2021 Is it jamming duringchambering or chambering but failing to fire (primer not popping), or not ejecting right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD. Posted June 28, 2021 Report Share Posted June 28, 2021 Gregg,My Merle .22 caliber conversion kit runs best on the .22 caliber Federal 36 grain hollow point bullets sold in the bulk packs, usually at Walmart. I have tried other brands but this 36 grain Federal cartridge is by far the best. deerslayer is a master on getting these kits to run properly when issues develop. Your in good hands! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted June 29, 2021 Report Share Posted June 29, 2021 Hi Greg877, Deerslayer has requested most of the information needed to start diagnosing the kit. Also, are you using Merle's long or short recoil spring (or neither)? BTW, I love running my Thompsons with Merle's kit. Mine does consume an extractor from time to time. Grasshopper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldFalGuy Posted June 29, 2021 Report Share Posted June 29, 2021 While its been 5-6 years since I fired mine in Merle’s conversion it ran very well with CCI.But Grasshopper your scarring me a bit with this extractor replacement issue- Where we gonna get replacements?I popped off my Ceiner AK47 .22 conversion after the first magazine 20 years ago. THat is one I would really like to replace/Anyone have one they can loan me to make another one?? Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland the Thompsongunner Posted June 29, 2021 Report Share Posted June 29, 2021 I have the same concerns on the extractor. I had an out of battery bend mine and I fixed it but now I know its days are numbered. Talked with Merle a good while back about getting spares and he did not have any and said its hand fit. Im sure it can be made by someone with the right skills. As far as ammo DO NOT USE Remington ammo especially the green and yellow box stuff will go off out of battery. Federal works awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregg877 Posted June 29, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2021 (edited) Deerslayer, The bolt falls, looks like good primer strikes, does not go off. That is with the winchester bulk pack and federal plated hollow points. As to what spring Im using one was included in the kit and I have no idea who made it or how to ID it. Sorry for the late response, as always appreciate the help. Edited June 29, 2021 by gregg877 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerslayer Posted June 29, 2021 Report Share Posted June 29, 2021 (edited) If you single load a round directly into the chamber will it fire? ( Do this more than once of course). Not firing may mean long headspace... If it fired reliably with single loading, then your bolt doesnt have enough energy to pop the primer. You may need a stiffer recoil spring, or find if there is a tight spot or rubbing some where. Also only use a very light oil... Nothing thick and certainly not grease. Edited June 29, 2021 by deerslayer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregg877 Posted June 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 (edited) Is the headspace adjustable? The previous owner had Merle do some work on it and it ran prior to my ownership. Mine has what Im guessing is the groove to enable installation without having to remove the ejector, though I found that it was difficult to install the .22 barrel without doing so. I have been able to get sporadic bursts to go, but it is so inconsistent that Im not even sure where to start troubleshooting it. I have several of the black dog stick magazines and 2 of the drums. Edited June 30, 2021 by gregg877 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerslayer Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 There's no easy adjustment... If it's long, a thin washer might be created to push the barrel insert back slightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpedersen Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 I had an issue where the firing pin was sticking and protruding slightly out of the face of the bolt just enough to keep the cartridge from sliding into place.. Had to take the firing pin out of the bolt and polish it up so it would move freely in the bolt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregg877 Posted July 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 (edited) Gawd!! Mine would chamber and show good primer hits, but wouldnt fire. Today I played with it some more and seem to have it running. Even though the barrel has the cut for the ejector to clear, I pulled it. I also tried the included shorter spring, but ended up just using the spring I normally do for .45acp. I also removed the sheetmetal/felt oiler and am using the pilot without the red buffer disc. I basically tried each if these things systematically until it would consistently go off. I also noticed that the barrel retaining nut does not need to be super tight and wonder-if maybe it had been over tightened affecting the headspace. Anyway, fired 4 black dog sticks and a 50 round drum with only a couple of hickups. Not a hundred percent sold on it yet, but we have company for the holiday weekend and will go to the range tomorrow. Happy independence day all! Edited July 4, 2021 by gregg877 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgeport28A1 Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 Does your barrel but still have an O-ring on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregg877 Posted July 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 Yes, the O-ring is still present, why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 (edited) Hi Gregg877, You may want to check the the gap between the receiver and bolt when the "hammer" just touches. It should be 0.06 or greater. If this number is much smalle than .06 the firing pin does not protrude enough when the bolt goes to battery. If the hammer is hitting at the right time, check to see that the bolt "nose" and the bolt "body" bottom out at the same time. If the production tolerances on the Tommy and/or kit are such that the bolt "nose" does not touch the barrel at the same time that the bolt body bottoms on the inside of the receiver there will be trouble. I've included a few pictures and attached two old videos. Note the clean extraction/ejection of the spent casings in the linked video. Aside from blowing through extractors about every 20,000 rounds and wearing out BDM magazines, the kits can run quite well. Enjoy, Grasshopper \ M1 video clip: https://www.dropbox.com/s/f6m9e1kehee0jir/2.wmv?dl=1 '28 video clip: https://www.dropbox.com/s/chvikse9e639m7v/28.wmv?dl=1 Edited July 5, 2021 by Grasshopper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnshooter Posted July 7, 2021 Report Share Posted July 7, 2021 (edited) Gregg,My Merle .22 caliber conversion kit runs best on the .22 caliber Federal 36 grain hollow point bullets sold in the bulk packs, usually at Walmart. I have tried other brands but this 36 grain Federal cartridge is by far the best. deerslayer is a master on getting these kits to run properly when issues develop. Your in good hands! And, this is exactly the ammo Merle recommended to me for his kits. He also specifically said to stay away from Remington "Golden Bullet" I only wish he'd told me that Walmart would not always have a pallet of cases of the Federal sitting on their floor. Edited July 7, 2021 by mnshooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregg877 Posted July 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2021 (edited) Grasshopper, Thanks for the tip. Ill check that in the next evening or two when I get in. Unfortunately the pics wont display but it might be because Im looking on my phone. I shot it a little yesterday and after some fiddling with the barrel nut it ran pretty good save for 2 or 3 misfires. I was shooting cci blazer and fired 3 drums and 4 sticks total. Im wondering if too much or too little tension on the barrel nut is the culprit. I know its not rocket science to install but cant help but feel its something Im doing. Edited July 13, 2021 by gregg877 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD. Posted July 13, 2021 Report Share Posted July 13, 2021 gregg877,When I was initially having problems with my Merle conversion kit, Merle told me to just snug the barrel nut at the end of the barrel. Do not twist it tight. Every time I shoot a drum or stick magazine, I always check the tightness of the barrel nut after removing the empty magazine and insuring the gun is empty. He also said to make sure the extractor does not drag on the bolt. There must be a small gap between these parts. I also make sure these parts are lubricated. And I only use Federal 36 grain hollow point bulk pack ammunition. Nothing else works as well; most other brands or bullet weights don't work at all. I would not be concerned with a few hiccups given you are shooting rimfire ammunition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregg877 Posted July 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2021 (edited) TD,Thanks for the encouragement, I know a lot of .22 kits in anything can be finicky. Btw, I did get your pm and will get that out to you shortly! Edited July 13, 2021 by gregg877 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My1928 Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 (edited) Grasshopper, what a GREAT rate of fire on the .22 Thompsons. If I didn't already have my Ruger 10/22 Norrell, American 180 and M16 .22 conversion, I would certainly would be looking for a .22 conversion for my 1928. Thanks for posting! Edited July 14, 2021 by My1928 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 (edited) Hi My1928, Glad you like the video. Here is the "competition" set-up. '28 lower, hybrid Merle's kit w/stronger cocking piece, and overlook the pipe wrench marks on the barrel. I don't think this M1 was pampered in a former life. FWIW, I always tighten down the barrel good-n-tight with my fingers. It does tend to loosen after several hundred rounds. Federal runs great but about any other runs great also in these two kits. I only run stick magazines. Grasshopper Edited July 14, 2021 by Grasshopper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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