John Val Browning August 17, 1954 aside some space over there and keep the guns in racks before packing. Your organization can be increased and made healthy after we are certain that all guns are the same quality. We could, of course, arrange to do work in St. Louis, but it would mean a very great increase in costs, and I would rather pay that money to F.N. and keep the guns over there to be repaired. I am willing to make an arrangement whereby some of the guns can be racked over there and paid for if that would appease F.N. to any extent, and any extensive repairing to be done, I would be willing to pay F.N. an additional amount to do it. This would be far preferable to attempting any such work here. In Ogden now we have some 30 of the guns which we are unpacking, inspecting and eventually will shoot and give you reports, but Bruce and I do this personally. It would take six months at least to train anybody to know how to do it, and Bruce and I have other things in the mill also. Let's make the arrangements over there, pay up what is necesSary to F.N., and start shipments only when we are pretty sure of everything. I have some small things to call to your attention. The VPI paper definitely On the Double Automatic guns dulls the finish on our stocks where it touches. The unpacked here the steel models had the forends wrapped with the paper. finish is definitely marred on these forends and also on the small forward Light oil improves the appearance, portion of the stocks where the paper touches. but there is still a definite deterioration of the finish. On the aluminum models a strip of the paper was placed along the top of the spring and tube inside the This forend, and the finish on the outside of the forend is definitely better. method is good I think, and I can't see why it would not be possible to avoid to great extent touching the forepart of the stocks with the paper. On three of the guns unpacked here the carriers will not lift when the carrier latch is pushed forward. There seems to be friction somewhere, Bue we wadey not had time to get at the bottom of it. However, that should certainly be inspection point, Carriers should lift freely when unlatched. That is the essence of the “miracle feed". On the other hand, the carriers cannot nave too much side play (remember the little rivets in the side which were neces sary), or we have failures to feed. Now I have had several failures to feed. The old typical failure was radically cured-~ when the side play was taken out of the carrier and the carrier dog lifted the carrier high enough in feeding before releasing the breech block. These are inspection points which must be insisted upon at the very vutset. | at ‘ As mentioned before some of the stock fitting arm rear receiver is not acceptable. The Winchester and Remington guns which I measured up here which look all right range from an almost flush fit with the receiver to not more sue? 1/64th of an inch wider on each side or top or bottom. I think this can be done without hand work or additional cost if Winchester and Remington can do it gee, The general appearance of the gun is very good. I have your memo on forends, and the two =forearms with glued reinforcements look very good to me, naturally depending on “performance, I regret that the widening of the forearms cannot take place before 10,000 akready machined are used up.