Greetings all,

I acquired a Butler derringer while the snow was still flying on a cash & carry at a gun show, My father had seen one of the little colt #4 look alike/copies a few years back and decided he wanted one. I found it bought it and realised..... It doesn't fire.

I tracked the problem to the barrel swivel screw and the fact that it won't tighten up allowing the breach face to move away from the hammer strike not causing sufficient contact to set off the rimfire primer. This has also allowed the rear locking tang tang on the bbl. to bend and stress fracture where it meets the bulk of the bbl. assembly. I can manage to get that to hold if the threads were not striped out for the swivel screw. These little buggers imported somewhere around 1950-1960 are made of aluminum cast type crap. and drilling and tapping a bigger whole is out of the question as I would have to have a custom screw cut for it.

I am trying a cheapy fix with accraglass and steel powder in an effort to hold temporarily but feel I should replace the bbl. assy.

I have checked with:

Brownells catalog - Ha
Numrich - were out of stock for the Colt bbls and had NO parts for the Butlers.
IAR - makes parts for blank firing replicas
VTI gunparts - Many import parts for old west guns but not for the butler
Bobs? Guns in Arkansas who had nothing left for them except a few odds and ends.

I don't know where to go from here. I am already after a colt to replace this one but would like to save this one if possible.

My Dad's Birthday is at the end of July and I still need to refinish the well beat up gun as well as get some (readily available) grips put on.

Tick tock. Thanks if you folks have any sources tucked away, I know of only one other of these little buggers in my area. He will probably need parts too.

If you can use a fine thread screw of approximately the same size you could use a "Heli-Coil" thread insert. Mount the insert with a good epoxy. Make the new screw from a fine thread socket head screw.(grade
That will hold up forever on an aluminum frame.

Well, my first trick using epoxy did not work. I am currently trying a Recoil (similar to helicoil) if it holds we should be good to go. in the meentime, I am bidding on a colt version of this gun. thanks for the info.

The smiley face in my post was supposed to be an eight - use a grade eight socket head screw to make your new one out of. You can turn the socket off and slot it and it will lay close to the frame.