Re assembling a nice old 44-40 for a friend who had the parts in a sack in his barn the last 30 or so years. The drawings on other threads here would have been a great help, but the metal work is now all good except the firing pin extension. The pin, about 5/16ths long and a sixteenth in diameter is loose from the striker. What is the proper way to secure this please? I do not want my smith, as good as he is, to mess this up. Or even worse, mess it up myself and have no one to blame!
Regards,
Garry.
Model 14 1/2 firing pin extension; How to secure?
Re: Model 14 1/2 firing pin extension; How to secure?
Garry!
The bad news is that the firing pin is one piece, sounds like it has been broken off and a repair was attempted. A very talented person with a TIG welder might be able to fix it but I am not sure exactly what you are working with. It would probably be easier to replace the firing pin.
My concern here is, that you obviously have the bolt apart and for that I applaud you except you need to keep in mind that there are twenty (20) parts to the bolt with lots of springs, plungers, and pins. OH! All firing pins for the 14's and 14-1/2's are not always interchangeable, some fitting may well be required. There are also two styles of firing pin, one has and extension out the back side that is secured by two rivits that was used on later guns. Your gun "probably" does not have this and that would be a good thing since the rear extension (for the hook & lever safety system) makes final assembly of the bolt a little more difficult.
I warn you in advance that the mainspring when depressed with the plunger can exit at a velocity about equal to that of the cartridge used in the gun.
The bad news is that the firing pin is one piece, sounds like it has been broken off and a repair was attempted. A very talented person with a TIG welder might be able to fix it but I am not sure exactly what you are working with. It would probably be easier to replace the firing pin.
My concern here is, that you obviously have the bolt apart and for that I applaud you except you need to keep in mind that there are twenty (20) parts to the bolt with lots of springs, plungers, and pins. OH! All firing pins for the 14's and 14-1/2's are not always interchangeable, some fitting may well be required. There are also two styles of firing pin, one has and extension out the back side that is secured by two rivits that was used on later guns. Your gun "probably" does not have this and that would be a good thing since the rear extension (for the hook & lever safety system) makes final assembly of the bolt a little more difficult.
I warn you in advance that the mainspring when depressed with the plunger can exit at a velocity about equal to that of the cartridge used in the gun.
Jim Peterson
Re: Model 14 1/2 firing pin extension; How to secure?
Thanks Jim,
This rifle is pre 1920 as there is no riveted attachment to the striker. The firing pin extension is actually listed by Numrich as a separate part so there must have been a method to secure it. The front end of the striker appears to show signs of heat so maybe it was a hard solder job. I will try and find gunsmiths older than me (Which makes them older than dirt) and seek further advice as to whether this was likely.
regards,
Garry.
This rifle is pre 1920 as there is no riveted attachment to the striker. The firing pin extension is actually listed by Numrich as a separate part so there must have been a method to secure it. The front end of the striker appears to show signs of heat so maybe it was a hard solder job. I will try and find gunsmiths older than me (Which makes them older than dirt) and seek further advice as to whether this was likely.
regards,
Garry.
Re: Model 14 1/2 firing pin extension; How to secure?
Garry!
The "Extension" listed by Numrich is the piece that extends out the back and attached by rivits on the later bolts. You simply need a "Firing Pin" which can in a few minutes be fit to the bolt, sometimes they drop right in. I have done my best to explain the situation, if you get really desperate you can send it to me and I can install one for you and re-assemble your bolt. I have three M14-1/2's in my shop now that require repairs to a portion of the action bar as well as the bolt. Good Luck!
Jim
The "Extension" listed by Numrich is the piece that extends out the back and attached by rivits on the later bolts. You simply need a "Firing Pin" which can in a few minutes be fit to the bolt, sometimes they drop right in. I have done my best to explain the situation, if you get really desperate you can send it to me and I can install one for you and re-assemble your bolt. I have three M14-1/2's in my shop now that require repairs to a portion of the action bar as well as the bolt. Good Luck!
Jim
Jim Peterson