[TSackett]

I am a machinist and someone sent me a 10/22 bolt to have a pin installed above the firing pin in front of the notch for the bolt handle. I assume this is to hold the firing pin down in the bolt slot. Is this commonly done and why? I have never had a problem with my 10/22 that would make me want to do this.

 

[gunsmither]

Pinning the firing pin down is done to prevent the firing pin from rising upwards and barely hitting the rim of the cartridge. This problem usually shows up in well used older guns that have developed sloppy tolerances.

The bolt handle is supposed to hold the firing pin down in it's slot, but sometimes does not, causing misfires. You can look at the rim of a blooper, or total misfire, and if the firing pin hit mark is way at the very top edge, this is an indication of the firing pin rising up in it's channel.

Most 10/22's may never experience this mis-firing problem. Pinning the firing pin down will eliminate the high hit problem. It's very simple to do, especially for a machinist. This link has some photos of how I do the job.

10/22 Bolt Pinning - RimfireCentral.com Forums

 

[TSackett]

Thanks for the reply, that is what I figured it was for. How do you feel about narrowing the face of the firing pin so that it indents the rim more? The wider face may hit more of the rim but a narrower one probably makes a deeper hit.

 

[gunsmither]

Thanks for the reply, that is what I figured it was for. How do you feel about narrowing the face of the firing pin so that it indents the rim more? The wider face may hit more of the rim but a narrower one probably makes a deeper hit.

I think it's a good idea if the face is pretty wide. Some of the older 10/22's I recall were the full thickness across the face, but worked fine. I'd prefer a narrower tip my self, as it likely will go a tad deeper as you said.

It pays to check firing pin protrusion also. For consistant ignition, it should be no more than .010" back from the bolt face in my opinion.

Happy New Year to all! Joe

 

[TSackett]

I think it's a good idea if the face is pretty wide. Some of the older 10/22's I recall were the full thickness across the face, but worked fine. I'd prefer a narrower tip my self, as it likely will go a tad deeper as you said.

It pays to check firing pin protrusion also. For consistant ignition, it should be no more than .010" back from the bolt face in my opinion.

Happy New Year to all! Joe

The face on this one is the full thickness of the firing pin. I will ask the owner if he has ever had any problems with ignition and if he wants me to narrow it while I have it out. I will also check the protrusion while I have it. Thanks

 

[maineultraclassic]

I'm getting a lot of FTF, and the ones that fail have no hit on them at all...............I'm thinking I need to send out my bolt for some machine work.