Marlin Camp 9: Anything special about the trigger group?

[marklbucla]

Just picked up a used Marlin camp 9.

I tried cleaning it and getting it back together, and then dry firing. I noticed that nothing happened except for a repeatable clicking sound when it was installed in the gun. Without the trigger on the gun, a little lever on the back of the group moves a bit up and down, but the hammer is not released. Is there anything special about the trigger group on this gun or did the seller "accidentally forget" to tell me something was wrong with it?

 

[GRIZ22]

It does have a magazine safety. Did you try dry firing with a empty magazine?

 

[marklbucla]

Yes, but still nothing.

Where is the safety located? Maybe something just isn't fitting right so it isn't being disengaged.

 

[marklbucla]

The buffer was basically non existant, if that makes a difference.

So does the Marlin require the bolt and rest of it for the action to work? If I need to send it out for repairs, can I get away with just sending the trigger group?

 

[Deles136]

Try inserting a loaded magazine but don't chamber a round and then see if you still have trigger problems. If so then contact Marlin.

 

[DMK]

Try inserting a loaded magazine but don't chamber a round

No need to do that! An empty mag will trip the "mag safety" just as well as a loaded one. If you reach in the magwell with you finger, you can feel the mag safety along the back wall. You can push it in with your finger as you dry fire. I used to do it with mine all the time.

Here's a diagram of the parts at Brownells.



The safety is inside the trigger guard. Flips fore and aft through the front of the guard. Should be obvious. If not, something is missing.

 

[Plink]

If the buffer is non existant, the gun may have over exceeded it's recoil stroke. This locks up the hammer somehow. Something to do with the hammer strut if I remember right. I've heard that the problem is somewhat common, but have never experienced it on mine, so I can't say what the symptoms actually are.

Stick a mag in the trigger group and take a close look at the parts as you pull the trigger. If the sear is disconnecting, but the hammer still won't drop, that may be the hammer strut thing. You should be able to spot what's causing the problem. If not, I'm sure Marlin would fix it for you.

 

[SDC]

They ARE an absolute PITA to reassemble properly after they're stripped down (you need an extra pair of hands, and some more corners of your mouth to stick your tongue into to get everything "just so"), so maybe the previous owner decided to sell it after he couldn't get it back together the right way? This page gives you a rundown with some pics: http://www.alpharubicon.com/leo/marlincamp9war.htm

 

[marklbucla]

I took it to a gunsmith and he said that whatever it is, it's a major problem. The bolt also sticks back, so he suggested just returning it, which I did today. I couldn't get a read from Marlin as to whether or not this would be a costly repair, so I decided to just cut my losses and not take a chance and return it.

It's too bad really, I would have liked a Camp 9, especially at $317 in my hands. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. OTOH, I guess I've already got enough 9mm carbines. This would have been my fourth!

Btw, the gunsmith said that the thing that flies up and hits the rear of the bolt is the sear and that the hammer is inside the bolt?

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Btw, the gunsmith said that the thing that flies up and hits the rear of the bolt is the sear and that the hammer is inside the bolt?

Completely wrong. If he thinks that, I question his qualification to be a gunsmith.

 

[gezzer]

Not for nothing did you try it before YOU took it apart? They need a smith that can walk and chew gum to work on it.

WHen you took it apart and now it don't work it is on YOU not the SELLER.

PS if your gunsmith cannot figure it out you need a new gunsmith.

 

[marklbucla]

WHen you took it apart and now it don't work it is on YOU not the SELLER.

No, it did not work beforehand. I also appreciate being corrected when I'm not even wrong.

 

[commygun]

I don't remember it's purpose or if it's even relevant to your problem but I do remember there's a very small spring involved in the Camp 9 disassembly/assembly process ( and I remember 15 minutes of feverish combing through the carpet to find it). The gun went back together without it but it did not function.

 

[Plink]

They ARE an absolute PITA to reassemble properly after they're stripped down

That they are. You need to assemble a set of slave pins before you get started. These hold all the bits and pieces together while you reassemble the side plate. It's not an easy design to work with. Even stripping it for a thorough cleaning is a big hassle. Mine has been so reliable that I rarely bother to clean it much anymore. I just keep it lubed and only strip it for cleaning every 5,000 rounds or so.

 

[gezzer]

No, it did not work beforehand. I also appreciate being corrected when I'm not even wrong.

You were wrong it didn't work so send or take it back. You by this thread are not a gunsmith so you decide to take it apart and now want the seller to be responsible?

 

[marklbucla]

Let me be even more clear than I was before. By saying that the gun didn't work beforehand, I meant that the gun didn't work before I cleaned it.

The gun was dead on arrival. It didn't work before I stripped it; it didn't work after I cleaned it. What part of this do you not understand?

 

[geekWithA.45]

Chill, people.