Winchester 1300 firing pin issue?

[Headsawyer]

I just returned from shooting with my nephew. I had 5 ftf out of 25 rounds. Upon inspection of the shells it seems my firing pin is barely striking the primers. I've never removed the bolt from a shotgun before. what should I look for, and how should I do it?

 

[rcmodel]

http://media.winchesterguns.com/pdf/om/model1300_manual_om_s.pdf

Follow those instructions.

Then hose the bolt and trigger group out with WD-40 or Gun Scrubber spray can while you have it out.
Then re-oil it with light gun oil.

Then don't let it get to that point again once you know how to clean it.

rc

 

[Headsawyer]

Ok well, that was indeed sorely needed. And it was certainly a valuable educational experience for me. The receiver was full of gummy junk, and the bolt was full of oily grime. The ejector spring was the biggest challenge for me, but now the action is smooth as silk. I'm looking forward to testing it out in the morning- as it took me 2 hours to learn the disassembly, and to actually do the job. Thanks, rcmodel, for the direction and advice. I am much better equipped to care for my guns now.

 

[rcmodel]

WOw!

You musta jumped right on that little project right there!!

Good for you!!!!!

rc

 

[Headsawyer]

Ok- I fired 3 more new rounds this morning thru the gun and all 3 fired perfectly. I'm still questioning whether the firing pin is striking hard enough, and i'm having trouble finding out just how deep the dimple really SHOULD be in a spent primer. The dimples in the spent primers are pretty much a copy of the rounded end of the pin, but they are certainly not any deeper than that very end of the pin. Is this sounding about right, or should a portion of the actual width of the pin supposed to be forced into the primer? Sorry for my lack of knowledge, but hey- ignorance can be fixed only by learning, right?

 

[rcmodel]

Here are typical dents from a 20 ga Ithaca double.



rc

 

[Headsawyer]

yeah, my firing pin isn't striking that deep. If I need to tear the bolt apart, I don't know how. :banghead:

 

[rcmodel]

I would suspect a weak hammer spring rather then a firing pin problem.
Assuming you flushed all the gunk out of it when you had it out.

See this for bolt dissembly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQkqdMPoCMY

rc

 

[Headsawyer]

Well, I pulled the trigger group back out and found a bit more junk in the assembly. soaked it with solvent, flushed it with wd 40, and blew it out well with the air hose. shot it 2 more times- same resulting shallow strikes. My 1200 showed strikes like the Ithaca examples u posted. I guess my 1300 may have to go to the hospital. This is a problem right now, since my wife just ended up at the er with pneumonia, and I have hernea surgery next week. No health insurance, and so its looking like the 1200 will become the 00 home defense delivery system until its the 1300s turn to be operated on. Or more accurately- when I get enough money to admit it to the sick gun ward. :banghead: I'm not sure I am capable of replacing the hammer spring, or of even knowing if that is indeed the problem with the gun.

 

[Headsawyer]

Ok I just read a thread on issues related to light primer strikes, where an 870 was giving the same symptom. It seems the barrel was taken off for cleaning and not completely paired to the receiver again, thereby creating too much distance for the firing pin to correctly dimple the primers. I have had my barrel off a few times lately. I believe I'll double check that I don't have gunk at the mating surfaces. Can't hurt, right?

 

[rcmodel]

That can't happen with a shotgun with a removable barrel.

The locking lug recess is part of the barrel extension.

If the barrel were loose enough to cause the firing pin to be too short to reach a primer?

The bolt could not lock into the barrel extension so it could be shot in the first place.

The bolt lug/lugs locking into the barrel extension is what determines headspace, or in other words, whether the firing pin can reach the primer.

rc

 

[Headsawyer]

Ok, so- if I can get a new hammer spring, and a new firing pin, should I be able to replace these at home? Or is this a gunsmith trip?

 

[rcmodel]

If you can get the old firing pin out following the Youtube vid I posted yesterday, you can probably put a new one back in.

But again, I seriously doubt there is anything wrong with the firing pin, unless it is visibly chipped or broken on their business end, or flared over on the hammer end.

If you can't see anything wrong with, there very likely isn't anything wrong with it.

As for replacing the hammer spring?
I don't know your gunsmithing capabilities.

If it isn't pretty obvious to you how the hammer spring is situated in the trigger group?
Well, a mans gotta know his limitations.

rc