How do you fix a dry fired rimfire rifle?

Rman said:
You could try to peen the burr back in place. Not sure what the issue would be with removing the burr? The material is already displaced?

R.
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Yeah, this, IMO.

In a case like yours where the access is really easy, use the shank of a drill bit that is a close fit. IIRC, 7/32, or a Number 1 or 2 as fits, a large -ish flat nose punch, and a hammer.

Secure the barrel so you have two hands to work with, insert the drill shank and tap it sideways with the punch and hammer as required to start moving metal around.

You will only accomplish so much, but you can make it better than it is pretty easily.

This is exactly what a chamber iron does, it moves the metal back in to the space it came from.

Except the chamber iron is a tool that allows fairly easy access without having to remove barrels from actions and that sort of stuff.

Finish off with a fine file, some 320 or finer wet or dry wrapped around a stick, a reamer, if you have one, or whatever your comfort level allows.

If you have to be told not to hit it like you are pounding nails, maybe get it to someone that understands why not. :)

Cheers
Trev
 
BINGO to Trev's method! ! !

With the BSA with the trigger group and breech block out of the way like you've done already the shank of the drill bit will fit in there. If it turns out that the drill bit won't fit then snap off the flutes so you're working with only the shank. "Ruining" a drill bit this way is a small price to pay for fixing the rifle. And that way you'll have it for next time as well.

Examine the shank for raised stamping of the size and other information. Stone or file that down smooth so it doesn't in turn mark the chamber walls. And round over the corners so those too don't dimple the wall. You'll want to both round and polish these areas. And when tapping this home made solution to push the burr back into place keep the punch close to the mouth so the big majority of the force is on the end with the burr.

Numerous lighter but firm taps is better than one or two heavy taps. And when I fixed the two I've done so far I did not find that I needed to file or sand anything. The smooth sides of the pin pushed the metal back into place just fine. Trying to use a file or abrasives at that point would have opened it up too far.

I actually used my lathe to turn some drill rod down to make a peening pin with a grooved stem. I also hardened and tempered it. The 7/32 is really close but the proper low slop size is a few thou larger. Then I use a pin punch if I can or I can also use the groove to hook a slide hammer like setup onto. Haven't needed to make the slide hammer setup yet.
 
buzzmagoo said:
Center punches and drift pins are tapered and could be used as chamber iron. Easily found in hardware stores in the tool section along with small Jewelers files / chainsaw files go slowly and do Trial fittings a lot! Really not all that hard to do soft metal easy fix !
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This is fast, easy, and effective. I have seen too many very nice rifles damaged with files, small grinders or drills. Use a tapered punch to upset the burr back into the space created by the firing pin. A gentle taper and gentle tapping with a light hammer will do it. The metal from the burr will sometimes stand proud of the recess for the chamber rim. This is when a chamber iron ( easily made by your local machine shop) will be used to finish the repair. The other issue is to place a small bushing around the firing pin with just enough length to reduce firing pin travel so this does not happen again from dry firing

Using a chamber reamer will leave a divot where the rim should be supported when the firing pin strikes the rim this can lead to the rim failing at that spot with a firing pin that is too long

I have several 22 rim fire barrels that have been bodged by files and attempts to ream with a drill bit
 
trevj said:
Yeah, this, IMO.

In a case like yours where the access is really easy, use the shank of a drill bit that is a close fit. IIRC, 7/32, or a Number 1 or 2 as fits, a large -ish flat nose punch, and a hammer.

Secure the barrel so you have two hands to work with, insert the drill shank and tap it sideways with the punch and hammer as required to start moving metal around.

You will only accomplish so much, but you can make it better than it is pretty easily.

This is exactly what a chamber iron does, it moves the metal back in to the space it came from.

Except the chamber iron is a tool that allows fairly easy access without having to remove barrels from actions and that sort of stuff.

Finish off with a fine file, some 320 or finer wet or dry wrapped around a stick, a reamer, if you have one, or whatever your comfort level allows.

If you have to be told not to hit it like you are pounding nails, maybe get it to someone that understands why not. :)

Cheers
Trev
Click to expand...
This is excellent advice
 
Had anyone made their own chamber iron? As mentioned above, the one from Brownell's and Midway seem to be unobtainium in Canada. While I am confident in my abilities with a punch and a file, one of those chamber irons could certainly come in handy for those firearms that won't allow a simpler solution.
 
weasel1 said:
Had anyone made their own chamber iron? As mentioned above, the one from Brownell's and Midway seem to be unobtainium in Canada. While I am confident in my abilities with a punch and a file, one of those chamber irons could certainly come in handy for those firearms that won't allow a simpler solution.
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A File, some emery paper or a strip off a plumbers roll, some 1/4 inch drill rod, and a drill press or even a drill motor and a block of wood. Measuring equipment. Propane torch.

Spin the rod with the drill or drill motor (aka hand drill) and file the 1/4 drill rod or music wire down to be a decent tapered fit in the chamber. So much the better if you can find a closer size than 1/4 inch rod.

File a tapered flat down one side.

Use the emery paper or plumbers roll to radius the corners on the flat where that meets the round section. Polish the whole thing as smooth as you can. Here's where the cloth baked abrasive really shine, as you can whipsaw the strip of abrasive across the work very quickly.

Use propane torch to heat end to non-magnetic point, quench to harden. Polish, with fine paper to remove the scale. Some liquid soap on the rod before heating can make a difference there. Want to be really spiffy, wrap the part in iron wire, then apply soap. Nothing special about iron wire, it just holds more soap, and the soap keeps the oxygen in the air from reaching the surface of your metal, making scale that would have to be polished off. Oh. Pure Soap, ask your Pharmacist.

Once polished (again), temper a little. Heat the rod behind the shaped portion, and watch for color to travel towards end, quench again as soon as it reaches the first signs of color getting to the end (straw or yellowish). Will be a wee bit less prone to breaking like glass if tempered. Your call.

Bend a handle into the end of the rod, your choice as to whether it is aligned with the flat, or not.

And it's made.

Cheers
Trev
 
I'll preach for a minute, the gospel according to me.

The way to get the job done correctly, varies by how much time you can afford to put into it, how much money, what your skills, and what equipment you have on hand or can get, and how fast you need it done. All in sliding and variable amounts, depending on the day and the way you rolled out of bed.

I have time to fiddle, think that making my own tools is better entertainment than watching TV, and am a cheap prick. I don't make a living at this. My methods for dealing with my guns, are therefore different than those used by, say, guntech, who has worked out what works for him, to be able to do a job that won't result in bring-back or unhappy customer, at a price that won't drive the work away. Other guys use different methods, that work for them.

You pretty much need to pick and choose between various options and methods, as suits the job in front of you.

Lots of ways through the forest! :)

Cheers
Trev
 
Well, I made one! Didn't have any drill rod handy, but I did have a spare 1/4" punch. Heated it up to remove the heat treating and off I went. The only thing I did different was when I bent the handle I didn't align it with the flat or at 90deg. I offset it so the flat is at the 12 o'clock position and the handle is at about the 4 o'clock position. That way I can insert it into the ejection port without disassembling the rifle. It will still work if the trigger is removed too. At least I'll have some options if I can't get a straight shot at the chamber.
 
Cool!

Avoidance (of dry firing guns that have interference with the pin) is the best path, but there is a lot of confidence to be gained through some of these fairly straightforward projects. Pretty soon you figure out that a complicated project is pretty much just a bunch of small ones strung together in order.

The skills you build making little tools and the like, will be familiar and easy, when you need them.

Cheers
Trev
 
Wise words. I too am a cheap pr!ck. In this case it was easier to make a tool as opposed to finding one! Never heat treated anything in my life until yesterday. Could turn out to be a handy skill.
 
weasel1 said:
Had anyone made their own chamber iron? As mentioned above, the one from Brownell's and Midway seem to be unobtainium in Canada. While I am confident in my abilities with a punch and a file, one of those chamber irons could certainly come in handy for those firearms that won't allow a simpler solution.
Click to expand...

I put my hobby machine shop to use to make my own out of some O-1 drill rod. Sized it so it is just slightly over the SAMMI spec for diameter so it just fits the chambers. It's also got an end on it that has a groove in it so I can make up a slide hammer rod with a ring on the end for cases where I can't tap downwards. So far I have not needed to make up the slide hammer piece.

Mine isn't tapered as much as some of the ones shown. And the idea is to tap it sideways so it repairs the ding without opening up the rest of the mouth. The end is neatly rounded so it doesn't try to put a mark further up in the chamber.

Basically it's more or less the same length as a .22 round up to the riding bands of the bullet. Just no nose. And the exposed end is the full .250 rod diameter and about .25 long with a small rounded bottom groove. That gives me something to do the tapping on with the pin punch and hammer.

I've had to use this tool twice now and it makes fixing these dings a very simple job.
 
Thanks everyone. I had an old savage 23a that would fail to eject shells, I just assumed it was a bad extractor but you guys got me thinking. Took a look and sure enough the chamber was mushroomed right where the firing pin would hit it. Needle file and a punch fixed that and now it works 100%.
Trevor
 
Well here is the update:

I brought it to RDH gun smithing here in Edmonton. He said it was pretty bad. he had the ironing tool that many people here suggested but decided against using it. He had what I assume was the proper tools. He had some long stick thing and used a drill to fix. He told me its not perfect but its as good as it ever will be.

It shoots and ejects, I am happy and it was a cheap fix
 
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