HI friend has a semi auto .22 and every 2 or 3 shots it cycles but does not #### the firing pin. Manually eject the unfires round and she shoots a few more. We gave the barrel and receiver a thorough cleaning, no change. The trigger group is next but it looks a bit finicky. Is this a common problem with these guns? Is there a fix? Thanx.
JC Higgins misfiring
- Thread starter savagefan
- Start date
Did you strip the firing pin out of the bolt and clean the firing pin passage?
If not, start there. Don't be shy, either. Get a bunch of toothpicks, or some copper wire, and dig around in there, looking for compressed greasy mung that has been pounded nearly solid.
Got a digital camera? Take a couple pictures. Easy reference material for re-assembly.
JC Higgins was Sears house brand, They did not make any guns. Find the model number, find out who actually made it and what model it is, and find the parts diagram for it online. Google images search is pretty good at finding what you need.
Still too nervous to take the trigger apart? Get a nice new can of WD-40, put the tube on the nozzle, take it somewhere other than in your home, and hose the crap out of the trigger and all the area, with the WD-40. Be generous! After the WD treatment, find an air hose with a nozzle on it, and blow out the trigger area. Then lube with gun oil.
WD-40 is mostly solvents, and is designed as a Water Displacer (WD!). It has a little bit of oil in it, but if you trust it to keep your guns from rusting, you get what you get.
If you don't want or have access to an air nozzle, look at getting a can of brake cleaner. Pure solvents, bad for you, and flammable. Not for indoors! Oil after all is dry again!
Most 22's can stand a good cleanout on a regular basis. The ammo tends to be pretty dirty, and the residue builds up.
Apartment dweller? A cardboard box with a couple old t-shirts or towels inside makes an OK place to spray out this kind of project, out on the deck.
Wash out the innards, if the problem continues, you may be stuck doing a detailed strip and clean. Usually, this would be a good time to be looking for worn or damaged parts.
May wish to try some other ammo too. Some folks have had issues that went away with an ammo change. I have not, but it may be worth a try.
For the most part, if you go carefully and pay attention to what you are doing, there are not too many things you can do to the innards of a 22 that will cause you a bunch of issues.
Once you track down the maker and model number, you can get a better idea of what to look for. There is a paperback book available that details several common models. Usually in stock at any gun store that has a book shelf. Need to know the make and model though.
This is the book I think may be of most help. http://www.books-by-isbn.com/0-8734...Firearms-Assembly-Disassembly-Part-3-Rim.html I really can't explain the price. Wow! There are some rip-off artists in the used book trade, apparently!
As books go, it's worth the $20 it should cost. Otherwise, all the info you should need, should be online somewhere.
Cheers
Trev
If not, start there. Don't be shy, either. Get a bunch of toothpicks, or some copper wire, and dig around in there, looking for compressed greasy mung that has been pounded nearly solid.
Got a digital camera? Take a couple pictures. Easy reference material for re-assembly.
JC Higgins was Sears house brand, They did not make any guns. Find the model number, find out who actually made it and what model it is, and find the parts diagram for it online. Google images search is pretty good at finding what you need.
Still too nervous to take the trigger apart? Get a nice new can of WD-40, put the tube on the nozzle, take it somewhere other than in your home, and hose the crap out of the trigger and all the area, with the WD-40. Be generous! After the WD treatment, find an air hose with a nozzle on it, and blow out the trigger area. Then lube with gun oil.
WD-40 is mostly solvents, and is designed as a Water Displacer (WD!). It has a little bit of oil in it, but if you trust it to keep your guns from rusting, you get what you get.
If you don't want or have access to an air nozzle, look at getting a can of brake cleaner. Pure solvents, bad for you, and flammable. Not for indoors! Oil after all is dry again!
Most 22's can stand a good cleanout on a regular basis. The ammo tends to be pretty dirty, and the residue builds up.
Apartment dweller? A cardboard box with a couple old t-shirts or towels inside makes an OK place to spray out this kind of project, out on the deck.
Wash out the innards, if the problem continues, you may be stuck doing a detailed strip and clean. Usually, this would be a good time to be looking for worn or damaged parts.
May wish to try some other ammo too. Some folks have had issues that went away with an ammo change. I have not, but it may be worth a try.
For the most part, if you go carefully and pay attention to what you are doing, there are not too many things you can do to the innards of a 22 that will cause you a bunch of issues.
Once you track down the maker and model number, you can get a better idea of what to look for. There is a paperback book available that details several common models. Usually in stock at any gun store that has a book shelf. Need to know the make and model though.
This is the book I think may be of most help. http://www.books-by-isbn.com/0-8734...Firearms-Assembly-Disassembly-Part-3-Rim.html I really can't explain the price. Wow! There are some rip-off artists in the used book trade, apparently!
As books go, it's worth the $20 it should cost. Otherwise, all the info you should need, should be online somewhere.
Cheers
Trev
Last edited:
J.C. Higgins
As mentioned, a picture would identify the model type. Winchester, Stevens, Savage, and Hi Standard along with other manufacturers made firearms for Sears under the J.C. Higgins and Ted Williams brands.
Back in the late 50s, I had a J.C. Higgins autoloader. It was a Hi Standard make, with tubular magazine, and a sling in the butt that unrolled like a roller blind.
It was also a rifle that you had to clean about every 500 rounds, because it left powder residue in the action and trigger group. Also, it had a very thin firing pin, and I had to replace two broken firing pins in it.
A broken firing pin could be your problem. Another thing, it was common to use greased .22 ammo in the 50s, so the grease collected inside the tubular magazine. A cleaning brush and some solvent ran into the magazine tube corrected it.
You should try different brands of ammunition too. There may not be enough recoil energy to fully function the bolt, and #### the hammer. If you are using a .22 with lighter bullets, such as 30 grain or so, then try some 36 or 40 grain bullets. These lighter bullets are of newer designs, and older .22 autos were designed to function with the bullets of the day. You did not say what .22 type you are using, but the J.C. Higgins was SUPPOSED to handle short, long and long rifle cartridges. Mine handled Long Rifle all right, but the long and the short were iffy.
.
As mentioned, a picture would identify the model type. Winchester, Stevens, Savage, and Hi Standard along with other manufacturers made firearms for Sears under the J.C. Higgins and Ted Williams brands.
Back in the late 50s, I had a J.C. Higgins autoloader. It was a Hi Standard make, with tubular magazine, and a sling in the butt that unrolled like a roller blind.
It was also a rifle that you had to clean about every 500 rounds, because it left powder residue in the action and trigger group. Also, it had a very thin firing pin, and I had to replace two broken firing pins in it.
A broken firing pin could be your problem. Another thing, it was common to use greased .22 ammo in the 50s, so the grease collected inside the tubular magazine. A cleaning brush and some solvent ran into the magazine tube corrected it.
You should try different brands of ammunition too. There may not be enough recoil energy to fully function the bolt, and #### the hammer. If you are using a .22 with lighter bullets, such as 30 grain or so, then try some 36 or 40 grain bullets. These lighter bullets are of newer designs, and older .22 autos were designed to function with the bullets of the day. You did not say what .22 type you are using, but the J.C. Higgins was SUPPOSED to handle short, long and long rifle cartridges. Mine handled Long Rifle all right, but the long and the short were iffy.
.
it's the hi-Standard like the one you had buffdog. Tried various brands and weights of long rifle. Even goofs up with Stingers he said. I actually downloaded a blow-up pic but I hate to take it apart for a look see in case a piece goes SPROINNNNG out the door. I'll try a soak in weasel piss, just don't want to get too involved in case it ends up costing me. Thanx for the help guys.
Misfiring rifle
The first thing I would do is buy a spray can of Carburetor Cleaner or Brake Cleaner. I prefer to use Carburetor Cleaner, as it seems to be designed to remove hard packed crud from the Carburetor, and leave it nice, clean and shiny. It comes with a long tube to put on the spray nozzle. Attach the tube to the nozzle.
Visit the gun shop or sporting goods dealer, and get a small spray can of GUN OIL, again with a small extension tube. DO NOT USE 3-IN-1 or a similar oil, because Gun Oil is formulated to lubricate, while other oils can allow rust to form under the oil film.
GO OUTDOORS. Use a small piece of wood or clothes pin to hold the breech block back, and maybe put one of those disposable masks on. Wear good fitting safety glasses. Stand upwind, hold the rifle downwind, trigger group down, ejection port toward you, insert the nozzle into the ejection port, and spray everything well. Put the tube into the firing pin recess, and give it another good shot. Then insert the tube in any recess you can find that allows the spray to go back behind the breech block. The same for putting the tube downward, so it sprays the trigger mechanism. Any excess liquid should come out the bottom of the rifle, along with years of gunk, unburned powder, dirt, and other goodies.
Spray LIGHTLY with the gun oil.
ALTERNATE CLEANING METHOD and probably a better one.
It has been over 50 years since I had one, but IF I remember right:
For dis-assembly. There is one pin to remove that will allow the trigger group to be taken out. This is located at the rear of the receiver, just above the rear of the trigger guard.
TURN THE RIFLE UPSIDE DOWN, barrel facing LEFT. Use a pencil or similar object, push the TRIGGER GUARD RETAINING PIN FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. Grasp trigger guard, and pull upward and to rear towards buttstock. The whole trigger assembly should then come out. You will then be able to see the breech block and recoil spring inside the rifle, and can clean it accordingly. Also, you now have the trigger mechanism out to clean. Assemble in reverse order.
Also, since it has been so long, I am not sure if Hi Standard used a "floating piston" or "floating chamber" similar to the Remington 550 series of rifles. Check the breech, and if it looks like there is a small "piston" then clean it good. In these floating piston designs, there is a small bit of gas allowed to push the piston back a very short distance to work the action. If it is gummed up, they do not work well. As I said, I am not certain on the Hi Standard though.
As long as you do not disassemble the trigger group, you should be all right. Maybe lay out some paper or something in case of an accident, and you can find the lost part easily.
I would say that your problem will either be cleaning, or a broken firing pin.
hope this helps.
The first thing I would do is buy a spray can of Carburetor Cleaner or Brake Cleaner. I prefer to use Carburetor Cleaner, as it seems to be designed to remove hard packed crud from the Carburetor, and leave it nice, clean and shiny. It comes with a long tube to put on the spray nozzle. Attach the tube to the nozzle.
Visit the gun shop or sporting goods dealer, and get a small spray can of GUN OIL, again with a small extension tube. DO NOT USE 3-IN-1 or a similar oil, because Gun Oil is formulated to lubricate, while other oils can allow rust to form under the oil film.
GO OUTDOORS. Use a small piece of wood or clothes pin to hold the breech block back, and maybe put one of those disposable masks on. Wear good fitting safety glasses. Stand upwind, hold the rifle downwind, trigger group down, ejection port toward you, insert the nozzle into the ejection port, and spray everything well. Put the tube into the firing pin recess, and give it another good shot. Then insert the tube in any recess you can find that allows the spray to go back behind the breech block. The same for putting the tube downward, so it sprays the trigger mechanism. Any excess liquid should come out the bottom of the rifle, along with years of gunk, unburned powder, dirt, and other goodies.
Spray LIGHTLY with the gun oil.
ALTERNATE CLEANING METHOD and probably a better one.
It has been over 50 years since I had one, but IF I remember right:
For dis-assembly. There is one pin to remove that will allow the trigger group to be taken out. This is located at the rear of the receiver, just above the rear of the trigger guard.
TURN THE RIFLE UPSIDE DOWN, barrel facing LEFT. Use a pencil or similar object, push the TRIGGER GUARD RETAINING PIN FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. Grasp trigger guard, and pull upward and to rear towards buttstock. The whole trigger assembly should then come out. You will then be able to see the breech block and recoil spring inside the rifle, and can clean it accordingly. Also, you now have the trigger mechanism out to clean. Assemble in reverse order.
Also, since it has been so long, I am not sure if Hi Standard used a "floating piston" or "floating chamber" similar to the Remington 550 series of rifles. Check the breech, and if it looks like there is a small "piston" then clean it good. In these floating piston designs, there is a small bit of gas allowed to push the piston back a very short distance to work the action. If it is gummed up, they do not work well. As I said, I am not certain on the Hi Standard though.
As long as you do not disassemble the trigger group, you should be all right. Maybe lay out some paper or something in case of an accident, and you can find the lost part easily.
I would say that your problem will either be cleaning, or a broken firing pin.
hope this helps.
