Lever action help

sbound

sbound

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
186   0   1
Location
On station eight, shooting the second low house.
Gentlemen,

I have a question concerning a Marlin lever action rifle Model 36 that I purchased off this board recently as a project gun.

What we have here is a solid late-production model 36 that is in excellent shape. The entire gun has been professionally reblued and the wood has been refinished.

All issues with this gun have been resolved except for one thing – it will not fire! For the life of me, I can’t see why.

- The firing pin is in perfect shape
- The firing pin spring is in perfect shape as is the floating rear portion of the firing pin
- The action is tight and the bolt does not appear to be loose or worn in any way
- There is plenty of spring in the hammer

When you pull the trigger, everything works as normal but the strike on the primer is not with enough force to detonate it. There is a very light mark on the primer from the firing pin hitting it.

I’m a little baffled on this one… I have compared everything with various other Marlin lever actions I have in this calibre and I can see no differences. Because of the fact that the firing pin does indeed strike the primer I’m starting to think that there may be some kind of headspacing issue wherein the bolt does not close tightly against the head of the case.

I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on this. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
"...late-production model 36..." That'd be 1947. Or is it a Model 336?
Is the inside of the bolt clean? No grease or assorted crud?
 
firing pin

a replacement firing pin for a 336 may in fact be to short, first and foremost make sure there is no grease or oil build up on the firing pin restricting its movement and be sure to have the headspace checked. Take a full length sized brass and push a primer in to it so it sticks out proud and chamber the brass. If the bolt doesn't push the primer in flat with the casehead then I would suspect head space for sure, if the primer is pushed in flat then you are okay and it is back to the firing pin. check to see that the hammer is actually going all the way forward and it is not binding on something, to do this pull the trigger and push the hammer forward as it should spring back to the half #### postion after striking the pin. And finally is the firing pin installed correctly???? it could be end to end installed backwards???? stranger things have happened.
 
Thanks for the responses fellas...

I checked the headspace last night, and we can definitely rule that out as being the issue. It's nice and tight.

The firing pin is not damaged in any way and is complete. I think it may be the wrong firing pin perhaps though - maybe one from a 336 or 1894.

I don't suppose anyone knows the dimensions of an original firing pin for a 36? I'm sure I can find a replacement pin or make one if I have to, but I need to know what I'm looking for first.
 
This is a long shot, but happened to my Uncle's 98 Mauser. There were metal shavings in the firing pin pocket that didn't allow the firing pin to strike on through the hole.
 
firing problem

My guess on your firing problem is some sort of restriction in the bolt/ firing pin channel. Because of your rifles age I would strip the bolt/ pin assembly and clean inside and inspect. A few grains of dirt or sand can stop full movement of the pin. If you are unsure of a complete disassembly dunk your bolt in a mild solvent ( I personally prefer automotive carb cleaner to start) followed by a good gun cleaner then lightly oil to prevent rust.

Being clean the next step would be to check the firing pin itself for damage/wear or a broken tip that a previous owner may have dressed it back to shape but made it too short. Good luck..let us know how you make out.
 
Okay, Saturday was entirely devoted to this gun.

The rear stock was loose due to the dreaded Marlin stock crack... this was the 5th one I have fixed. For those of you who have never seen this, one of the little nubs inside the butt stock where it rests along the tang usually breaks off after use/recoil and needs to be epoxied back into place to make the stock tight to the action... if it's broken you have a loose stock. Anyway, this gun had the wood actually missing so I epoxied a piece of walnut to it, let it cure and then carved to fit. Problem solved.

As for the firing pin. I am convinced it's the wrong pin. It looks brand new, where of course the rest of the gun does not. It protrudes about 0.055" from the bolt face under pressure whereas all of my other 336's protrude about 0.082".

Does anyone have any idea where I can get a firing pin for a model 36? Western Gun Parts?

I could make one, but that's something I would rather avoid if I can possibly help it.

Thanks for the posts guys - appreciate it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom