AYA CONUNDRUM

[Minky]

6 hours ago, snarepeg said:

From Chambers £24 posted, but made one up on the lathe from 6 mm stainless steel 👍🇬🇧

Good man.  At £24 for a replacement pin it would have been cheaper to buy one or even two guns at auction and dismantle/ scrap for pins, springs,  screws, extractors, beads. Ejector springs... in fact everything that isn't a pressure bearing part.... so how sticky was the firing pin.?

[snarepeg]

2 hours ago, Minky said:

Good man.  At £24 for a replacement pin it would have been cheaper to buy one or even two guns at auction and dismantle/ scrap for pins, springs,  screws, extractors, beads. Ejector springs... in fact everything that isn't a pressure bearing part.... so how sticky was the firing pin.?

It had shortened thru use. So measured and made one to same dimensions but a mm longer.👍🇬🇧

[Andy H]

As you have access to a lathe make one out a shank of an 11/12/13mm drill and harden and temper that is the steel to use, I have an old sxs zabala I have had for just under 40 years but in the first 2 years both pins snapped , Made new one's out of old drill shanks' and no problem's since.

Edited July 10 by Andy H

[old'un]

9 hours ago, Andy H said:

As you have access to a lathe make one out a shank of an 11/12/13mm drill and harden and temper that is the steel to use, I have an old sxs zabala I have had for just under 40 years but in the first 2 years both pins snapped , Made new one's out of old drill shanks' and no problem's since.

11/12/13mm drill???….what diameter are your firing pins? I presume you are using carbon

steel drills?

[snarepeg]

1 hour ago, old'un said:

11/12/13mm drill???….what diameter are your firing pins? I presume you are using carbon

steel drills?

The firing pins are 13mm long, striker end is 2.5mm diameter shoulder 6mm and hammer end 4mm.

did make one out of 6 mm drill, its firing fine, quite chuffed for making bits and bobs that work, bin the bits that havnt, every day a school day👍🇬🇧😊

[TIGHTCHOKE]

I always used to use No 6 drifts, cut down but left over length.

Then fitted and "fired" on an already fired cartridge to prove it was overlong.

Then removed and dressed to the correct length, never had one need doing twice.

[Minky]

I'm so glad that there are still some of us out there who have the equipment, the knowledge and ability to do stuff like this.  All I get told is... GET RID OF THIS JUNK !!!  To which I reply.. IT"S ONLY JUNK UNTIL YOU NEED IT OR YOU WANT ME TO MAKE OR MEND SOMETHING FOR YOU.!!!  To which I would also add... I've still got XYZ £ in my pocket...  You've got jack in your pockets.  I know that there are limits to what you can horde but it always seems to be a case off .. a week or two after something has been thrown out that you need a bit of it and then have to go out and but what you just threw out.

Ps.  it's nice to know the dimensions of the pins for future reference.  I did have a Mainspring break on my No. 4. right in the middle of a day.  Undaunted I carried on using the left barrel.

Edited July 11 by Minky

[old'un]

5 hours ago, snarepeg said:

The firing pins are 13mm long, striker end is 2.5mm diameter shoulder 6mm and hammer end 4mm.

did make one out of 6 mm drill, its firing fine, quite chuffed for making bits and bobs that work, bin the bits that havnt, every day a school day👍🇬🇧😊

Yep, it was more a question why Andy H was using 11/12/13mm drill bits when the maximum diameter of most pins are around 6mm.

Best steel for firing pins is silver steel, are yours spring return?

[snarepeg]

59 minutes ago, old'un said:

Yep, it was more a question why Andy H was using 11/12/13mm drill bits when the maximum diameter of most pins are around 6mm.

Best steel for firing pins is silver steel, are yours spring return?

Yes, very small coil in front section to push back ss hammer recocks.

[Andy H]

3 hours ago, old'un said:

Yep, it was more a question why Andy H was using 11/12/13mm drill bits when the maximum diameter of most pins are around 6mm.

Best steel for firing pins is silver steel, are yours spring return?

When the machine you are using weigh's 2 1/2 tons and the chuck is 400 odd mm across  and will not hold 6mm stock due to jaw's being ground true over the year's.

Edited July 11 by Andy H

[ditchman]

3 hours ago, snarepeg said:

Yes, very small coil in front section to push back ss hammer recocks.

i used a cut down biro spring on my hammer gun..

[snarepeg]

9 hours ago, ditchman said:

i used a cut down biro spring on my hammer gun..

Yes, got some of those 👍

[old'un]

12 hours ago, Andy H said:

When the machine you are using weigh's 2 1/2 tons and the chuck is 400 odd mm across  and will not hold 6mm stock due to jaw's being ground true over the year's.

Sorry, I thought you were suggesting snarepeg make them out of that size drill.

“As you have access to a lathe make one out a shank of an 11/12/13mm drill”