Another Firing Pin

[rake60]

My Brother-In-Law has a friend with an old .22 caliber rifle that needs a firing pin that is no longer available.

(Actually it still is, Numrich has them in stock.)

That would be too easy, so I made one for them out of drill rod Monday morning.

What was left of the old one is lower in the picture.
The new one was cut extra long at both ends to allow for final fitting before hardening.

I'd much rather fit it myself, but they want to do that. :-\

Rick

 

[ShedBoy]

That reminds me I have a similar thing sitting on top of my lathe which I keep meaning to do for a friend but had no direction to go on. What sort of drill rod did you use and do you have any idea how they plan to harden it as I have to fit this one and harden it. It is only missing the tip of the firing pin, I was considering building the tip up with some weld, reshape and then harden. Any tips as I have not done any gunsmithing before.

Regards
Brock

 

[Lakc]

When I first got my lathe and was learning how to use it I had the bright idea of making a titanium pin for my AR-15. I heard it was a bear to turn, and read a few tips back on rec.crafts.metalworking, so I wasnt exactly totally blind going into it. When the TI arrived I was amazed how it was quite obviously bending away from the cutter and I really learned a good lesson in work hardening. I eventually choked up to about 1/4 inch from the chuck jaws and cut this .375 diameter stock full depth about 1/8 inch at a time. The finish was a little rough but it was servicable in dimensions. I zigged instead of zagging while freehanding the cotter pin groove and snapped it off at the neck. I was heartbroken, but I had learned a lot getting that far, and still have the stock of TI to try and finish it again someday. :-\ Thats my bittersweet firing pin story.

 

[ShedBoy]

Mental note "Titanium will drive you insane Brock". I have been gooogling hardfacing with a tig welder and you can use oxy hard facing rods with TIG which was what I suspected. Need to find some thin filler wire.

Brock

 

[shred]

That reminds me I have a similar thing sitting on top of my lathe which I keep meaning to do for a friend but had no direction to go on. What sort of drill rod did you use and do you have any idea how they plan to harden it as I have to fit this one and harden it. It is only missing the tip of the firing pin, I was considering building the tip up with some weld, reshape and then harden. Any tips as I have not done any gunsmithing before.

Regards
Brock

I've made a few .22 firing pins from drill rod. I meant to harden them, but they've been running fine for so long there's not much point anymore...

Were I to harden them, I'd try a 'punch' type temper. I'm pretty sure a centerfire pin wants to be hardened.

In my case anyway (with lacking welding skills), it's been easier to make whole new pins than try to fix old ones.

 

[ShedBoy]

I have been trolling some gunsmithing forums and one person says to face off the old pin and rill and insert piano wire of the correct size. Is piano wire spring steel because he also said he uses annealled coil spring from a car if he makes a new one, he spent 15 years working in the US forces as an armoury machinist. Food for thought. I am going to get this thing off the top of my lathe when I get home. I will post what I do.

Brock

 

[tel]

I've made quite a few replacement firing pins from silver steel - mostly for rimfires and shotguns - always leave 'em unhardened and they stand up for years.

 

[rake60]

MidwayUSA has a video on YouTube about making firing pins.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGGZXI3b-Vw[/ame]

They have a lot of short, helpful tips videos for amateur gunsmiths.

Rick

 

[rake60]

I'm still watching the MidwayUSA videos. :

This one is interesting.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMZNVApYz1U[/ame]

I can think of other uses for that!

Rick