Shotgun Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

  • Whether you're a greenhorn or a seasoned veteran, your collection's next piece is at Bass Pro Shops. Shop Now.

    Advertisement

Lazy Firing Pin on Win. 101

Jump to Latest
1.9K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  ronryder  
3
#1 ·
Friends-

I just got back from a sporting clays shoot and I was using my Winchester 101 (late 70's early 80's model).

It was a 100 round shoot. With about three stations left the bottom firing pin started to get weak. It would hit the primer and leave a little or small mark but not enough to ignite the primer and cause the round to fire.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

P. Mark Stark
 
3
#3 ·
Thanks for your response.

I am opting for numbers 2 and/or 3. Shells were brand spanking new Winchester AA's.

I have to admit, I get a bit baffled in cleaning shotguns; they are like women; all their plumbing is inside. :wink: Rifles you can strip them clean them and slap them back together and they are good to go.

How do you clean around the firing pin channel without just spraying too much stuff into your action?

Thanks in advance.

Mark
 
#4 ·
Best thing you could do is take the stock off, flush the insides liberally with brake cleaner (or pay more money and buy gunscrubber... same stuff), clean all surfaces well. Then relubricate and reassemble.

If you aren't comfortable with it, take it to a gun shop to have done... a "deep" cleaning like that costs $40-$50 in most shops.
 
#5 ·
drsfmd said:
Best thing you could do is take the stock off, flush the insides liberally with brake cleaner (or pay more money and buy gunscrubber... same stuff), clean all surfaces well. Then relubricate and reassemble. That will take care of the firing pin channels. If it still continues to be a problem, the hammer springs are the likely culprit.

If you aren't comfortable with it, take it to a gun shop to have done... a "deep" cleaning like that costs $40-$50 in most shops.
Click to expand...
 
3
#6 ·
Did a little cleaning, but, let me re-describe the symptoms.

If you designate the upper barrel to fire first, it will fire that barrel and the bottom. Alternatively, if you designate the bottom barrel to fire first, it will fire that barrel and not the upper. BTW, I was using snap caps. You can alternate the designated barrel back and forth and it will fire on the designated barrel and not the "off" barrel in succession.

For further clarity, when you pull the trigger, the firing pin will drop on the designated barrel and then when you try and pull the trigger on the off barrel, the firing pin will not drop.

Thanks in advance.

Mark
 
#7 ·
When you pull the trigger on either barrel and the hammer falls, then bump the stock on the floor and pull the trigger again. Did it work? If so repeat after switching the barrel selector. Did both fire, the second one after bumping the pad on the floor? Yes? Problem solved! Nothing wrong! Inertial trigger selectors require recoil to change barrels. I think this means that your 101 has an inertial trigger/barrel selector.
Go to the range, shoot the gun, be happy!
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#9 ·
30 Caliber Mag Fan said:
Curly-

:oops: Uhhhhh!!!!!

Worked like a champ!!!

Thanks a ton Curly!!!!

Best regards,

Mark
Click to expand...
Now you is a gun mekanik!
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
R
#10 ·
"30",
I am pretty sure you have a fatigued spring for this is a common ailment of the 101's. Look at it this way, that spring, all the time under constant compression, has been in there how long????????
Makes me "tired" just thinking about it!

Rays

P.S. Let us knoow the outcome "30".
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#12 ·
If your firing pin were broken it wouldn't be the first one. I've replaced a couple for a friend of mine that kind of acted strange on both occasions. Sometimes it would fire, sometimes not. Sometimes he may shoot a couple trap fields with no problem, and then sometimes it wouldn't fire 2 times in a row. Firing pins are very easy to replace on a 101, as are springs.

BP
 
3
#13 ·
Friends-

Thanks for all the responses and some great advice.

I am not sure replacing the springs and/or firing pins is a job I am ready to tackle. Any recommendations as to someone in my part of Texas that could handle these tasks.

I know most of the rifle gunsmiths in these parts but, I am not as familiar with the shotgun related smiths around these parts.

Thanks in advance.

P. Mark Stark
 
R
#14 ·
They only have cross pins as I recall, ya dont even have to do anything other than take the stock off. and drift out the pins. Any gunsmith thats really a gunsmith should be able to do it, even if they specialize in rifles.

Seems like the bottom one is the only one with the spring too, but dont qoute me on that.

I agree with the one comment, most likely a soft main spring, the FP springs wouldnt ever likely be strong enough to cause misfires. And if it was broke, you would most likely have drag marks on the primer opening the gun.

Ron Ryder
 
R
#16 ·
"They indicated that they "refaced" the firing pin on the lower barrel.

Not sure I have heard that term before. Does that sound reasonable to any of you? "

I dont recall that exact expression about FP, the surface that they protrude from is called the "face", IE a loose shaky worn gun is said to "be off the face".

Sometimes the tip of a FP will get worn, pitted etc, and re shaping or decreasing the diameter will allow a deeper strike, for example a 22 RF that misfires can be modified into a wedge and cure misfires.

Sometimes, not saying your smith would do such, but they flower up their work a little, by using 64 dollar phrases, to make the customer feel better about paying the bill.

Or he may have been thinking "reshaped" and instead, "refaced" came out.

I suppose he could have added length by welding, and then re shaped the tip, but that would have been the long way around the barn instead or replacing the pin, or maybe they are hard to find now, and he was forced to be creative.

You could have had a worn pin, AND a weak main spring too.

Just my two cents, worth maybe half that. I had opined before, and the update came to my email is the main reason I added these comments.

Ron Ryder
 
Shotgun Forum
posts
4.5M
members
165K
Since
2000
A forum community dedicated to Shotgun owners and enthusiasts including the Remington, Beretta, and Mossberg shotguns brands. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Shotgun Discussions Shotshell Reloading Sporting Clays Tactical/HD Shotguns Shotgun Opinions