Newbie Marlin Question

[Solo_Sam]

I apologize in advance for these questions, because they are very much matters of opinion and I have no doubt many flame wars have been fought over them. Nevertheless:

 

1) One-piece firing pins are advertised as striking harder than the factory firing pins. Is there any truth to this claim? Does anyone have experience with an aftermarket firing pin?

 

2) Is there any advantage in using a Tang Peep Sight at cowboy shooting distances?

 

Thank you all,

 

-Solo Sam

[Caprock Leatherneck, SASS #54382]

1. I think 1 piece Firing pins are better. Usually come in kit with spring to decrease cocking tension. I have heard that Titanium pins break more often so I use steel.

 

2. I have tried both and find a open flat buckhorn with a little larger front bead to be better/faster. Depends on your vision somewhat,the Peep will consentrate your rods/cones( eye stuff) if your sight is off. Peep on anything special like long range pistol caliper or Big Bore Lever.

 

My 2 cents.

 

Caprock

[Uno Mas SASS #80082]

.

Don't apologize for being new. If you haven't learned anything in a few years, then you can apologize -- and join the club.

 

Own a Marlin 1894C, our first rifle. Wife still shoots it. I'd still be shooting it if I hadn't been seduced by a 1866 Yellowboy. (Wait, that just sounds wrong.) We put in a one-piece firing pin. Supposedly, it enhances reliability. Many pards believe it only reliably enhances a gunsmith's bottom line. It was a small part of our gunsmith's (C&I) slick up package, so we didn't whine (too much.) Can't complain about the overall results; it's a great little rifle.

 

Rifle steel is typically set at 13-50 yards, most often on the short side of the equation. The standard Marlin factory sight is more than adequate for those ranges.

 

I won't say there's no thing as a dumb question - I'm living refutation of that sentiment. I will say the unasked dumb question is by far the dumbest one.

 

Welcome to the fire. Ask away. It's a good group.

[Gold Canyon Kid #43974]

Lots of shooters use a rear tang peep sight like Marbles sells. They remove the peep sight circle and just use the remaining larger hole as the rear sight. It allows the targets to be rapidly acquired. You eye automatically finds the center of the hole and is quite accurate. If you leave the small peep hole it is hard to find the targets shooting rapidly. The single piece firing pin is to increase reliability of the gun. Many Marlin shooters have found the stock three piece pin breaks for them.

[Pit Bull Tex]

The people on here will help you anyway they can. I am new. Been on the wire for about 4 months or so. I have ask so many questions and these people would put up with my DUMB ones also. Some great Pards here. Welcome, join up and get ready for the ride.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

deleted

 

 

..........Widder

[Tracker]

I shoot an 1894CB in .45 Colt. First gun I bought when I got started in CAS. I changed to a lighter hammer spring & had a few misfires.

Some folks I shoot with suggested the one piece firing pin might stop the misfires, they were right on the money, haven't had the problem since.

I changed the front sight to one (Marbel's) with a bigger brass bead, some of us older folks find it easier to see way out there at the end of

that barrel. Changed the rear sight to a flat top Marbel's sight 'cause the "ears" on the buckhorn sight kept gettin' in the way.

 

Tracker

[Rio Brazos Kid]

As stated before, the one piece firing pin indeed does add reliability.

 

Also as before stated, the factory sights on the Marlin are quite adequate for our targets in CAS.

 

RBK

[Adirondack Jack, SASS #53440]

I like a STEEL 1PC firing pin, (reliable, allows lighter mainspring, useful for slicking the action)

 

I like a Marbles peep without the insert as it is the fastest to acquire and in use is "automatic" (your eye automatically centers the front sight) Useful for crappy eyes.

[Filthy Harry, SASS #24924]

For sure the Marbles peep sight without aperture. Instead of lining up the v with the front bead and the target, you just look through the hole and put the ENLARGED bead on the target. Get the larger bead from Manatee or someone else who sells them.

[Doc Fill 'Em 67797]

Just my two cents, it's not that a one-piece firing pin stikes harder, it's that it makes the action smoother. When you close the lever on a two-piece pin you have to overcome the resistance of the spring inside the bolt that pushes the little back piece down. When you have the one-piece pin you don't have to fight that spring. So, get the one-piece pin.

 

I like the Marble's full buckhorn sight. It has the advantages of a tang sight but also gives you the ability of a more precision sight when you need it. For general use, just center the bead in the buckhorns. Like a tang sight, your eye will naturally center it. When you need some precision work you can align the front bead with the notch at the bottom to nail the target.

 

Now get out there and shoot!

[Pinto Being, SASS #4476]

Solo Sam,

 

Welcome to the outfit!

 

This is nothing more than personal opinion, but I have 2 Marlin '94 CB Limiteds and put 1 piece firin' pins in both of them. One of these longpoles was bought new in 1995 or so, and I've shot it hard for all these years. Can't remember when the first after-market 1 piece pin was offered, but that's when I bought the first one. That particular rifle has more rounds through it than I can possibly count. Never had as much as a hiccup, even when I was goin' Hell-bent-for-leather practicin'.

 

My guess is that you will immediately notice a difference in the cyclin' of your Marlin, too. (get an after-market spring kit and you'll be amazed at how slick your Marlin '94 can be.)

 

Re: the tang sight you mentioned: if you need it for target location, use it, as others have written. If not, the Marbles sight that came with the gun should be just fine for typical SASS match distances. Many of us don't use the rear sight anyway for main match competition. Once you get a feel for where your Marlin shoots, when that big ol' front sight is anywhere near the target just squeeze the trigger and let 'er fly.

[Smithy]

Instead of a tang sight, you might try these guy's Speed Sight and corresponding rear buckhorn http://www.pioneergunworks.com/Competition_Parts.html

Smithy.

[Deuce Stevens SASS#55996]

The one piece smoothes up the action, also allows the pin to hit with more energy so you are able to run a lighter mainspring to help smooth things out as well. There is no faster sight for the game than a flattop rear with whatever size bead your eyes will handle. It does not obscure the next target and a tang sight or even a semi buckhorn will.

[BLACKFOOT SASS #11947]

Just my two cents, it's not that a one-piece firing pin stikes harder, it's that it makes the action smoother. When you close the lever on a two-piece pin you have to overcome the resistance of the spring inside the bolt that pushes the little back piece down. When you have the one-piece pin you don't have to fight that spring. So, get the one-piece pin.

 

 

Now get out there and shoot!

 

 

You can "tune" that spring so that it does not put drag on the firing pin and still have the safety feature of the two piece firing pin.

Gravity will drop the little piece down with no problem.

 

Blackfoot

[Barterin Bill]

I don't shoot a Marlin, so I can't say about the firing pin, but shoot for a while before you spend any money on changing sights. I find that I don't pay much attention to the sights at the distances we shoot. I guess it comes from all the years of practicing point and shoot when I was young. When I practice with my home defense weapons, I don't even look at the gun.

[Oddnews SASS# 24779]

I can't speak to the Marlin portion of your question. I think the tang sight is slightly faster than regular sights because it requires no sight alignment. But that's my humble opinion and your mileage may, in fact definitely will, vary.

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Howdy

 

Marlins come standard with a Marbles Semi-Buckhorn rear sight. At least they used to. The Marbles Semi-Buckhorn is an excellent, high quality sight. I have that sight on my '73 and like it a lot. It is a good compromise between A Full Buckhorn and a Flat Top Buckhorn. I like the Semi-Buckhorn because it does not obscure as much of the target as a Full Buckhorn does, yet it still has the 'automatic front sight centering' qualities that a Full Buckhorn has. Here is the Marbles web page that shows their rear sights. Note that there is a white diamond on the sight, and current SASS rules say you must either blacken out the diamond or flip the insert around so the diamond does not show. Not a big deal, you can blacken it with a Sharpie.

 

Marbles

 

The Marlin catalog also states that the 1894 comes standard with a Marble carbine front sight. I am not exactly sure what that sight is, but I would not be surprised if it was one of these, the one in the upper right corner with the gold bead. This is also an excellent sight, I have one on my '73, and the gold bead stands out very well against all colors of targets.

 

Marble Front Sights

 

There are of course other after market sights available, but I too suggest you try the stock sights before changing them to anything else. My personal experience with tang sights is that I prefer a barrel mounted Semi-Buckhorn, but that's just me.

 

The two piece Marlin firing pin was originally designed as a safety device. Original 19th Century Marlins had no safeties at all. The two piece firing pin was designed to prevent the rifle from firing until the bolt was completely locked in position. It was possible to get the rifle to slam fire if the trigger was accidentally brushed while the lever was being closed. The two piece firing pin pivots the rear section of the firing pin away from the front section so if the hammer falls before the bolt is completely locked, the front portion of the firing pin will not be driven forward into a primer. When the lever is completely closed, the two parts of the firing pin are aligned so the hammer blow can be transferred to the primer. Nineteenth Century Marlins equipped with the two piece firing pin had 'Marlin Safety' stamped on the top of the receiver.

 

Today Marlins come equipped with both a cross bolt safety and a lever actuated trigger block. So the two piece firing pin might be considered redundant. Replacing it with a single piece firing pin may make the rifle feel a bit smoother, as one does not have to overcome the spring force required to align the firing pins. However, the actual spring force required to align the parts of the firing pin is not very much.

 

Again, I suggest you try the rifle bone stock before making any changes. You may like it just fine as it is.

 

I do disagree about removing the spring from the two piece firing pin. This is not a good idea. Gravity is not as reliable, nor as strong as a small compression spring. It is not inconceivable for some fouling or a piece of grit to become lodged near the plunger and disable the safety aspect of the two piece firing pin.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Marlin 2 piece f/pins are well known to fail in one of two places on the front pin. I have replaced many of them over the years.

The one piece STEEL f/pin kit you can get from Jim Bowie is the way Marlin f/pins were first made and I have yet to see one of his STEEL pins fail. YES, you can then use a lighter hammer spring with the 1 piece f/pin.

As far as front sights, search up "Grabber" front sights and you will be very happy with them. Both wifey and I use the .130 dia brass on our Marlins.

Respectfully,

LG

[Nate Kiowa Jones #6765]

The one piece does allow for a smoother action. Much of the notchy feel is just the hammer rubbing on the bottom of the bolt as the action is cycled. This is because the two piece firing pin that marlin uses has a leaf type spring the pushes the rear portion of the pin down so that if the hammer was to fall while the lever isn't fully up and action closed the rear piece won't be in line with the forward piece. With the 2 piece the lever not only closes the bolt but it also brings the locking bolt/lug up enough to lift the rear portion of the firing pin. But that leaf spring adds drag or tension on the rear portion of the firing pin. The hammer spring has to overcome this and still have enough energy to hit the front part to ignite the primer. You will feel that as resistance in levering. The one piece firing pin eliminates the rear part of the firing pin and it's spring. Now you have a direct hit from the hammer through the FP to the primer which allows the hammer spring to be reduced considerably.

 

BUT, I always caution folks, when cleaning the bore from the breech end just remove the lever to get the bolt out. This allows the bolt to easily come out the rear. DO NOT remove the trigger plate/lower tang if it can be avoided. The locking bolt/lug can come out with it and it's just too easy to forget to put it back in on re-assem. Everything will work just fine without the locking bolt/lug until you shoot it. Shooting a live round can slam the lever open at minimum but in can be much worse with serious injuries to you and/or your gun.

[BLACKFOOT SASS #11947]

Driftwood,

 

I missed the post that advocated removing the spring. I mentioned tuning it but didn't see anything that said to remove it completely.

 

Blackfoot

[Dirt Merchant # 61422]

I apologize in advance for these questions, because they are very much matters of opinion and I have no doubt many flame wars have been fought over them. Nevertheless:

 

1) One-piece firing pins are advertised as striking harder than the factory firing pins. Is there any truth to this claim? Does anyone have experience with an aftermarket firing pin?

 

2) Is there any advantage in using a Tang Peep Sight at cowboy shooting distances?

 

Thank you all,

 

-Solo Sam

 

No need to apologize in advance. Those of us that shoot the Marlin understand..Buy the 1 piece from Long Hunter and get an action job, all will be well

[Red River Ray SASS#33254]

Tha one piece firing pin is a good thing, Less things in tha way of tha dern gun going off, This is a shooting match!

 

Your new to tha game, there is no better rear sight than a FLAT one and no better time to start shooting one. Tha flat sight does't block tha targets as you sweep them. Iffen ye can't find one any good smith can file one fer ye..

 

 

RRR