Marlin misfiring

[Noah Cash]

I have a Marlin '94 Cowboy Special in .45 that is giving me fits. It fails to fire maybe 5 to 6 shots out of 100. After looking at it closely, I see that the firing pin hole is DRASTICLY off center. Naturally this ain't good. Can it be welded up and re drilled by someone familiar with this gun? can I send only the bolt and housing? to a Marlin specialist such as Jimmy Spurs or would it take sending in the entire rifle? I really do not want to send it in to Marlin cause I don't wnat to lose the slicked up parts. Any suggestions ideas appreciated.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Is the firing pin hole off center of the bolt face.....OR, is the bolt face off center to the chamber?

 

There is a slight difference.

 

If the bolt face is slightly off center to the chamber, the problem can probably be fixed by either opening up the bolt face tips alittle or building up one of those tips to help keep the cartridge centered on the bolt face.

 

Depending on your particular situation would determine if opening it up alittle or building up one of those 'tips' would best solve your problem.

 

TEST:

 

remove all your parts of the rifle and turn it upside down where you can view the whole inside. Now, place an empty case on your bolt face and slide it into your rifle. As the case mouth starts to enter your chamber, try to see if it goes in straight and unobstructed. If it does, your problem is probably the firing pin hole is off centered and you may need a new bolt.

 

BUT, if your case is sitting correctly on your bolt face and entrance into the chamber causes it to move or bump the chamber entrance, your problem is probably the bolt face isn't centered to your chamber. Having a knowledgeable smith (like JS or Lassiter) adjust your bolt tips should remedy your problem.

 

You could also place an empty, UNPRIMED case on your bolt face and using a flash light, look down thru the case to see if the firing pin hole is in line with the primer flash hole. But, I would still do the test above to help see what exactly is happening.

 

Best regards,

 

 

..........Widder

[Al OVERA, SASS#26238 Life]

I have a Marlin '94 Cowboy Special in .45 that is giving me fits. It fails to fire maybe 5 to 6 shots out of 100. After looking at it closely, I see that the firing pin hole is DRASTICLY off center. Naturally this ain't good. Can it be welded up and re drilled by someone familiar with this gun? can I send only the bolt and housing? to a Marlin specialist such as Jimmy Spurs or would it take sending in the entire rifle? I really do not want to send it in to Marlin cause I don't wnat to lose the slicked up parts. Any suggestions ideas appreciated.

Should you need a new bolt, don't rely on Rem/Marlin to supply one. I tried to get one to replace a factory screwed up one, but they wouldn't sell me a bolt. Said it was a factory "fitted" part. The new Rem/Marlin company is a junk producer.

Al

[Adirondack Jack, SASS #53440]

To add to Widder's comments, it is also possible somebody slicked up the bolt top so much that the ejector is pushing the bolt sideways a bunch, and the FP is not close enough to the chamber center. In any event, when ya test it, make sure the ejector is installed as this will position the bolt laterally like it will be when in use. If the ejector is out yer gonna get a false sense of how the bolt really fits....

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Thanks for adding that in, AJ. Good advice.

 

 

..........Widder

[Dubious Don #56333]

I have a Marlin '94 Cowboy Special in .45 that is giving me fits. It fails to fire maybe 5 to 6 shots out of 100. After looking at it closely, I see that the firing pin hole is DRASTICLY off center. Naturally this ain't good. Can it be welded up and re drilled by someone familiar with this gun? can I send only the bolt and housing? to a Marlin specialist such as Jimmy Spurs or would it take sending in the entire rifle? I really do not want to send it in to Marlin cause I don't wnat to lose the slicked up parts. Any suggestions ideas appreciated.

 

Wouldn't think it came from the factory like that (meaning they drilled that sucker crooked in the first place) and my spidey-sense tells me, along with my Inspector Clouseau-like deductive reasoning tells me that someone has worked on this hear rifle and there's only two possible answers; something ain't right from the get-go or, some parts have gone sour. (They do that if'n you leave'em on the counter too long without refrigerating)

 

It could be many things. I rather doubt that the firing pin hole was off center to begin with however these are machine made parts with tolerances all of their own so there is a little difference in their manufacture provided all the other parts fit. For instance; take a working rifle, 'polish' the bolt, internal surfaces of the receiver and so on and it's certainly possible for the bolt to slop around enough to get it where the chambered round don't exactly match up with the firing pin no more. (It's called tolerance stacking)

 

Like Widder said it's certainly possible that the cause is the extractor or perhaps one of the ridges on the bolt face that are 'slicked' and no longer hold the cartridge where it's supposed to be but something in your post made me think. If you look at a typical bolt face on a Marlin, the firing pin hole DOES look to be off-center. Not saying it is or it ain't because I ain't seeing what you're seeing but the part is shaped not quite like a rectangle or even a square so maybe it does look off center. How do the fired cases look? The fired ones as opposed to the unfired ones? Use that to see if the hit on the primer is off center. Most ain't exactly in the center anyway and that's normal. You can hit that primer pretty much anywhere in the center 2/3's and get a bang provided the strike is hard enough. Ah-HAAA.

 

Before you send off for a new bolt or ship'er off to a gunsmith and pay out the big bucks, try this but only if you feel comfortable taking your rifle apart past 'field-stripping'. Remove the buttstock, take a gander at the hammer spring. Bet it ain't original. Might be one of the excellent Wolff, Slix, whatever springs or one that is cut or ground. If you have a new factory spring, put that in. (They're only a few bucks) If not take a couple of small flat washers that are just a teeny bit bigger than the outside diameter of the spring but the hole in the middle has to be plenty big enough for the strut on the hammer to slide free without binding. (H-D, Lowes or my favorite, Ace Hardware has'em. In fact, take the spring, see Marauders page for take down or just slide the L shaped bracket out. It's in a slot at one end, tip it and turn sideways until it's free. Remember it's under spring tension. Take the spring with you to the hardware store.) Put the washers, I bet two will do it but three or maybe four depending on how thick they are. Too long and there ain't enough room for the hammer to cock all the way but anyhoo... put a couple three washers on the BACK end of the spring and go shoot. If that solves your click-bang problem....

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Has this rifle been "tuned" or is it OEM?

LG

[Dubious Don #56333]

Has this rifle been "tuned" or is it OEM?

LG

 

Said right in the OP 'I don't want to lose the slicked parts' so I would assume so!

 

The wife's rifle started doing the click-bang thing a ways back and when I examined the not-fired cases the primers all looked to have been hit slightly off center but looked (to me) to be deep enough. All went off with a second hit. Of course I didn't 'get it' so I got stuck on the 'it must be my ammo' thing or the' it must be crudded up' thing and I wasted a LOT of time before I finally deduced it was the hammer spring, which was replaced with a SEVEN spring back oh, five or six years ago when I originally tuned the rifle for her. Changed the spring to a factory one, went bang 100%. Put a couple of washers under the old spring which fixed the problem. Duh! I was gonig to replace the spring but I ain't 'got around to it yet' and it's still working so...

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Said right in the OP 'I don't want to lose the slicked parts' so I would assume so!

 

To ASS-ume leads to way to many mistakes.

Only, the OP knows for sure, I'll wait for his ans.

LG

[Noah Cash]

Hey guys, sorry I aint responded to Ya'll but wife Hilda Billie and I are out celebrating our 37 anniversary this weekend in Yellowstone Nat Park. When I get home I will take a pic on line so you can see what I see. The F/P hole appears to be definately off center, the primer dent is plenty deep, but about 1/3 off center. the print on the face of the bolt from the cartridge is centered, and the hole shows up well off the center of the mark left by the primer on the face.

 

When I get home I will measure the face and the print and try the test suggested by Widder, Appreciate the comments and suggestions, Together we can figger this beast out yet.