LynC2, I don't know if the diameter of what I have would be good, but I have a roll of the stuff in my shop and it would be simple to cut off a chunk and drop it in the mail.
Scary stuff. I'm afraid that the roll will sprong out of control, poke me in the eye, lobotomize my brain, and my wife will simply say, "What's the problem?"
Brent, It was Kelly Roos that told me and Woody about using that music wire. I don't know who told him.... Woody has fixed a bunch of Winchesters and they stay fixed using it. I got a roll from McMaster Carr which is 0.091" I think and can be turned to fit. The stuff is tough but turns OK. It is 10 lifetimes supply. If anyone wants some let me know.
The really old pins are 0.125" and rarely break.
Last edited by Chill Wills; 09-20-2019 at 08:18 PM.
Chill Wills
Yup. I think Kelley started the spring wire trend, at least in BPCR.
My first bpcr rifle that I bought was a highwall from Ballard in Cody. Beautiful rifle in 40-70 SS and it was going to be my one and only. Ballard was using an investment cast steel firing pin and I broke two within the first 400 rds. Steve Garbe told me they were going to a stainless steel and sent me 3 replacements. They worked a lot better but I don't shoot it much any more since I figured I needed something "bigger and better" for long range. My 45-70 original highwall has one of those rare blocks with the bushing and pin holding it through the side. It's diameter is somewhere between the large and the small. I just broke it and need another replacement. The replacement I have in it now was made from a turned down large diameter from Wisners but there not making them anymore. Anybody know of a source for the large diameter pin?
Last edited by Old-Win; 09-20-2019 at 09:03 AM.
Music wire is an old standby for years. My gunsmith shooting buddy told me about it 25-30 years ago. He trained under PO Ackley in Trinidad. BTW, I ordered some .080 from McMaster Carr the other day. Wire was about $6.00 and shipping was $10.00; however they ship quickly! Notification of delivery tomorrow!☺ So to emulate Brent's generousity, if you need a piece let me know as I'll never use it all.
Last edited by LynC2; 09-20-2019 at 10:01 PM.
NRA Endowment member, TSRA Life member, Distinguished Rifleman, Viet Nam Vet
I have bought a bunch of various sizes of music wire from both E-Bay and Amazon, most is available in packs of three per pack 36" long. I use it mostly for springs and I have made a bunch of 1885 coil type main springs from .062 and have used it for small pins in diameters up .125. It's really good stuff to have around for many uses and although I hadn't thought about using it for a firing pin that makes perfect sense and I can't think of anything that would be a better choice.
Statistics show that criminals commit fewer crimes after they have been shot
Never repaired a 1885 firing pin. A drill blank would be my first choice.
2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
"Before you argue with someone, ask yourself, is that person even mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of different perspectives? Because if not, there’s absolutely no point."
– Amber Veal
"The Highest form of ignorance is when your reject something you don't know anything about".
- Wayne Dyer
I am not sure I know what a Wisners is??? I have lead a sheltered life
What size is your broken pin? Maybe one of us with a lathe can repair yours. I know I would be glad to do it. You would have to be able to shorten it to length (your block) and put a half hemisphere on it when you got it back.
Chill Wills
A good material for pins is an old chrome vanadium screwdriver......I save all busted Cr/V screwdrivers,and good carbon ones too.....used to save all really big files,but everyone sells big files on ebay now as "man cave accessories"..........I would say the broken pins were investment cast,too.
My experience with the Winchester Single Shot is limited to refurbishing wrecks back into shooting condition. This has included fixing broken firing pins and converting rimfire pins to centerfire after bushing the breechblocks.
I’ve never had a firing pin body break, just the tip that fires the primer. I file the broken stub flat, put pin body back into block, set it up so the body is pushed all the way forward, and the block face is parallel to the table on my drill press. A drill of the proper size to fit the firing pin hole is selected, and the hole in the block used as the guide to drill into the firing pin body maybe 1/4”-5/16”.
The assembly is removed from the drill press vise, the pin body degreased, the shank of the drill I used is cut off on a grinding wheel and soldered into the hole in the pin body. I test the “new” pin in the block to ensure a sliding fit (sometimes a little relieving with a file and spotting compound is needed) and, when it slides easily back and forth, the excess drill shank is cut off and rounded. I use Frank deHaas’ criterion of 0.055” protrusion from the block face.
Never had one of these tips break off. IIRC, one inferior soldering job came loose and had to be redone, but the tip is still going strong.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |