Browning ignition problem , can you help ?

[Jack Stanley]

I've been fooling with the Browning model fifty-three quite a bit in the last few weeks . In the many years I've had this rifle it's never failed to fire when I drop the hammer on a live round . Yesterday though changed all that and it started taking more than one hit to set off a round .

I tried snugging down all the screws and cleaning the firing pin as well as I could without taking the rifle apart . The problem still persists and I really don't know how to correct it . I'm thinking if I could detail strip the rifle and clean the guts real well it might work but again , I don't know . When I look at the primer of one I tried to fire there is no firing pin dent at all . Sometimes I can try it again and it gets a very small dent or fires the round . Is there some kind of transfer bar action at work here ?

Has anyone come across this problem or have a clue what's going on ?

Jack

[northmn]

First step in these situations is to clean it as it is the cheapest.

DP

[Jack Stanley]

I've never had a model 53 action apart . Can anyone provide a link to a take down with pictures ? I don't mind trying the cheapest way first but this one don't come apart like a Marlin rimfire .

Jack

[AnthonyB]

Jack:
I don't have pictures, but you can get a DVD from Nate Kiowa Jones that lays out the process. Do a Google search for him or search for Steve's Guns.
Tony

[Jack Stanley]

I could probably get along without the pictures even though they do help . Anyone know where to start pulling it apart ?

Thanks , Jack

[hydraulic]

Try it with a different primer. I bought a bunch Remington LRP's that were sold cheap at a gun show, and had about 1 out every 5 that needed to be hit two or three times. I think they were harder than normal, for some reason.

[Jack Stanley]

Did the primer switch , went from small rifle to small pistol , same results . :sad:

Jack

[Denver]

There's a link to the Maurauder website on page 3 of this forum post # 7. It has the best written instructions I've found for working on the 92s

http://marauder.homestead.com/rifles.html

[Jack Stanley]

Thanks Denver , that may be just what I'm looking for so long as the Japanese don't make there lever guns a lot different than the brazilians [smilie=l:It does give way more insight than what I currently have for the job .

Jack

[pietro]

If it has a rebounding hammer, inconsistant ignition can usually be permanently cured via slightly shortening the bottom leg, of the two legs on the forward end of the mainspring strut, where they bear against the rear of the hammer dwell.

.

[MtGun44]

Does this have the thumb safety and/or rebounding hammer? Is it a relatively
new gun, like last 6-10 yrs?

Bill

[Jack Stanley]

There is no thumb safety on this rifle ( I thank the Lord for that )and it was made I think in the late eighties or early nineties . If I remember right Browning made a run of five thousand rifles that was a copy of the Winchester model fifty-three . I bought this rifle new when they were first offered and , as far as I know the Brownings were all 32-20 Winchester chambering .

A friend and I took it apart yesterday and from what I can tell it is not a rebounding hammer . It's coil mainspring is captive on a rod and has a single point that pushes on the hammer and a block on the lower tang .

I think what the problem was was a broken spring inside the firing pin itself . The spring appeared to engage a hook that engaged the bolt and would prevent the firing pin from going to far forward ....... I think . We took the spring out and held the bolt upside down so the hook would engage on the bolt but it had a very minimal effect on how far the firing pin would protude . So the question we had to ask was , why ? It didn't seem to serve any useful purpose , other than tie up the rifle when it breaks of course .

We put the rifle together without the broken spring , the hook or the little pin holding the hook and the rifle fired as normal . Firing pin impacts on primers was the same as fired cases before things went belly up .

Still don't know what the malfunctioning parts are actually supposed to do . Since the designers put it there I'd say it does have a use so I'll have to be on the lookout for a very tiny spring . I'm just very happy to have the rifle up and running again so I can finish up my loading for the 32-20 ammo . This is one of the most fun rifles I think I've ever had .

Jack

[MtGun44]

Sounds like the darned firing pin lock that is in my 1886 Win modern Japbuilt model.

On mine the timing of the latch was off a bit and was killing the firing pin power. I refitted
the pieces slightly and it helped. I actually bought a normal, one-piece Win 1886 firing pin
and it WILL NOT fit, darn those idiots! One of these days I am going to either thread
a solid end into the pin and remove the latch or machine up a new solid pin.

Bill

[Denver]

I have a Rossi 92 in 357 mag and a Winchester/Miroku Limited 1 0f 500 in 38/40 WCF.
The Rossi firing pin is free floating in the bolt and will move back and forth when the muzzle is tipped up and down while the Winchester pin is spring loaded and will retract when pushed in. I'm guessing your Browning uses the same setup. The Winchester also has the rebounding hammer and tang safety. What a brilliant piece of engineering that is. I did the mod on the spring guide to disable the rebounding hammer feature and replaced the factory spring with one from a Ruger Vaquero. It made the action worlds easier to operate, but the spring is too light and I believe I'm getting inconsistant ignition resulting in vertical stringing of my groups. One of these days I'm going to tear them both down to see if the Rossi hammer,trigger, and lower tang will interchange with the Winchester.

[Jack Stanley]

I ended up leaving the hook , pin and broken spring out of it . There is some kind of plug/set that is directly rearward of the hook that I left in place .

The firing pin has another spring externally that is closer to the front . So for you guys that have been following the thread , is this a "floating" firing pin ? Perhaps this hook gizmo is for just slowing the pin near the end of it's travel ?

I printed off the instructions for pulling apart a Rossi and things got different as soon as step one was completed .

Jack

[MtGun44]

A floating firing pin has a spring holding it rearward but typically no latch. Sounds like
the firing pin lock built into the firing pin on my 1886. The concept is that hitting the
plunger in the rear unlocks the pin internal latch so it can be driven fwd to fire. Other
wise the firing pin is locked in place so if you dropped the gun 6 ft onto the muzzle with
a round in the chamber, inertia could not move the firing pin fwd because of the latch.

Does that sound like the function of your setup?

Bill

[pietro]

It's a Lawyer Latch............ :bigsmyl2:

:kidding:

.

[Jack Stanley]

Bill , that sounds like exactly the function of this thing . Blasted lawyers !!! Which one do I send the bill for my loss of time and production of the last week ? :lol:

Now I see the real similarity between a lawyer and a snake , hide from sight untill it can tie you up big time .

Jack

[MtGun44]

They are HELPING you. It may not FEEL like they are helping you but rest assured
that they are just helping you.

Sometimes I can't stand that much help. :bigsmyl2:

Bill

[Jack Stanley]

Ya know Bill ..... I think I could get along just fine without their (ahem) "help" .

Jack