doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com lite firing pin strikes

I bought a new 7pin sidelock from Cabellas last year. When I first shot it , it would misfire on the top barrel. I sent it to the gunsmith Cabellsa requested and it came back in fine working order. I haven't shot it since last hunting season. Last sunday, in a sporting match, it started to do the misfire thing again. I was using new Fiokie ammo and the primers were steel. Could that have anything to do with it? Jim

I had friends say they had problems with the same primers. Easiest way to check is to just try another brand of shells. It might be firing pins are slightly short, springs are slightly weak in the strikes they provide, the rim cuts on the chambers might be too deep and several other weird potential issues. Had a friend who shot Winchester AA shells in the lower barrel and Remington shells in the top. His was a firing pin issue and using the softer primer in the weaker strike fixed it for a couple years.

Did the smith check firing pin protrudion? Or did he just clean it, lube it and decide it was fixed?

If you were shooting the Fiocchi Shooting Dynamic's...your problem was likely the shells. I had multiple FTF/light strikes. Several corporate shoots I've attended this year purchased these shells.....not impressed.

Thanks Ken...I bought 8 flats of these to shoot the Continental tournament schedule last winter. I shoot Continental with a 3200 I have had for 35 years. It strikes the primer with some vigor and the shells didn't give me any trouble in the 3200. I will have to be carefull with the new gun and not use the shooting dynamics Fiocchi shells. Jim

Likely the shells, though I've never encountered probs with Fiocchis. My probs come when I try to use B & P Comp Ones. I really want to use them as they are a reasonably priced, low pressure shell. But, they misfire in every gun I've ever tried them in except my Perazzi, and it doesn't need low pressure loads.

Who made the gun, if I may ask?

SRH

I have two guns that won't fire (UK sourced) Fiocchi TTi21 cartridges (not tried any other Fiocchis). These two guns fire all other cartridges ....... and all my other guns fire the Fiocchis.

Yes , it is an issue with primers in many brands of shells . Could be faulty primers but also low primer seating or excessive head space . Try a brand change and you will possibly make your issue go away. I think it might be a Cheddite primer issue . Try cartridges with a copper body . We had this issue years ago with Victory ( Cypriot manufacturer ) and it was steel bodied primers.

Deep seated primers are often the cause of a misfire, but in the case of the Comp Ones it is another cuplrit. The shell rim seats too deep in the chamber rim cut on many guns. The profile of the shell rim looks different, when you compare to other loads I shoot, all of which shoot fine in those guns.

With the barrels off the gun and held vertically you can drop a load in the chamber, then with a depth mike measure the distance from the face of the barrels to the primer. When you do this with different loads you can easily see the ones, if any, that sit deeper in the rim cut.

Does it seem to be just one particular loading that is causing the problems, because the Fiocchis I've used have always worked fine, AIR?

SRH

stan...the gun is a Webley and Scott. I don't know where the locks were made but the barrels were struck in Turkey. Jim

I normally shoot Hull Cartridge Co. I went to Fiocchi because there was a 'bad batch' from Hull in their CompX 21g cartridges with misfires (same in any gun, and about 1 in 25 affected).

The Fiocchi go fine in all but two Merkels (both sidelocks, but different models). Headspace and primer depth both seem fairly typical, and strike looks solid enough - but clearly not enough to do the business.

Now back on Hull, and all is well again.