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I am baffled

2K views 37 replies 23 participants last post by  WWL 
#1 ·
Okay I need a little help or suggestions on this problem.

I have a Remlin 1894 and before anyone starts I have no complaints with workmanship or accuracy with it.
What has me baffled is ammo related I hope. I reload my ammo and about 1 out of 4 rounds are misfires. The primers are struck just no ignition. I have to try them 2 or 3 times before they fire. Issue points to hammer spring or primers.
I bought factory ammo and not one misfire or light primer strike. It fires religiously. I even added a washer to the hammer spring just to eliminate that variable, but same results.
I use the same type of primers and some from the same package in reloads for my 45/70 and T4. Not one misfire. I even changed the primers over from CCI to Winchester. Same results.
I even loaded 25 rounds and did not sit the primers or bullets quiet as deep just to try and eliminate head space and too deep of primers. Heck I even changed bullets from 240 gr to 270 gr. Checked the rounds with a caliper against factory ammo and every thing measured the same.

so any suggestions or input


 
#21 ·
Yes--Lrg Rifle primers have slightly higher cups than Lrg Pistol primers. If you don't seat them to the bottom the primer anvil is not supported and can cause misfires. If you need a more "Sensitive" primer bench rest primers are a little more sensitive so a light hammer spring can ignite them.
 
#4 ·
I notice from your post that you are using the same primers for your 1894 (I assume its chambered in 44 Mag), 45-70, and Triple-4. Are you using large rifle primers, large pistol primers, or large mag pistol primers?
 
#8 ·
I believe that is true. IIRC--rifle primers can be harder than pistol primers depending on the manufacturer.
 
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#10 ·
Misfires have several potential causes.

Too weak firing pin strike. You have increased firing pin strength with that washer.

Firing pin not protruding enough to create a deep enough strike.

Primer not being seated all the way. The priming pellet must be crushed against the dimpled primer and the anvil. If the primer is not seated all the way, the firing pin strike must push the primer fully into the base cup before the pellet can be crushed to create ignition.

Headspace could be too long. The bolt stops short of holding the cartridge fully into the chamber. The firing pin strike wastes energy pushing the cartridge to a stop as it fully chambers.

The 1894's use rimmed cartridges which headspace off their rims, not a bottle neck shoulder. The bolt position in battery is crucial.

I'd look at firing pin protrusion, and then consider whether your rifle's in battery bolt position is correct. The easiest way to do that is with a no-go headspace guage. Lacking that, I'd add layers of Scotch tape, one at a time, to the back of a dummy cartridge until resistance to lever closure (bolt going into battery). This will also give some idea of the space available between the cartridge base and the bolt face.

Once you find out how many layers of tape prevent the bolt going into battery, I will do the same, and we can compare the numbers. Is your 1894 a 44 mag?
 
#12 · (Edited)
I am and have used using large rifle primers both magnum and regular.
If the firing pin is short riddle me this why does it shoot factory loads and some reloads with no problems.
visual inspections of the rims appears the same but I do not have a micrometer to measure it to the .000. The Brass is mostly Starline and has not been overly used.

oh and it is chambered for 44 mag.

 
#15 ·
- Open the lever half way
- Remove the lever screw/Pull the lever out
- Pull the bolt.
Bolt doesn't need to come apart beyond that

With a finger, press the small disconnector bar up straight/in line with the firing pin, and then push the firing pin in/forward from the rear as far as it will go
Measure the total protrusion from the bolt face. (Does the OP own a dial/digital caliper?)
 
#16 ·
What brand of primers are you using?

CCI - Federal - Winchester - all of them work great. Some of them work less great in certain guns.
Primer sensitivity varies by brand - some build them softer - light competition triggers may not work consistently with all primers. Some make them a little 'tougher' to reduce the chance of a slam fire.

In my experience, Federal seems to be the lightest with Winchesters being a little harder. I have not used them, but I have been told CCI is the toughest. If that is true and you already have a light or weak firing pin spring and you are reloading with CCI primers - you might see your percentage of light primer strikes go up noticeably.

If you have another gun that shoots the same ammo - see if THAT gun is also throwing misfires. You could also load a small batch with diferent primers and see if that fixes the problem.
 
#22 ·
The fact that they will fire after the second or third try points to the most common source of this problem -- insufficient primer seating depth.

Now you're going to say, "I am an experienced reloader, and that's NOT the problem." To which I'll say, "They all say that..." How do I know? I've said it myself -- only to find out I was wrong.
 
#25 ·
Seat your primers firmly. My rule is that primers are seated below the case head a few thousandths of an inch. You can feel a slight indent when you run you finger over the case head. As others have said the primer anvil needs to be firmly pressing against the priming compound. Otherwise you firing pin strike has to drive the primer forward before it can ignite the compound - which may not ignite because of the cushioning.
 
#30 · (Edited)
negative ghost rider (Pisgah) lol. Just experienced enough not to blow a finger off. I am open to all suggestions even the off chance the issue is me..

I guess I will get some pistol primers and make sure they are seated firm and bottomed out. I prime with a hand primer. I will also try and see if I can find somebody that has a rifle to shoot some of these reloads in. That should eliminate the rifle completely if the problems persist.

maybe I will have an answer by next week thanks for the help
 
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