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November 9, 2012, 12:57 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: February 6, 2012
Location: Spring, Texas
Posts: 94
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Win. M100 autoloader in .308 won't fire.
My son-in-law inherited a Model 100 Winchester rifle from his father's estate.
It won't fire. I believe those rifles had a firing pin problem that was under recall at one time? He's a very busy guy and hasn't had a gunsmith look at it yet. Anybody have one of these rifles? Does it need to be sent off somewhere or can most competent gunsmiths diagnose the problem and fix it? I know it's hard to comment until we have someone look at it. Just wanted to know if someone knowledgeable about this model knew what common problems might be to blame. He also has a lever action M88 .284 in excellent condition, original magazine stamped .284Win with the stock and bluing in nearly unblemished condition. I haven't looked up the serial#s for dates of manu. for either gun. Don't know if it fires---don't have any ammo! Any info would be appreciated. |
November 9, 2012, 01:07 PM | #2 |
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Join Date: June 20, 2007
Location: Rainbow City, Alabama
Posts: 7,167
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The firing pin problem was that the pin would break and the broken piece would jam in such a way as to cause it to go full auto. There is a good chance that yours is broken and the piece has already fallen out. Yes, you'll need to strip it down and get at the firing pin to determine if it is in fact broken.
Winchester (I'm talking about the corporation formerly known as Winchester) would send you a new firing pin and actually pay a small amount to have someone put it in. I don't know if the new corporation is taking responsibilty for fixing them or providing new pins. First step is to get it stripped down to determine what the real problem is. |
November 9, 2012, 03:01 PM | #3 |
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Join Date: March 11, 2006
Location: Upper US
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it needs to go to GUNSMITH
But there is something you can do at home. You said it fails to fire, there are two different things that could be at work here. Either the firing pin is not being struck, or the pin is not hitting the primer. Your info doesn't let us tell which.
Dry fire the gun (make sure it is UNLOADED!!!). If the hammer falls, then the problem is most likely the firing pin. IF it doesn't, the the problem is something else, and probably more complex (like not being fully in battery, or a problem with the trigger group). If the gun dry fires normally but fails to go off with live ammo, its likely the firing pin. Yes, there was a recall, because of problems with the firing pin. The model is long discontinued, but I think you can still get replacement pins. If you are capable of disassembling the rifle, you can check the condition of the firing pin yourself, but if you aren't (and there's no shame in that), let a gunsmith handle it. 100s and 88s aren't common, and even gunsmiths will probably need to dig up some instructions before tackling the job these days. The 100s and 88s were decent rifles, but not noted for being stellar accurate. Minute of Deer, or a bit better was the usual accuracy. Some individual rifles were better, some worse. Low sales volume (and the firing pin problem) led to them being discontinued. They bring a fair chunk of change at the gun shows today, especially in .284, but that's due more to collector intrest than anything else.
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All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better. |
November 9, 2012, 06:43 PM | #4 |
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Join Date: July 5, 2010
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I had the firing pin recall thing done on one a couple years ago so it might be still going
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November 10, 2012, 09:08 PM | #5 |
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Join Date: October 9, 2009
Location: North Alabama
Posts: 8,273
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+1 on the pin recall. Don't know if there is a current option or not.
But 100's and 88's can be shooters. My heirlom 88 sure is. |
November 12, 2012, 09:46 AM | #6 |
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Join Date: January 4, 2007
Location: pelican lake, WI
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If Winchester (new) does not honor the recall and you are half way mechanically inclined, you can replace the firing pin yourself. To romove the action from the stock: Remove the forearm screw and the trigger guard screw. Place the stock butt against your hip and pull and hold the charging handle all the way to the rear with your right hand. With the left hand tilt and lift the barrel and action out of the stock, while still holding the charging handle to the rear. Once the action is out of the stock you can get to the bolt to drive out the pin holding the firing pin in the bolt. Replace the firing pin and retain pin.
Winchseter 100's are great shooters if maintained and cleaned. I have several. My favorite is a M100 carbine which shoots 1" groups used each year for deer hunting. The others are closet queens. This is after bedding the action and shooting my hand loads. About four years ago I believe I posted here how to glass bed M100 actions. Gl;ass bedding has to be done in four steps, but is well worth it. |
November 12, 2012, 05:57 PM | #7 |
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Join Date: November 24, 2010
Posts: 351
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Winchester will fix it no charge but some of the other info above isn't 100% correct. The old model firing pin would break and jam in the forward possition and then you get an out of battery slam fire when the bolt goes home on a live cartridge causing a " high velocity disassembly" that could include parts of your own body. As far as the full auto thing the first M 100's made had extra parts added that were supposed to prevent full auto conversion but it was found out that these extra parts can cause the hammer to fall without the operator choosing to do so. If you can't find a good shop to fix this you should send it off to
www.ahlmans.com they have staff that know these inside and out |
November 13, 2012, 03:53 PM | #8 |
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Join Date: February 6, 2012
Location: Spring, Texas
Posts: 94
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When firing--the trigger will pull, the hammer goes click but no round fires.
Plenty of flinching takes place when a live round is in battery! There is no light primer strike noted when inspecting cartridge after manual ejection. The bolt assembly must be in battery--it seems to slam forward and be in proper position when loading a round or when dry firing. I should be able to disassemble the rifle to inspect the firing pin. Stay tuned. I believe this is a M100 carbine model as well. |
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