Marlin 795 firing pin issues

User742 · August 27, 2016, 07:28 PM

I'll try to make this as brief as possible. Basically a few months ago my dad bought a Marlin 795 .22 to plink with and such. It was the first rifle we ever purchased. Few hundred rounds in, I decide to do the initial cleaning. Re assembling it, I was having trouble getting the recoil spring in. Long story short, the spring kinked and the guide was bent. We sent it to a gun Smith who got it back in. After we got it back, we put a few rounds in, and every 10-20 rounds, the round would dud. The round would still have a dent in it, and I opened it and found there was still gunpowder. So we call the gunsmith, and he tells us to switch from the ultra cheap rounds to CCI. I was skeptical because this never happened before we got it worked on. So today we tried the CCI and the same thing happened. We're calling the gunsmith tomorrow, but any advice or theories would help.

Buzzard Bait · August 27, 2016, 08:25 PM

is the bolt closing all the way is the firing pin indent deep or is it light? I would try cci before I tried any thing else too its the cheapest test you can try

User742 · August 27, 2016, 08:31 PM

We tried the CCI like I said and still we still got a dud every other mag. The firing pin dent was light on some of the Dud's but deep on some others.

g.willikers · August 29, 2016, 08:52 AM

Lesson learned, there's rarely a reason to take our guns apart.
They can be cleaned quite well with modern sprays and such without it.
Firearms are more complicated than they look.

Dixie Gunsmithing · August 29, 2016, 09:56 PM

The first thing that I would look for is dirt in the bolt or the firing pins slotted hole, (oblong hole for the pin that holds it into the bolt), hampering the firing pin. The next thing is the profile of the firing pin's nose, which should be tapered on each side, but not knife sharp, as the wider it is, at the end of the taper, the less it will indent the rim. Third, is dirt fowling the hammer, the strut, or its spring, so a good soak, blow-out, and oiling of the trigger guard should help that.

The recoil spring and guide shouldn't affect it firing, unless the bolt wasn't closing completely. They generally cause the gun to not eject, if they are kinked. However, if the recoil spring and guide are kinked and bent, they ought to be replaced.

guncrank · August 30, 2016, 07:41 AM

Needs a new spring and a straight guide
If they have not been replaced.

guncrank · August 30, 2016, 07:45 AM

Field strip should be down for any cleaning.

James K · September 1, 2016, 09:54 PM

It sounds like the bent spring guide and kinked spring (separate or together) are keeping the bolt from closing fully, resulting in failures to fire. The gunsmith should have tested the gun fully; whether to trust him to fix the gun right the second time is up to you, but it doesn't sound as if you have a lot of experience.

Jim

bluewizard · May 9, 2018, 11:30 AM

This is an older post, but I think my information could still be helpful.

For reference, I do have a Marlin 795 and I do get Light Primer Strikes, and I am using CCI ammunition.

First you kinked the Spring and bent the Pin, those need to be replaced. It a bit difficult to get the Spring/Pin back in place, but it can and is done every day. This is not a job for the Ham-Fisted. It takes some finesse. So, the Spring and the Pin need to be replaced, though that is not the sole source of your problem.

Al the parts are available for the Marlin 795 including Firing Pin, Recoil Spring, and Recoil Pin. Here is one place that has them all but in searching I found other places too. A simply Google search is all it took.

https://www.brownells.com/parts/Marl...ndex.htm?f_a=1

I do notice that the Bolt Face does get crudded up pretty easily, so if you have a lot of oil on the Firing Pin, it is possible the blend of crud and oil are restricting its movement.

Here are a couple of general videos that might be helpful, and there are other videos on YouTube addressing General Misfires and specifically Light Primer Strikes with the 795.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-MEUWw1G-I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd9WaUEeJTA

Years ago, I did have a Marlin 60, which is pretty much the same gun, and never really had a problem with that, but my NEW Marlin might be a bit more sensitive to Light Strikes.

Though I too did make a mistake. I used an Aluminum Dummy Round as a Snap Cap so I could take Spring Tension of the Hammer Spring while the gun was stored for the Winter. That probably did not help the condition of the Firing Pin. I think in the future, I will just use Spent Shells to Dry Fire the Gun.

But replacing the Firing Pin does not seem that complex. It seems to be held in by a single Pin. Cost for a Firing Pin = $8.99 -

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-part..._1=Marlin__795

Though I have not tried it, and I will investigate pretty deeply before I do, I wonder if I slightly expanded the hole in the Firing Pin to allow it to move a bit farther forward.

I don't know if the Firing Pin is stamped, but if it has any rough edges, it might be best to smooth those off.

Needless to say, keep Dry Firing to the absolute minimum, and if possible down to ZERO. There are a few modern guns that are designed to allow Dry Firing, but even with one of those guns, I would still resist. And the Marlin 60 and Marlin 795 are not among those guns designed for Dry Fire. Get a Snap Cap or use a spent round if you want to Dry Fire before long term storage.

Also, how much Oil Residue do you leave on your guns. Generally, while you oil the parts, you then should wipe the oil off; as close to dry as you can get them. Any areas exposed to Blow-Back Gas, are going to fowl pretty quickly if they have a residue of oil on them.

This next video isn't much help, but read the text under it. This guy had lots of Dry Fires and replaced the Firing Pin Return Spring and the Firing Pin itself, and that seemed to solve the problem. If you look at the link above, the cost of the parts are pretty trivial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8l61eS4vSE

Though this Thread was started in 2016, it would have been nice if the Original Poster has followed up can told us what the resolution to his problem was. I noticed he posted in other Gun Forums, and didn't seem to follow up there.

Having the solution in print would have helped many other people with similar problems.

Even though the post was old, hopefully, I have still contributed something.

Steve/Bluewizard

August 27, 2016, 07:28 PM	#1
User742 Junior Member Join Date: August 26, 2016 Posts: 2	Marlin 795 firing pin issues I'll try to make this as brief as possible. Basically a few months ago my dad bought a Marlin 795 .22 to plink with and such. It was the first rifle we ever purchased. Few hundred rounds in, I decide to do the initial cleaning. Re assembling it, I was having trouble getting the recoil spring in. Long story short, the spring kinked and the guide was bent. We sent it to a gun Smith who got it back in. After we got it back, we put a few rounds in, and every 10-20 rounds, the round would dud. The round would still have a dent in it, and I opened it and found there was still gunpowder. So we call the gunsmith, and he tells us to switch from the ultra cheap rounds to CCI. I was skeptical because this never happened before we got it worked on. So today we tried the CCI and the same thing happened. We're calling the gunsmith tomorrow, but any advice or theories would help. Last edited by User742; August 27, 2016 at 10:05 PM. Reason: Title

August 27, 2016, 08:25 PM	#2
Buzzard Bait Senior Member Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Republic of Texas Posts: 502	yes try better amo is the bolt closing all the way is the firing pin indent deep or is it light? I would try cci before I tried any thing else too its the cheapest test you can try

August 29, 2016, 08:52 AM	#4
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Lesson learned, there's rarely a reason to take our guns apart. They can be cleaned quite well with modern sprays and such without it. Firearms are more complicated than they look. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

August 30, 2016, 07:41 AM	#6
guncrank Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2006 Location: Fern Creek ,KY and Metro Louisville at large Posts: 430	Needs a new spring and a straight guide If they have not been replaced. __________________ Republic Arms and Armaments 07 1-502-231-1118 Machine Shop and Finishing Services to the trade and public

August 30, 2016, 07:45 AM	#7
guncrank Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2006 Location: Fern Creek ,KY and Metro Louisville at large Posts: 430	Field strip should be down for any cleaning. __________________ Republic Arms and Armaments 07 1-502-231-1118 Machine Shop and Finishing Services to the trade and public

August 27, 2016, 08:31 PM	#3
User742 Junior Member Join Date: August 26, 2016 Posts: 2	We tried the CCI like I said and still we still got a dud every other mag. The firing pin dent was light on some of the Dud's but deep on some others.

August 29, 2016, 09:56 PM	#5
Dixie Gunsmithing Moderator Emeritus Join Date: April 27, 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,923	The first thing that I would look for is dirt in the bolt or the firing pins slotted hole, (oblong hole for the pin that holds it into the bolt), hampering the firing pin. The next thing is the profile of the firing pin's nose, which should be tapered on each side, but not knife sharp, as the wider it is, at the end of the taper, the less it will indent the rim. Third, is dirt fowling the hammer, the strut, or its spring, so a good soak, blow-out, and oiling of the trigger guard should help that. The recoil spring and guide shouldn't affect it firing, unless the bolt wasn't closing completely. They generally cause the gun to not eject, if they are kinked. However, if the recoil spring and guide are kinked and bent, they ought to be replaced.

September 1, 2016, 09:54 PM	#8
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	It sounds like the bent spring guide and kinked spring (separate or together) are keeping the bolt from closing fully, resulting in failures to fire. The gunsmith should have tested the gun fully; whether to trust him to fix the gun right the second time is up to you, but it doesn't sound as if you have a lot of experience. Jim

May 9, 2018, 11:30 AM	#9
bluewizard Junior Member Join Date: May 8, 2018 Posts: 6	This is an older post, but I think my information could still be helpful. For reference, I do have a Marlin 795 and I do get Light Primer Strikes, and I am using CCI ammunition. First you kinked the Spring and bent the Pin, those need to be replaced. It a bit difficult to get the Spring/Pin back in place, but it can and is done every day. This is not a job for the Ham-Fisted. It takes some finesse. So, the Spring and the Pin need to be replaced, though that is not the sole source of your problem. Al the parts are available for the Marlin 795 including Firing Pin, Recoil Spring, and Recoil Pin. Here is one place that has them all but in searching I found other places too. A simply Google search is all it took. https://www.brownells.com/parts/Marl...ndex.htm?f_a=1 I do notice that the Bolt Face does get crudded up pretty easily, so if you have a lot of oil on the Firing Pin, it is possible the blend of crud and oil are restricting its movement. Here are a couple of general videos that might be helpful, and there are other videos on YouTube addressing General Misfires and specifically Light Primer Strikes with the 795. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-MEUWw1G-I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd9WaUEeJTA Years ago, I did have a Marlin 60, which is pretty much the same gun, and never really had a problem with that, but my NEW Marlin might be a bit more sensitive to Light Strikes. Though I too did make a mistake. I used an Aluminum Dummy Round as a Snap Cap so I could take Spring Tension of the Hammer Spring while the gun was stored for the Winter. That probably did not help the condition of the Firing Pin. I think in the future, I will just use Spent Shells to Dry Fire the Gun. But replacing the Firing Pin does not seem that complex. It seems to be held in by a single Pin. Cost for a Firing Pin = $8.99 - https://www.brownells.com/rifle-part..._1=Marlin__795 Though I have not tried it, and I will investigate pretty deeply before I do, I wonder if I slightly expanded the hole in the Firing Pin to allow it to move a bit farther forward. I don't know if the Firing Pin is stamped, but if it has any rough edges, it might be best to smooth those off. Needless to say, keep Dry Firing to the absolute minimum, and if possible down to ZERO. There are a few modern guns that are designed to allow Dry Firing, but even with one of those guns, I would still resist. And the Marlin 60 and Marlin 795 are not among those guns designed for Dry Fire. Get a Snap Cap or use a spent round if you want to Dry Fire before long term storage. Also, how much Oil Residue do you leave on your guns. Generally, while you oil the parts, you then should wipe the oil off; as close to dry as you can get them. Any areas exposed to Blow-Back Gas, are going to fowl pretty quickly if they have a residue of oil on them. This next video isn't much help, but read the text under it. This guy had lots of Dry Fires and replaced the Firing Pin Return Spring and the Firing Pin itself, and that seemed to solve the problem. If you look at the link above, the cost of the parts are pretty trivial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8l61eS4vSE Though this Thread was started in 2016, it would have been nice if the Original Poster has followed up can told us what the resolution to his problem was. I noticed he posted in other Gun Forums, and didn't seem to follow up there. Having the solution in print would have helped many other people with similar problems. Even though the post was old, hopefully, I have still contributed something. Steve/Bluewizard Last edited by bluewizard; May 9, 2018 at 11:36 AM.

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