Barnard with light firing pin strike

[Mark Chesebro]

Anyone experiencing missfires with Barnard model -P- and Russian large rifle primers?

 

[gme]

yep, is the cap on the back of the bolt tight?

 

[effendude]

I couldn't make the wolf primers work a few years ago. Delayed ignition was eerie! Switched to 210M and BR2 and had no issues with my P models. I assume your knurled nut on the firing pin assembly is tight?
Scott

 

[Mark Chesebro]

yep, is the cap on the back of the bolt tight?

Good and tight. This is the second firing pin spring I've had. 1st one one was even worse. I'm getting 2 missfires every 40 rounds.

 

[Stumpy1]

Hi Mark,

I recently had some issues with new Lapua Palma brass and Tula/Wolf small primers. They were so tight going in that I was (apparently) breaking the priming cake. I was getting ~10-15% not going off or hang firing. I switched to Rem 7 1/2's for that brass without any further issues. I am still using the same lot of Tula/Wolf primers in LC 223 brass with no issues.

I guess the tolerances just stacked up wrong to cause the problem. If you have tight primer pockets and have to force the primers in, you might be seeing the same thing.

Of course, as Gary mentioned, make sure that your bolt cap is on securely too.

Hope you find this useful,

Frank

 

[gme]

Good and tight. This is the second firing pin spring I've had. 1st one one was even worse. I'm getting 2 missfires every 40 rounds.

yeah, mine did the same thing, no issues with Federals

 

[racesnake]

I've run 10,000 Wolf LAR through 4 different Bernard actions without a misfire. Wish I could find some more.

 

[jamesdmock]

Anyone experiencing missfires with Barnard model -P- and Russian large rifle primers?

My advice....change to Federal primers. James

 

[Mudcat]

Same as racesnake.....all the rounds my son and I have fired out of our barnards have been primed with Russian, LR, LRM or SRM primers (223, 6xc, 6.5CM, 284W and, of course, 308) and thats been since 2006 and its a LOT of rounds. Have we had a few failures to fire? Yup, but almost every time its due to either being seated improperly, or an issue with a firing spring. But its been very few, say 1 or 2 out of a 1,000 rounds fired....and not sure some of the other brands didnt run about the same ratio but then, its been so long since I have used other brands, I many not remember correctly. FYI, I also use the Russian primers for XTC use and the couple that I have had no go off have been in old brass with deeper than normal pockets, otherwise, no usual issues. Will continue running the Wolf primers until I run out, which will be a while, even at the ridiculous rate that Trey and I burn thru them.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Barnards have very low firing pin fall. I am not surprised your having issues. Low pin fall, light springs, ways to cheat to make a bolt open easy usually end up trading off accuracy and reliability. You can try to increase spring pressure by making a bushing to fit over the firing pin to compress the spring more, make it out of bronze so it will add weight to the pin as well.

 

[Mark Chesebro]

Barnards have very low firing pin fall. I am not surprised your having issues. The smaller Bat actions ( S and B) also have issues with Wolf primers, even cci mags. Low pin fall, light springs, ways to cheat to make a bolt open easy usually end up trading off accuracy and reliability. You can try to increase spring pressure by making a bushing to fit over the firing pin to compress the spring more, make it out of bronze so it will add weight to the pin as well. Less than .230 pin fall and your asking for accuracy issues.

I like the bushing idea. A while back a Barnard came through the shop and it had a bushing as a spring booster. However the bushing was on the cocking piece end of the firing pin and did not travel with the pin.

 

[CaferacerFan]

We have the same problem with our Barnard P action and CCI 450 primers.
The cap is tight and secured with Loctite.

What would you try first, add a additional washer or buy the reinforced spring?
Who solved this problem without changing the primers?

Our Barnard S doesn't have that problems with the CCI primers.

 

[aussiedave]

Have a Barnard S and have used 6000 PMC Russian primers not a single ftf. But I make sure they are seated firmly when priming with my Lee auto prime,old round tray model.

 

[Stumpy1]

I have to take back my 2017 response about potentially breaking the primer cake. I have since changed both of my Barnards over to the Heavy Firing pin spring, and have since had ZERO issues with Wolf or any other primer.

Earlier this year (2019) I took a heavy and standard spring firing pin with me to the range, shot (or tried to) several Wolf SRM primed cartridges -some went off, some didn't. I changed over the firing pin to the one with the heavy spring and 100 percent of the previous misfires went off with the heavy spring firing pin.

I think Alex is spot on with his assessment.

Problem solved, I think.

Hope this helps,

Frank

 

[CaferacerFan]

This is absolutely the answer I hoped to get from someone knowing that problem.

This means you did not buy a new spring but a complete new firing pin?

I will try to get a heavy spring or a complete heavy firing pin.

Thx.

 

[Mark Chesebro]

Stack of washers under the collar solved the problem. I haven't had a fail to fire sense.

 

[Stumpy1]

This is absolutely the answer I hoped to get from someone knowing that problem.

This means you did not buy a new spring but a complete new firing pin?

I will try to get a heavy spring or a complete heavy firing pin.

Thx.

I bought a couple of the heavy firing pin springs from Whidden

Here are the springs https://www.whiddengunworks.com/product/barnard-model-p-striker-spring/

and the instructions attached (it isn't hard to do, but be careful compressing the new spring).

Hope this helps,

Frank