CaptainMal
Silver $$ Contributor
The afternoon before the Manatee Freedom Benchrest Saturday shoot on 11-22, I decided to change firing pin springs on the rifle I had just tuned a new barrel for. Could not get that drift pin out. It was an action I had only used one barrel on so the spring change was the first on this action.
Forget it. That drift pin was a bugger to get out of the cocking piece. Did do it but struggled to put it back in when the new spring was on. Then, the cocking piece stuck and would only release if tapped. Went to Eric Bostrom, my gunsmith. Same issue. He eventually discovered we/I had actually bent the back of the firing pin so it dragged and bound the cocking piece. His only solution was to try an old pin he had in his junk parts. That worked but measured out to be a good .007" short on protrusion. After testing on a primer, it worked but sure looked flat and short.
During the shoot I had multiple mis-fires. Spoke with Alex Wheeler there and he told me not to try and re-hit a primer that did not go off as it would time differently. He was right. They almost always hit low-right on the sighter plate of the ones that went off on first try. Frustrating shoot for me but I soldiered on to mediocrity. The shock was that at the end I had first place overall. Crazy.
Monday I called Ian Kelbly to order a new pin, cocking piece and drift pin. Gave him my serial # of that action and he immediately commented that some pins were tough to remove. He rejected taking my credit card and immediately said he would send me a complete assembly under their warranty policy. WOW!
Bolt with new assembly in. No... I was not ready to use another rifle and not interested in swapping bolts or assemblies from other timed Pandas.
Old misfiring pin and his new one.
Heh - the darn thing did work albeit poorly with multiple mis-fires. Crazy to win the shoot with that mess. Sure more surprising to find Ian Kelbly supplying me a new and complete assembly within the week at no charge. Another reason whey I have multiple Stolle Panda actions.
Forget it. That drift pin was a bugger to get out of the cocking piece. Did do it but struggled to put it back in when the new spring was on. Then, the cocking piece stuck and would only release if tapped. Went to Eric Bostrom, my gunsmith. Same issue. He eventually discovered we/I had actually bent the back of the firing pin so it dragged and bound the cocking piece. His only solution was to try an old pin he had in his junk parts. That worked but measured out to be a good .007" short on protrusion. After testing on a primer, it worked but sure looked flat and short.
During the shoot I had multiple mis-fires. Spoke with Alex Wheeler there and he told me not to try and re-hit a primer that did not go off as it would time differently. He was right. They almost always hit low-right on the sighter plate of the ones that went off on first try. Frustrating shoot for me but I soldiered on to mediocrity. The shock was that at the end I had first place overall. Crazy.
Monday I called Ian Kelbly to order a new pin, cocking piece and drift pin. Gave him my serial # of that action and he immediately commented that some pins were tough to remove. He rejected taking my credit card and immediately said he would send me a complete assembly under their warranty policy. WOW!
Bolt with new assembly in. No... I was not ready to use another rifle and not interested in swapping bolts or assemblies from other timed Pandas. Old misfiring pin and his new one.
Heh - the darn thing did work albeit poorly with multiple mis-fires. Crazy to win the shoot with that mess. Sure more surprising to find Ian Kelbly supplying me a new and complete assembly within the week at no charge. Another reason whey I have multiple Stolle Panda actions.
