Stevens Model 55 Single Shot .22 Firing Pin Length

[gbw]

I recently installed a replacement firing pin for this very old rifle - a family heirloom that after 50 years is again in firing form. Spooky accurate and serious fun, a wonderful old rifle. Old enough that it has no serial number.

Does anyone KNOW if the this rifle had an inertial firing pin or not? The replacement is long enought that a blow on the rear of the uncocked bolt ('cocking piece')will fire the rifle.

My question is if anyone knows whether or not this was originally filed back to make it inertia firing only - i.e. the firing pin will not hit the primer if the 'cocking piece' is lowered to the rest position?

Thanks for your help

 

[788Ham]

Did you apply any type of lube before you re-installed? Might try this too!

 

[retDAC]

If there is no manual safety, then it seems you have an overlong FP. Unless there is a half cock provision (unlikely).

 

[gbw]

I did clean and lubricate all of the parts, and did some very gentle breaking of oversharp edges caused mostly by wear.

The firing pin is a 3 stepped cylindrical affair, with 90 degree shoulders. Evidently the shoulder between the middle and largest sections stops forward movement, at just far enough forward to fire the cartridge. So the pin isn't overlong. Also, comparing it with the original pin shows the 2 larger sections are the same length. The shortest section broke off many years ago and is long gone.

I suppse I could cut back the stop shoulder and shorten the business end, thereby creating an inerial type, and perhaps I'll make such a pin some day. For now apparently it fits as it was intended and was never inertial.

There is no half-cock, but it is possible to 'lock' the cocking piecen (basicallythe hammer) out by pulling it rearward and rotating it to a recess in the bold sleeve that holds it off the trigger. Seems risky by today' standards but evidently that's how it was meant to work.

I'll leave it unloaded til ready to shoot.

Usually I dabble with pistols but this old rifle has been fun.

 

[retDAC]

"... There is no half-cock, but it is possible to 'lock' the cocking piecen (basicallythe hammer) out by pulling it rearward and rotating it to a recess in the bold sleeve that holds it off the trigger. Seems risky by today' standards but evidently that's how it was meant to work. ..."

Sounds like the way the Mosin-Nagant safety works. And I have seen a bolt action shotgun that worked the same way.

Probably meant to be carried with an empty chamber or with the safety applied with a loaded chamber.

As to being able to fire it with a blow to the uncocked striker, it's probably made that way.

Prior to the '68 Gun Control Act, many inexpensive long guns were made w/o serial numbers. It just wasn't worth the extra cost to the mfr.

WARNING: DON'T ship one of these unserialed guns back to the mfr. BATFE requires mfrs to destroy them. I don't know if same applies to shipping one to a gunsmith, but I would ask the 'smith before I ship it.