How to make a firing pin?

B

BAJ

Guest
The junior smallbore program that I work with has a number of older Anschutz 1451's and the club armorer says they need some replacement firing pins. Apparently, they happen to get lost a lot...I don't know how. From looking at the firing pins, they look simple enough to turn. Does anyone know if there is some kind of special steel I need to be using? They aren't stainless. Any advice on hardening the pins or if this even needs to be done?

Thanks,
Brian
 
Per the recommendation from Jackie Schmidt I turn mine out of Grade 8 bolts from the local hardware store and I have had great success by doing so. I shoot a 44 1/2 Stevens in competition and the firing pins are known for breaking and the one I made from the Grade 8 bolt is doing fine.

J.Louis
 
any competent machine shop should be able to whip them up and have them hardened farly quickly given an example pargt ar the specs
 
Brian, the material that Grade-8 Bolts are made from poccesses the properties that are perfect for a firing pin. That being a combination of tensil and yield strength, combined with great impact qualities and hardness. If you have your own little lathe, you will be out about $15 for a bolt.

If you went to a regular machine shop, they would have to aquire the material, have it heat treated to the correct properties, and then machined

I own a machine shop. My basic billing rate is $100 an hour. Get the idea.
 
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If possible, try to get US made grade 8 bolts, I've used a few imported bolts that had the toughness of grade A butter.

Dennis
 
Dennis, I am glad you mentioned that. There are so many counterfit bolts out there. The minute you satrt cutting, you will be able to tell the difference.

A source that is available to the average person is the Dormann line of bolts sold in many Auto Parts Store. They say that their's are true Grade-8 if so stamped.

Another source of high tensil material is a Diesel Engine Shop. Most head bolts are about the same spec as grade-8, they throw them away quite often during re-builds, and many large diesels have bolts long enough and large enough to make parts from.

As a note, the term "grade-8" does not specify a particular alloy, it means that the piece has to meet certain mechanical properties, ie, tensil, yield, reduction of area, izod or charpy notch test, RC Hardness etc.........jackie
 
bolts for machining

the head bolts for a small block chevy are grade 8 be careful of diesel or tractor parts they can be grade 9 or 12 which is harder than your cutting tool look at the head markings
 
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