Reising Model 60 Failure To Fire

[tedh]

Went to the range today with a newly acquired Model 60. However, it failed to fire. The firing pin seems to barely hit the primer leaving a mark, but not enough to dent the primer and ignite it. I recently swapped out the bolt because the old one had been broken at some time in the past. Replaced all the springs with Wolff springs as well. Any ideas as to why this thing isn't firing? Appreciate any and all suggestions.

[dalbert]

tedh,

 

It may have a broken or bent firing pin. For the Model 50's, it is a very common ailment, and I imagine it would be the same for the Model 60's.

 

David Albert

dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

[ODS9091]

Try reading this post by PaulF. It may help or give you some insight.

[tedh]

Try reading this post by PaulF. It may help or give you some insight.

Thanks, guys. I'll investgate the firing pin. It worked in the broken bolt but now seems to not work in the new bolt. Maybe it got damaged and I didn't notice it when I built up new bolt.

[PaulF]

Thanks for the press there ODS9091! I am pretty sure nothing in the post will help ted though.

 

tedh-

 

I think your problem is coming from a bolt that isn't locking into position. The receiver has a notch cut into it that allows the bolt to cam up into place. It is a fail safe to keep the weapon from firing out of battery. The bolt needs to fully cam upwards before the hammer will fully strike the firing pin.

 

You need to either dress the action bar or the bolt where the two come together. I replaced the bolt in my Reising Model 50 and had the EXACT same problem you are describing. Until the bolt is fully cammed into place you won't get solid hammer to firing pin contact.

 

Put your old broken firing pin in and you will see the rear end of the bolts angles up quite a bit before it is fully locked. Once fully locked the hole in the hammer will no longer hit the firing pin and the weapon will function. You will see right away what I mean. Once you dress your new bolt with a file it should work perfect again!

 

Good luck.

[emmagee1917]

Hummm..... I'm no gunsmith , but the bolt moving up into the notch is locking the bolt into place. Very much like how the arms of the BAR bolt will swivel up into the locking notch in that reciever top. When fitting a new bolt in a BAR , and it won't completely lock up , it's because the headspace is too tight. You remove metal from the rear of those arms till proper headspace is achieved. I would think the answer here is to shorten/polish the top rear of the bolt till proper lock-up is reached. You fit the bolt to the gun , not the other way around , so that if the bolt needs replacing again you don't have to replace the slide too.

Chris

[PaulF]

Hummm..... I'm no gunsmith , but the bolt moving up into the notch is locking the bolt into place. Very much like how the arms of the BAR bolt will swivel up into the locking notch in that reciever top. When fitting a new bolt in a BAR , and it won't completely lock up , it's because the headspace is too tight. You remove metal from the rear of those arms till proper headspace is achieved. I would think the answer here is to shorten/polish the top rear of the bolt till proper lock-up is reached. You fit the bolt to the gun , not the other way around , so that if the bolt needs replacing again you don't have to replace the slide too.

Chris

 

 

That's a good point Chris.

 

I am not sure where I read of the fix I posted but I found it somewhere online ages ago.

 

I don't seem to have headspace issues with my Reising and it has run many thousands of rounds since I replaced the bolt.

 

Maybe someone else who knows can chime in!

[tedh]

Sorry to be so late in my reply to the last three posts. Just saw them a couple days ago and I've been working on that bolt. You are definitely correct that the bolt was not camming up into place in the receiver. I used some JP Weld to repair the broken back part of the notch in the old bolt JUST so I could test the relationship between it and the action bar. The old bolt cams up into place nicely and when the action bar is brought to the rear, the bolt uncams and moves back. The new bolt will fit into the cam area just fine without the action bar in place. However, with the action bar in place, the rear of the action bar has to be wiggled around to get the bolt to cam up. But, when the bolt cams up, it is nearly impossible to bring the action bar rearward without quite a bit of wiggling the rear of the action bar to get the bolt to uncam. I have been polishing on the new bolt but have not yet tried dressing the notch. The polishing seems to have helped a little. I don't really know what I'm doing to say the least but at least thanks to you guys, I'm on the right track. It seems to me its all in the relationship to the mating of the action bar and the notch in the bolt. The lug on the action bar is a little worn but seems to fit well into the notch on the bolt. Something still is off and I haven't figured it out yet. If you see anything in this reply that reveals a direction, etc. let me know. I am thinking of purchasing a new action bar as well. I love this piece and I want desperately to fix it.

[PaulF]

tedh-

 

I think you are on the right track fitting the bolt to the gun like Chris pointed out.

 

My new bolt did the exact same thing you describe. I don't think it will take much fitting. Only a few thousandths and I am willing to bet it will be working.

 

I am with you, I love my Reising! You will have your running again shortly and will have that Reising grin on your face again.

 

Good luck and please let everyone know what you do to get it running. There aren't many of us out there who love these things, we gotta stick close! Good luck!

[tedh]

PaulF -

 

Thanks for the support. Evidently these bolts are not just drop-in replacements as you and others have experienced the same situation. I'm calling a couple of places tomorrow to seek more info and possibly a gunsmith. I'll certainly let the forum know the end result.