My Dad's old Sears Ranger

[Winchester 1886]

Had my Dad's Sears Ranger (Marlin 81) out to the range the other day,he got it for his 16th. birthday in 1943.
I wasn't doing to bad with it at 50 yards with my almost 70 year old eyes tore up a snuff can lid pretty good.
I may replace the firing pin every once in a while I'll have a FTF I took the bolt apart and the pin on the end is very slightly mushroomed, Numric has the pin it's the same pin for a Marlin model 81 maybe it's the firing pin spring but I'll start with the pin first.
If I had a dollar for every round that my two brothers and I shot through it I'd be a millionaire lol.

 

[Roc]

That’s what I call a keeper. Nice shooting!

 

[White Falcon]

Nice old piece.

 

[Cornhusker]

Nice old rifle

 

[OldSoul82]

That's a beauty!

 

[Freewill]

Beautiful rifle!!!

And good shooting!

 

[Winchester 1886]

Ranger 34. Beautiful rifle!!!

And good shooting!

Actually it's a Ranger 103-13

 

[FIU]

Before you change the firing pin consider the following:

1. The spring may be clogged or going soft. Even with a deformed firing pin the rifle should be going of due to the force of the whole unit hitting the rim.

2. The firing might be touched up with a ceramic stone or file. If you have a ceramic knife sharpening rod try to grind the mushroom off with that.

3. If the firing pin is hitting something hard enough to deform you might take a long hard look at the rear of the chamber to look for witness marks from a strike from the firing pin. The steel firing pin is not naturally going to deform on the brass rim of .22LR ammo. If the rifle has been dry fired this will account for the deformed firing pin. Allot can happen in 80+ years to a .22 rifle.

 

[chickasaw_hunter]

I have an old Shotgun that is labeled Sears Ranger. It was made for Sears by Stevens on a Browning patent the best I can date it is 1941, Well made on gun. I'm sure yours is too.

 

[Winchester 1886]

Before you change the firing pin consider the following:

1. The spring may be clogged or going soft. Even with a deformed firing pin the rifle should be going of due to the force of the whole unit hitting the rim.

2. The firing might be touched up with a ceramic stone or file. If you have a ceramic knife sharpening rod try to grind the mushroom off with that.

3. If the firing pin is hitting something hard enough to deform you might take a long hard look at the rear of the chamber to look for witness marks from a strike from the firing pin. The steel firing pin is not naturally going to deform on the brass rim of .22LR ammo. If the rifle has been dry fired this will account for the deformed firing pin. Allot can happen in 80+ years to a .22 rifle.

I have a feeling it is the spring,I had the entire bolt apart about a year ago and cleaned everything,the spring is a bear to get back in, there is a tiny I mean tiny screw that holds it in and you have to push the spring in under pressure to line up the hole for the screw to go back in.
I think I broke a sweat and said every curse word known to man until I got it back in.