Alex

So! I know all of you here have been waiting with bated breath to find out how this situation has been resolved. Camstuff came by my place this morning to perform some troubleshooting. He discovered, as tech support people often do, a classic case of PEBKAC (Problem Exists Between Keyboard and Chair). So, whether or not the firing pin ring/washer sits flush against the locking cam unit appears to actually be irrelevant in my case. Perhaps it normally does sit flush, or is intended to, but in this case it doesn't seem to actually matter so long as it's "close enough" The real issue I believed I had was, in fact, a misunderstanding of how far the bolt can cam when outside the gun versus how much it actually does when it's assembled and in the receiver. Observe the attachments for a demonstration of what had me worried, versus what actually happens inside the gun. To confirm this, I tried loading a spent casing with tape over the primer into the assembled gun to see if the firing pin would indent it. It did not. When Camstuff was here, after checking it out, he reassembled it without the barrel, and we were able to visually confirm that the firing pin does not, in fact, protrude when the bolt is locked in its proper place. As far as we can tell, the gun is perfectly fine. Obviously this makes me very happy! I look forward to taking it to the range again next time I go. Thanks again Camstuff! Please let me know if I missed anything relevant or if you have other thoughts on the matter.

If you have the correct number handy and a reliable source (Mr. Canfield's word would suffice I'm sure!), I'm certain Ian would edit the video (at least to add an asterisk as he's speaking) to correct the error. I've met and shot with him for another video on a rare rifle I have, and he's a real stand-up guy.

Hello folks! Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I'm back from sea again for the next few months and looking to figure out what exactly is up with my rifle. So, I had originally been saying my spring was getting in the way of proper seating of the firing pin; this does not seem to actually be the case. I pushed the spring partially out of its retaining hole, and discovered that the firing pin still wouldn't sit flush, even without the spring interfering. Now I'm really baffled, because I can't see anything else that might begetting in the way. It does this whether the firing pin stop is in place or not. . Anybody else experienced anything like this? Also, thank you especially Ed for replying to me and correcting me on the likely provenance of that unusual scoped M1941 I saw. Glad I got the one I did instead.

Thanks for the replies! I'm now at sea for work until probably mid August, so I'll have to necro this thread when I get home and pull my rifle apart again. If there are any JSAR experts around Phoenix AZ or north of there, I'd love to have a second set of eyes on it sometime after I return.

Not knowing exactly how flush the firing pin should sit against the locking cam unit, that's a hard question to answer. Not having any other firing pins either, I have nothing to compare with. When the whole bolt is assembled, twisted and "locked" the firing pin won't retract any further than shown even when pressed on, so spring strength isn't relevant to this issue. Maybe I just need to rotate the spring clockwise a bit to make the tail lie flatter...?

Hello folks, I've got a question for y'all about the firing pin and the way it's supposed to fit. I pulled my JSAR apart for a proper deep cleaning for the first time since I bought it around 2018 (Got it from a nice guy in the CA North/East Bay Area who had several - including at least one directly from the estate of Melvin Johnson himself) and had some questions upon reassembly. See the attachments. The firing pin disk won't press flat against the locking cam unit because the "tail" of the firing pin spring is in the way. I didn't see if this is the way it was when I pulled it apart. This also means the firing pin protrudes from the bolt when it's closed and locked. Is this normal, and if not, what's the solution? I'm concerned about possible slam firing, or out-of-battery unpleasantness. This rifle won't have ammo anywhere near it until I'm convinced it's safe. Thanks for any thoughts you can provide! Other issues I encountered were that the rear cross pin is extremely tight, requiring a screwdriver to lever it out, and a mallet/punch to tap back into place. That's different from most of the videos I've seen. Also, when I try to slide the bolt in with the stock fully assembled, it hits and lifts the bolt catch assembly, and won't go in any further. To reassemble, I had to slide the bolt in before putting the buttstock back on. Am I missing something here, or doing something wrong?