how long should a 1875 Remington firing pin be?

[gandalf23]

I was told that the firing pin on my Uberti 1875 Remington clone is too long.  I keep getting a burr around the firing pin hole and was told that was the culprit.  How long should the firing pin be?  I assume I can just file it down a bit? 

Thanks,

-Mike

[Pettifogger]

It's not the tip sticking out of the front of the frame.  That is fairly easy to measure and should be between .045 and .055".  The problem is the part of the firing pin behind the recoil shield.  Lots of times the shoulder is just a tad long and is hitting the back of the firing pin hole.  It's kinda hard to measure that.  If you Remmie has the floating style firing pin (the kind that wiggles in the  hammer when its cocked) take out the cylinder and lower the hammer.  Try to wiggle the tip of the firing pin with your finger with the hammer fully down.  If it still has a little wiggle, then its probably not hitting the frame (at least not real hard).  If the firing pin won't move at all, then it might need a little polishing of the curved surface behind the tip of the pin where it fits into the frame on the back side of the firng pin hole.

[gandalf23]

Thanks!

I'll take a look at it tonight. 

-Mike

[gandalf23]

The firing pin still wiggles when the hammer is down. 

Shining an insanely bright light on the rear (hammer side) of the firing pin hole I can see where the firing pin is hitting the side, so I assume I just file a bit on that side till it does not hit? 

-Mike

[Steel Horse Bailey]

The firing pin still wiggles when the hammer is down. 

Shining an insanely bright light on the rear (hammer side) of the firing pin hole I can see where the firing pin is hitting the side, so I assume I just file a bit on that side till it does not hit? 

-Mike

Must be a Surefire light. 

Your method might work some.  The problem/challenge you're having is sorta common on these Uberti guns.  It's not a huge deal, and if you take a flat stone or very fine file, you can smooth the area around the hole pretty easily - after you touch up the place the pin hits.  If it goes on for too long of time, it can cause the case heads to rub and slow down or even stop the cylinder from turning.  It's really a problem of soft, Italian steel.  Many guns actually are made with a hole drilled in the frame and a hardened bushing inserted THEN the manufacturer drills out the hole for the firing pin to pass through.

My 2 1875s both have had to be "flat filed" a couple times in the last couple thousand rounds.  It CAN eventually end up with a bigger-than-needed frame hole, but that takes a LOT of rounds fired.

If it really bothers you, find a really competent gunsmith and he can do the hardened bushing thing ... but you might not like the price.