16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 30 Nov 2009 Posts: 112 Location: SWFlorida

I had the chance today to try out a Marlin 90 that arrived recently. This is my first o/u and I thank people on this board for steering me towards a great gun, worked out well.

But now -- please advise if I've got trouble at hand. Some primers on shells fired from the bottom barrel look as if the firing pin punched through and made a small pinhole leak. They are smudged kinda black. Primers from the top barrel look like normal fired shells. There's no evidence of anything burnt around the striker hole where the firing pin comes out. I shot 2 boxes of shells and have 12 empties with primers like that. Firing pins look okay -- can't measure well but the lower pin seems a bit longer than the upper.

So: are burnt primers a bad sign?

And then, maybe related probably not -- back home I noticed that metal surrounding the shell rim support on the bottom barrel is wearing out. Saw a couple shiny flakes and then saw where they come from: the 6 o'clock position of the lower barrel's rim support is getting chewed up. The shiny flakes are new, because I cleaned everything earlier. Hadn't noticed metal wear in that area but guess I just missed seeing it -- I don't think it all got eaten up today. There's an area about 1/8 inch involved.

The way things are built, the 6 o'clock rim area happens right where all metal ends. It comes to a feather edge, and that edge is wearing away.

Would like to post pictures if I could paste them -- shows exactly what I'm talking about. Any Marlin 90 or other o/u guys run into this sorta thing before? I'm thinking it's not a great big deal, but I just don't know.

Thanks much!

[/img]

Member Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 665 Location: Louisiana

I have occassional primers that are "punched through" as you describe. In my view, nothing to worry about. Some primers seem to be 'soft' and the battery cup is domed in such a way that punching occurs. Other primers you may find are quite hard and that extra punch will come in handy.

As to the "shell rim support" are you referring to the extractor? It's necessary to know what you are actually describing. I suspect it's the extractor but a picture would be nice.

Charles will doubtlessly be along as will others with information on these little guns.
You're just going through the discovery stage of these 60+ year old guns--all will be well. Wink

Ron

Joined: 30 Nov 2009 Posts: 112 Location: SWFlorida

No -- the extractor is between both barrels, so on the lower barrel the extractor is at 12 o'clock.

The wear is happening at 6 o'clock.

It's at the very bottom edge where shotshell base meets receiver. I have a good picture of it but posting here is kinda roundabout.

You're right about discovery... gun's in really nice shape, and it shot so well first time out -- I want to keep us together!

mcs
email your pictures to me and I will post them
Just click on the Email box at the bottom and send me an email
Mike

Joined: 30 Nov 2009 Posts: 112 Location: SWFlorida

Very cool, done. Thanks.

Michael

Hello

See if this helps
Mike

Joined: 30 Nov 2009 Posts: 112 Location: SWFlorida

Thanks for getting those pictures posted on my behalf. That sort of friendliness reminds me to upgrade my forum profile. Ultimately hope to enliven 16ga.com the way you guys have. I live in Southwest Florida - Naples.

Michael Csenger

Hello

I see the loss of metal.

I (my opinion) do not see any major problem with this. The rim recess does not support the rim. Many shotguns have voids in the rim recesses.
In your fired ammo, I see no evidence of bulges in the rim area.

The Win Model 12 has two horizontal cuts in the recess. The Ithaca 37 has two vertical cuts in the recess. These cuts are for the extractors.

As for the primer piercing, have you tried Remington ammo?

Mike

Those look like Cheddite primers in those hulls.

I've have had pierced Cheddite primers in my Joseph Lang hammergun and will not use them anymore. As many as 2 out of 10 would pierce and almost always 1 out of 10 - 20

There have been reports of firing pin erosion from pierced Cheddite primers. I won't risk such preventable damage to my Lang since it was built in 1866 and all parts would have to be custom made.

I use Fiocchi primers now and have never had one pierce.

Joined: 25 Jun 2005 Posts: 50 Location: CO

I had to replace 2 lower firing pins on my Browning 16ga Citori due to the soft Cheddite primers. Soft primers seems to work better with pump guns and auto-loaders as the firing pin is parallel to the shotgun shell instead of coming from a sharp angle such as with the Citoris.

Joined: 06 Aug 2009 Posts: 960

Those hulls look very convex, is there a headspace issue? If so that needs to be solved. Then is the lower pin eroded or chipped?

The piece out of the rim of the chamber should not cause an issue.

Joined: 30 Nov 2009 Posts: 112 Location: SWFlorida

The brass is not convex, just looks that way with macro zoom photo.

Yes apparently they are cheddite primers, picked up from another thread re Winchester SuperX "Made in Australia"

So I did a web search and the top hit says some people have no trouble with them and others have sworn off because of issues exactly as you guys described.

http://www.trapshooters.com/cfpages/thread.cfm?threadid=187933&Messages=13

As I'm wanting economical target ammo, the other choices are Remington promo Game Load or maybe Rio something.

Anyone know whether those loads also use cheddite primers? Or should I move this thread over to Ammo?

Appreciate you taking a look at my gun! Will take a file to that area and clean up so bits of metal don't grind up into the works.

Thanks everyone.

Michael

Guest

Michael,
My Marlin 90 has that same gap on the bottom (6:00) edge of the lower barrel. I've wondered about that myself, but it doesn't seem to effect the gun's function.

I had problems with light primer strikes on the lower barrel on Fiocchi and B&P ammo. My reloads with Winchester 209 primers have always fired.

I have since ordered a couple new springs from Numrich and when they came they were described as "Super Springs" on the invoice. I have not tried them yet, but they do not seem any more powerful, but they do have a larger coil diameter which may reduce the drag on the strikers as they pass through on firing. We will see! They were reasonable enough at < $10.00 for the pair.

The obvious thing to to I suppose is just use Winchester primers in this gun, but that to me is a limitation that bugs me. My B&P and Fiocchi is among my best hunting ammo. As far as I'm concerned it should work with any and all of my 16 gauge ammo.

I'll will get it working!! (or bye bye)

Good luck with yours!

Joined: 18 Sep 2008 Posts: 14 Location: Virginia Blue Ridge

Michael,
I really don't know much, but personal experience and the experience of some others (after I began asking questions) has shown me that the promotional Remington Game Loads will give you as much primer hardness as you could ask for. They do not use Cheddite primers, and their primers seem to be known to be hard.
I cannot shoot them reliably in my Sterly because its hammers just don't seem to hit hard enough, and word has it that there are some $30k Krieghoffs that don't like them very much either.
Jeff

Member Joined: 13 Dec 2008 Posts: 460 Location: Texas

I am by no means a gunsmith, but the wear on the lower locking lug looks a bit fresh also, a possible " polish or honing" on both the locking lug inside the receiver and lower barrel lug could prevent the issues you are having on the barrel rim at six oclock. I would also clean up the area where the metal is protruding at six oclock with a very fine emery to square up the edges on the bottom and both sides, then keep an eye on to see if it continues to erode. Possibly clearance issues between the barrel lug and locking lug in the receiver, that may present itself only during recoil.
Have you been using target or hunting loads?