So I was going through the gun cabinet and came across an old Sears 103.228 bolt action 22, also known as the Marlin model 80 I believe. My Father in Law gave it to me since he knew i was into guns and he said it wasn't working properly.

A quick look and I first figured the problem was the dust and oil that was built up in every look and cranny over the last few decades. After a detailed cleaning, I loaded up the mag and figured I would give it a try. The first shot fired with no issues, ejected properly, and fed the next round.

I fired again and *Click*.... nothing...Reset the bolt and tried again, and it fired. Knowing now that there must be a bigger issue, I took it home and put it back to work on another day. Pulled it out a few days ago and looked at the breech face, the firing pin didn't look quite right.

I figured out how to get it apart (There is just one pin holding it together, and i was surprised to see how many parts make up the firing pin. There is the striker, then another piece about an inch long, and then another 2 part firing pin, and a loose spring. Something definitely didn't look right.

I went on Numrich gun parts and was able to see a schematic of the gun. As is turns out, the firing pin was not supposed to be in that many pieces. It sheared off right where it goes from something like -----///====== (crude image but hopefully you get the idea). The --- is the end of the pin, /// is the spring, and ==== is the other end of the pin. It was smoothly sheared where it when from --- to ===. My only guess is it may have sheared from dry firing, since the end was also chewed up from the top of the chamber. TANGENT: I now am fairly certain this is why you shouldn't dry fire 22s, since that firing pin now hits the top of the chamber (Steel on Steel) instead of the Brass holding the primer.

I was able to buy a brand new pin for a 50+ year old gun for about $7.50. Put it in and back together and she runs like a champ.

In sum, my point is that I am very pleased with e gun parts corp for having the part in stock, and my FIL is happy i was able to fix his old gun. I am waiting for him to ask for it back =)


Lessons Learned: You can find anything on the internet, but for old gun schematics and parts, Numrich is the place to go.

If you are mechanically inclined, working on guns isnt so scary after all.

When you fix a broken gun that was given to you, perhaps its best to leave that detail out the conversation with the gifter.

PS: Numrich still offers free shipping ($4.95 off anyway) if you call CS for the code. Today's code was 5280. Hope my experience helps someone that may need it.