MrTipUp wrote on Jan 27^th, 2021 at 6:45pm:


Based on the new smokeless powders, wouldn't the date be even earlier if this was true? The first smokeless powder was introduced in 1884, and by around 1894/95 was very commonly found in the US. And DuPont introduced Lesmoke in 1911, which was probably the best of the early smokeless powders. 
So still seems 1898 is an arbitrary date picked out of thin air to me.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the 1898 date come up with because of the gun control act of 1968.

OK, I got the rifle.  You win some, you lose some.  This one has some problems.  The wood is recently redone, you can smell the varnish.  The barrel unscrewed easily, some kind of silvery grease on the threads and screw.  The bore is decent, somewhat shiny.   

Now the bigger problems.   

1.  When I cock the hammer, it has a good half cock and full cock.  When you pull the trigger, it's floppy, nothing touching the sear.  I figured I bought a lemon, the decided to push the hammer forward.  I can feel a bump and it goes forward a few mms.  Then - you can pull the trigger and it falls.  Is that normal?  I've had set triggers, but never a set hammer.

2. I took a few .22 Rem HV shorts and test fired.  The first fired fine.  Ejected fine.  I put in another and fired it. Got blasted in the face with hot gasses.  The rim blew out where the firing pin crushed it. It jammed in the chamber and I brought it home and tapped it out.  The firing pin face seem smooth and round.  The ejector has a dent in it where the firing pin goes.  Was the blowout a fluke?   

The lever screw on the LEFT side it broken in half.  I'm reading it may just be a pin, should I drive it out from the right?  The right screw came out.   

I suppose all this is fixable...

oneatatime wrote on Jan 29^th, 2021 at 12:39am:

It’s possible that someone put the pivot pins in from the right side, in other words backwards. Funny, my 414 had the pivot pin retaining screws on the right side broken in half at the screw slots also when I got it.

Thanks all.  Got it apart and cleaned and lubed it.  The extractor seems in good shape, but had a few sharp edges I lightly filed.  I fired a CB cap in the yard and no blowout.  The one that had blown out earlier was a High Velocity.  It's case ruptured right at the extractor, which seems also to be where the firing pin hits.  Basically my theory is the heavy hammer fall crushed the case against that sharp extractor edge.  I'll fire a few more and see if I fixed it.  The bore is pretty good, the chamber pretty tight. 

The lever does hold up against the tang, but barely.  After cleaning, it's not as snug up there, but it doesn't droop unless you fiddle with it.   

The trigger I didn't take out.  Like you say, probable the geometry is not right, because of the bent tang.  But if I push the hammer forward, it will trip fine.   

I think I'll sell it and get another, it's just not my thing to fiddle with too many problems.  If anyone wants it I'd let it go for what I have in it.

That's where it hits.
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I think you need a new extractor or the old one welded up and re- cut with less of a groove for the firing pin to catch on. You possibly could use a new firing pin also.

Frankly, I'm not sure why I'd be rebuilding the block, extractor, or firing pin.  I had one blowout case.  The firing pin is smooth and rounded. 

I smoothed the rough edges of the extractor rim, it's not breaking the brass case rim anymore.  I also think I read that some of these did have the extractor strike exactly where the extractor is.  I need to find that link.  But can anyone with a 414 say where theirs strikes?