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Broomhandle Mauser firing pin piercing primer

6K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  jshoop 
#1 ·
I recently bought my first broom handle bolo. I have went through it and resprung it. The mainspring that I got is about 1/4" longer than the one that was in it. When I fire the pistol the firing pin is striking to hard and almost (and in some cases fully) piercing the primer. Does the mainspring control how hard the hammer strikes? I was wondering if I should slightly shorten it until I get the desired impact depth on the primer, or just slightly take the tip of the firing pin down? I want to make sure this is fixed correctly so it is safe to shoot. Hopefully someone who has some experience with broomhandles will know the answer! Thanks!
 
#2 ·
When you say 'mainspring', you're refering to the spring on the plunger in the lockwork, right?. Not the recoil spring that goes in the bolt? If so, the mainspring in the lockwork being too strong could cause your issue, but I've not heard of it with new spring kits. Or you have a weakened firing pin return spring, {the little job attached to the business end of the pin} , I've seen these compressed almost flat in well used import C96s from China. Don't touch the firing pin length. Unless it's not an original German part, it's almost impossible for it to be too long. Also, what kind of ammo are you shooting? A blown primer in a 7.63mm Broom could be a life altering event. My money is on an old compressed firing pin spring, especially if the gun was ever a Chinese import of the last 30 years.
Mike
 
#3 ·
I replaced the firing pin spring. All of the springs are new from Wolff Gunsprings. I think the firing pin is original, and it is the same length of the other firing pin I have. The mainspring is the one that goes in the lockwork. It was a pretty tight fit but I thought the old one might have compressed over the years. There was probably close to a 1/4" difference in length.
 
#4 ·
Having re-sprung several c-96's, it is my experience that the mainspring seldom wears out but the two in the bolt most always show extreme fatigue and will batter the bolt stop to the shear point if not replaced before shooting. If you cut coils off the FP return spring be sure to square the ends as was the original with a small swiss file or such. I usually do remove a coil or two from the replacement item with satisfactory results. Please be advised- I am not a gunsmith and these comments are made soley for you to judge your own work results.
 
#5 ·
The two in the firing pin were shot. I don't think the firing pin had ever been apart. The mainspring looked like it was in good shape, I replaced all 3 anyway. If I cut the firing pin recoil spring shorter, wouldn't it make my problem worse? The purpose of the recoil spring is just to retract the firing pin after the gun is fired right?
 
#6 ·
Before cutting anything I'd suggest you do the following:
Re-install the original mainspring and leave the other replacement springs in place.(They're usually bad anyway).
Test fire the pistol and see if you're still getting pierced primers. If not the problem is probably with the replacement mainspring as indicated above.
Jim
 
#7 · (Edited)
I put the old recoil spring back in and the gun will not fire. It strikes the primer but not hard enough to fire. I think I might have the 10% plus recoil spring. I will try triming it slightly and see what happens. The instructions that came with the springs said I might have to fit the firing spring. I think with the factory recoil the firing pin spring might be to long and need shortened slightly. I will start with the recoil spring and see what happens.
 
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