Pre-64 Winchester Safety question..

[SStomcat]

I have a 1950 model chambered in .30-06. The safety moves from ON to OFF very easily. However, when I move it back from OFF to ON, it requires noticeably more force.
The rifle otherwise functions normally.
My questions are:

1. Is this normal for this model's safety design?
2. Does the extra resistance when engaging the safety indicate a problem?

Any information from owners of similar rifles would be appreciated.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Is it one with the paddle safety lever on top of the bolt shroud or the drum handle lever on the side?

The latter utilizes a spring loaded pall with cone shaped head to lock into three round pockets in the rotating lever post. The three pockets are for three safety positions. Second position allows the bolt to be opened with striker locked in safe position. It sounds to me like either your pall's cone tip is wore lopsided or, more likely, the firing position hole for it in the lever post has become worn out or it was incorrectly drilled at the factory. If the location of those holes is off even a tiny bit, it can mess things up. I know that too well!

 

[SStomcat]

Mine is the second one - drum handle lever on the side.

I tried to take the safety apart, but other than getting it off the bolt, just twisting it off) I have not been able to go any furher.

Is there a fix to this or I should head to a smith?

 

[One Day...]

I have a 1950 model chambered in .30-06. The safety moves from ON to OFF very easily. However, when I move it back from OFF to ON, it requires noticeably more force.
The rifle otherwise functions normally.
My questions are:

1. Is this normal for this model's safety design?
2. Does the extra resistance when engaging the safety indicate a problem?

Any information from owners of similar rifles would be appreciated.

Based on my own experience, this has probably nothing to do with the ball detent system

The operating principle of this safety is that when it is engaged, it cams back the firing pin away from the sear, so when the safety is released, the firing pin comes back to rest on the sear.

The effort required to engage the safety is actually the effort required to compress the firing pin spring a little more when the pin is moved back. It is noticeable but should be easy and smooth.

That is the theory.

In practice, the operation of the safety can be made harder by the fact that these are mass-produced parts, and the camming surface on the safety lever may not be perfectly aligned with the camming surface of the firing pin, and there can be a hard point when the edges of the two camming surfaces meet. The two camming surfaces should just slide onto each other, but if their edges touch at the beginning of the movement, it creates a hard point.

30 year ago or such when the old factory was going to hell, I actually took delivery of a brand-new New Haven Super Grade Win 70 on which the misalignment was such that the safety simply could not be engaged !?!?!

I fixed this easily by lightly beveling the edge of the camming ramp of the safety lever and it solved the issue.

If you know enough to take apart the safety lever off the bolt (i.e. disassemble the firing pin assembly - see internet), you can do this light beveling yourself easily. If this is not the case, or if what I am describing does not mean anything to you, then it is definitely safer to have a professional do it. It will take him the whole of 3 minutes

 

[SStomcat]

@One Day... Thank you! That's exactly as you described. The pressure/force comes from the spring pushing the firing pin back against the sear. Because the spring is under a significant amount of compression, there is naturally quite a bit of force acting on the engagement surfaces.

I did not bevel anything on the firing pin because I did not find any rough spots or burrs. I decided not to modify it unnecessarily and instead applied a small amount of grease to the contact surfaces and left it as is.

The challenge for me was to put the spring back on, with the sleeve on top and be able to twist it at 90 deg for it to lock in place.

 

[One Day...]

Great! Happy to be able to help

It is indeed amazing what a little bit of grease in the right spot can do

Yep, putting the spring back on is always "interesting". More than once did I have it bounce all the way to the ceiling (not to self: do not have your face over it!)

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Great! Happy to be able to help

It is indeed amazing what a little bit of grease in the right spot can do

Yep, putting the spring back on is always "interesting". More than once did I have it bounce all the way to the ceiling (not to self: do not have your face over it!)

Similarly, reattaching the firing pin tip to my 03A3 striker rod while keeping the spring depressed can be fun. Replaceable tips is a good idea, especially for a military rifle, but almost requires three hands. At least the spring cap is almost big enough to hang onto. I look at those dinky Model 70 spring retainer clips and wonder how a normal human loads the spring.

 

[SStomcat]

Similarly, reattaching the firing pin tip to my 03A3 striker rod while keeping the spring depressed can be fun. Replaceable tips is a good idea, especially for a military rifle, but almost requires three hands. At least the spring cap is almost big enough to hang onto. I look at those dinky Model 70 spring retainer clips and wonder how a normal human loads the spring.

You cannot unless you have some brute strength way more than an average person like me . Compressing the spring all the way down for the end cap to be inserted and twisted at 90 deg for it to be in place is no easy task.
The way it worked for me was to put the end cap on a vise horizontally and push the firing pin with the spring all the way through and lock it in place by twisting.

 

[Ray B]

I haven't done it lately, but that last time i did i recall removing the retainer screw from the bolt sleeve so that the firing pin could travel as far as possible forward then putting a spacer under the firing pin which is held vertically. Pushing down on the spring with the left hand while the right hand slides the end cap down, also pushing against the spring until it clears the shoulder on the pin and can be turned to lock into place. Then the tip of the firing pin is placed, pointing down against a piece of wood. The sleeve is then pushed down until the back of the firing pin is back far enough the lock it back by flipping the safety to On. the reassembled firing pin may then be placed into the bolt housing and turned into place.