Straight firing pins
 

Should the straight style firing pins have springs or should they float?

Great question Chuck. Tom and I were wondering the same thing. One of my hammer gun does not have any springs and I'm wondering if they are missing.

Angel, my top lever (pictured on the discussion of hammers) doesn't have springs. The gun always opens just fine but every once and a while when you close the gun on shells, a firing pin will protrude and needs to be pushed back in before closing. It seems like there should be springs on the firing pins but I'm not sure.

The offset firing pins did have springs although not mounted on the pins but on the offset.

My concern would be the pin getting stuck to the shell and not being able to open the gun. I have two identical 0 grades, one has springs one does not. I say they should have springs.

I have one with springs originally and one that came without springs. I decided the one without springs needed them and made a pair. I later took them out and the gun works perfect without them. Dave

We're gonna have to take a survey off all hammer guns with straigh firing pins and see what it shows. So far all the one's without the spring work just fine. These Parker guns are amazing.

I have had original guns with/without springs. Both functioned perfectly but I kinda like the idea of a spring to insure the firing pin retracts.

The earlier top levers did not have springs.
I believe Parker made the change to springs in about 1888-90.
Somewhere around the 45,000 to 50,000 serial number range.

The ones made for srings are drilled differently than those not made for springs. It is very hard to get springs to work/ seat correctly in one not made for them. Everyone I know who has tried this ends up taking them out and the guns works much better.

Sorry for such crude numbers/ dates but I am going off memory while are work and dont have any of my reference material handy.

John, Thank You for clarifying that. Now that you got me thinking I had a late top action 12 gauge in the 52,000 serial range that had springs. Also an earlier gun somewhere's around 37/38,000 that did not.

Mine's in the 27k range so John's explaination makes sense. I'm going to experiment!