NEF Huntsman not firing

[swamphunter]

My brother in-law bought this rifle new a few months ago. He and I fired our muzzloaders less than ten times each about 3 weeks ago. I'm sure he cleaned it afterward. On Sunday a few of us were sighting in, and his rifle would intermittently refuse to fire. The primers had a very shallow dent in them. We tried a different brand, and this worked a time or two, but did not solve the problem. It appears that the "block" of metal that the hammer strikes is sliding down when he pulls the trigger, thus not allowing sufficient force for the firing pin to ignite the primer. I wondered if the firing mechanism is dirty, as you can see smoke come out from around the hammer after the gun is fired. He is an auto mechanic (a very good one), but he thought that by the type of pin that is holding the receiver together, that he should not disassemble it. There is also nothing in the manual about disassembling the firing mechanism. The company said to send it back, but it would not be back for our muzzleloader season. Anyone else have this problem or have heard of it? Any input appreciated.

Swamphunter

 

[Rifleman]

I am gonna go out on a limb here. I don't have one of those guns but I have taken quite a few guns apart over the years. I believe that gun has what is sometimes called a transfer bar. A transfer bar is a bar between the hammer and firing pin that raises as the trigger is pulled to allow contact from the hammer to the firing pin. This keeps the gun from discharging when the hammer is cocked or being cocked and the hammer from a blow or jar is inadvertnenly sent forward. It is a safety feature. So during the act of actual firing it does slide up into place for a short time. I think this is what you are seeing and thinking were the problem lies. I dont think so, from you description it sounds as if the gun is operating correctly and you guys just have not seen this before. IMO more then likely you are dealing with a dirty gun, either the primer is not firmly seated and is moving when hit by the firing pin due to excess buildup or there is something in the action preventing the hammer from hitting the firing pin with full force. I would recommend a full and thorough cleaning and a retest. I could be wrong, but of course diagnosing problems such as this over the internet is difficult and I have been wrong before, but it wont cost anything to try. Let me know how this works out, Rifleman

 

[Admin]

They're being hit but not enough to reliably fire, am I correct? Did it fire reliably the previous trip? From your description, it sounds like the firing pin isn't long enough. Looks like you'll have to get it back to the company.

 

[Grouse]

I just saw this happen last week with the same gun. The primer went bang, the Gun did not. Dirty breech plug was the problem. There is alot of blow-back with this gun. I just switched plugs and problem went away.

 

[swamphunter]

From what I could see, the transfer bar appears to be the problem, although in my opinion the hammer did not seem to be striking all that hard either. He called the tech line yesterday, and the grumpy lady told him that it was likely a trigger adjustment. The transfer bar did not appear to be going up all the way when the trigger was pulled. The primer did not fire, so I do not think that it was a breech plug issue. The primers which did not fire only had a very small shallow indent in them. The gun functioned fine on our previous outing which leads me to believe that the firing mechanism needs to be cleaned. It seems odd that if this is an issue, why the company would not include this procedure in the manual.

Swamphunter

 

[whitesmoke]

swamphunter,

As I once gunsmithed for a living 15 years ago all I can say is that even after all these years it appears that ole' transfer safety bar is still a problem with that action. I remember one fellow who didn't want to send his gun back (the bar arm completely broke) had me replace it. He wasn't very happy with a $35.00 charge for a $90.00 gun from Kmart. You may as a last resort try spraying out the action with some Gun Scrubber or a similar product, it may be worth a try but most likely you'll have to send the gun back. One more thing you might want to try after spraying out the action, try some Federal 209's, their cups are the softest in the industry and you may experience less misfires. Sorry your having problems.

Whitesmoke

 

[whitesmoke]

swamphunter,

I suppose if I had read your last post I would have seen that the rifle WAS working fine :d'oh!:. Absolutely clean the heck out of that action before sending it back. BTW, Rifleman is probally right on target with his diagnosis, as the problem does sound like some bad fouling in the action and most likely in the firing pin hole also.

Whitesmoke

 

[River Rat]

This is a good shooting gun hope you figured out your problem.

River Rat

 

[Anonymous]

:huh?:

SWAMP MASTER WHEN YOUR BROTHERNLAW CLEANED THE GUN AND REPLACED THE BPLUG HE DIDN'T TOURCH IT DOWN TO TIGHT THEREFOR GIVEING THE PRIMER HOLDER JUST ENOUGH FLEX TO NOT MAKE GOOD CONECTION WITH THE PRIMER. BUT HE NEEDS TO CLEAN THE FIREING MEC. REALLY GOOD ALSO!!!!

JUST A THOUGHT!!!!

LUNGBUSTER1

 

[little gump]

Swamphunter,

I also had this problem with my NEF Huntsman when it was
brand new.I talked to my gun dealer about it then we had
to send the gun back to the company,they sent it back fixed.
I have had this gun for four years,and it works great. Oh
and by the way I think the problem was a headspace issue.

 

[mcrik]

Sounds like to me......There in an interlock in the bolt that locks the action. The locking bolt may not me contacting the interlock with enough force to move the interlock out of the way, allowing the hammer to move through it's arc. If fouling gets into the action, especially on a brand new gun, the interference caused by the grit may prevent it from locking completely. It's a safety feature.

Like everyone said, get some gun scrubber and clean it. Be careful with this solvent....it removes stock finish.

mcrik