Troubleshooting assistance: Safety Operation

[artyldr01]

Good afternoon.

I have been trying to determine the problem and solution with My RC bcd43. Here are the symptoms.

I cock the rifle. Move safety all the way to the right and pull the trigger and there is a slight "click"

I move safety to the center position, pull the trigger and another slight "click"

I move the safety to fire and it will sometimes fire without pulling the trigger.

I have a 43 byf bolt m/m that I swapped bolts with to try and trouble shoot and it functions perfectly.

When I put the RC bolt in the byf it still "clicks" on the safety positions but doesn't automatically drop when moving the switch to fire like it does in its own rifle.

Any thoughts or help are appreciated!

 

[Pisgah]

A rifle that fires when you take it off safe is clearly a problem. I would have suspected the sear had you not mentioned that the rifle functions fine with a different, self-matching bolt. As much as it would be nice if any pile of parts could be assembled to function that is not the reality. If it were me I would consider dropping the $150 or so to buy a self-matching bolt off of GunBroker or eBay or even try to find a self matching back end (bolt sleeve, cocking piece, firing pin, main spring, and safety only). You could go the budget route and start by buying a new cocking piece and safety, then mixing/matching until you get satisfactory function. The budget route could end up being a PITA if you end up having to buy multiple spare pieces before you get it right. I would expect the self-matching bolt or self-matching back end to fix the problem immediately.

 

[artyldr01]

I don't know how I missed that when I bought it.

Thanks for the info. I usually do a much better job inspecting firearms before buying them but this was my first K98k so I guess I got blinded. Luckly I paid well below current market value for it so I am still pleased.

By the way Pisgah, I like your Avatar. I have a mug from one of my visits to Salzburg in the early 90s. Beautiful country and great beer!

 

[tsmgguy]

The safety itself is likely either worn or is of the wrong dimensions. The 'click' noted in the safe and lock positions is the striker being released by the sear when the trigger is pulled. The striker is now held only by the safety, and the gun fires when the safety is rotated to the 'off' position. You might also check to see if the stirker is worn where it engages the safety, and is too far forward with the safety engaged and the trigger pulled.

From the descrition, either the serial numbers don't match and the dimensions are off, or the associated parts are well worn.

 

[artyldr01]

The safety itself is likely either worn or is of the wrong dimensions. The 'click' noted in the safe and lock positions is the striker being released by the sear when the trigger is pulled. The striker is now held only by the safety, and the gun fires when the safety is rotated to the 'off' position. You might also check to see if the stirker is worn where it engages the safety, and is too far forward with the safety engaged and the trigger pulled.

From the descrition, either the serial numbers don't match and the dimensions are off, or the associated parts are well worn.

Thank you very much. If I don't rotate the safety, the rifle only fires when I pull the trigger. It is an RC so very possible they didn't care so much about it being safe but caring very much that it fires!

 

[tsmgguy]

Anytime!

When the safety is operating properly, the firing pin housing should be retracted slightly when the safety is engaged or locked, taking it off of the sear.

My guess is that you'll get hooked on these rifles (like the rest of us here are!) and eventually find yourself a nice matching example with little wear. You'll be impressed by how well the safety works and how easy it is to manipulate with just a thumb!

These guns were originally hand fitted during assembly. Parts were not truly interchangable as we think of the term when applied to US manufactured martial arms from the same period. Dimensions could and did drift some, and assemblers were trained in the careful fitting of parts and assemblies. This is why parts were serial numbered. The vast effort effort at standardization in the US avoided this situation and is one of the great WWII production success stories.