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In cleaning my 10/22, I like to clean the firing pin and channel. The retaining pin is a 5/32 X 5/8 roll pin, and a pain to remove and put back. Also, the local hardware has 5/32 roll pins in 1/2' or 3/4' length for 20 cents. Ruger wants $2 for their 5/8 pin. I plan to see if a half inch pin works as well.

I thought how Mark III's come with a roll pin retaining the firing pin, yet their replacement part is a solid pin that slides through.

I don't know until next cleaning (soon, I shot it last Sunday) how big the retaining pin hole is on the 10/22. I'm guessing with a 5/32 roll pin, the hole is likely 1/8. I have some stainless 1/8 rod, and could cut and smooth a pin in no time.

Anyone else do this, or know a reason not to?

If you go a solid pin make sure you get a harden pin, otherwise it will deform. Some of the larger hardware stores do carry the harden ground pins.

I think my stainless rod is okay, likely harder than regular carbon steel. I have a home-made firing pin stop pin in my Mark 3, that is still straight and smooth after over 1000 rounds. I bought one from Ruger to look at and made three copies.

Just made some 10/22 recoil buffers from 1/4 X 3 inch nylon bolts. I'll install one when I clean it this weekend, and see what I figure out on the firing pin stop pin. A solid pin would sure beat that roll pin.

The firing pin stop/retaining pin hole is 5/32. My hardware doesn't have that in any stainless or carbon rod stock, so no solid pin for now.

A 5/32 X 1/2 roll pin does work fine for 20 cents, versus a Ruger supplied 5/8 long pin for 2 dollars. If you center it, leaves a 1/16 at each end. If not centered it's still good.

My 35 cent recoil buffers fit exactly like the steel bolt stop pin; I don't see why the hard nylon won't work as well as the 8-10 dollar "polymer" buffers sold by various places. Found a mention somewhere online where someone else made them like I did, out of 1/4 X 3 nylon bolts. Said his had over 3K rounds and looked okay. I've made eight, so sounds like that may be a lifetime supply.

ruger22 wrote: I think my stainless rod is okay, likely harder than regular carbon steel. I have a home-made firing pin stop pin in my Mark 3, that is still straight and smooth after over 1000 rounds. I bought one from Ruger to look at and made three copies.

Its not..... stainless is softer than "normal" steel. Stainless is only better if you want it to resist corrosion, otherwise non stainless is better.

As for the one in your mark III, it doesn't matter how many rounds you fire, because its not using the FP stop pin when you fire a round, its when you dry fire it that will cause a problem and deform the pin and eventually put a dent in the bbl.... stick with the roll pin or get hardened rod... the one from ruger is worth the $2 if it saves you from a dented bbl....

ruger22 wrote:In cleaning my 10/22, I like to clean the firing pin and channel.

So how much crud are you finding in there, anyway?

I doubt if there is ever enough crud there to cause a problem, the only place you get a buildup is in the top of the receiver at the breech face and this will not allow the bolt to shut completely and you may get a FTF. Recently had some FTF problems with Fiocchi #22 CRN and CCI Blazer In Green Mountain barrel that is installed in the receiver of my old 4 digit carbine, I doubt if the firing pin has ever been out since 1964, but I took it out and checked and it was clean. After talking to GM and checking some other ammo , I found that the chamber was slightly short. GM emailed me a shipping tag for FedEx as soon as I got off the phone with them. Nine days later the barrel was back and repaired and shooting great. If it ain't broke, I don't fix it. If is broke I will fix Ir for damn sure!!!!!

bearandoldman wrote: this will not allow the bolt to shut completely and you may get a FTF

There goes Bear, talking again....

FTF's all over the yard...

PS... watch out for that camber, it will make you drift off center...

FTF's all over the yard and guess who has to gather them up? we will put bear on that job. The camber is all right as long as both front wheels are the same just watch out for the rake and trail as it can make the front end speed wobble and terrify you, especially at 100 mph. And yes I have experienced that, but only once and I fixed that too.
For a trap shooter you are very observant, I misspelled chamber but that is fixed now also. I depend too much on spell chaeck and sometimes it fails me.

bearandoldman wrote: this will not allow the bolt to shit completely and you may get a FTF.

Wouldn't that be a FTS? A constipated bolt sounds serious........

So far I just get gray oil in the firing pin area, but I know the least bit of residue is still abrasive. I just like it clean, and to see that the pin and spring are okay. I can't practically disassemble the FP on my Single Six or Bobcats, so they do just get flushed with oil.

I guess that prove most everyone is more observant of my spelling than I.
But the bolt thing may be true. Nice thing about the roll pin is it does not fall out when you remove the bolt, if you did not pay attention that could lead to problems.
Spell check did not catch that ohe because it was spelled correctly.

While I'm not really an advocate of a dirty gun, Many have been "cleaned to death". Literally. Often that shows up as undue muzzle wear, and at times broken, or misplaced parts etc.
Re: pins.... if I'm not mistaken most roll pins are actually harder than most solid pins. (spring action of the pin to hold itself in place.)
It's been my experience that most firearms designers are smarter than I am. (except maybe Taurus ) I don't have a problem with changes just because you want to, and it may in fact make things better, but I'm really careful to try not to make things worse.
Keep on shootin' straight, and often

Medicine Hat wrote:While I'm not really an advocate of a dirty gun, Many have been "cleaned to death". Literally.
1

It's been my experience that most firearms designers are smarter than I am. (except maybe Taurus ) I don't have a problem with changes just because you want to, and it may in fact make things better, but I'm really careful to try not to make things worse.
2

1 - true, and the light amount of crud in the FP channel could just be getting blown out as fast as it accumulates. I'd try shooting 100 rounds, cleaning, and then shooting 1000 rounds of the same stuff, then see how much more crap is in there after 1k. If it isn't 10 times as much, you're probably over-cleaning
(pro-tip, I selected 1100 rounds because that's two cheapo Fed550 packs from ChinaMart)
If it is a threaded connection or a pin-popping experience to clean something, I generally treat that as part of a detail stripping, not routine cleanout.

2 - Obviously retain the original part, and don't trust a bubba part for serious uses until it is proven ... other than that, I see nothing wrong with some experimentation.

Didn't Ruger in the last year or so replace the same pin in the pistol bolt with a roll pin, instead of the solid pin that oft times fell out unnoticed?

bearandoldman wrote:Didn't Ruger in the last year or so replace the same pin in the pistol bolt with a roll pin, instead of the solid pin that oft times fell out unnoticed?

My Mark III came with a roll pin, two years ago this month. When I ordered two of the pins from Ruger a month or so after, they were solid. So I called and talked to a Ruger tech, and he said the roll pin was for assembly line ease, and the solid pin was the standard part.

I have Ruger supplied 10/22 firing pin stops, and they are roll pins, just like the rifle comes with.

BAOM, I wasn't making fun of the mis-spelling. The "i" is next to the "u" on the keyboard. It is fun sometimes how a typo comes out as good as a thought out joke. I am a bad two finger typer. I usually have to fix several typos before I click the Submit button.