Model 14/141 Slam Fire

[nambujim]

My "inbox" has been on overload this past six (6) months with folks who purchased rifles online (mostly from Gunbroker or GunsInternational) but not restricted to those sites. All these rifles have problems of one sort or another but today we're going to address a growing problem, slam-fire!

Probably from the first day these rifles hit the market back in 1912 someone felt they could improve the trigger pull which is about 8#. Problem is with the 14/141 all you can do is smooth out the pull which I described in an earlier post. So over the years owners with little knowledge messed with the trigger & sear on these models with result being a pull of about 6# which they only tested when the rifle wasn't loaded. Problem is when you introduce loaded rounds you change the dynamics just enough so you will get a "slam-fire".

I have stated in earlier posts that 90% of load/feed problems are the result of reloaded ammunition, in the case of slam fires that jumps to about 95% where the owner or previous owner messed with (filed down) either the trigger, the sear, or both. If you have this problem the first thing to do is to inspect those parts for obvious tampering.

Usually the fix is to replace the trigger, that is where I start, and usually does the job but sometimes you need to replace both he sear and the trigger. Its best to do them one at a time, like a "controlled experiment" where you eliminate one possible cause at a time.

Hope this helps someone!

Jim Peterson
Charlotte, NC