I have one with a broken firing pin (i think). Dakota hasn’t responded to my inquiry. couldn’t find anything on the web except that it’s hard to do.

If I'm not mistaken, I believe that James Anderson ("Gunmaker" here) worked at Dakota at some point in his career. May want to reach out to him.

Pretty sure that Chad Dixon, owner of Longrifles worked there also.

If I remember right, the cocking piece unscrews from the firing pin...there is one set screw on top of the other...this may have thrown you off

Duane
You're right concerning the 76 Dak. The OP is asking about the falling block Model 10. I haven't seen one in 23 years........

1. Remove the forend, unscrew the screw in the forend, rotate forend tip down first, it comes right off.
2. Remove small wood screw in the Tang of the trigger guard.
3. Remove recoil pad.
4. Remove/ unscrew thru bolt, it's either 7/16 or 1/2.
5. With the receiver in a padded vise pull straight back and remove the butt stock.
6. Drive the pin out the hold the guard in place.
7. This next part is kinda tricky. Get a section of 3/16 to 1/4 diameter x 4 inches long brass round stock.
8. Insert the brass brass round stock in front of the hook of the hammer strut.
9. Place receiver in a padded vise, you want the barreled action upside down in the vise so the trigger plate and lower tange is up.
10. Now you open the vise and push the barreled action thru the open vise compressing the main spring as you are using vise edges to engage brass rod to compress the main spring.
11. Snug the vise back up. You now have the action in the vise, main spring compressed, vise holding it there.
12. Remove the 3/16 Allen cap screw at the back of the lower tange.
13. Raise the under lever as if to open the action pull up on the lower tange.
14. The interlock on the lower tange and receiver will disengage.
15. Push the lower tange towards the muzzle and rotate slightly as needed to remove the lower tange.
16. The lower tange carries the lever, block, and trigger with it, the trigger has small trigger return rocker arm at the back of it, there is a small coil spring under that rocker arm, be cautious not to let that out or you'll be looking for it.
17. When you remove the lower tange keep in mind the under lever pivot pin 1/4 diameter slides in and out of a 1/4 wide woodruff cut in the front of the action, this is why the 10 has no externally visible pivots.
18. With the lower tang off leave the vise closed with main spring at compression no need to let it loose as this saves you a recompression step on assembly.
19. Use and 1/8 - punch to push out the 1/8 pin running cross wise thru the breech block. Now you have breech block in hand.
20. Remove the 2 small 4-40 screws on the breech block back cover.
21. The block cover is t-slotted into the back of the block push the cover down to disengage and remove the cover. You now have full access to the firing pin gallery.
22. If you have a finished pin ready for installation put it in and reverse this whole process for reassembly.
23. If you have a raw unfinished pin there is a fitting procedure for that we can cover later.

Ok, I have never seen one of these but anything that requires 23 steps to remove the firing pin was poorly designed from the start.

... and under no circumstances should you cut the red wire.

I want to belatedly thank Timan for the detailed instructions. The firing pin was broken. Steven Dodd Hughes graciously gifted me with a new pin and the gun works again. I will send it back to Dakota for a replacement breechblock if they ever reopen. I wonder if Don Allen, the designer, was a fan of Rube Goldberg.

quote:

Originally posted by Vol717:
I want to belatedly thank Timan for the detailed instructions. The firing pin was broken. Steven Dodd Hughes graciously gifted me with a new pin and the gun works again. I will send it back to Dakota for a replacement breechblock if they ever reopen. I wonder if Don Allen, the designer, was a fan of Rube Goldberg.

The 10 was rushed into production with issues.

Later Dakota 10's 2004 forward had a new firing pin system designed by Miller it was better.
Miller also changed the thru bolt design so it ran straight thru the butt stock

I built several Custom Rifles on Dakota #10 actions, all had the early firing pin. I had one client call me from a deer blind in Texas. I Said, "I told you not to dry fire it..."
The firing pin was a dog-leg sort and very weak.
They later developed a conversion that required breech block replacement and I converted all I had built with new breech block supplied by Dakota.
That action was designed by Don copying from others including the wonderful coil mainspring- hammer arraignment from my friend Martin Hagn's masterful action. Martin designed his with a straight, bore-centered firing pin that is virtually unbreakable. The first time i ever used a Hagn action was the last time I ever used a Dakota.
They were a very nicely sized action for a deer cartridge rifle and I built some sweet rifles with my new trigger guard/lever assembly. I also modified the upper tang contour to allow more drop in the stock for hunting and offhand shooting.I also modified the safety to clear a cleaning rod from the breech.
Vol 1871 was lucky I found an old breech block with a firing pin!
This a cover photo from Accurate Rifle Magazine, a .257 Roberts with the location of my secret pronghorn honey hole.

A .280 engraved by Michael Dubber