Hello

I saw the following description of an 1885 Winchester rifle for sale: "The breech block has been modernized with a spring loaded firing pin design"

Is that a common modification to the old rifles? Collector value ruined by such a mod?

Thanks

DJ

Singlshot pins were often modified in this rifle. The original pins can have issues with gas channeling should there be a pierced primer. The most common alteration is called something like the Mann-Neider firing pin. Not sure if it's spring loaded.

This would not detract from the rifle's value so far as I'm concerned - Unless this is an otherwise mint Schuetzen configuration or similar.

I think these pin conversions were pretty common on rifles made into high-pressure varminters - in which case, they get a lot of demerits for other reasons.

Brent

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Originally posted by dej470:
Hello

I saw the following description of an 1885 Winchester rifle for sale: "The breech block has been modernized with a spring loaded firing pin design"

Is that a common modification to the old rifles? Collector value ruined by such a mod?

Thanks

DJ

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