I had a similar problem with my 444 Marlin with misfires. Mine had noticeable drag on the firing pin when I pushed it forward with my finger. It turned out that the spring, that disconnects the back portion of the firing pin when it's not in battery, was catching on wear marks (or tooling marks) where it slides on the pin. I cleaned up the roughness on the firing pin and it solved the problem. If it ever gives me trouble again I'm going to a 1 piece firing pin.
Lee
Last edited by Polecat; 01/15/18.
