Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats PT&G Rem700 firing pin: steel, fluted steel, or aluminum?

Does anyone know the weight of a GreTan versus a PTG, both in fluted steel?

I read at some time PTG makes Gretan's fluted steel pins, so I would guess the weight is very close.

Joel,
I believe that you are right.

The GreTan fluted steel is listed as a one-piece unit with no welds.

Is the PTG fluted steel a one-piece unit, or does it have a body and a tip?

I wouldn't have a clue.

Okay, I found the information.

PTG is 2-piece for both fluted steel and aluminum/steel.
GreTan is 1-piece fluted steel but 2-piece aluminum/steel.
GreTan claims his 2-piece unit has a special joint that allows for dry firing with no problems.

Weight savings is 1/2 ounce using aluminum/steel.

Butch,
Theuse of a heavier spring is an attempt to replace the inertia of the heavy pin with spring pressure to prevent cratering. It doesn't always work out so well. The heavy spring may cause the pin to over penetrate the primer cup and bounce back when the pin shoulder strikes the stop in the bolt body. This takes away all support from the primer cup and cratering is worsened.
A spring, when compressed, represents stored energy. The firng pin is the means to transfer this energy to the primer. The lighter pin will travel at a higher velocity and make up for the reduction in weight. GD

Butch, I have never heard of this, how did you add it ???

Was having trouble with my BR gun a couple years ago and Dwight Scott put in a stiffer spring and it seemed to cure the problem but adding weight sounds interesting.

greydog, dont think your entire analysis is correct concerning cratering, the biggest cause of cratering is improper or excess clearance between the firing pin and the firing pin hole in the boltface.

Boatanchor, Dwight Scott did both of my Firing pins.
GD, I understand your point, but the rifles with a closefitting firing pin to hole and with a .062 diameter pretty much eliminates primer blanking.

The .062 diameter is certainly beneficial in stopping blanking but the difference in pin and hole is less important than one might think as long as the hole is not too large. To clarify: If you have a .063 hole and a .058 pin, things will probably work out alright. If you have a .082 hole and a .081 pin, blanking is likely unless the pin is heavy enough to support the cup. In other words, it is the reduced diameter of the hole which is the important part of the equation. Reducing the area upon which the pressure can act is the important thing. Alternatively, increasing the inertia (mass) of the pin will also help. Of course, this also increases lock time. This is not too say that one should take a cavalier attitude toward pin diameter or clearance; only that clearance isn't as important as other factors.
The post-64 Model 70 has always been a bit of a problem because of the large diameter hole in the bolt face. Making the pin tip larger to minimize clearance will do little or nothing to improve the situation; especially if one is shooting small rifle primers. I've been through this quite a bit in making 6BR's on Model 70 actions. Of course, the problem was made a lot worse by the pressure levels to which the "F" class guys like to load.
I once had a Model 70 target rifle in 30/06. This was built on a 1965 Model 70 action and shot very well. Primers cratered a little but it wasn't a problem until I started loading a new lot of Federal primers. About every other shot pierced. The pin was a bit loose in the bolt so I made another pin which was a close fit. No change. I bushed the bolt and made a .062 pin and the problem disappeared. The point is, it wasn't the clearance between the pin and hole which was the culprit but the diameter of the hole. More area equals more load and the pin inertia and spring are not able to support the cup if this load is too high.
Of course there are some other factors which can enter into it. Firing pin tip shape is one, protrusion is another. In both cases the pin may weaken the cup to a greater extent making it unable to contain the pressure.
In many cases, a bolt face is bushed and a new firing pin tip fitted and the thinking is that it is the reduced clearance of the new parts which cured the blanking. Not so; it is the reduced diameter which cured the blanking. The reduced clearance is just a happy result of good workmanship but plays a small part in fixing the blanking problem. GD

GD,
I don't think we disagree.

Greg himself recommended that I do the "fluted steel" and skip the "lite steel" for a cold-weather hunting rifle.