One of my Sako L61R's broke the bolt stop spring a couple of weeks ago and that part is proving to be impossible to find. I took out the broken spring and also another one from another L61R and I believe I might could make one if I showed a lot of patience during the process. I mic'd the spring and it measured .025" in diameter. I swear I think if I got a large safety pin I might could use that to pull it off. Any advice would be appreciated.

Looks like this:

I believe the "trick" will be the right steel and heat treat.

https://www.mcmaster.com/springs

they have .025" OD springs what length do you need.

The whole thing might be an inch long

Get yourself some piano wire of the same diameter, you should be able to bend one up cold. Expect a few tries. Brownell's sells a nice assortment of sizes in 3 foot lengths, straightened. Good hobby shops sell 3 foot straight pieces too.

Do remember that piano wire is harder than the jaws of your standard wire cutter. I use the dreaded Dremel with a cutoff wheel.

A large diaper safety pin has a lot of tension and I think it would work. powdr

Leave the point on, that and the plating says Bubba's been here. But if you don't care that could work particularly with the same wire diameter.

There is a local company that makes springs. Fascinating to watch the machines run endlessly from stock wire rolls to finished springs. I've been there, working, a couple of times.
I have no idea of thier rates, or minimum order size, but they might accept an order.

A really interesting "How It's Made."

Sure looks similar to the bolt stop spring for a Remington 700. If not exactly the same close enough to make fit. Otherwise, the suggestion to find the proper size music wire is the way to go.

I have a few sizes of music wire from building hammered dulcimers. I will check the wire size when I get home. If I have what you need, I'll just mail it to you.

I have .016, .018, .020, .022& .024 music wire. If you would like to try winding your own, PM me with mailing info.

You can buy (Brownells) unheat treated spring wire bend it heat treat it and go for it.

Thanks!

Use music wire. Bend the angled shrt leg first. Make it longer than necessary. Clamp this leg in your vise and wind the loop around a punch which is smaller in diameter than you want the loop to end up. Bend the two right angles at the appropriate place and cut off. If you are like me, the third one will be great! GD

Yes and wrap cold.

The guys who design the spring making machines must be sharp individuals!

Jim

Custom Shop in Montana

406-375-5126

Well....not one soul had one. Sako, Beretta, Numrich, assorted gun parts dealers, Sears & Roebuck...nobody. I had to make one myself, or at least try. Straightened out a safety pin and went to work slowly. By the way, the broken Sako spring and the safety pin measured exactly the same in diameter: .025". I lucked out and the replacement worked like a charm. In the photo below is the broken pin on the bottom and the safety pin spring on top....thought I did pretty well. The angle of the photograph doesn't show it, but the curves match up well in the respective springs. The little 90 degree turndown is where it broke. And yes, my original picture in my first post, taken off the internet, was the wrong spring.

You buy the music wire and wind them.......

If you need certain pitch.......wrap it on a bolt or screw. Then a couple close wraps at the end

I’ve also made springs for old locks out of a spring from a mousetrap when I was visiting an old house.

That's the hazard of improvising. Don't know what the composition of safety pin steel is, beyond it being springy. Plus if the anneal is a little cool and the safety pin comes out a little hard and brittle that's ok for safety pin duty. Odds are that if it hadn't broken straight off the spring would have failed from stress fracture over time and per Murphy at a most inopportune moment.

Have you tried Bolsa Gunsmithing in California? They have a lot of parts.

Brownells -> Gunsmithing -> General Topics -> Springmaking Without Tears

Brownells -> Jack Rowe - Master Gunsmith Series - Making a Spring - Parts 1, 2 & 3.

OP, you have a pm.

WWKD!

Simple. Help a friend.

What Would Kingston Do?

Music wire can be bent and wound without heating. If there is a model airplane shop near they have it in all sizes. The packs from Brownell's are already spring steel. Don't heat or harden, temper. Flat springs are different and can snap if bent too far.
I never toss old springs and have coffee cans full to usually find one that works to reshape. Diaper pins are junk.

So....how did your spring come out?