357 sb1

[kawie]

i have the 357 talo handi.ive used the hornady LE 140gr an they showed promise before scope went.thing is i got about 1/3 of the brass had peirced primers.my buddy gave me a bunch of reloads an i have the same promblem with them.the only factory ammo that ive found that is a 100% so far is the magtech 158 JHP (almost 70 rounds without pierced primers).im also haveing good luck with the PMC bronze ammo in the 158 gr JFP(25 rounds an no failure yet)im thinking this will be my hunting load.ive done a search an most say to use small rifle primers but what causes this with the sb1 reciever an what can i do to fix this.i dont want to send it back right now cause hunting season is almost here.i dont reload right now so switching primers isnt an option.gun smiths are like hens teeth around here.not sure what to do.is it safe to shoot with the PMC an magtech.couple of the dealers around here tell me im having presure issues but i dont think thats it.
thanks
Kawie

[quickdtoo]

Make sure the firing pin is smooth and rounded, it could have a defective pin. With the action open, cock the hammer, pull the trigger while lowering the hammer all the way, keep the trigger pulled to the rear while doing this, the firing pin will stick out of the breech face as long as the trigger is held back, you can then get a good look at the firing pin and also measure how far it sticks out past the breech face, it should be ~.040-.050" or so.

Tim

[kawie]

i just looked at it like you said.looks smooth an rounded but i did notice that it looks like it points down towards the hinge.
Kawie

[quickdtoo]

They all point down, the firing pin isn't inline with the bore.

Tim

http://www.hr1871.com/documents/manuals/new/Handi-Rifle.pdf

[kawie]

thanks tim.
everything looks good  from what i can guess looks to be about an 1/8 inch coming out.
Kawie

[quickdtoo]

As Jamie says on Mythbusters, "Well there's your problem"!!   If it really is 1/8", that's about double what it should be, that's .125", 1/16" = ~.0625", I'd shoot the ammo that works for now, then if you want it fixed send it to H&R for repair unless you shorten the firing pin or change the hammer yourself or have a smith do it.

Tim

[kawie]

i was taking a guess as i have no way of measuring it but i did compare it to my sons 30-30 handi an it looks the same.
Kawie

[gcrank1]

If it seems about the same and you havent been having problems lately with factory ammo then maybe its 'cured'. I would question making a determination based on someone elses reloads.
When you get time, make up 5 or 10 of your own and give it a go, then change primers if you need by using those with harder cups, trying a few as you go. Once you get the winning combination you can feel better about making a bunch.