Winchester Model 54 -- low-profile safety installation

[Ki6vsm]

I'm trying to remove the safety lever (swapping it out for a different type) on my Model 54. I know that it's supposed to be very Mauser-like, but the only instructions I could find for disassembly of the Model 54 specifically are on this page. But there is no numbered diagram so I am not 100% sure what he means when using part names.

http://winchester54.blogspot.com/p/gunsmithing.html

Specifically, I am having trouble with this step:

"6. Remove the firing pin spring stop and spring - (I do this blind, with a heavy blanket over my hands, because parts are about to fly all over the place.) Place the firing pin assembly on a non-slip surface, with the firing pin pointing up. Firmly grasp the spring stop, and press it towards the cocking piece. Rotate the spring stop a 1/4 turn, and slowly and firmly raise the spring stop off of the firing pin. Now that the firing spring is fully decompressed, slip it off."

So is it safe to assume that A is the cocking piece and B is the spring stop?

[Ki6vsm]

Hmm. I thought about it some more. If those are the correct names for the parts, then it wouldn't make sense to say "Firmly grasp the spring stop, and press it towards the cocking piece." I'm not sure what he is saying.

Anyone know the correct procedure here? (This is my first non-Lee-Enfield bolt action rifle.)

EDIT: Or is the spring stop that thing I casually referred to as the keeper? Which would mean, push B toward the keeper. i.e., compress the spring?

.

[DVSmith]

The firing pin keeper is that collar toward the business end of the firing pin. In your diagram it is the middle line where the diagram is labeled "firing pin, spring and keeper". You need to push down on that collar and then rotate it 1/4 turn and then gently let the spring tension off. Does that help?

[DVSmith]

Check out this video at about the three minute mark.

[Ki6vsm]

Excellent! Thank you sir. I have it all apart now.

I had been watching Mauser videos showing how the cocking piece is pushed out and turned. But the Winchester is very different in how the spring is removed obviously.

[DVSmith]

Cool! Post a picture when you have it rebuilt. It is always fun to see what others are doing to improve/customize their hardware!

[Ki6vsm]

I'm putting in a "low" scope friendly safety. But I hit a snag. I think I have to do some filing on the forward end of its shaft. Right now the end has a little relief cut into it. But this relief is a lot smaller than what the original has. It's getting in the way of me turning the FP assy all the way back into the bolt.

Crap, I hate getting parts all oiled up and reassembled, and then having to pull it all apart again. I'll post pictures of what I mean, as soon as I have a chance.

[DVSmith]

I hear ya, nothing ever seems to just snap together!

[Ki6vsm]

Okay. So I have this new safety lever made by Precise Metalsmithing Enterprises. It's a two-piece unit; the lever part attaches via a little screw so not shown in the pic below. I have no issue with that aspect. But it looks like I need to do some filing, like I said. I cannot install it as it is; the mechanism needs to be "cocked" in order to install in the bolt. The pics below illustrate why I can only screw it in only so far.

One possible solution would be to set the safety in the "fire" position and (somehow) hole back the cocking piece manually while screwing in the FP assembly. But that's a pretty irregular solution and I don't know how easy it would be to take it all apart again later.

I'm also hoping to get input from anyone who's ever installed one of the CM Metalsmithing safeties.

Here is the original safety....



And here is the new one...

[Ki6vsm]

Just to make sure, can everyone see the two images in the post above? I just looked at this thread on my Android tablet and the images are missing for some reason.

[DVSmith]

No, I don't see them either on my PC.

[freonr22]

I believe 8 years ago when I did mine that I used a vise to hold the bolt and or cocked in The vise..

[Ki6vsm]

No, I don't see them either on my PC.

Damn. Can't even see them as attachments either? I can see them fine on my laptop. Not sure what the deal is. I'll try reattaching them.

[Ki6vsm]

The forum seemed to drop my attachments, even though I could still see the embedded pics. So I re-attached them.

Let me know if you guys can see them this time.

[Ki6vsm]

And FWIW, here are the instructions. Like so many similar products, these aren't the best and would have benefited greatly from having a diagram because the terms they use are not familiar to me. So I keep re-reading this and looking at the parts, hoping it'll sing in.