Guys,

Thank you for your input. Let me give some more info about the gun, the primers, and some of my observations/thoughts.

Cam: I initially thought that the cam was the problem, so I decided to investigate this.

Of course, I can not see whether the cam completely lifts the hammer off the firing pin before the block moves.

I taped the lever side of the action with masking tape and marked where the lever was when the block first started to move. Removing the block and dropping the lever to the marked location where the block started to move, it appears that the hammer would be lifted off the pin.

Also when I removed the lower tang (includes the hammer), the pin remained embedded in the primer.

From this, I believe the cam is not the issue. What are your thoughts?

FP Spring: The firing pin return spring seems strong compared to other firing pin springs. If nothing else works, I may have to make a new spring.

Primer: I use Winchester LR primers which are rated as being somewhat harder than Federal but softer than Remington or CCI. I have successfully used Win primers for years and in several BP CF rifles, though none with a very steep firing pin angle.

Firing Pin: The pin has been trued and hardened.

The pin is at a sharp angle (35 degrees) to the bore. My question is this: When the rifle is fired, could the thrust on the cartridge force the case back and capture the firing pin?

However, if this were the case, why does this not also happen in the 1000s of other 1881.

What are your thoughts?