Stevens Model 87H Problem
 

I just bought a Stevens Model 87H to take apart and learn about and tinker on. I have seen no information on them on the internet. The first thing I noticed is the bolt will not pull back all the way so I can push the pin in and lock it into place. Can anyone please help me figure out what may be going on with this? This is my first semi automatic rifle so I do not know a ton about the inter-workings. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Could you post some pics?
It's an older .22 right?

This worked for one guy with the same problem- - -
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=99589&sid=6b90b0f62724fb9e7f9eb2f4 98af4444

I got home from work today and pulled the rifle apart and cleaned it out then put the firing pin back where it was supposed to go and presto it works again. Thanks for the advise guys. :)

I will post some pics of it tonight.

Here are a couple pictures of the rifle. It is a project firearm and has taken a lot of abuse. From the pictures you can see the problem I was having with the bolt not pulling back all the way. You can also see the broken butt plate and also the massive amount of dirt in the stock. I can say the gun was rarely if ever cleaned. When I cleaned it out the first 3 barrel patches I ran through came out jet black. I not only used Hoppe's 9 but also decided to douse it down with CLP and give it a good scrubbing. The dirt just poured out of it. I was extremely angry that someone would take care of a firearm like this. After a full cleaning I put it back together and all the mechanics run smooth. I loaded it with a #4 Screw anchor and fired it and the firing pin strikes perfectly and the extractor is working perfectly. I was not able to use live rounds today but tomorrow will be taking it out for the first firing. I was nervous about it at first but now that I know things are clean and working like they should I can't wait.

Looks like it will be a nice rifle. The butt is an easy fix.
It still amazes me how poorly some people take care of their guns. I have seen guns with half a sandbox in them and enough lead to cast some bullets. It will always amaze me.

It scares the hell out of me. I think some people do not realize the severity of firing a weapon that is so dirty. If something blows out they can be killed. I fail to see how people just don't realize that. I have a Winchester 94 post 64 and when I go hunting I always load 4 cartridges into it. Last year when I was unloading it there were only 3 cartridges. I checked and could not find it so I chalked it up to accidentally only putting 3 cartridges into it. This was stupid and thoughtless on my part and also a learning experience. The next time I went hunting I put 4 in and when I ejected them 5 came out. I just started in horror and will NEVER make that mistake again. If I wasn't strict about locking my guns away and my kid was older and able to get into them there could have been a tragedy. Simply not cleaning the magazine tube could have resulted in a death. Needless to say I was shaken by the thought and am a lot safer when it comes to cleaning and making sure my rifle is in tip top shape.

Yeah that's one reason why I'm not a huge fan of tubular magazines. That and the potential for problems with pointed ammo.