Rifle striking mechanism for semi-automatic operation

A striking mechanism for the semi-automatic operation of a cartridge firing firearm includes a receiver, a barrel attached to the receiver and providing a breach, an op rod assembly, and a bolt adapted for reciprocating movement within the receiver and engagable with the breach of the barrel and the face of a cartridge chambered therein. The bolt carries a primary firing pin, and a bolt lock means is pivotally connected to the bolt for selectively locking the bolt within the receiver. A bolt link assembly is pivotally connected to the bolt lock means and to the op rod assembly. The bolt link assembly provides a bolt link transfer pin. An op rod transfer pin is carried by the op rod assembly and can engage the bolt link transfer pin. A linear hammer can engage the op rod transfer pin such that, when a cartridge is chambered and the primary firing pin, the bolt link transfer pin and the op rod transfer pin are in alignment, the force of the linear hammer engaging the op rod transfer pin is transferred through the op rod transfer pin, the bolt link transfer pin and the primary firing pin to strike the primer of a cartridge chambered within the barrel. The striking mechanism is incorporated into prior art fully-automatic firearms to convert them to semi-automatic operation, and methods for such conversion are included.