Extended firing pins

[Forrest Halley]

I am running C&S extended firing pins in my 625. This is the second pin I have broken since I have had my gun. I am guessing I get somewhere in the neighborhood of 7-10K trigger pulls on a pin as I dryfire the heck out of it. Am I doing something wrong here? I have been very diligient about using snap caps and replaced my last set with the last pin. Is this typical? Are there any better pins out there? Should I just go back to the factory stock or should I be shortening the next EFP?

[John Z Sr]

I broke 2 before I was told to use snap caps. I don't dry fire at all with the extended pins anymore, just shoot alot

[Forrest Halley]

I broke 2 before I was told to use snap caps. I don't dry fire at all with the extended pins anymore, just shoot alot

It's a good thing I enjoy tuning my revolver. Even with snapcaps they break eventually. I am going to shorten my next EFP to a happy medium between stock and stock EFP.

[Carmoney]

Do a search and you will find a whole ream of information on this topic.

I had repeated problems with the C&S pins in my own personal guns and accordingly I do not use them. I have been assured these problems have been corrected, but I have not attempted to confirm that.

I have tried every firing pin under the sun, and I have found nothing that works better than the second generation .495" +/- factory Ti pin with round tip. These pins are getting tougher to find all the time, and everything recently has been shipping out with the crappy "California drop test compliant" shorter firing pin with the pointed tip.

When I can no longer find the "good" factory pins anywhere, I will probably switch to the steel firing pin that Randy Lee sells.

[John Z Sr]

Just do whatever Mike C. says, the man is tops on revo work and knowledge

[Gregg K]

I dryfire the heck out of it. Am I doing something wrong here?

The instructions that come with the C&S say "Do Not Dryfire". You need to use some type of snap cap with the C&S pin. With the C&S pin there is nothing to stop the forward travel of the firing pin other than the pin running into the back of your firing pin bushing. You will break pins and eventually beat the firing pin bushing loose from the recoil shield if you dryfire the C&S pin. You can see what I'm talking about by removing the side plate and pushing the firing pin in as far as it will go and then while holding the pin forward, remove the cross pin that retains the firing pin. You will be able to freely remove the cross pin and see that it has no effect on the firing pin. With a stock or Randy Lee pin there will be tension on the cross pin and when you remove it the firing pin will move forward. This demonstrates that the forward movement of the stock and Randy Lee pin is stopped by the cross pin preventing it from slamming into the back of the firing pin bushing and damaging the pin and pin bushing.

You can keep your C&S pin if you desire but you can not dry fire without causing damage and premature pin failure.

The stock pins that Mike C mentions are good pins as well as the Randy Lee pins. The Old C&S pins were garbage. The new manufacture C&S pins are holding up fine as well as long as you follow the directions of no dry fire.

[Forrest Halley]

I dryfire with snapcaps...and the bag that the pin came in doesn't suggest this is taboo. I replace the snapcaps regularly. I guess I will switch to the Randy Lee pin.

[Gregg K]

The snap caps that I have found don't hold up very well. I make my own now by taking empty cases and filling in the primer hole with a hot glue gun, the kind that melts the plastic looking sticks. When it is cooled off I slice the excess off with a single edge safety razor. I then put a 230 rn so that I can practice reloading with the right weight snap caps. The glue gun snap caps last a long time before they get beat up and they are cheap.

My trigger pull runs 5 1/2 lbs so maybe I'm not hitting them as hard as your gun. When I had a factory trigger, I would tear up snap caps in a few sessions.

[Forrest Halley]

I built spec'd dummy rounds but did not glue the bases in the theory that when they got beat up enough I would fill them with powder through the primer hole and send them packing. I wore out traditions snap caps after a while, but changed to Azooms because the brass shavings were annoying. A Zooms are still holding up but who knows how effective they really are.

[RePete]

With the frame mounted firing pin you need to use snap caps.

I found the C&S extended is a tad too long and went back to the stock.

Apex (Randy Lee) makes an extended that is in between the C&S and stock and is supposed to be the bees knees.

[Carmoney]

It doesn't hurt anything to dry-fire a gun with the frame-mounted stock Ti firing pin. The stock pins might not be unbreakable.....but they're close.

[Tom E]

I found the C&S extended is a tad too long

+1

The only reason I can see for needing a pin as long as th C&S is if you want to shoot loose (non-moonclipped) rds in a 625. The extra length of the C&S pin (.515"-.520" oal) pretty much corresponds to how much too deep the 625 chambers I've measured have been cut.

[Forrest Halley]

It doesn't hurt anything to dry-fire a gun with the frame-mounted stock Ti firing pin. The stock pins might not be unbreakable.....but they're close.

I have the stock firing pin in the gun now, but it's a pointy one like someone described the PDR of California approved droptacular. I am going to shoot it and then see about the APEX or just shortening a CS as I can get them around the corner.

[Tom E]

I am going to shoot it and then see about the APEX or just shortening a CS as I can get them around the corner.

Do the C&S pins still have a convex surface the hammer hits? One thing I see in guns with stock or near stock mainsprings and C&S pins was that they'd dent the (MIM) hammer. The hammer would develop a concave surface where it hit the convex firing pin. Made the C&S pin functionally self shortening.

Edited May 5, 2010 by Tom E

[Forrest Halley]

I am going to shoot it and then see about the APEX or just shortening a CS as I can get them around the corner.

Do the C&S pins still have a convex surface the hammer hits? One thing I see in guns with stock or near stock mainsprings and C&S pins was that they'd dent the (MIM) hammer. The hammer would develop a concave surface where it hit the convex firing pin. Made the C&S pin functionally self shortening.

MY 625 JM has this concave surface on the hammer face and did when I got it. It had a previous owner and came with the stock pin installed. I believe it to be a MIM hammer that was chromed or something else that happily flakes off combined with a stainless trigger. The CS and stock part look indentical on the end that interacts with the hammer.

In other news I came up with a way to use the skeletonized hammer with the wonderful and worthy internal lock. Involves modification of the lock but ends up still working and isn't that what the IDPA wants?

[Resjudicata]

Well, I guess I'm not dry firing with my extended firing pins anymore. My 627 locked up on me last night practicing for Bianchi Cup. The firing pin was sticking out the front of the breach face and tying up the cylinder. The small diameter part broke away from the body. This is the first one I've broken. Granted I don't put as many live rounds or dry fire into my revo's as most of you guys. I also didn't have any of my spares with me at the time.

I was practicing the Practical stage and I did get through the WHO string with all 10's. So, I can say I finished no points down.

Anyone know if I can get a bulk deal on extended pins if I buy them in volume.

Chris

[pvhendrix]

Thinking of shooting some revolver in the coming year. My 625 has the hammer mounted firing pin. Is there a problem with dryfiring it in practice? When we carried revolvers at work for many years... tho many years ago, we dryfired constantly. Most of what I read above seems to be frame mounted pins.

Thanks!

[Matt Griffin]

Thinking of shooting some revolver in the coming year. My 625 has the hammer mounted firing pin. Is there a problem with dryfiring it in practice? When we carried revolvers at work for many years... tho many years ago, we dryfired constantly. Most of what I read above seems to be frame mounted pins.

Thanks!

After many tens of thousands of rounds, the firing pin bushing in the frame can become elongated, causing off-center hits. My 625-3 has to be north of 60k pulls and I'm not seeing ignition problems yet.

H.

[Tom E]

Anyone know if I can get a bulk deal on extended pins if I buy them in volume. Chris

Buying in bulk (with a bandolier to carry them) is only necessary with the C&S pins. Get one of the Apex Tactical (Randy Lee's) firing pins.

[Resjudicata]

Anyone know if I can get a bulk deal on extended pins if I buy them in volume. Chris

Buying in bulk (with a bandolier to carry them) is only necessary with the C&S pins. Get one of the Apex Tactical (Randy Lee's) firing pins.

I'll check that out. I may use the spare C&S for the Cup and then switch to the Apex.

Chris

[LPatterson]

Interesting that this is a recurring problem spanning at least 5 years, that was when I broke a C&S EFP in an area match. Fellow competitor gave me a replacement stock FP and said to pay it forward, so now I carry an extra spare for the next person that breaks an EFP.

[Carmoney]

After many tens of thousands of rounds, the firing pin bushing in the frame can become elongated, causing off-center hits. My 625-3 has to be north of 60k pulls and I'm not seeing ignition problems yet.

Matt, it's probably not the firing pin bushing, it's probably wear to the center-pin hole in the frame, which is allowing the cylinder to be pushed a little bit sideways by the hand as the hammer falls and causing the off-center hits.

Anyway, firing pin bushings are easy enough to replace.

[So_Cal_Revo_Shooter]

2 questions about The Apex Competition Firing Pin kit.

1. Is there any "fitting" required with Randy's pin or is it a simple drop in part no questions.

2. It isn't clear on the Apex site whether or not you can dry fire without snap caps with the Competition Pin installed does anyone know if Randy's pin allows for Snap-Cap-Free dry fire?

[Matt Griffin]

After many tens of thousands of rounds, the firing pin bushing in the frame can become elongated, causing off-center hits. My 625-3 has to be north of 60k pulls and I'm not seeing ignition problems yet.

Matt, it's probably not the firing pin bushing, it's probably wear to the center-pin hole in the frame, which is allowing the cylinder to be pushed a little bit sideways by the hand as the hammer falls and causing the off-center hits.

Anyway, firing pin bushings are easy enough to replace.

Maybe I'm misspeaking, I'm talking about the hole in the frame where the hammer nose pokes through, it seems to be a detachable bushing, although damned if I can see the pin that holds it in place. Mine looks like it has slightly deformed at the bottom, where the hammer nose lands and is guided in the channel.

H.

[pskys2]

After many tens of thousands of rounds, the firing pin bushing in the frame can become elongated, causing off-center hits. My 625-3 has to be north of 60k pulls and I'm not seeing ignition problems yet.

Matt, it's probably not the firing pin bushing, it's probably wear to the center-pin hole in the frame, which is allowing the cylinder to be pushed a little bit sideways by the hand as the hammer falls and causing the off-center hits.

Anyway, firing pin bushings are easy enough to replace.

Maybe I'm misspeaking, I'm talking about the hole in the frame where the hammer nose pokes through, it seems to be a detachable bushing, although damned if I can see the pin that holds it in place. Mine looks like it has slightly deformed at the bottom, where the hammer nose lands and is guided in the channel.

H.

The FP Bushing is a Press Fit. I had a M29 done by S&W and they sent it back COCKED! They remedied their screw up, but jeez.

If it burrs you can dress it with a stone to smooth it down, I wouldn't worry unless you started getting primers flowing into it and tying up the action.

As for the Apex FP the 2 I have just dropped in, so did all of the C&S FP's I've used, but I've heard you sometimes need to adjust them with a file.

I would not make it a habit of dry firing without snap caps or empty cases, no matter who's FP you're using.

Edited May 13, 2010 by pskys2