Extra Long Firing Pins

[trickpony]

Just curious if anyone has any thoughts on why or when an extra long firing pin is necessary? I've been told both to and not to use one in my 9x19 open gun adventure... Any thougths? And is the Limcat piece the way to go if it is necessary?

Thanks in advance for all your inputs.

[Shooter Grrl]

YES AND YES

Consistency is the key with the long pins. And Limcat, AFAIK, is the only one available!

[warpspeed]

I shoot a Limcat firing pin in all my pistols - 38 super, 40 S&W & 9x19

[diehli]

Dawson also lists one in its catalog.

Hyper Drive Firing Pin- made from heat treated stainless steel

#026-1025

9mm/38 Super/40 S&W Extended Length.......$10.95

Beven Grams made an interesting point: we ain't walking around with a loaded gun, unless we plan to be shooting it. An extended firing pin gets rid of a potential problem in primer flow or a weak strike... ounce of prevention vs. pound of cure.

[kevin c]

My original .40 loads (Clays, back in the 175 PF days) caused primer flow with WSP primers. I would get light FP hit misfires from brass in the FP channel. A combination of WSR primers plus Limcat long FP's solved that problem. I shoot a different load now, but still use WSR's and Johnny's long FP's (why change what works?).

[Austin Hemphill]

One thing to look out for is protrusion of the firing pin from the breechface. In my SV with the interchangeable breechface, the limcat pin prodtrudes past the breechface and prevented the rims of the cartridges from sliding under the extractor.

[.40AET]

Austin- Did you change to a shorter firing pin? Or, did you grind it down untill it fit? I still have the stock FP in my SV and I was thinking about buing an extra to keep in the spare parts bag. No point to making extra problems.

Thanks,

Kirk

[Thomas Moore]

i use the dawson and have never, i repeat never, had a light hit on a primer. however, after the trigger job and before swapping the firing pin i did have light hits.

so go with the extended firing pin, you won't be dissappointed.

[Austin Hemphill]

.40AET,

I just swapped out the pin for a standard length Ed Brown. I liked the Limcat in my previous limited gun, but the sv slide just wasn't compatible with it. Since switching back, I have not had any light strikes or noticable primer flow, but time will tell. I didn't notice this problem with the limcat pin until I got two failures to feed in one practice session. I looked at and gagued the rounds that failed, and they looked good. But when I was cleaning the gun I noticed that the pin was ever so slightly above the level of the breechface.

[.40AET]

Thanks Austin. It seems that Ed Brown products were used before Sandy built his own custom parts. I appreciate the help. No point to doing everything twice.

[tyro]

Hey Guys,

Just a Tyro question here.... How does a long firing pin eliminate primer flow?

Thanks in advance

Tyro

[L9X25]

Tyro,

A long firing pin does not prevent primer flow, it just prevents it from flowing into the firing pin hole (tunnel) and causing ignition failure. Keeps the ignition consistent since nothing can get between the firing pin and the primer.

Leo

[oddjob]

Anyone have one for a 45?? Or will the others work???