P-09 SA Not Hitting Primer

[touji]

Good morning all! 

 

I've run into an issue with my P-09 that has been cajunized a good few years ago. Recently, it looks like I am getting some failures to fire in single action. The odd part is that there are no firing pin marks on the primers, so it isn't a light strike: it seems that the firing pin isn't striking at all. Any ideas as to what may be causing this? 

[ClangClang]

Some more knowledgeable members will probably be along with a better diagnosis, but off the top of my very amateur head, how many rounds through it? Have you checked the actual firing pin yet? It may be worn down (or the tip actually broken) and the weaker hammer strike in SA isn't reliably driving the firing pin forward enough.  Similarly, when was the last time you cleaned out the firing pin channel? It needs to be clean and dry, no lube. If gunk collects in there it can retard your firing pin velocity.

[touji]

The firing pin in it probably has had close to 3000 or 4000 rounds through and, and admittedly, I have not cleaned the firing pin channel. I'll give it a disassemble and compare the length of the firing pin with the one in my SP-01... thanks!

[Tictacticaltimmy]

Just to confirm: the pistol fires reliably in DA?

 

If that is the case, and you are not getting any primer indentation at all, it seems to me your firing pin safety is stuck somehow.

 

With the slide off, cock the hammer and slowly pull the trigger (with finger just above hammer to catch it). You should see the firing pin block lifter move just before the hammer breaks. See if it moves to a different degree in DA vs SA. 

If everything checks out there, move on to the slide where the actual firing pin block is. If you press up on and release the firing pin block it should immediately spring back down. If it is sluggish the area around it needs to be cleaned. Its possible though  unlikely the firing pin block spring needs to be replaced. Since you have to remove it to get to your firing pin anyway, you might as well do this.

 

A few more questions:

Does your gun have the CGW Firing pin retaining pin?

CGW firing pin block spring?

[M1A4ME]

You can check the proper function of the firing pin block after you remove the slide from the frame and take the recoil spring/guide out and remove the barrel by:

1.  pressing upwards on the firing pin block there on the bottom of the slide and hold pressure on it

2. using something like a ball point pin to press the firing pin forwards

3.  look to see if the firing pin protrudes through the firing pin hole in the back of the slide.

If the firing pin doesn't come through, or barely comes through you may have issues with the firing pin block not being raised into position by the arm on the sear pin.  Check out that arm (all the way on the right side of the sear block by pulling upwards on it to see if raises up.  Or you can begin to pull the trigger and watch it raise up.

 

I did have a firing pin return spring break in a Rem. 742 one time and lock up the firing pin.  Just something else to consider even though I've not had it happen on a pistol (or any other rifle that uses one).

[touji]

Thank you for all the replies! I did a quick check tonight, and the firing pin block seems to be operating correctly. I cannot see a perceivable difference in the amount the lifter moves from DA and SA, and the firing pin protrudes quite a bit. I will give the FPB area a good clean as well as the firing pin channel. Again, thanks a ton everyone and I will try to give a function update as soon as I can!

[vinceislander]

 

With the UNLOADED gun, take a pencil and insert it into the barrel with the eraser end first so it is against the firing pin hole. Pointed skyward, pull the trigger. The pencil should jump just enough to be noticeable and may even "shoot" out of the barrel.  You can also try it in SA.

[M1A4ME]

Darn.  The pencil test.  Didn't even think about it.  Amazing how often we jump right past the simple/easy/effective to look try the more complicated stuff.

[touji]

So, as an update, I hadn't cleaned anything but I did ensure that the FPB was working and depressed it around 30-40 times. Passed the pencil test, and shot about another 100 rounds without any failures. I'll be cleaning it thoroughly but it looks like everything is functioning as intended! Thanks everyone!

[38superfan]

Definitely do a thorough cleaning. Seems low enough round count that nothing should be worn out yet. Carbon and brass dust get into everything. It may be working now, but as you said it's intermittent.