Stupid Firing Pins!!

[alanm]

What firing pin brand are you guys running that you have had the most luck with not breaking? I’m at the JP PCC championship and had my taccom firing pin break on the very first stage. Got a big fat zero for that one. Anybody try the Wilson bulletproof firing pins?

[MikieM]

I feel your pain. 

Wilson firing pins are, "Bulletproof." And Taccom firing pins are, "Non-breakable." Both, according to their websites.

Yet, we've all been busting firing pins right and left.

Funny how it works, isn't it.

[longbeard]

2 hours ago, alanm said:

What firing pin brand are you guys running that you have had the most luck with not breaking? I’m at the JP PCC championship and had my taccom firing pin break on the very first stage. Got a big fat zero for that one. Anybody try the Wilson bulletproof firing pins?

Feel your pain.  My Taccom sheared off at the top within 2k rounds.

[dlightning]

What really bothered me is the unpredictable nature of when they fail.

[Silverscooby27]

Not unpredictable, they only break at major matches, lol. Just joking, good luck!!

[L9X25]

5 hours ago, dlightning said:

What really bothered me is the unpredictable nature of when they fail.

 

It's not that unpredictable, it is usually at the worst possible time and place.   

 

Usually somewhere where there are no spare pins to be had, and lots of prizes to be won.

[alanm]

1 hour ago, L9X25 said:

 

It's not that unpredictable, it is usually at the worst possible time and place.   

 

Usually somewhere where there are no spare pins to be had, and lots of prizes to be won.

Yeah, like the JP PCC championship. Lol. Oh well. It really sucks that they break so much. They always look like some kind of cheap pot metal or something where they are broken. Kind of like a powdered metal. 

[dlightning]

Anyone heard any news of the solution that is being worked on by several manufacturers?  I think PSA and Taccom is part of that.

[war_material]

Mine broke after only 2k rounds.  I have the wilson now with only 500 rounds 

[joelogic]

JP says their pin will work even if broken.  My JP pin had 8k on it when I had an OBD and noticed it was broken when I tore the gun down.  They also said a stuck forward pin would not have caused an OBD just a runaway, so just take it for what its worth.

[Patrick Scott]

16 hours ago, joelogic said:

JP says their pin will work even if broken.  My JP pin had 8k on it when I had an OBD and noticed it was broken when I tore the gun down.  They also said a stuck forward pin would not have caused an OBD just a runaway, so just take it for what its worth.

Not always, one of the JP pins I broke wouldn't run when broken, but I have found JP pins have the best chance of working while broken. 

[goldfish]

Will the use of a softer primer make a difference to avoid firing pin breakage?

 

[Patrick Scott]

9 minutes ago, goldfish said:

Will the use of a softer primer make a difference to avoid firing pin breakage?

 

Winchester SPPs are considered one of the softer primers, correct? Thats what I have been breaking my pins on. About 5 of them now split between 2 JP bolts, a Taccom bolt, a JP FCG and a Hiperfire ECL 

ETA: breakage has slowed down considerably since I stopped beating them up in dryfire

 

Edited April 30, 2018 by Patrick Scott

[Darqusoull13]

Here's the advice I give folks. Buy the JP firing pin. The new design should last well over 20,000 rounds. Once you get to 20,000 rounds on that pin, swap to a new firing pin if you feel like it. They are a $15 part.

 

Don't gamble your match fee, hotel, travel and ammo budget for a major match on a brand of part that is being reported to break at less than 5,000 rounds. $15 is cheap insurance 

[Patrick Scott]

2 minutes ago, Darqusoull13 said:

Here's the advice I give folks. Buy the JP firing pin. The new design should last well over 20,000 rounds. Once you get to 20,000 rounds on that pin, swap to a new firing pin if you feel like it. They are a $15 part.

 

Don't gamble your match fee, hotel, travel and ammo budget for a major match on a brand of part that is being reported to break at less than 5,000 rounds. $15 is cheap insurance 

How new is the "new" one? I have a couple that I bought this winter. Not a lot of rounds on those yet 

 

[longbeard]

1 hour ago, Darqusoull13 said:

Here's the advice I give folks. Buy the JP firing pin. The new design should last well over 20,000 rounds. Once you get to 20,000 rounds on that pin, swap to a new firing pin if you feel like it. They are a $15 part.

 

Don't gamble your match fee, hotel, travel and ammo budget for a major match on a brand of part that is being reported to break at less than 5,000 rounds. $15 is cheap insurance 

I thought they were only for JP bolts?

[Darqusoull13]

Well, it depends where you got it but around 6 months is a safe bet if you got it direct. I was still able to get 20k on the "old" design depending on how much suppressed shooting we did and how many folks ran the same gun back to back at matches. 

[Darqusoull13]

Just now, longbeard said:

I thought they were only for JP bolts?

I run JP bolts 

[chinny33]

 

Broke my shooting innovations pretty much brand new firing pin.  only 200 rounds. 

[BlackBuzzard]

10 hours ago, Darqusoull13 said:

Here's the advice I give folks. Buy the JP firing pin. The new design should last well over 20,000 rounds. Once you get to 20,000 rounds on that pin, swap to a new firing pin if you feel like it. They are a $15 part.

 

Don't gamble your match fee, hotel, travel and ammo budget for a major match on a brand of part that is being reported to break at less than 5,000 rounds. $15 is cheap insurance 

Would have said this myself, but you did first.

[longbeard]

18 hours ago, Darqusoull13 said:

I run JP bolts 

Crap!  Now I gotta sell everything to buy JP bolts so I can use JP firing pins!

 

This game...  I swear! 

[MikieM]

Faxon has been out of Gen II bolts for sometime now. I emailed them and asked when a new batch might be available. They have been strangely silent.

Do you suppose they are trying to remedy the problem, or are they just behind in manufacturing. 

 

I was discussing this subject with one of our local gunsmith's, at our last match. His opinion was that frequent firing pin breakage was part of the price to be paid when using the AR platform for something it was never designed for. He may have a point, but I think a better mouse trap can be had.

[longbeard]

5 minutes ago, MikieM said:

Faxon has been out of Gen II bolts for sometime now. I emailed them and asked when a new batch might be available. They have been strangely silent.

Do you suppose they are trying to remedy the problem, or are they just behind in manufacturing. 

 

I was discussing this subject with one of our local gunsmith's, at our last match. His opinion was that frequent firing pin breakage was part of the price to be paid when using the AR platform for something it was never designed for. He may have a point, but I think a better mouse trap can be had.

What exactly is causing the breakage?  I've seen speculation on this forum, but do we know for sure?

 

[Darqusoull13]

2 hours ago, longbeard said:

Crap!  Now I gotta sell everything to buy JP bolts so I can use JP firing pins!

 

This game...  I swear! 

Glad I could be your enabler 

[MikieM]

47 minutes ago, longbeard said:

What exactly is causing the breakage?  I've seen speculation on this forum, but do we know for sure?

 

 

I'm not exactly sure. I know mine, like the picture of chinny33's broken pin, is in the same place. Seems like that first step back from the nub is a common location.

A brittle pin could be a cause, but the same thing is happening with all varieties.

It's not the cost, or the hassel, that I mind. It's the suspense as in will it happen smack in the middle of a match?