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titanium firing pins


Deaf Smith

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I use a Glock 17C in IDPA. Also have 'Lightning Strike' titanium firing pin. So far, over 10,000 rounds of factory loads (yes, I reload, but with Oshmans and Wal-mar selling CCI Blazer and Winchester 115 9mm for $6 a box, even picked up PMC 125 fmj for $5.50 by the case. That makes it hard to want to reload.) Not one misfire.

Question is, have any of you used a titanium firing pin? Any problems? Durability? Misfires? How about dry firing?

Another question... I use a Briley match barrel in my 17C (that allows me to use the ported barrel in IPSC, Briley in IDPA), any ideas, if I start to reload 125 lead bullets, what a good IDPA load would be?

Deaf

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DS,

If you have 10,000 rounds with the ti striker then maybe you could pull it out and inspect it.  I, for one, would like to hear how it is holding up.  Any shaving? etc.

Done anything else to your Glock?

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Yes, about 2 weeks ago I cleaned the whole firing pin assembly, extractor, and such. Just alot of crud. The firing pin looks fine to me. I reassembled then shot about 200 rounds. Strange. Had a few jams with the cases not ejecting. Then it all went away and the gun was back to normal (as in flawless function). Went to a local peace officer's benefit match and won the man-against-man contest. The 17 just kept a-chugging. Do note, one of the cops had a 1911 he swore he could trust (he could not understand why I use a Glock.) Did not go 3 rounds when his whole front end, bushing, plunger, and spring went downrange. I am sure everyone understood what would happen if that happened on the street. It is not that I dislike 1911s, I have 4 of them, it is my respect for the Glocks durability and reliability.+-

This 17c, while ported, I use a Briley match barrel (non-ported) for IDPA. Added the 3 1/2 connecter and extended (Glock factory) slide stop and Dillon's Glock tape for a better grip (still testing it, as I never add to my carry gun what I have not shot out of my competition guns.) Heinie sights. Nothing has failed.

The only gripe I have is the Briley barrel was made for lead bullets yet I have been using fmj. I just got to start reloading to see if I can get anywhere near the accuracy I get from my Kimber Gold Match .45.

Deaf    

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Forgot to add, I have a Glock 19 tricked out almost the same way (Metroplex night sights the only thing different.) This is my 'backup' in case the 17c breaks down during a match (never has happened, but then, I always have a backup match gun no matter what kind of gun I use in a match, including revolvers.)

It to just works and works. Even have a Briley barrel in it. I would use it as a carry piece except Briley barrels have very short throats which do not work well with Cor-bons at all (and that is what my OTHER 19 and 26 use.)

Deaf

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My load with lead 125's in 9mm used to be 4.2 of Bullseye.  Then I found that some 9mm's didn't group well shooting that load.  ("Didn't group well": a group larger than an IPSC target at 25 yards.) The powder was melting the base. Some guns didn't care, others threw the bullets sideways.

I switched after experimenting, and found that anything WW-231 or slower in burning rate did not scorch the bases of the bullets.

Now, it's 4.2 of WW-231. (Chrono to be sure in your gun.)

Curiously, the same powder charge, (4.2-B'eye) with the same bullets (125 lead) did not have the same problem loaded itno .38 Super cases.  And I tested the load in a bunch of guns to be sure I hadn't stumbled onto the one Super that didn't have the problem, just as I had found the one 9mm that didn't have the problem.

P.S.  I think this post earns me another dot in my title.  Wheeee!

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I'll try them both! Wonder if  I could put a gas check on the base of the bullet? If it gives a more accurate load than Wal-mart fmj, then I will use it in IDPA (I want the load to just fly past the 125000 power floor.) Wonder if a heavier bullet, say, 135 to 140 gr, would work even better. Does anyone make a SWC shapped lead bullet for 9mms?

Just got a Heinie replacement front night sight for my carry 19 as the origional shoots about 4 inches high. I wonder if the origional Heinnie front sight I bought will fit my 17c as I have plain black Heinies. We will see.

I now have my competition geer 'permanently ' afixed to a set of short pants so after work I can slip them on and do as much dry firing and firearm manupilation as I can when not a range day. My wife tolerates this (she is a horse rider and competator, english style) as she understands competition.

Thanks for the load advice, I will start a bit low and work up the 4.2grs.

Deaf

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Durocast makes/made a 147 truncated cone that actually came out at 150 grains.  I bought 50k of them when I was running heavy lead in my IPSC Major gun.  They work just fine in a 9mm or .38 Super Minor gun.  The recoil is a bit more rolling, but as a Minor gun the diffence is not as pronounced as weight differences in a 40 or 45 load.

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  • 1 month later...

I have some experience with titanium firing pins in NRA Highpower rifles, and have definite opinions, but was wondering what the consensus was concerning their use in 1911's?  Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Bill Schwab  

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My advice is don't. Titanium is not the most durable material for handguns and you will probably never see any difference between steel and titanium performance wise.I use the titanium struts and MS caps but these need to be changed now and then because of wear.

I don't hear of anyone still using the firing pins.

How bout you other guys?

Bill H

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I also stick with the steel firing pins. Bill, you mentioned you switched out the mainspring caps and struts, how frequently? Have you had some wear out?

Brian, how often have you changed your mainspring caps and struts out?

Kevin/IPSC Supercop

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I am guessing I change the cap and strut at about 30,000rds. I say this because I did it last week and that's how many rds I think I have shot through this gun. The strut was wearing a bit unevenly on the tip as was the hollow of the cap. It also seems the strut got a little shorter from wear.

Bill Hearne

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Hey deaf,

I've had this problem about jams after reassembling my G35.

I had the bad idea on a 2-days competition to completely clean the gun at the end of the first day.

The day after, first stage was a 28 rds stage, first to shoot in the squad and guess what?

F*****G JAMS ! ! !

I also discover that one of my mag was non drop free !

So, I learned that a glock, when put completely aparts needs to shoot few rounds to put "everyone at its place" to get 100 % reliable.

Bloody murphy !

DVC

Julien

(Edited by Julien Boit at 2:49 pm on Aug. 3, 2001)

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Back to the Titanium problem:

Back when Chip was starting to make hi-tech stuff, he offered a Titanium hammer (!!) for 1911.  I bought one.  After using it for many rounds, I was talking to the rep (not Chip) who said I would start to see problems at about 35,000 rounds.  When it did at the (then) future time, he offered to swap it with a tool-steel hammer.

It did, I did, and he did.  (I guess it was part of the R&D program.)

So, based on that, and the difference in hook height between the 1911 hammer and the Glock striker hook, you've got a long wait.

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