Does a square-edged Firing Pin Stop reduces recoil?

[APL-G35]

Atlas sells their version. The angled cut starts pretty high up on the FPS. They say this helps reduce recoil. I’ll probably try it on my next build.

[vgdvc]

Thank you for the input gentlemen...

[Fo0]

7 hours ago, Aircooled6racer said:

Hello: On an open pistol I like an angled firing pin stop. I actually cut the firing pin stop so it contacts the hammer higher up giving more leverage so the slide can cycle easier. I have tried the squared off firing pin stop and for me it just seems to give me more muzzle rise under recoil. Thanks, Eric

 

if the slide cycles better with more radius of the firing pin stop - i thought less radius gives less recoil - you are saying the no radius gave you more recoil?

[kneelingatlas]

5 hours ago, Fo0 said:

 

if the slide cycles better with more radius of the firing pin stop - i thought less radius gives less recoil - you are saying the no radius gave you more recoil?

 

Look at this video:

 

 

You can see two distinct phases to the recoil: the intial lift when the bullet exits the barrel, then the flip when the slide impacts the frame.  All else equal, the square firing pin stop radius results in more inital rise and a less forceful impact on the frame.  Some might percieve this as an improvement, others may not.

 

A heavier hammer spring or a heavier recoil spring also have a similar effect.

 

When you go the opposite way, the front sight dwells on the target longer, but the impact of the slide on frame is sharper.

 

Grip strength, slide weight, bullet weight, powder choice and overall gun weight all factor into recoil feel as well.

 

There are enough variables involved to drive you to drink . An important thing to remember is energy spent experimenting with this stuff probably won't yeild the same improvement in score than time spent on quality training.

 

[zzt]

I experimented with a square firing pin stop on the last 1911 45 I bought.  After I fitted it and tried to rack the slide I found it to be quite difficult.  So I put a 1/32" radius on the bottom.  That helped.  When I fired it, the slide did stay closed a little longer and the felt recoil was reduced.  However, the slide was still difficult to rack manually.  So I went to a 1/16" radius.  Recoil reduction was less, but the slide racked more easily.  I went to 5/64ths and recoil was essentially the same as any of the larger radii.

 

On most Open guns the radius isn't a radius.  It is an arc section, or a parabolic curve placed at an angle.  It hits the hammer way up and makes cycling faster.  Racking is also faster.  Bullseye shooters prefer the smaller radius because the gun does not unlock as quickly.

[vgdvc]

6 hours ago, zzt said:

I experimented with a square firing pin stop on the last 1911 45 I bought.  After I fitted it and tried to rack the slide I found it to be quite difficult.  So I put a 1/32" radius on the bottom.  That helped.  When I fired it, the slide did stay closed a little longer and the felt recoil was reduced.  However, the slide was still difficult to rack manually.  So I went to a 1/16" radius.  Recoil reduction was less, but the slide racked more easily.  I went to 5/64ths and recoil was essentially the same as any of the larger radii.

 

On most Open guns the radius isn't a radius.  It is an arc section, or a parabolic curve placed at an angle.  It hits the hammer way up and makes cycling faster.  Racking is also faster.  Bullseye shooters prefer the smaller radius because the gun does not unlock as quickly.

Insghtful. Thank you. Seems consistent with what Aircooled had mentioned above with regards to open guns. This seems to describe exactly what I have on my Brazos so I will leave my OCD behind and let the technicals to the professional who built the gun! Now to get used to that dot Instead of sights.....

[Supertrunk]

I run the "square edge" firing pin stop on my steel Combat Commander and like the feel. I radius it with four or five "rolling" strokes on a piece of 600 grit wet and dry. It seems to spread out the recoil impulse a bit more and slow the slide down. Obviously, in as short a time frame as we are talking here, this is totally subjective....

 

Hope this helps.