Need firing pin help

[4string]

I ordered a HXLFP Henning X-Long Firing Pin for my large frame Stock II. I shoot this double action first shot and manually lower the hammer. After reading Henning's site, I saw this.

Large Frame (H-XLFP)

This firing pin sits just flush with the breech face of the slide which makes it virtually impossible to have any primer blowback. Should only be used with Single Action models ! Overall length = 2.640". Can be fitted to DA by shortening the pin.

Am I risking a discharge more than I would with the factory firing pin if I install this and lower the hammer manually. Why is the disclaimer for Single Action models only?

My factory firing pin only works with softer primers consistantly, so I bought this one thinking maybe I could use some of the other brand primers I have lying around.

On a side note I am about to order some more stuff and noticed the lighter hammer springs, has anyone tried these and how much of a difference do they make?

Thanks in advance

Steve

[eerw]

as explained to me by Henning...with the hammer back..the pin will sit flush in the FP hole..with the hammer down it will protrude out the breechface.

for a DA/SA the pin needs to be shortened to prevent that.

[Mo Hepworth]

I order the HXLFP for my Limited Custom,..and it works great. I know that my stock 2 OEM pin and the Henning HXLFP pin are not comparible in size.

Edited January 23, 2009 by Mo Hepworth

[CHA-LEE]

With the Henning XL firing pin when a round is in the chamber and you lower the hammer manually the firing pin will have a chance of striking the primer. If the hammer slips out of your fingers as you manually lower it, you will have an accidental discharge. A lighter hammer spring (13lb) will lesson this chance because the hammer will be easier to hold back when you manually lower it, but there is still the chance of it happening if the hammer slips out of your fingers. You could shorten the tip of the firing pin so it will not pass into the chamber when the hammer is lowered, but that defeats the purpose of the XL firing pin being longer. From a safety standpoint I wouldn’t recommend using the XL firing pin on a double action pistol.

On a separate note, a lighter hammer spring will give you a lighter trigger pull when the gun is in single action mode. But you also have the chance of getting light strikes on the primers with the stock length firing pin. Everything is a give and a take, so all you can do is try it out to see if it works.

[RuggerG35]

My girlfriend runs a Stock II (US LG Frame) 9mm in Limited Division and I just put the Henning XL in it today... I had put a 13lb hammer spring in it a few weeks ago and it didn't like it. I had to play with the length on the firing pin return spring quite a bit to get it to run okay, but it still had an occasional light strike. So I ordered the XL. I have no doubt it will light them off fine now. I did have to take the modified return spring out and put a new one in for it to work. She doesn't use the DA so I will leave it alone for now.

The trigger pull you can get both single and double action with a 13lb main spring and a little bit of work on the trigger bar and plunger assembly is well worth the cost of the XL firing pin and trouble of shortening it a little. The DA XL firing pin sold for the small frames is .025 longer then stock, so I would go a little longer then that and play with some primed brass and see if a slight drop will light one off. Shorten more if needed. Maybe that's a little caveman like, but that's what I would do (I am from Alaska originally so listen to me at your own risk). If You slip up on a de-cock it will more then likely be less then a half travel fall.

You do loose the firing pin block safety with the Henning XL. Not sure where that puts you with the Production rules.

Best of luck

[DarkRose]

My girlfriend runs a Stock II (US LG Frame) 9mm in Limited Division and I just put the Henning XL in it today... I had put a 13lb hammer spring in it a few weeks ago and it didn't like it. I had to play with the length on the firing pin return spring quite a bit to get it to run okay, but it still had an occasional light strike. So I ordered the XL. I have no doubt it will light them off fine now. I did have to take the modified return spring out and put a new one in for it to work. She doesn't use the DA so I will leave it alone for now.

The trigger pull you can get both single and double action with a 13lb main spring and a little bit of work on the trigger bar and plunger assembly is well worth the cost of the XL firing pin and trouble of shortening it a little. The DA XL firing pin sold for the small frames is .025 longer then stock, so I would go a little longer then that and play with some primed brass and see if a slight drop will light one off. Shorten more if needed. Maybe that's a little caveman like, but that's what I would do (I am from Alaska originally so listen to me at your own risk). If You slip up on a de-cock it will more then likely be less then a half travel fall.

You do loose the firing pin block safety with the Henning XL. Not sure where that puts you with the Production rules.

Best of luck

Hope I'm not cross posting or hijaking here too much, just trying to solve a problem real quick. What I read above leads me to believe that with the Henning XL you need to remove the Firing Pin safety plunger completely? Asking because my XL firing pin front band is hanging up where the plunger protrudes a bit into the channel/hole...

I'll have to check Production rules on that also because sometime down the road I'd like to shoot it in USPSA Production class...

Edit: According to Appendix D4, Section 22 of the USPSA rules reads in part

"Removing or disabling firing-pin blocks or any other

factory safety mechanism in Production division is

specifically prohibited."

Edited September 14, 2010 by DarkRose