Lubrication the firing pin channel/spring?

[1911jerry]

Does anyone recommend adding a drop of oil to the firing pin channel or spring?

Jerry

[Neomet]

NOOOOOOoooooo

The lube will cause stiction which will cause your gun to go "click" and not "bang" when you pull the trigger.

Seriously, keep it dry and clean.

[kevin c]

+1000

Lube acts like a very nice binder for powder residue and brass particles. Especially with lightened FP's or strikers and the altered FP springs to suit them, you'll be asking for light hit misfires.

[barney88pdc]

What about the ejector channel?

[get2now]

I always put a little on the spring. Actually, I put some on every part that rubs. I don't have any problems either.

Gary

[fasteddy]

one drop only thats it..operates smoothly

[Fergus]

I use light spray silicone lubricant to flush any residues or dirt from the firing pin and extractor followed by a little 3:1 oil.

[G-ManBart]

I always put a little on the spring. Actually, I put some on every part that rubs. I don't have any problems either.

Gary

You will if you ever get your gun dirty or shoot when it's cold Powder residue, oil and cold are a bad, bad mix.

There is absolutely no good reason to put lube on the firing pin or anywhere in the ejector tunnel. Period, end of story. I've got a gun with way over 100K on it using the same firing pin and I maybe changed the spring once....maybe (I don't think so, but it's possible). I was a starving college student back then and waited until stuff broke or almost broke before I'd replace it. Never once put a drop of oil in either firing pin or ejector tunnel.

[cking]

I would say that on stainless slide fine, but on steel put a little oil on qtip and clean the hole that way.

[shooterready]

I'm with Bart. Run your FP clean and dry.

[get2now]

I mis-read the title. I use oil (break free) not lube.

Gary

[Tzygä]

NO I don't use any oil in firing pin hole or ejector channel. I keep them clean and dry. That is the best way.

[Duane Thomas]

When I was in the Army, we were taught there are certain parts of a firearm you always lubricate, and certain parts you never lubricate. The firing pin and firing pin spring fell into the "never lubricate" category. That's always worked for me.

[boz1911]

I've always put a drop of Kroil on the pin and the extractor. I guess it's pretty thin and I do clean regularly so it hasn't been an issue.

[larry cazes]

For what it's worth, I personally have been putting oil on the firing pins of my 1911s for 15 years. I almost never clean the firing pin tunnels more than once a year and have never had issues related to the firing pins or springs. If you look at the responses to this thread you can't help but come to the conclusion that it is a non issue either way you decide to go.

[XRe]

For what it's worth, I personally have been putting oil on the firing pins of my 1911s for 15 years.

+1

I almost never clean the firing pin tunnels more than once a year and have never had issues related to the firing pins or springs.

-1 (I clean mine when I clean the gun as a matter of course)

If you look at the responses to this thread you can't help but come to the conclusion that it is a non issue either way you decide to go.

+1 - on a carry gun, I'd go a different route (as little lube as possible and still have the gun operate reliably), but on the race toys, I tend to run them sloppy wet all over....

[G-ManBart]

If you look at the responses to this thread you can't help but come to the conclusion that it is a non issue either way you decide to go.

I'd disagree. We have stock Glock 22s and 23s that regularly stop working because people get lube in the striker tunnel. In fact, the problem has even happened with folks who get bore solvent into the firing pin hole while scrubbing the breach face with a wet brush. Solvent can soften up powder/lube residue or lube can mix with powder residue and it'll be come a thick, gunky mess....obviously this is more of a problem in cold climates, but it can happen anywhere. For our folks in AK, MT, WY and a couple of other places where it gets really, really cold they've been directed to use a different lube because they were seeing so many failures (all related to strikers/springs). If it'll cause a problem with a stock Glock it can cause a problem to a competition gun a heck of a lot easier...lighter springs, lighter hammers, etc, etc.

I have yet to see anybody show me a firing pin or striker that has any significant wear on it because it wasn't lubed....doesn't happen, isn't necessary and is one more thing that can go wrong.

Of course, I should be telling everyone to lube their firing pins so that their guns puke more frequently and it'll be easier to beat them

Edit to add: we started telling people to scrub the breach face with the slide pointed down so solvent doesn't get into the firing pin hole and the problem has gone away....except for the few folks that won't listen.

Edited March 31, 2009 by G-ManBart

[bkeeler]

Short answer no never have lubed the firing pin, spring or extractor tunnel. Never saw the need too.

BK

[XRe]

I'd disagree. We have stock Glock 22s and 23s that regularly stop working because people get lube in the striker tunnel.

You're kind of comparing apples to oranges, here, though. The OP is most likely (knowing what he shoots) asking about a 1911-ish style gun, and likely a custom built platform, at that. The FP fit is quite a bit different than the Glock's you're describing.

I've kept an eye on my FP tunnels ever since I started shooting competition guns. In the 1911s and CZ pattern guns I've had - and particularly the race guns - I see very little accumulation of anything in the FP tunnel. I'd say I see none, but there's occasionally been a small fleck of something or other. Nothing in danger of causing a malfunction of some sort. The extractor tunnel is another story. These guns have all be cleaned every 500-1000 rounds, however, and are not carry or duty pistols.

Based on my experience, when speaking about well fit, custom 1911-ish platforms, its a non-issue, either way, assuming some kind of regular maintenance cycle, no primer shear, etc (though lube or lack thereof wouldn't really affect the primer shear related failure, either...). YMMVAPD... Run it how it works for ya

[lugnut]

If you look at the responses to this thread you can't help but come to the conclusion that it is a non issue either way you decide to go.

I'd disagree. We have stock Glock 22s and 23s that regularly stop working because people get lube in the striker tunnel. In fact, the problem has even happened with folks who get bore solvent into the firing pin hole while scrubbing the breach face with a wet brush. Solvent can soften up powder/lube residue or lube can mix with powder residue and it'll be come a thick, gunky mess....obviously this is more of a problem in cold climates, but it can happen anywhere. For our folks in AK, MT, WY and a couple of other places where it gets really, really cold they've been directed to use a different lube because they were seeing so many failures (all related to strikers/springs). If it'll cause a problem with a stock Glock it can cause a problem to a competition gun a heck of a lot easier...lighter springs, lighter hammers, etc, etc.

I have yet to see anybody show me a firing pin or striker that has any significant wear on it because it wasn't lubed....doesn't happen, isn't necessary and is one more thing that can go wrong.

Of course, I should be telling everyone to lube their firing pins so that their guns puke more frequently and it'll be easier to beat them

Edit to add: we started telling people to scrub the breach face with the slide pointed down so solvent doesn't get into the firing pin hole and the problem has gone away....except for the few folks that won't listen.

Quality post. Thank you. I've never lubed this area and won't. I like the idea of angling the breach face down while cleaning.

[G-ManBart]

I'd disagree. We have stock Glock 22s and 23s that regularly stop working because people get lube in the striker tunnel.

You're kind of comparing apples to oranges, here, though. The OP is most likely (knowing what he shoots) asking about a 1911-ish style gun, and likely a custom built platform, at that. The FP fit is quite a bit different than the Glock's you're describing.

I've kept an eye on my FP tunnels ever since I started shooting competition guns. In the 1911s and CZ pattern guns I've had - and particularly the race guns - I see very little accumulation of anything in the FP tunnel. I'd say I see none, but there's occasionally been a small fleck of something or other. Nothing in danger of causing a malfunction of some sort. The extractor tunnel is another story. These guns have all be cleaned every 500-1000 rounds, however, and are not carry or duty pistols.

Based on my experience, when speaking about well fit, custom 1911-ish platforms, its a non-issue, either way, assuming some kind of regular maintenance cycle, no primer shear, etc (though lube or lack thereof wouldn't really affect the primer shear related failure, either...). YMMVAPD... Run it how it works for ya

Yes, the Glock and 1911's have different striker/FP tunnels, but the firing pin holes are still that...just a hole, and that's where the oil and or solvent was entering. Not everyone takes the FP out every time they clean a 1911 and any solvent or lube that gets in there can accumulate powder fouling, dust, you name it....it may almost never happen, but why take the risk? The striker on a Glock has more mass to it than a 1911 FP does, so it should take a lot less to gunk up a 1911 firing pin enough to cause light strikes. If just a little oil or solvent and some powder fouling (not back in the exposed area either) can lock up a duty gun, it's got to have a better change of gunking up 1911 with a light FP and a light spring.

On the flip side, the extractors are the opposite as you mention. Really nothing to do or worry about with a Glock except clean the hook where the 1911 tunnels get a fair amount of buildup in them. If you wind up with the wrong combo of oil/solvent that gets in the extractor tunnel there's a decent chance it's going to get pretty nasty quick.

The critical thing is really why do something that's not necessary if it might even rarely cause a problem under unusual circumstances? I haven't seen any 1911 firing pins wearing out because they weren't lubed....hell, they basically never wear out. One might break from time to time, but lube wouldn't help that. My oldest gun (1911) has at least 100K on the firing pin and it might even be upwards of 150K (as I mentioned before)....not one drop of lube and it's still perfect. If it ain't broke, don't fix it seems to make sense here and adding lube to the FP tunnel is fixing what ain't broke

I don't get much out of my 1911/2011 FP tunnels either, but I'm not adding anything in there that could accumulate gunk either.

Edited April 1, 2009 by G-ManBart

[Silver_Surfer]

I use the dry-lube stuff(Dries to a light powder). I use it in my mag tubes also. I belive in lubing all metal to metal contacts areas. The dirt/crud does not seem to stick to thoes surfaces when using the dry lube(My 2-cents).

[MichiganShootist]

I use a pretty well worn .22 caliber rifle bore brush to clean the FP and extractor channels... then I blow them clean with GunScrubber and leave them dry.

[JThompson]

I usually don't but I have and had no issues when i did. I did find that it seemed to have more residue when I had lubed it.

[SA Friday]

Lubing the firing pin channel is like having an affair. You might be alright for a while, but eventually it's going to get you.