frustrated.. light strikes

[playa0069u]

I was super confident that after I cleaned all of the metal shavings out of the firing pin channel. There was a ton. And a bunch of weird yellow grease that oozed out. Nope. Still got light strikes today at the range. This is my carry pistol and I'm pretty upset still. What do I do next? Will they send me springs and a fireing pin like high point or do I need to send the whole gun in. It seems to do it more after it's warmed up.

 

[playa0069u]

What is the firing pin length supposed to be so I can caliper it anyone know?

 

[playa0069u]

Also I bought it used so will they even honor the warrantee?

 

[GKC]

I assume you are talking about a SDVE or SW series pistol, is that right? If you are, technically speaking it doesn't have a firing pin, it has a striker.

Since you bought it used, it's probably not covered...S&W warrants the gun to the original owner only. They don't always ask, but it's better to be upfront about it, than send it in and then have them say they won't cover it.

Before you call S&W, though, a couple of questions:

1) Have you taken the striker out of the gun, and cleaned out the channel completely, and then dried it completely? Don't oil or lube the striker channel. (I know you said you had cleaned it, but I didn't know if you meant you just sprayed some cleaner in the channel, without removing the striker.)

2) Has the firing control group been modified? If so, the aftermarket springs may be the culprit. (If it has been modified, and you send it to S&W, they probably won't cover it anyway...since mods will cancel the warranty.)

3) When you say "light strikes", are you getting different primer indents? What kind of ammo are you using? Are the light strikes happening with different ammo, or just one kind?

 

[playa0069u]

Ok one other thing to consider. I reload my ammo myself. And I use CCI primers. I have read they tend to be "hard" primers. I don't carry them though I carry hornady critical defense. I suppose I should run a few boxes of other ammo or maybe buy different primers and see what happens

 

[federali]

Need More Info

What kind of ammo were you firing? If hand loads, try the gun with real ammunition. Some guns, particularly the M&P, are very sensitive to high primers. I don't have enough experience with Sigmas to know if they share the same habits. Failure to properly prepare the primer pocket often results in high primers.

 

[GKC]

Ok one other thing to consider. I reload my ammo myself. And I use CCI primers. I have read they tend to be "hard" primers. I don't carry them though I carry hornady critical defense. I suppose I should run a few boxes of other ammo or maybe buy different primers and see what happens

Definitely try some factory ammo...I've read that Remington has hard primers (although I've never had any problems with it), so maybe try some WWB or Federal, as well as the Critical Defense.

Please also tell us what gun you are talking about.

 

[rwsmith]

I'd send it back.....

This gun probably has serious issues and I wouldn't trust it for a defense gun until it's fixed RIGHT. The shavings sound like a real problem. It sounds like somebody tried to 'fix' it by squirting goo into it. At the very least a competent gunsmith, but this sounds like a factory repair candidate.

 

[playa0069u]

Sw9ve. The primers are set right but like I said they might be just hard CCI primers. And RW. I don't think it had ever been cleaned. The yellow stuff seemed like factory grease and the shavings are common after tons of rounds. Sorry "striker channel" not firing pin channel. I just got my new vz2008 to the range so my adrenaline is pumping and might not be thinking straight haha. Anyway I did not lube the channel . hoppes and let it dry and that's it. Like I said there was a lot of **** in it. Everything is stock except I pulled that pigtail spring and the inner spring (ghetto trigger job) but I don't see how that could possibly cause a light strike.

 

[leejack]

Has this gun been modified?

 

[playa0069u]

I don't recall ever having any light strikes when firing Remington umc. But I only bought 1 case before I started reloading. I'm thinking (hoping) its the CCI primers. Unfortunately I have 1500 left lol but light strikes at the range don't bother me if its 100% because of the rounds. Like I said I don't carry my reloads for self defense

 

[playa0069u]

Has this gun been modified?

Only mod was pulling the pigtail and inner trigger spring. I researched it a lot and read of problems with the trigger resetting which I have not had. But I don't think its possible for this to be causing light strikes

 

[leejack]

Only mod was pulling the pigtail and inner trigger spring. I researched it a lot and read of problems with the trigger resetting which I have not had. But I don't think its possible for this to be causing light strikes

I'm an advocate of leaving it stock and I would put the parts back in. Next, I agree with the others to try some factory ammo, just in case. Hope you get it running 100% soon.

Best of luck.

 

[OKFC05]

The yellow stuff seemed like factory grease

The SW/SDs did NOT come with grease in the striker channel. It has been messed with. The channel is supposed to be CLEAN and DRY. The sleeve (if there is still one in it) is supposed to be self lubricating. Brownells has replacements.
There is a very good chance somebody put an SD striker spring in the SW, and then sold the Bubba'ed mess to you. The stock SW striker assembly is very positive and NOT prone to misfires.
Some people also mess with the sear assembly to reduce pull length, and that can cause misfires, also.
Sorry, but I think you've got a challenge, to restore the gun.

 

[playa0069u]

The sleeve? What sleeve?

 

[playa0069u]

Idk what it was when I was cleaning pit the metal shavings there was something gross and yellow that ran out of the striker channel/ up in the ejector area.

 

[playa0069u]

It may have been in the ejector and not the actual channel. If you disassemble it u see that it gives u access to the foreword most part of the striker channel where the ejector is where that piece that moves up and down to hold the ejector in is.

 

[playa0069u]

The gun was practically brand new when I bought it it had barely any wear internally on the feed ramp or in the barrel . I think if someone bubbad it it would have been mossing the springs since that's the most common mod. I think the weird grease was in the fat pin that held the ejector in . it was filthey in there and I was really heavy with the hoppes

 

[playa0069u]

The sleeve? What sleeve?

The white plastic sleeve is still in there. And there was no grease on it it was like deep in the ejector.

 

[playa0069u]

What kind of ammo were you firing? If hand loads, try the gun with real ammunition. Some guns, particularly the M&P, are very sensitive to high primers. I don't have enough experience with Sigmas to know if they share the same habits. Failure to properly prepare the primer pocket often results in high primers.

I always run my finger across the primer to make sure its seated, buy my wife jumps on the machine sometimes. Since they always fire the second time I think maybe theyre may have been some high ones. Come to think of it, my friend was with me and shot two boxes without one light strike. I was getting my ammo from just some loose ziplocks of ammo. Definitely a different batch. This may be the cause. I'm going to buy some factory rounds and I'll get back to y'all.