I guess it pays to fully disassemble you new or new to you firearm. I got a used 4043 and thought what the heck I will pull the slide apart. I already pulled everything else apart and inspected it. My question is why would anyone not put this spring back. I guess the obvious, it might have been lost? I would not think it is safe without it.

Jason

You did shine a light inside the firing pin channel and check to see if it's stuck in there, right?

I've seen at least my fair share of well-used (and ill-maintained) 3rd gen guns where the firing pin fell out of the channel, but the springs were really stuck inside by congealed goo and sludge and had to be pulled out. Sometimes a broken spring might come out in more than one part, too.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

No spring to be found. I use the fire-pin block safety to get the safety housing out. Once safety housing out, usually if the spring is there the spring and firing pin will fly out when you release the firing pin, not this time. I did look in the hole and put a spring in. All good now just wondering if anyone has seen this this before and if there would be a logical or explained theory behind it.

A previous owner/user removed the firing pin and lost control. Recovered the pin, not the spring.