Brand-new 327 R8 firing pin craziness

[FivePews]

Hey y'all,
I'd like to get some advice from people in the know. I picked up a 327 R8 a few weeks ago and decided to put some rounds through it today. I really like the design and the fact that's it's nose-heavy. Typically, I only shoot snubbies and this is a fun change.

I put 20-30 .38s through it on the day of purchase. No problems. Today had different results. I put 20 Underwood 158g HPs @ 1500fps through it, (benched in single-action) to sight it in for camping. Towards the end I had a light-strike and wrote it off as a bum primer. A $2 bum primer.

Then, for fun, I switched to 124g Aguila mags just to see where they hit. Not a single one of them went off. Tiny dimples on the firing pins. So, I put the Aguila in a pair of new 640s I picked up today. They all worked fine.

It turns out that single-action usually works. Double-action seems to produce really light-strikes. I've attached a picture of four shots of .38 (towards the end of the day for diagnosis). You can see the outer rounds barely have a dimple and they were double-action. The two rounds in the center were single-action.

And, I noticed that the firing pin is staying stuck out after single-action shots. Double-action shots will allow the firing pin to suck back into the frame.

The two shots in the middle look to have different amounts of strike pressure. Any ideas about what is going on?

This weekend I'll open it up for a good cleaning and check for detritus in there. I'll also measure the firing pin length and lube the channel a bit.

Anyhoo...thoughts are welcome. I can send it back to Smith, but would prefer to do a little non-invasive troubleshooting first.

Edit: I tried all the above with and without moon clips. The moons don't seem to make any difference.

 

[kev74]

I'd start with a good cleaning, too.

A new gun shouldn't be doing that though.

 

[FivePews]

I've had bad luck lately with N frames. A new 627 PC had light-strikes too. Both pistols were bought at the same time and both have EEA serial numbers...for whatever that's worth.

Now that I mention it, nearly all the shooting between these two have been a new box of CCI #500s. In the past I've always used $550s.

I'll load up a batch of .38s with #550s to run through both guns after detailed cleaning. Maybe I have a bum-batch of CCI. Doesn't explain the Aguila issue though. The #500s are running fine in my J frames too.

Just hunting for ideas.

 

[series guy]

I have found that the round butt guns that come from the factory with a power rib main spring have these issues. I solved the problem by replacing the factory strain screw with an Allen set screw and adjusting it for reliable ignition. McMaster number 95235A507 works well.

 

[stansdds]

The firing pin should not be getting stuck in the forward position. I'd say there is either gummy lubricant, a bur, or debris inhibiting it's proper function. If a cleaning and proper lubrication does not resolve the issues, I'd send it back. Remember, you are the purchaser (and evidently the S&W quality control inspector), not the assembler nor the repairman.

 

[Tom S.]

The first suspect is a broken, weak or missing firing pin return spring. Given the ease of checking/replacing the spring, I would check it before sending the gun back.

 

[Protocall_Design]

If it goes back in some of the time, the spring is there. It or the firing pin may be broken, though. The firing pin should never get stuck out, as mentioned above.

 

[Nightowl]

I have had a couple that stuck. I chucked the firing pin in a drill and smoothed the front with crocus cloth, thinning them just enough to be free moving.

 

[Shrek Of The Arctic]

I've had similar problems with poor ignition on a couple of my newer N frames, to include a 327. Got brand new hammer springs, maxed out the strain screw to a real heavy trigger pull, etc. The results continued to be erratic and unimpressive.

I finally did enough homework that I found a thread on here somewhere detailing that S&W had shortened their firing pins dramatically to pass the latest bizarre California drop test...Just in case you dropped your revolver from a sky scraper or a helicopter and it happened to land on the hammer??

In any case, I measured mine and they were both at and below minimum length. I replaced them with firing pins from TK Custom and Power Custom, both to good avail.

Now, that's just part of the routine when I get a new S&W revolver. New firing pin, Hillary hole plug, and a new set of grips. It's frustrating at the onset, but it eventually makes me happy.

 

[FivePews]

I've had similar problems with poor ignition on a couple of my newer N frames, to include a 327. Got brand new hammer springs, maxed out the strain screw to a real heavy trigger pull, etc. The results continued to be erratic and unimpressive.

I finally did enough homework that I found a thread on here somewhere detailing that S&W had shortened their firing pins dramatically to pass the latest bizarre California drop test...Just in case you dropped your revolver from a sky scraper or a helicopter and it happened to land on the hammer??

In any case, I measured mine and they were both at and below minimum length. I replaced them with firing pins from TK Custom and Power Custom, both to good avail.

Now, that's just part of the routine when I get a new S&W revolver. New firing pin, Hillary hole plug, and a new set of grips. It's frustrating at the onset, but it eventually makes me happy.

I think I'll give this a try first. The aforementioned 627 PC now has an extended firing pin from TK. Still testing it, but it's a whole lot more reliable than it was new.

Any idea why the amount of primer indention would differ between double and single action? Is that typical on a revolver? I ask because my poor little brain wonders if something in the action is off. Tinkering with the clockwork is probably beyond my abilities.

Thanks for the input everyone!

 

[MajorD]

I think I'll give this a try first. The aforementioned 627 PC now has an extended firing pin from TK. Still testing it, but it's a whole lot more reliable than it was new.

Any idea why the amount of primer indention would differ between double and single action? Is that typical on a revolver? I ask because my poor little brain wonders if something in the action is off. Tinkering with the clockwork is probably beyond my abilities.

Thanks for the input everyone!

When you shoot single action the hammer comes back a touch father so compresses the mainspring a hair more which results in a heavier hammer fall/ firing pin strike. So yes typical