Do you know first hand of breaking a firing pin by dry firing (poll)

[JFrames4ever]

Colt Python FP broke

I bought a new in box 1977 Colt Python as a shooter for $200 NIB. Still own it. Even if I would have known how crazy Python prices would go I still have it and would never part with it. I broke the firing pin about 5 years ago, and got a replacement from Numich Arms very inexpensive as I remember. Still going strong after all these years.

 

[hoc9sw]

Been there, done that.

Long story, bad end, factory fixed it, but no one can figure out how it happened. Bad metal, bad port, **** in the channel ....

 

[X Ring Ranch]

Dry firing a Colt Python and broke the tip of the firing pin. The Python has a spring around the firing pin to hold it back and to clearance the rotating cylinder. Spring weakened on years and allowed the tip of the firing pin to protrude into the path of the cylinder.

Some S&W's have the same design and probably the same issue over time.

 

[EQGuy]

When I was a youngster I was dry firing my Winchester model 55 in 32 Special. I heard a metallic twink and then something exited the barrel and fell to the floor. It was the firing pin tip. I have not dry fired old guns after that.

 

[RonJ]

Nope, never broke one, including a mim model sixty which was dry fired a lot.

 

[walkin jack]

Depending upon the design of the firearm some may be dry fired and some may not. I have an inexpensive Heritage .22lr/.22mag convertible single six and in the manual is says, "NEVER DRY FIRE".

When I get a new gun I read the book before I fire it if it is a gun I've not handled before. This is a cheap gun but it is surprisingly accurate out to about 50'. Lots of fun to shoot too.

I let a friend borrow it and when he brought it back to me he said it wouldn't fire. I asked him if he dry fired it and he told me he did but only "a few" times.

It won't take much to fix it but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. The moral of this story is BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LOAN YOUR GUNS TO!

 

[zeke]

Broke a firing pin nose in N frame once by dry firing, and not excessively. At the time replacements were not readily available. Broke a firing pin spring in Taurus, and learned manual says not to. Had the trigger mechanism in walther PPS fail, but think it was defective.

Never did dry fire rifles or 22's, and now don't dry fire anything. Use snap caps when necessary.

 

[calmex]

I think you're going to find it doesn't happen on a Smith&Wesson.
Edited: However it is possible on a rimfire revolver. That aspect sorta slipped my mind.

I have broken 2 hammer-noses in my life. Once on a Model 29-2 I owned and snapped a lot (and shot a lot) when I lived in Canada and once down here on my K-38, Model 14-3 I own and have shot a lot. One of my good friends and gunclub companions by coincidence broke his Model 14-4 hammer nose only a few months ago. I carry a pair of hammer-noses and rivets in my gunbag tool kit and fixed him up right away.

But it does happen. Incidently, when my K-38 snapped it's hammer nose I was firing a sequence when the gun simply stopped going ***BANG***. Broken hammer nose.

I don't lay awake nights expecting it to happen but as I said I carry a couple of hammer noses and rivets in my bag just in case. I also saw Erika, one of our other club members break the hammer nose on her Rossi 851 years ago. I got a couple of hammer noses for that and fixed it for her but she ended up selling it and moving over to a Model 19 marked 15 and has not had a problem since.

Aguila ammo often has exceptionally hard primers and that could be a factor although most of us reload so I don't think it's a primer thing. My K-38 has a bit more "hammer nose protrusion" than most other revolvers so that might be a factor in the case of my own K-38.

But it certainly can happen that they break, whether because of dry firing, excessive protrusion, or whatever. It's an easy fix in any case as long as you have the spares.

 

[ancient-one]

This is not dry firing but I bought a used Savage 219C 22 Hornet. The first thing I was told by the guys on the Savage Forum was to never accidentally pull the trigger while the action was open. When that happened the firing pin usually broke.

 

[XtrmTJ]

Probably not going to make much difference if you're dry firing in a gunfight.

Emergency reload !

 

[3dots]

Where are all the guys who broke firing pins in their BG380's???

Wasn't that a major issue just a few years back?

.

Spot on! I was going to ask the same thing!

 

[paddywonka]

In 45 years plus of very active shooting and dry firing practice, I have never had or seen a broken firing pin on any centerfire rifle, pistol, revolver or shotgun. I belong to a rather good size gun club & none of the members have ever spoken of a broken firing pin, or striker.

 

[Alpo]

Zombie thread

Stevens 311, hammerless SxS 12 gauge.

As a stupid kid, I believed that keeping springs under tension was bad for them. So whenever I would put my gun away, I would pull both triggers, to release the tension on the firing pin springs.

Took two or three years, but I broke both pins.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

I've had it happen to a M19 snub. Twice. With snap caps. Nice as it was otherwise, I had no regrets selling it at that point.

I suspect it might have been a fitment issue.

That's what I suspected when the same thing (Twice. With snap caps.) happened to my C*** Diamondback .38 snub. But I could find no evidence of that whatsoever. The first time, I replaced the hammer nose (in the bobbed hammer). The second time, I replaced the whole hammer and sold the gun. I also replaced the hammer nose in the bobbed hammer, which I dropped into my Agent, where it is still serving faithfully.

?????

 

[CoMF]

That's what I suspected when the same thing (Twice. With snap caps.) happened to my C*** Diamondback .38 snub. But I could find no evidence of that whatsoever. The first time, I replaced the hammer nose (in the bobbed hammer). The second time, I replaced the whole hammer and sold the gun. I also replaced the hammer nose in the bobbed hammer, which I dropped into my Agent, where it is still serving faithfully.

?????

That is indeed strange. FWIW, that M19 was the only revolver with a hammer nose I've ever seen it happen to.

I wonder if the third hammer nose was the proverbial charm for whoever ended up adopting our wheelguns.

 

[les.b]

I have never broken a firing pin through dry fire, but my oldest son broke the firing pin on the pre 64 Winchester model 94 carbine that I had given him for his 16th birthday. He was dry firing the gun, and just like Raider above, heard the pin tip go rattling down the barrel. I replaced it.

On the other hand, I have never personally had the firing pin on a smith and Wesson or colt revolver (hammer mounted) break. And that probably is in the course of tens of thousands of dry fires.

Best Regards, Les

 

[7shooter]

The firing pin on my S&W Model 640 broke locking up the gun . I had dry fired it on occasion. Can't say for sure that was the cause.

 

[iouri]

Choices 2 and 3 are not exclusive: I've heard that you can break firing pin and I've never seen one broken.

 

[ohioseabee]

on a M36 3" and a M19 6", over a span of probably 40 years.

 

[the ringo kid]

Nope, never broke one and ive only dry-fired that Black Widow Luger I once had.