Harry58
Member
Should I be concerned about the hammer mounted firing pin breaking on my older ('70s & '80s) S&W revolvers? I have never had one break.
Hammer Mounted Firing Pin?
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I would have answered simply "No," but the answer has to be at least 10 characters long.
So, "no."
bmcgilvray
Member
Hammer mounted firing pins?
I like 'em.
Have dry-fired and thwacked a lot of primers with Smith & Wesson revolvers having hammer-mounted firing pins since the mid-1970s and haven't experienced the first broken one.
I like 'em.
Have dry-fired and thwacked a lot of primers with Smith & Wesson revolvers having hammer-mounted firing pins since the mid-1970s and haven't experienced the first broken one.
It appears that you answered your own question.... NO reason for concern - afterall, they made a kazillion of them before the frame mounted pins arrived.
I worked in a 1200 member police department and saw one break in 1985.
That was the only one I ever saw or heard of in my 30 years there, and it was on a new model 64 that was being broken in at the range.
That was the only one I ever saw or heard of in my 30 years there, and it was on a new model 64 that was being broken in at the range.
dfariswheel
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Hammer mounted firing pins DO break.
This is rare, but it happens.
Do a search on most any gun forum and you'll see posts asking how to replace pins, or where to buy a new pin.
I was mostly a Colt repairman, but I did see at least a few broken S&W firing pins.
I "suspect" the broken pins were in guns that had been dry fired a lot.
This is rare, but it happens.
Do a search on most any gun forum and you'll see posts asking how to replace pins, or where to buy a new pin.
I was mostly a Colt repairman, but I did see at least a few broken S&W firing pins.
I "suspect" the broken pins were in guns that had been dry fired a lot.
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They do break, but only on a rare occasion. All the Smith's I own have hammer mounted firing pins (with the exception of the .22's of course) and I have never broken one through the tens and tens of thousands of rounds fired. Can't honestly say I have ever personally known anybody who has had one break either - but I have seen posts from people that have had them snap.
This is something that I would definitely NOT loose any sleep over.
Chief38
ADDED:
I have popped out the rivets and firing pins on occasion when I have installed new hammers that I bought online and did not have the FP attached. Some of the hammers I have are stripped and have never had any parts on them (new old stock) and are just bare. Just wanted to let you know that a FP change is not the end of the world and is not that difficult to do. I also believe that Ron Powers now sells new rivets and FP's for Smiths should you not want to scavenge originals on line or in LGS's.
This is something that I would definitely NOT loose any sleep over.
Chief38
ADDED:
I have popped out the rivets and firing pins on occasion when I have installed new hammers that I bought online and did not have the FP attached. Some of the hammers I have are stripped and have never had any parts on them (new old stock) and are just bare. Just wanted to let you know that a FP change is not the end of the world and is not that difficult to do. I also believe that Ron Powers now sells new rivets and FP's for Smiths should you not want to scavenge originals on line or in LGS's.
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Jack Flash
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S&W has made them that way for a long, long time. They have been heavily used under rugged conditions by law enforcement and shooting enthusiasts alike for more than a century.
Of course any mechanical device is subject to breakage, but I have to believe it is very rare to see a hammer nose break. I never have.
Of course any mechanical device is subject to breakage, but I have to believe it is very rare to see a hammer nose break. I never have.
daddy bear
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The internal firing pin on my L C Smith hammer gun built near 1900 broke in 1998. Same technology as the new S&Ws.
My oldest S&W hand ejector from about 1919 is still running strong.
All mechanical things are subject to breakage.
My oldest S&W hand ejector from about 1919 is still running strong.
All mechanical things are subject to breakage.
Oyaji
Member
Just make sure that the firing pin pivots freely on the hammer and you won't have a problem with it breaking. An occasional drop of oil on the pin is all that is needed.
I always thought.....
I always thought that was where the firing pin was SUPPOSED to be on a revolver. S&W revolvers can be dry fired no problem and the factory says so. I think that says something.
I always thought that was where the firing pin was SUPPOSED to be on a revolver. S&W revolvers can be dry fired no problem and the factory says so. I think that says something.
Kazillion is not a word. It's bazillion or gazillion. One of them is more than the other, I just can't remember which one.
Master S&W gunsmith Ron Power has a machine he calls the 'clicker' which sets there and dry fires revolvers after he completes an action job. Thousands of clicks.
The hammer nose ( firing pin ) has only one service point and that is the rebound spring. It's hard to measure for wear or tension but on a re-work or action job I almost always would drive out the rivet, replace the little spring and peen in a new rivet. If I had to make an educated guess I'd say broken hammer noses are probably attributable to (1) hammer alignment, (2) weak or broken spring or (3) excessive protrusion.
Regards
The hammer nose ( firing pin ) has only one service point and that is the rebound spring. It's hard to measure for wear or tension but on a re-work or action job I almost always would drive out the rivet, replace the little spring and peen in a new rivet. If I had to make an educated guess I'd say broken hammer noses are probably attributable to (1) hammer alignment, (2) weak or broken spring or (3) excessive protrusion.
Regards
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Not all guns were Smiths....
Some makes of guns, especially older ones, made the mechanism of the hammer/bushing put the firing pin in a delicate position, subject to stress and could break even by just firing the gun, much more by some mishandling. There used to be a LOT of brands of guns to choose from, some imported, some cheaply made or badly designed, which was often the case to avoid patent infringement by coming up with a less robust configuration.
Some makes of guns, especially older ones, made the mechanism of the hammer/bushing put the firing pin in a delicate position, subject to stress and could break even by just firing the gun, much more by some mishandling. There used to be a LOT of brands of guns to choose from, some imported, some cheaply made or badly designed, which was often the case to avoid patent infringement by coming up with a less robust configuration.
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Yes they do break, but not too often thankfully. Installing a new one is pretty straight forward and no real special tools are required so not a deal breaker on a vintage Smith IMHO. YMMV.
Patmcclat
Member
My 1988 Model 19 firing pin broke today. Fortunately for me, the LGS that I bought it from in July, gave me a 12 month warranty. I delivered the gun to them today for repair. I hope that it will be repaired quickly.
Patmcclat
Member
My LGS-warrantied broken firing pin was repaired in one day. I dropped it off Friday afternoon and it was repaired and ready for pickup Saturday afternoon.
This must occur more frequently than I thought, because the gunsmith told me that the firing pin is a stock item for them.
This must occur more frequently than I thought, because the gunsmith told me that the firing pin is a stock item for them.
Actually it's more likely that the hammer nose has been setting around for years and your the first customer through the door that's needed one. I used to do service repair work on rental guns at two very active indoor ranges and in two years never replaced a S&W hammer nose. Had four or five in my parts drawer but they're still there
Wondering if you have any photos of your broken hammer nose I'd like to see where and how it failed
Regards
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spad124
Member
I bought an Australian police 10-8 from Buds about 2 years ago. The hammer nose broke about a month after I got it. Yes, I had dry fired it. I found there is an old style and new style hammer nose. The 10-8 has the old style and S&W no longer carries them. Neither does Numrich or any of the usual gun parts suppliers. After much searching I bought the last NOS old style hammer nose Ahlmans had. As all my K Frames are the old style I bought a couple of old style hammer assemblies off of eBay just for the hammer nose. Someone had polished off the color case hardening so the were cheap
Jack Flash
Member
I am no gun smith, but just looking at a hammer nose, I have to wonder how hard it would be to fabricate one if the need arose.
Kazillion is not a word. It's bazillion or gazillion. One of them is more than the other, I just can't remember which one.
It's a gazillion to the power of K.........
Patmcclat
Member
