Ditchdigger
Member
Shooting the 686 today and noticed one of my primers was pierced. 125 gr FTX HORNADY. Factory rounds. I shot a full cylinder (7) of them, this was number 3. None of the others showed any abnormalities.
Is this a problem?
- Thread starter Ditchdigger
- Start date
Shooting the 686 today and noticed one of my primers was pierced. 125 gr FTX HORNADY. Factory rounds. I shot a full cylinder (7) of them, this was number 3. None of the others showed any abnormalities.
358156hp
Member
Yes. You need to figure out why it happened, and prevent it from happening again. Start with inspecting your firing pin for rough/sharp edges or any damage. Then measure your firing pin protrusion, although that's likely okay because only one primer pierced.
OP
Ditchdigger
Member
That appears to be the issue. I'm not sure when or how this happened. A trip back to S&W? I wish that I could know if it was something that I've done. Only a couple hundred rounds through it .38's and .357. Not much dry firing. Maybe 50 pulls of the trigger.
scooter123
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IMO that is a problem. I also think that it may have been a defective primer. From the lack of an impression of a domed firing pin bushing it would appear that your 686 is a -5 or earlier with the hammer mounted firing pin. I would suggest that you cock the hammer on an empty gun and use some magnification to get a good close look at the end or your firing pin. What you should see is a hemispherical end, if you see any chipping or roughness you'll want to look into fitting a new firing pin to the hammer.
If your firing pin looks perfect I would suggest that you contact Hornady and not shoot any more of this lot of ammunition. Because one defective primer can be an indication of a bad lot of primers. The problem with this type of defect is that it directs a jet of superheated gasses at the end of your firing pin and that jet will damage the firing pin pretty quickly. It normally takes more than 1 bad primer but after 100 of these blowouts you can plan on needing a new firing pin. In addition that gas jet can also erode the firing pin bushing so it's not something you want to ignore.
If your firing pin looks perfect I would suggest that you contact Hornady and not shoot any more of this lot of ammunition. Because one defective primer can be an indication of a bad lot of primers. The problem with this type of defect is that it directs a jet of superheated gasses at the end of your firing pin and that jet will damage the firing pin pretty quickly. It normally takes more than 1 bad primer but after 100 of these blowouts you can plan on needing a new firing pin. In addition that gas jet can also erode the firing pin bushing so it's not something you want to ignore.
scooter123
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Just saw your pic and that is a bit of a Yikes. That type of damage isn't from dry firing and it appears to me to be the result of multiple pierced primer incidents. Basically you are seeing the result of gas cutting.
Did you purchase this gun new? If so it might be an inclusion in the steel the firing pin was made with. If you purchased the revolver used you may be providing unfortunate evidence that we should probably use a magnifier to examing anything we are thinking of buying.
Did you purchase this gun new? If so it might be an inclusion in the steel the firing pin was made with. If you purchased the revolver used you may be providing unfortunate evidence that we should probably use a magnifier to examing anything we are thinking of buying.
OP
Ditchdigger
Member
It is a -6, I did buy it new. Unfortunately this is the first time I've looked closely at the pin. I don't know if it's been this way awhile or not. I do save most of my brass in the hopes that one day soon.....Christmas present idea....I'll be able to reload. I'm not seeing any issues on previously fired brass. I'll contact s&w and go from there. I thank you for the input.
