Light Primer Strikes

[gr7070]

Shot my 686 today. It hadn't been cleaned since I last shot, but it wasn't that many rounds through it last time.

I had about 2 in 6 FTF firing about 45 total. After the first 12 I oiled the firing pin - it's a new dash model. It didn't help any.

I've never monkeyed with the springs on it and it has never had an issue before. It's only 700 rds old. I tried two different ammo, all big name factory stuff.

I'm going to clean it thoroughly and try again. Any ideas if not cleaning was the likeliest culprit - it didn't seem that dirty? Any other things to look at when I clean it?

 

[OKFC05]

After you finish cleaning it, include in your lube routine one drop of Breakfree down the front of the cocked hammer and cycle the gun several times.

Might check that the mainsprng strain screw is all the way tight.

 

[stantheman86]

When this happens in a gun that had previously worked fine, I always blame the ammunition first.....

Sometimes you get bad primers,set too low, CCI is notorious for being hard to touch off or having "bad lots". So is PMC.

I have a 10-5 that had FTF's with CCI Blazer .38, I was like "uh oh my gun's broke" but the same ammo worked spotty in several other .38 revolvers. Mass produced "range pratice" ammo sometimes has low or overly hard primers. Also had issues with Blazer Lawman in a Glock .40 with primers set too deep at the factory.

I call it the "Blazer Test" in that when I have a gun I use for CC or HD, I fire a few hundred rounds of Blazer aluminum through it, if it "passes" with no FTF's then I know it will touch anything off

 

[Wee Hooker]

So the gun was new when you bought it?

1) Try changing ammo to see if results change. Hard or improperly seated primers can cause misfires.
2) Scrub chambers GOOD to assure rounds seat well in all chambers. Fouling can cause the case to stand off and move when hit by the pin.
3) Pull your grips and check main spring strain screw. Sometimes they back out.

 

[oldschool63]

I had the same problem with my 686-6 the strain screw had backed out. I put some loctite on it and have not had any problems since.

 

[gr7070]

2/3 of the ammo was Remington UMC in the green and white 50 rd boxes. I fired ammo that came from two different UMC boxes.

1/3 was Speer Lawman Clean ammo.

Both had 2 of 6 on average.

It seemed as if the FTFs occurred in consecutive cylinders, but I didn't notice that was the case till the last third of the ammo I shot. So that may have been just a coincidence.

I figured the problem was the firing pin sticking, but I still had the problem after I oiled it. Plus it's not like that pin is cleaned real well when the gun is cleaned. It's not easy to get to and it can't be wiped clean. I do clean the gun well and the pin gets some oil, but it's not a spot that can be cleaned well. So I wouldn't think this is the culprit since no one really can clean that pin well anyway.

 

[stantheman86]

Cleaning those pins isn't really an issue, there are many revolvers out there with frame mounted firing pins like Ruger GP100's and Security Sixes with 10's of thousands of rounds through them that haven't been cleaned in decades that still fire just fine.

 

[gr7070]

Yes, the gun was NIB 5 months ago.

I had the same problem with my 686-6 the strain screw had backed out. I put some loctite on it and have not had any problems since.

Will adjusting the screw change my trigger pull. I like the pull it had from the factory, which might be the problem, it may have come from the factory on the edge of light strikes???

How can I tell if the screw had moved or is too loose? Is there a specific distance? How will I know just what tightness to set the screw?

Do I need to loctite it? Will that cause any warranty voiding concerns.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Screw should be all the way in for factory spec. Locktite will keep it there IF ti moved. Nail polish should work too.

 

[deanodog]

I have two revolvers a model 10 and a model 14 that had light strikes and misfires. I put used primers with anvil removed under the strain screws and they both fire fine now. I will probably get new screws and mainsprings for them since they are cheap from s&w. I bought both used and suspect someone ground off the strain screw to lighten the trigger. I just use them for plinking.

 

[pinkymingeo]

I've never had a light strike problem with my frame-mounted pins, because they've all been replaced with this https://apextactical.com/store/product-info.php?pid4.html before my first trip to the range. Lets you use light springs with no worries, too.