sd40ve broken firing pin

[RWGN]

just got back from the range, never got to fire a single round. failure to fire, failure to fire, failure to fire...........took the tension off the striker spring, slid off the back plate and removed the striker assembly. low and behold, my first broken firing pin. i would say that there is approx 400 rounds thru this weapon. the only ammo i've shot thru this weapon is the remanufactured ammo from freedom munitions. not sure if they use "hard" primers or maybe this firing pin just had enough. has anyone else have this happen yet?? guess i'll be calling s&w on monday morning for a replacement.

 

[shawn mccarver]

When you order a replacement from S&W, get two as they are easy to install.

 

[RWGN]

hoping they will send me two just for the inconvenience of the matter. wasted ten bucks at the range and the gas to get there. maybe i'll be one of the lucky ones who gets the "free mag" as well, ha ha , i won't hold my breath. yeah it does literally take seconds to remove the striker assembly to remove the firing pin, it is a pain sometimes getting those little white semi cirles (retainers?) back on the first try. glad i have my m&p 9 while the SD is getting serviced.

 

[3hounds]

I doubt they will send you anything, that's supposedly a factory installed
part.

It's a total joke, but they won't send it to you, going to have to ship it back.

To make it a little easier I put just a touch of grease to hold the retainers in place, then wipe off the excess.

If you watch the Apex video they show you how to install them by placing the assembly backwards in the slide.

3

 

[J Rich]

Where did the striker break at? There was 1 other guy here that had 1 break recently on a SDVE.

 

[GKC]

I'd be interested in seeing a picture, if you can post one (or several.)

Also, you mentioned difficulty with the spring cups/retainers...did you disassemble the striker assembly?

 

[RWGN]

the little nub at the tip of the striker assembly looks like it sheared right off. i've taken a couple of pics to show where it broke. the metal underneath where it broke looks porous/aerated. i'll upload a few images, sorry my focus on my camera is not the greatest. after doing trigger work on the sigma and installing the apex kit on the SDVE, i feel pretty confident doing some minor gunsmithing. i'll be calling s&w tomorrow about this issue, didn't get around to it today.

 

[Short Bus Driver]

the little nub at the tip of the striker assembly looks like it sheared right off. i've taken a couple of pics to show where it broke. the metal underneath where it broke looks porous/aerated. i'll upload a few images, sorry my focus on my camera is not the greatest. after doing trigger work on the sigma and installing the apex kit on the SDVE, i feel pretty confident doing some minor gunsmithing. i'll be calling s&w tomorrow about this issue, didn't get around to it today.

Make sure you put it back to stock before sending it in.

 

[RWGN]

Finally got my sd40ve sent off for repairs. smith and wesson should have it by wednesday. i had purchased a rear m&p sight and asked if they could so kindly install that for me while they are replacing the striker. also, didn't send a magazine in with it (we'll see if they send one along after test firing it). It's a little weird sending away one of your weapons, like a little part of me has been taken away.

 

[3hounds]

Finally got my sd40ve sent off for repairs. smith and wesson should have it by wednesday. i had purchased a rear m&p sight and asked if they could so kindly install that for me while they are replacing the striker. also, didn't send a magazine in with it (we'll see if they send one along after test firing it). It's a little weird sending away one of your weapons, like a little part of me has been taken away.

Especially since they could have sent you a new striker and you could have had it back together in a couple mins.

It will be 3 weeks for mine shortly.

3

 

[Henry Killinger]

My sd9 broke a striker as well, but in a different place. Just got mine back from S&W, no range report until after tomorrow. If you're interested, this is the thread showing my break...

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...2338-sd9ve-gritty-trigger-broken-striker.html

 

[RWGN]

checked out your post, that's an interesting place for the striker to break. i'm not sure how they make the striker assembly. you would think they would use a high grade metal for a component of the firearm that important. the metal seemed very porous/aerated where the tip broke off the striker on my SDVE. let us know how you're trip to the range goes.

 

[RWGN]

update

just got email verification that my sd40ve should be back in my possesion from S&W tomorrow. will head to the range on saturday and i'll give an update of the "new" striker at that time.......till then

 

[Capt_Destro]

I'm glad you are getting it back, but honestly it's so stupid they make you send it out.. Especially if it's say your only firearm.. They need to get with the program already and make factory parts available. It's awsome they sell a firearm at such a low price, but their spare part policy kinda irks me. The M&P is starting to have spare parts stocked by a few sites, but the SD series not so much. :S

No way to get around it since the armorer's course is only for the M&P.

 

[RWGN]

ooooooooooh yeah, just got back from sending a few down range with the freshly serviced sd40ve. shoots like a champ.....so I was not one of the blessed who received a "complimentary" magazine. I had purchased a steel m&p rear sight from Brownell's and had asked s&w nicely to install it for me while she was in for repairs (which they did). they actually sent me back two of the polymer rear sights in my case. I actually did not return it back to a totally "stock" configuration when I sent her in for repairs. I did the Apex kit originally, but put the stock striker spring back in because I had a couple of light primer strikes. I didn't think the gunsmiths at s&w would notice a different trigger return spring and striker block spring (which they didn't) They must have had fun shooting a few rounds because there was quite a bit of carbon build up upon return. glad to have it back.

 

[Nakanokalronin]

Maybe S&W will upgrade the striker assembly in the SDVE series one day like the M&P. I say this since the SD strikers seem like the same type that broke on the M&P line until they re-enforced it at the neck and back where it get's caught on the sear.

Old M&P striker with reports of breakage

Old vs. new M&P striker. Notice the similarities of the old version compared to the SD series if you take it out. I can't find a good clear picture of the SD striker online, but I noticed it last time I had mine apart.

 

[3hounds]

just got email verification that my sd40ve should be back in my possesion from S&W tomorrow. will head to the range on saturday and i'll give an update of the "new" striker at that time.......till then

How could S&W be sending your gun back when I was told they were shut down on 7/24/13 ?

Anybody know ?

Thanks, 3

 

[presspics]

This is not giving me a warm fuzzy feeling. I just picked up a SD9VE that was on sale at a local shop. Now I am concerned about the striker!! Damn it!! Why can't they just make a quality tool steel striker for the gun?

 

[Nakanokalronin]

This is not giving me a warm fuzzy feeling. I just picked up a SD9VE that was on sale at a local shop. Now I am concerned about the striker!! Damn it!! Why can't they just make a quality tool steel striker for the gun?

I've shot my SD9VE quite a bit and haven't had any problems, but I also don't sit there and dry fire it repeatedly either, which may or may not be a problem since you have to dry fire it once to take the slide off. Most companies are trying to get away with as much MIM as they can for cost savings on the production side, not the consumer side.

I wouldn't worry about it unless it happens. Make taking the striker out and inspecting it and cleaning the channel part of a regular cleaning routine. It only takes a second to do.

 

[copterdrvr]

I think the big difference between the m&p and the sd is that the sd striker is unfortunately a m.i.m. Part and not machined like it appears the m&p striker is...

I think the weak striker is the only "flaky" part on the SD series pistols.

How many of you folks would be interested in being able to upgrade to a high-quality, machined striker? I know I sure as heck would as its the only part of the pistol I'm not really thrilled about and it's pretty damned important!!!