[Atticus]

As I posted last month – I’m still waiting on C&S to complete a few hundred $ of repairs on my S&W model 19.

Yesterday, I pick up the LNIB model 625-6 .45acp that I bought online. It is a beautiful revolver. Take it home last night – thoroughly clean it- dry fire it half a dozen times ……and hear a rattle. What he heh…..?? I look at where the firing pin used to be, and see only a hole with a tiny spring inside. I look on the floor and see a small part lying there. Another part (or more) is rattling around in the gun. I remove the grips, and the pin (or part of pin) falls out. There is still something rattling around in the gun. I swear to myself that I will never buy another gun ….and try to go to sleep. I’m not a happy man right now.

[Tamara]

A broken firing pin while dry firing can occasionally happen. It's never happened to me in the bazillion times I've done it, but that doesn't mean it never will.

None of this will make buying a new firing pin any more enjoyable, however... :uhoh:

[J Miller]

Atticus,

Does the 625-6 have the firing pin in the frame or hammer? I'm not familiar with this version, as the newest S&W I have is over 20 years old.

Anyway, I have had only one firing pin break in all the revolvers I have owned. It was in an Interarms Virginian Dragoon. A frame mounted firinig pin. Had to go back to Interarms to be fixed. I was not happy.
I have an OM Ruger Super Single 6 that if I dry fire it the firing pin bushing will move out of the frame after a few shots.

So due to my experiances, and reguardless of what others and some manufactures state, I rarely dry fire revolvers with a frame mounted firing pin. I consider this to be a prudent course of action because; there are four parts to get messed up. The firing pin, the firing pin spring, the firing pin bushing, and the pin that holds all these in the frame. Every time you pull the trigger on an empty gun these take the impact of the hammer. Logically, eventually they will fail.

On a gun with a hammer mounted firing pin, the hammer takes the impact, not the firing pin.

Get your gun fixed, and buy a set of snap caps.

J

[Atticus]

J: It is the frame mounted type. It may have simply fallen apart, and not broken. I put it away last night, before I lost my temper and shot putted it. As my 7 year old daughter would say.."I'm getting frusterated". I'll take a look at it later today.

[500swmag]

Atticus, the frame mounted firing pin on our new frame revolvers can not fall out of the gun unless it is broke. I suspect from your first posting

"I look on the floor and see a small part lying there. Another part (or more) is rattling around in the gun. I remove the grips, and the pin (or part of pin) falls out. There is still something rattling around in the gun."

that perhaps someone at the gunshop took off the sideplate and was looking at the internals, and PERHAPS when they had the plate off the firing pin retaining pin (which is captured by the sideplate) fell out of the gun allowing the firing pin to escape. None the less call our customer service and they will send a return label so you can have the gun repaired.
BC

[ChristopherG]

I agree with 500--
when the sideplate is removed from guns with the frame-mounted firing pin, it's pretty easy for the firing-pin retaining pin to come out. When you say you 'cleaned it thoroughly', did this include removing the sideplate? If so, that's probably when it happened. Anyway, you can avoid shipping it back to MA if you can gather and reassemble these three small parts: the Firing Pin; Firing Pin Spring (tiny spring that pushes it back away from the primer after firing); and the retaining spring.
I know how it falls out 'cause it's happened to me; and I know it's possible to figure out the reassembly (very simple, really), 'cause I reassembled it.
CG

[Atticus]

Thanks for the feedback folks.

I have not had the side plate off....but you are both correct in that someone else has. I should have said that I thoroughly cleaned the exterior, the barrel, and cylinder thoroughly.

This gun was advertised as NIB -which is a stretch for sure. (the seller claimed it was purchased new and put away in safe for two years). I picked it up from my FFL last evening and finally got to take a close look at it late last night. Evidently it's been "going off" in the safe. In addition to being pretty dirty, and having a clear drag line on the cylinder, one of the side plate screws is very slightly buggered.

But frankly... I don't have the time, patience, or cash to mess with it right now. My guns (and ex guns) have been earning more frequent flyer miles than me lately.

This one's gonna be a paperweight for awhile.

[Standing Wolf]

This gun was advertised as NIB...

Yeah, and the check is in the mail, too. I'm thoroughly sick and tired of hearing about guns that haven't been fired since they left the factory.

[Atticus]

Standing Wolf: Actually...I'm waiting for two of those as well. :rolleyes:

I did regroup tonight and became the reluctant gunsmith. Looks like ChrisG was right- the firing pin is intact and I have the spring- just no retaining pin. Don't know where the little bugger got off to, but whatever's rattlin around in there isn't the loose pin (not the hammer block either).
Anyhow....I'll be on the phone to S&W or Brownells in the moring to get a new pin. Thanks again!

[Atticus]

500swmag: Thanks again for the assist. 625 is up and running.

[C.R.Sam]

That's good news.

Sam

[Tamara]

I love a happy ending. :cool:

[280PLUS]

:D

[Old Fuff]

I don't know why this incident happened, but I think I will continue to prefer revolvers where the firing pin retainer can't be so easily lost or broken. Earlier S&W guns with frame-mounted, or for that matter, hammer-mounted firing pins don't seem to have this problem, at least very often.

[Atticus]

"I don't know why this incident happened,"

After taking the plate off and replacing the parts, I can only believe that someone removed the side plate, removed the retaining pin (or it fell out)and re-installed the plate. The pin was not in the gun when I removed the plate, and it could not have fallen outside of the gun. I'm still a bit peeved with the seller about it. He has not replied to any of my E-mails. Oh well...I got a nice revolver at a decent price, and it's a good shooter.

[Old Fuff]

I am delighted that you got, "a nice revolver at a decent price." Perhaps the seller's lack of communication indicates why you got a "nice revolver at a ....." I wish you better luck in the future.