S&W Model 10-5: Firing Pin Not Protruding Frame

I'd just order one. The firm I mentioned above has the used part in stock. Maybe the one you have became deformed somehow. I don't think it's worthwhile to try and salvage it.

Was there a spring? My first hammer nose parts from S&W didn't need fitting. Lasted many years, till last week. Model 28-2

See post #11 - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/i-think-i-found-the-problem.724128/

I have to learn how to do it again.

K frame hammer nose difference? http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-smithing/616618-replacing-k-frame-hammer-2-0-a.html#post140745858. K FRAME-

Hope my N frame 1 fits all. Its not coming from S&W.

Lack of patience can permanently ruin your gun!

Get the Kuhnhausen manual - http://www.gunbooks.com/sw.html . Read it. Everything you need to know is in there, including how to remove the sideplate without damage, remove/replace the hammer nose, and repair/correct anything else that may be wrong with the gun. But a new hammer nose and rivet from Brownells, gunpartscorp, or one of the other suppliers. Be specific about the part you need. Small changes over the various iterations of a model make some parts not interchangeable between variations. Use the correct tools for the job. There is a correctly shaped punch made just for setting the rivet that holds the hammer nose in place. You can grind one to fit if you cannot find the correct one. Proper fit is not just about appearance. That rivet has thin walls. Using an improperly shaped punch will result in stress risers in the thin metal that can/will eventually result in a crack, letting it fall out at an inoportune time. Use the correct screwdrivers that fit the screw properly, too.

If you see no damage to the firing pin and the slot in the hammer that it fits in, clean the slot and polish the sides of the firing pin. Insure that it is free to travel in the slot and reinstall.

The "Power Custom" brand N frame hammer nose i ordered from Midwayusa may not be a drop in? Seen 2 posts saying they are longer. More firing pin protrusion. Not good for my M28-2, as it can pierce primers, now & then.

gobsauce said:

S&W 10-5

Click to expand...

Looks like the old early nose?

May be best to order the part from Smith & Wesson by using the SERIAL NUMBER of the revolver? But like said above, if no damage to the nose, clean and polish , install and try it. The old rivet can be reused, if not damaged.

But the OP's nose looks flattened, not rounded?

243winxb said:

....But the OP's nose looks flattened, not rounded?

Click to expand...

Ya, I thought the same, looking at the last pic. Maybe the wrong part was installed at some distant time in the past. The point should be rounded so it fits through the firing pin hole.

The part that Numrich lists as "used factory original" and is currently in stock for $17.50 looks to me like it matches:

View attachment 956955

The other hammer noses listed have a slot cut out, apparently for those models with a hammer nose spring.

Sudden brainstorm: maybe if gobsauce just does some judicious filing on the existing part to round it off it might be made to work? Maybe it's hitting the frame simply because it's not sized to fit through the firing pin hole? Also the other smoothing and polishing at the same time as suggested above can't hurt.

File the nose so it looks like the picture above.

Mine is also 1972 so likely ours are the same.

It's hard to tell; mine looks like it portrudes a little more. Do you want to test fire at a range? Or do you have any spent shells or snap caps you can simulate test fire at home? I like to test a firearm's firing pin action using snap caps. I put a little piece of adhesive paper over the dummy primer then load and "fire" it to see if the firing pin punches a hole in the paper:

Unfired:
View attachment 957210

Fired:
View attachment 957211

Time to reinstall the cylinder and test fire. Looks good as long as the pin nose is rounded and has no sharp edges.

Google- "smith wesson revolver hammer nose protrusion"

Firing pin protrusion: This test will indicate how far the firing pin
protrudes from the firing pin bushing. A short protrusion could result in light
primer hits.
For guns with a hammer nose firing pin, swing the cylinder out and hold
the cylinder latch to the rear. Dry fire in DA mode then hold the trigger to
the rear. Hold the gun muzzle up so you can view the firing pin sticking out
of the bushing. Let go of the cylinder latch then use a .030” gap gauge
placed against the recoil shield. The pin should be at least as high as the gap
gauge.


*Edit/Add- The protrusion of .030" from online now seems wrong? My new M28-2 Hammer nose is about .048" The M28 has pinned barrel and recessed cylinder. *

*Does a recessed cylinder make a difference?*

gobsauce said:

Honestly, I've never even heard of a gap gauge!

Click to expand...

Feeler gauge is more common.

Wire gauge for spark plug gap.

Let us know how it works out ... and stick around to say thanks by helping others

I'm a retired Marine & Industrial Diesel mechanic and that's the first time I've ever heard of them being call "gap gauges"...

Carry your revolver to a local gunsmith and let him help you.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

You have more patience than I do.

If you reload your own ammunition prime a case and see if the revolver will fire the primer without damage to the primer except the pin indention. If it does you are good to go. The people on here are inputting too much into this. The protrusion of the firing pins on all three of my M10 do not protrude any where near the thickness of a dime and they ALL fire anything I feed them. That includes my M19.

Test fire the dang thing and be done with it!