642 - Light Firing Pin Strikes

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The old, tried and tested rule still applies: for any defensive handgun, make sure it's fired 200 rounds of your defensive ammo load without a single malfunction of any type before trusting your life to it. Many folks assume that that rule applies only to semi-auto pistols, but it's not a bad thing to use it for revolvers as well.
 
Absolutely true! But in addition the revolver should be fired on a regular basis in practice - both to maintain or improve skills and to keep tabs on the gun.

Today it is fairly common for people to fire the hottest Plus-P ammunition (including .357 Magnum) in lightweight guns. In fairly short order this can cause a condition called "end-shake" where the cylinder can move back and forth (as opposed to rotational movement). Because the hand pushes the cylinder forward it will move in that direction until the front cylinder face is rubbing on the back of the barrel. The net effect of this is to increase headspace, and reduce the firing pin's indentation into the primer. This can cause misfires or no-fires.

End-shake is relatively easy to fix, but conditions that are not observed seldom are addressed and repaired.
 
I suspect that headspace is exactly what S&W attributed the problem to the first time, since they replaced the cylinder. And the problem did improve, but a 2% failure rate is still unacceptable.

You're probably right that a dime is not the best test, but it is certainly a reasonable ballpark test. Like I said, my firing pin extends less than half the thickness of a dime. Others are reporting that theirs extends almost the full thickness. Certainly there is a variation in dime thickness, but it's nowhere near that extreme.

Hopefully this time it will come back fixed.
 
Others are reporting that theirs extends almost the full thickness. Certainly there is a variation in dime thickness, but it's nowhere near that extreme.
Click to expand...

I agree, LB. I think the dime test can just be a good "approximate" measure. In your case, you could easily see the revolver needs more work.

This time I hope they get it right. Please let us know.

R/Jv
 
Lord Bodak, What's the latest?
Click to expand...

I shipped it to them Monday 8/15, and received the form letter on the 22nd or 23rd. Nothing new since then--I'm hoping to see it back this week. Turnaround last time was 14 days (shipped it the 14th of July and received it the 28th), so they've had it longer this time. Hopefully that's a sign that they're actually fixing the problem!
 
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And since S&W in their unfant wisdom saw fit to take the firing pin off the hammer and put it in the frame replacing the firing pin is not an easy task.

In the good old days one could just procure a new hammer and change it themselves.

My oh my, ain't progress grand. :barf:

But consider yourself lucky that you're dealing with Smith & Wesson since their customer service is the best in the industry today, hands down. :rolleyes:
 
Just received the gun. They replaced the firing pin (woo-hoo!). A quick dime test shows that the pin protrudes more than 75% of the thickness of the dime, which sounds good from what everyone has said here.

Just don't tell anyone I opened it in the office! :rolleyes:
 
That was the second trip. On the first trip, they replaced the cylinder-- which did improve things a lot. My failure rate went from about 40% to about 2%. But now it passes the "dime test" and we'll find out Saturday (hopefully) if it passes the range test.
 
I wish you the very best with that fine revolver. :)

Mine goes with me everywhere, always... no matter what else I'm carrying.

StrikeEagle
 
I don't know whether to look at this as scarry or sad?

You send a gun to S&W because you think it's a bad firing pin.
They determine the cylinder is out of spec and replace it but say the firing pin is in spec.

On the second trip they realize that the firing pin IS out of spec.

The scarry/sad part is - Was the cylinder out of spec all along or did it go that way so soon from shooting?

It would appear that S&W produced the revolver with a bad firing pin AND a bad cylinder?
 
Well, in the first letter I included with the gun I said exactly what was suggested here-- either the firing pin is too short or there is friction in the action causing the misfires.

They replaced the cylinder, the assessment here was, excessive headspace. May or may not have been true. My suspicion is there was nothing wrong with the cylinder, but that was an "easier" fix.

Second time I said hey, you didn't fix it, after discussions and comparisons with fellow 642 owners, it is clear the firing pin is too short and I am certain the problem will not be fixed without a new firing pin. And this time they did it.

What bothers me isn't so much that they took the easier solution, but that they ignored my suggestion. If a customer says "I think the firing pin is too short," would it be THAT hard to measure the thing and say yes or no?
 
Given a choice, S&W would far rather replace the firing pin (which is inexpensive) then the cylinder (which is) ... :uhoh:

Firing pins are seldom too short. What is more likely, is that there could have been a problem with the firing pin spring or retaining pin. This of course should have been discovered during the first trip back.

If you remove the sideplate (not highly recommended unless absolutely necessary) you will find that the pin that retains the firing pin can drop out. If the firing pin should suddenly seem to be short again the spring should be checked. Also when dry firing always use snap-caps or fired cases in the chambers. Either will help prevent spring mashing.
 
Didn't make it out this weekend unfortunately, we did the outdoor range instead and a snubby at 25 yards or more isn't something I'm quite ready to tackle :)

Planning to hit the range tomorrow night or Saturday morning, I'll let everybody know the results.
 
Just got home from the range.

96 rounds, no failures. Only problem is the blister on my thumb-- it looks like it's rubbing where the frame and the back of the grips meet. But really, how often is a gun like this going to see 100 rounds in a range session anyway?

Once I clean it this afternoon I'm going to install the Hogue Bantams on it and try them next time. I waited because I didn't want to go through the hassle of changing back when the gun was going back and forth to S&W, but now that it seems ok, I can make the change.
 
Good deal! Glad it's running for you now. :)

Agree about the blister... I love these little revolvers, but they just are NOT a lot of fun to shoot. :eek:

StrikeEagle
 
Wonder if the Cylinder & Slide extended firing pin would work in the J-frame? They are not always a dropin (I've only used them in L and N frames) as they may stick and need some turning down and/or shortening to get the right firing pin protrusion. With the side plate off changing the firing pin as noted above is quick.
 
StrikeEagle - I put the Bantam grips on. Besides the fact that they are significantly lighter, they feel more comfortable to me. Have you tried them?
 
the compacs really are just about the nicest Pachs around. i have a set on my M-696 and they hug the backstrap snugly and don't have the "tackiness" other Pachs are somtimes known for.
 
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