Help with .38spl and TiteGroup

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Do you get light strikes in your 642/442 with factory ammo or only with your reloads?

Also, you said that you pulled failed rounds and it appeared that the primers had ignited. Did you hear the primers go off?

Mike
 
I use Titegroup, 3.5 grains with a 158gr lead SWC in .38 specials and they function outstandingly.
Is it possible these cases never got reprimed at all?
Reason I ask is I am very painfully aware that a .38 special powered by primer alone WILL move out of the case and into the forcing cone, sometimes all the way, sometimes enough to bind up the cylinder. Primer alone makes enough pressure to do this even with no powder. Ask me how I know... :(
 
I have not seen a list of bad Win primers. After I got done cussing I just used them for my 357 carbine, and stopped purchasing WSPs.

I am thinking it is a harder than normal primer since they did work in my carbine and second or third strikes would most of the time ignite them in my pistols(yes they were seated correctly). With what I was hearing I just didn't want to take the chance on WSPs again. I still use WSR and have not heard or had a problem with them.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help on the lot numbers. a few yrs ago there was a lot of talk on Glocktalk about Win primers. There might be something there.

If you take all the advice that has been posted and still have problems try a different primer. Hopefully if it is the primers you don't have to lg of a stock.


sb
 
UPDATE...

After going back through some cases, I have determined that it is light strikes on the primer that is causing the issue. At first I didn't notice any difference in the firing pin marks, but upon closer inspection I see some minor variances. It seems odd to me that a brand new 442 and 642 would be having this problem though.

Is it possible for a primer to only partially ignite? Some of my rounds that actually do fire are much "softer" in terms of recoil and noise, and I am sure that the powder charges are consistent because I visually inspect each of them before seating a bullet.

I wonder if the best next step would be to contact S&W, or to try an extra power mainspring?
 
It seems odd to me that a brand new 442 and 642 would be having this problem though.
Click to expand...
It is damn odd!
But some of the newer S&W's are coming through with shorter then normal firing pins and miss-fires result.

I was at Cabala's before Christmas and two guys brought back brand new S&W 642 snubbie's about 30 minutes apart they had just purchased because of miss-fires in one case, and no-fires in the other.

Sad commentary on S&W's quality control, but if I were you, I'd be calling them.

No need to get into reload information with them.
Who's to say some brand of factory ammo will not miss-fire too???

rc
 
I was really hoping it was my loads so I didn't have to go through this mess.

I am new to revolvers...How hard is the firing pin to replace, maybe they will just send me one?
 
Again make sure there is nothing in the flash holes, the case is clean and you are seating your primers deep enough (should be lower than flush).

HOWEVER, :eek: the sound being different is odd. You need to verify a few charges and shoot those and see what happens. If the charges are +/-.1 then you may also have bad powder. If you find the charges are not +/-.1 then you have found why the sound is different.

Best and keep us posted,

sb
 
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