revolver firing pin spring -- does this happen a lot?

[lee n. field]

I was dry firing my Taurus Model 66 today, when I noticed that the firing pin did not retract when I released the trigger and the hammer went to it's rest position. Rocked the gun up, the pin slid out of sight. Rocked it down, it moved forward.

Crap. Busted firing pin spring.

I had this happen late in 1999, after 10+ years of light intermittant use. I shipped the gun in to Taurus, got it back fixed about a month later. Now it's broken again, after 3 years of light intermittant use.

Rather than pay the freight (~15% of the original purchase price of the gun) again, I decided to fix it myself. It's pretty straightforward. Take off the side plate. Remove the hammer to give yourself some room. Drift out the retaining pin and remove the firing pin. The spring was mashed flat and broken into two pieces. Unfortunatly I couldn't find any springs that narrow and short, so I'll have to go to Taurus for it.

Does this happen a lot? Should I get some extra springs for spares? Will someone else's (say, S&W's) firing pin spring work?

 

[Standing Wolf]

Wow. I've never seen or heard of a broken firing pin spring in a revolver in several decades' worth of shooting.

It might be worth your while to contact the good folks at http://www.gunsprings.com/1ndex.html to see whether they have a replacement; it might also be worth your while to dry-shoot the gun with dummy ammunition.

 

[lee n. field]

Thanks for reminding me about Wolff. Alas, they don't have firing pin springs for Taurus revolvers.

 

[Old Fuff]

I think broken coil springs are unusual in this day and age. I suspect dry-firing may have something too do with it as maybe the firing pin is mashing the spring if it isn't stopped by an empty cartridge case or snap-cap. Either that, or re-install the red plastic disk that fits on the back of the cylinder, that came with the gun. As for the spring itself, a gunsmith could probably find an acceptable replacement in a box of assorted springs.

 

[lee n. field]

The red plastic disk (if I ever had one) is long gone.

I've got a couple springs on order from Taurus. $6.75 total.

 

[chrisinmo]

Late reply but I just found this thread. My 85UL did the same thing. I was disgusted with the gun and did not want to spend the money to send it in. I found out from a co worker how to pull the FP. I opened the gun and pulled eh FP and the spring was stuck in the firing pin tunnel. I fished it out with a bent paperclip and found the spring was not broken just bound up in the gun. I put it back together after some more dry firing the same thing happened. I fixed it again and ordered a new spring fromTaurus. I asked about the problems and was told they do NOT recomend dry firing. I picked up some snap caps and started using those. I have fired 600+ times with the snap caps and the spring has not bound back up. I don't think the spring can take the force of the FP without something to strike against. The spring may not be broken on yours just bound up as well. I hope this helps.

 

[lee n. field]

After some adventures in "Taurus customer service", I ended up with 5 firing pin springs (two I ordered, had the card charged for and never received until I complained to someone who could do someting, 3 the customer service supervisor who finally untangled it for me sent me gratis).

Installed one, dry fired a few times, and the firing pin was mashed into unusability.

I asked about the problems and was told they do NOT recomend dry firing.

I had dry fired that gun for something like 12 years, until the first time the firing pin spring broke in 1999.

So I guess I go get a set of snap caps.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Bad metalurgy or poor heat treatment. If we're talking coil springs, then it's the former.

 

[Old Fuff]

Some revolvers are designed so that a shoulder on the firing pin will impact on a shoulder on the frame or firing-pin-bushing before the spring is completely compressed and "mashed." Others depend on the cartridge primer/empty case/snap cap to do this.

It is advisable to see what the manufacturer's manual recommends concerning dry-firing and follow the instructions. When in doubt, use fired cases or snap-caps