Rossi 720, Broken Firing Pin, Asking for Advice
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BTW, it is generally believed (and I have stated) that a center fire revolver will not USUALLY be damaged by dry firing. But I think a broken firing pin of that type can be caused by dry firing. The firing pin won't necessarily break during dry firing, but it is stressed and a crack started which can show up later.
I don't consider this a major issue (and I still fire my revolvers occasionally without snap caps), but it is a consideration. I have little doubt that S&W's change to a frame-mounted firing pin was made at least in part to prevent hammer nose breakage. It is the kind of thing that happens rarely, not enough to effect a change in manufacturing, but is "on the radar" to be addressed by the manufacturer when/if there is a major redesign into which the change can easily be incorporated.
Jim
I don't consider this a major issue (and I still fire my revolvers occasionally without snap caps), but it is a consideration. I have little doubt that S&W's change to a frame-mounted firing pin was made at least in part to prevent hammer nose breakage. It is the kind of thing that happens rarely, not enough to effect a change in manufacturing, but is "on the radar" to be addressed by the manufacturer when/if there is a major redesign into which the change can easily be incorporated.
Jim
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Tallball
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Here is a quick update:
My FiL did almost everything. "We" got the sideplate off, fished out the broken tip of the hammer nose, reinstalled the sideplate, and removed the old hammer nose from the hammer. The K frame one is supposed to arrive tomorrow. I will include photos when I get home.
Thank you everyone for your help and interest.
My FiL did almost everything. "We" got the sideplate off, fished out the broken tip of the hammer nose, reinstalled the sideplate, and removed the old hammer nose from the hammer. The K frame one is supposed to arrive tomorrow. I will include photos when I get home.
Thank you everyone for your help and interest.
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Tallball
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My FiL is a meticulous retired engineer. He wanted me to take a picture in case a part came out. One piece had already more-or-less removed itself. He thought it was a transfer bar, but I suspected some sort of hammer-block safety device. Why would they use three different kinds of screws to hold the sideplate in??
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Tallball
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If you ever need to remove a hammer nose from one of these, it is held in by what I would call a rivet. My FiL happened to have a punch that was the perfect size. The only problem is that the hole in the hammer nose is slightly smaller than the one in the hammer itself. It took "us" a little while to figure that out. Here is the rivet, the tiny little spring associated with the hammer nose (very hard to see), what is left of the hammer nose, and the little bitty piece that I fished out of the innards with tweezers. (I am so near-sighted that my eyes are like microscopes when I take my glasses off and put my face near something).
I suspect that the hammer nose actually broke into three pieces and that there was a middle portion that flew through the air and escaped, while this little end piece fell inside the mechanism of the revolver. My FiL disagrees. We will find out soon. Due to our various plans and schedules we won't be able to get together until Sunday to see if the K Frame hammer nose fits.
The weird-looking thing at the top is the rivet/pin that holds the hammer nose to the hammer. Below the largest piece of hammer nose is the tiny little piece that broke off and was inside of the revolver mechanism. To the right of that you can sort of see the tiny spring. This hammer nose looks too short to me, and I think there is another piece missing from it, but time will tell.
I suspect that the hammer nose actually broke into three pieces and that there was a middle portion that flew through the air and escaped, while this little end piece fell inside the mechanism of the revolver. My FiL disagrees. We will find out soon. Due to our various plans and schedules we won't be able to get together until Sunday to see if the K Frame hammer nose fits.
The weird-looking thing at the top is the rivet/pin that holds the hammer nose to the hammer. Below the largest piece of hammer nose is the tiny little piece that broke off and was inside of the revolver mechanism. To the right of that you can sort of see the tiny spring. This hammer nose looks too short to me, and I think there is another piece missing from it, but time will tell.
Like the S&W, the Rossi uses a hammer block, not a transfer bar. When the reboond slide comes back, the hammer block is drawn down into that gap at the front of the hammer. When the rebound slide is forward (trigger at rest), the hammer block rises up in front of the hammer and the gun cannot fire even if the hammer is struck.
The hammer nose rivet is supposed to be a loose fit in the hammer nose so that the hammer nose can adjust to its hole in the frame as the hammer falls and also so that when the gun fires the hammer nose is supported by the hammer against the blow; the rivet holds the hammer nose in place, it does not take the force when the gun is fired.
Jim
The hammer nose rivet is supposed to be a loose fit in the hammer nose so that the hammer nose can adjust to its hole in the frame as the hammer falls and also so that when the gun fires the hammer nose is supported by the hammer against the blow; the rivet holds the hammer nose in place, it does not take the force when the gun is fired.
Jim
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Tallball
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I figured out from the way it moved it must be a safety device that blocked the hammer, rather than a transfer bar. But my FiL was being very nice to help me so much, so I didn't want to be rude and contradict him. I am also skeptical about the S&W hammer nose, but if it doesn't fit the Rossi I will just have a spare for my old S&W, so it's all good. 
You can't use a transfer bar with a hammer mounted firing pin, although you can use a hammer block with a frame mounted firing pin.
BTW, when installing that hammer nose (if you make a try), read what I wrote above about the hammer nose being free to move and also to be against the hammer when the gun fires. So when installing the rivet, make sure you expand it only at the ends, not in the center, using a conical end punch.
If the hammer nose is not installed/fitted correctly, it can break again or even damage the hammer or frame.
Jim
BTW, when installing that hammer nose (if you make a try), read what I wrote above about the hammer nose being free to move and also to be against the hammer when the gun fires. So when installing the rivet, make sure you expand it only at the ends, not in the center, using a conical end punch.
If the hammer nose is not installed/fitted correctly, it can break again or even damage the hammer or frame.
Jim
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ljnowell
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A lot of people say that, and I'm not saying they are wrong, but there are generations of bullseye shooters that have dry fired smith and Wesson revolvers hundreds of thousands of times and not had a broken firing pin from it.
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