Lcp custom misfire / off center firing pin strike

[mjwcaster]

Today I had a misfire with my lcp custom.
Fired in the third strike.
It had a very off center firing pin strike.
I fired some more with no problem, but they all had off center firing pin strikes.


With wiping/drag marks back towards center.

This is my primary carry gun, so it is concerning.
Only loads shot today were my normal recipe reloads- mixed range brass with lee 356-95rf sized at .358.

This gun is several years old and I have never noticed the off center fp strikes, but I haven’t been looking close lately.
I do inspect at times so I should have noticed it before.
This lcp has at least 3-5 thousand rounds through it, probably more.

My current plan is to detail strip and clean it paying extra attention to the firing pin channel and extractor.

I will also bring some factory ammo with on the next range trip.

I also shot my new LCP II today, FP strike was fine on it.

Any more ideas?


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[wv109323]

The off center hit is nothing to worry about. I have seen far worse on 1911 pistols where the barrel has been fit. The swipe mark is a little more concerning. It could be the breechface face where the firing pin protrudes or it could have been caused by the firing pin as the brass was ejected.
Most of the time when a round will not fire on the first strike is caused by a not fully seated primer. The next cause is a weak or modified firing pin strike. With that many rounds if the problem continues after inspection I would start replacing the firing parts.
With mixed brass I would make sure the primers are fully seated. There may be variances in primer pocket depths amoung the brass manufacturers. It is very unlikely to be the primer itself.

[shooting on a shoestring]

I have a Glock 42 380 and a 43 9 mm that occasionally build up enough crud at the end of the chamber to keep the next round from fully going into battery, but close enough to fire. The result is off center strikes. If my boolits are to soft, there can also be some lead shaved there and add to the situation. I’ve seen it get progressively worse to the point the strikes were very near the edge of the primer. Harder boolits cured most of my problems. Getting a Sig 365 cured the rest.

I’ve also got a high mileage LCP. The firing pins drag marks could indicate your load is a bit hot, or about right if you like hot. Or it could be time for a new firing pin spring.

Of course a new firing pin spring might need a new main spring. Heck might as well get a new recoil spring too.

[mjwcaster]

The off set firing pin strike was much worse on the round that didn’t fire.
And while I don’t have brass or pics of previous firing pin strikes I know I have inspected enough brass from this gun during load development that I would have noticed it before.
Another case of do as I say not as I do. I tell my students to keep a piece or two of brass from their gun when they get it and it is firing fine so they can compare it to brass if they start having issues.
That pick was a random piece from the brass bucket, I misplaced the one that didn’t fire.
The firing pin strike was so close to the edge of the primer I was surprised it even fired.

I understand primers not seated, I have that issue a bit in 45, seems to be worse with Winchester or S&B primers and Winchester or S&B brass.
I suspect the winchester brass that has the tight primer pockets is the S&B production Winchester as Winchester is/was produced both in the US Winchester plant and Checz republic by S&B.
I also cull Herters because of this issue.
My dream is an automated primer swaging setup for 45 large pocket because of this issue.
Another reason I want a Dillon 1050.
Hadn’t been much of a problem lately, but I was using CCI primers.
Just started on some Winchester primers and have had way too many hard to seat primers.
And even with inspecting after loading I was having misfire issues. A filthy chamber that wasn’t allowing the rounds to easily plunk wasn’t helping issues any.
Every time I had a misfire I would curse S&B, sure enough it was S&B or Winchester.






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[mjwcaster]

Shooting on a shoestring those are good ideas.

This batch of rounds is from the softest range lead I have ever used, it has given me other problems.

I will pay close attention to the chamber first.
I dont think I have even shot any of this batch in the lcp custom, been working with the Lcp II mostly.
I was still planning on transitioning to the LCP II, but just haven’t fallen in love with it.
It has a much lighter and shorter trigger pull than the custom, but it is gritty and stagey.
And I have so many rounds through the custom I am just used to it.
I shot them both side by side today and my shooting was about the same on both.
Time for a final reliability test of the II and start carrying it.

New springs are probably a good idea, most of these pocket rockets will never see round counts like mine has.

I kind of like breaking clays on the pistol berm at 20 yards with it.

I have even tried out ringing steel on the rifle range at 120yds, from a rest.
Too bad they removed all the steel targets on the rifle range a few weeks ago.


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[Rattlesnake Charlie]

I suspect that shooting on a shoestring has it figured out. I've also had copper "plated" bullets build up a ring of copper at the end of the chamber until my M1 carbine would no longer go into battery. A copper brush pushed it out.

[35remington]

Compare to factory ammo and see if the firing pin strikes are equally off center once you are sure the chamber is clean.

And man.....someone really can’t help gnawing his fingernails a whole bunch! There ain’t much left!

[mjwcaster]

My new plan is to just inspect the chamber, clean it and scrub the chamber good then try my reloads.
If that works problem solved.
I will also take factory ammo to the range with me in case I need to test with it.
I should probably order springs for it and do a detail cleaning, but I want to figure out what is wrong, so one step at a time.
And finish reliability testing the LCP II so it can take its rightful place in my holster.

And yes if I do not keep my nails cut short I gnaw them off.
Bad habit made worse when drinking lots of coffee and having too much down time.
Funny you spotted that, I normally keep myself out of shots like that, keep a clean background, move junk out of the way and reframe the shot to only have the subject matter visible.
This one was quick and dirty while seated in the van, I was killing time waiting for my daughter.


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[mjwcaster]

Update- I got to get the range yesterday.
LCP Custom still has offset firing pin strike, even with chamber cleaned/scrapped (w/brass case), gun fully cleaned, other reloads and 2 flavors of factory.
LCP II got cleaned up good, fired a few different rounds to test and now resides in my pocket loaded with defensive ammo.

I really wish I had spent brass from when the custom was new. I am sure I would have noticed the offset firing pin strike with all the testing/inspecting I do if each batch of loaded ammo.
If it was always this way, no big deal.
If it a new issue then I am concerned.

I also realized something yesterday, I started having issues reassembling the Custom a while ago. The barrel could get slightly out of alignment causing the slide not to fit. No biggie, just center it correctly.
But over the years I do not remember this happening until this year.

And I am sensitive to the issue since if my XD gets misalligned the slide will go partway on and them completely lockup.

It could just be an issue of now I am looking for anything that could be wrong and it has always been like this.

But my new LCP II, the barrel fit is tight, I cannot rotate it out of alignment causing the slide not to fit.

And for the record I do not load hot in 380, just shot the thing a lot.


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[kir_kenix]

Glad I'm not the only one with a high mileage LCP. My wife and I both bought one as backup/pocket guns when they first came out (mine replaced the similar Keltec). I shot mine quite a bit for several years and right around 3500-3750 rounds it started to fall apart. After a complete strip and spring replacement it shot fine but the slide to frame fit became very sloppy.
Then while shooting a BUG match at my local range the slide locked itself about 2/3rds to the rear and was stuck SOLID. Turns out the slide was cracked clean through below the ejection port. My gunsmith/ffl looked at it and it eventually made it's way back to Ruger. They installed a new slide and barrel. Haven't really shot it much since it returned due to 3 deployments stacked on top of eachother. 4,000+ rounds out of an inexpensive pocket gun seems ok to me.

Can't rule out a bad reload...but I suspect it was just cumulative wear and tear. I had pretty much switched over to the s&w Bodyguard, Sig 365, or Glock as my BUG by that point anyway. I figured that little pistol didn't owe me anything and I'm surprised ruger repaired it when I disclosed the round count and that 95% of the shots were reloads.

I strongly doubt even 5% of the many LCP's out there will ever reach the 1,000 round count. Still feel ok with my wife carrying hers (significantly lower number of rounds down the barrel).
I looked at the LCP II, but passed just because we have a good number of similar .380's already. I hope yours keeps chugging along, but it's probably a good idea you switched over EDC to a lower mileage alternative IMO.

[mjwcaster]

I always planned on picking up a second custom due to my volume of shooting.
One for carry and one for heavy range use.
But the custom got discontinued and I got a nice deal on the II this summer.
But they are different enough that I should pick up a second II to complete my plan of 2 guns.
I think that is why I put off carrying the II for so long, the trigger is shorter and lighter but grittier than my custom and I have so much trigger time on the custom I was very used to it.
I must have gotten used to the II by now, the few shots I made the other day slow fire I was hitting clay pigeons about 2 out of 6 shots at 20 yards and not even trying that hard.
I think one volley I managed 3/6.
With my shooting ability I will take that any day, it matches my ability with the custom.

I don’t consider myself a great shot, but it is a fun trick that impresses many people at the range who can barely keep on paper at 10yds with a real pistol.
And it makes me smile.

I just need to keep working on my draw and rapid fire, I have lots of room for improvement there.


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[35remington]

If practicing frequently there is never a substitute for shooting loads that just barely adequately function the gun and no more. In this way even lightweight guns can get driven a while. See how low you can go and stick with that for most shooting practice, finishing off with a few standard speed loads for familiarization.

Such a regimen keeps my aluminum 38s perking along well. Even though they are Plus P rated, I see no point in pushing lightweight guns at even standard velocities when shooting them a lot.

Since slide impact energy increases substantially with velocity increases, slow is good in tiny 380s, or any caliber fired in lightweight guns for that matter. You won’t get a bajillion rounds out of the gun like a 1911 or Glock. Nor should you expect to. But you can help yourself in that regard.

[birch]

I would suggest carrying some taylor made factory ammo in that little puppy. I love shooting on the cheap, but Hornady makes some mighty fine ammo with the variables taken away.....or at least more taken away than I can create inadvertently.

[mjwcaster]

Birch- I use factory federal hst’s for defensive use but might try fiochi extremes next time I purchase factory ammo for the 380. My reloads are range only.

35remington- I would agree with your theory if this was a target or range only gun. My biggest issue I had/have with this little pocket rocket is grip/recoil management during fast firing.
I have gotten much better, but still have some issues with the gun moving in my hand during fast firing.
Given that this pistol only serves one purpose, to defend myself, and that experience will be fast, down and dirty, I need to work on recoil management as much as possible.
And I believe low recoil loads would not serve that purpose.
My loads are mid range book loads, but I would actually like to chronograph them and step them up to match my carry loads for more realistic practice.
This little gun just moves so much in my hand during rapid fire. I have gotten much better at controlling it, but even the other day I had a few shots go high and left/right during 6 rd mag dumps and for me that normally is the gun shifting in my hand during recoil and pointing high.

This is not an heirloom gun, honestly I tell people it is a horrible little gun, but I love it for the purpose I use it for. And I have shot it enough to gat used to it, when I first got it 50rds was all I could manage, it hurt.

At its price point, if I wear it out shooting so be it.
Which is why my plan was always to have two of them, one to shoot the snot out of and another to break in and reliability test occasionally for carry.

Just what works for me.


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[35remington]

I do sorta the same thing with my LCP 2, but my use of mild loads is to address my biggest problem which is to get consistent hand placement on the piece during the initial draw. If my hand is in the right place from the get go recoil is manageable even if standard loads are used and the gun is rapidly emptied. If they are not the gun shifts no matter what.

If I am running the gun at “mag dump” speed I am necessarily close and dispersion is not the concern it is at greater distance where I absolutely have to slow down to get hits. For me grasping the gun correctly and getting hits at other than powder burn range is the hard part.

For me, draw and shoot with emphasis on placement of the hand from the start and emphasis on pointing quickly at close range and a different slower cadence at distance. Thus lower powered loads have a place. Finish up with a smaller volume of standard velocity and I’m good. The lighter loads allow longer practice and instillment of muscle memory before fatigue kicks in.

Somehow I find the gun nastier to shoot in some respects than many lightweight nines. I solve the twisting in my hand problem with aftermarket grip bands that add more stickum and drag. If the gun shifts in your hand despite repeated rapid fire practice sessions and your best efforts to stay on top of it you may wish to add something in your favor.

The tiny size of the gun and initial hand placement during the draw is my cross to bear so I find milder loads with a standard velocity refresher at the finish of the session to be helpful.

I find most 90-95 factory to do between 850-900 fps depending upon brand and do not exceed that in handloading. My mild loads run around 750. While this is less, it is not so much less as to invalidate practice sessions for me. You may want to try going there before automatically dismissing it.

That is why I said “see how low you can go....”. Enough to be less hard on the gun but not so low as to invalidate practice shooting. You get to pick what works as a personal decision and this does for me.

[mjwcaster]

I need to get a chronograph and see what my current loads run at.
2.9gr of win231/hp38 under a 100gr lee 95RF.

I run most of my drills shooting at clays on the berm at 22 yds.
I figure if I can keep within a foot of the clays at that range at speed I should be ok at close distance.

My biggest issue doing that is the berm needs to be dry to see the impacts, a few weeks ago it rained so much that I couldn’t see my impacts so was just wasting ammo and changed to slow fire drills.

And I completely agree on the importance of grip from the holster. Every time I go to the range I keep telling myself I need to do a lot of dry fire holster work.


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[35remington]

Somehow my practice sessions are always not as frequent as I would like. Life gets in the way.

[trebleplink]

I bought a new LCP a few years ago. I liked the ergonomics and the size. What I did not like was the occasional soft primer strikes on some kinds of ammo. Sent it back to Ruger twice, and the same problem. I finally put up a web page documenting my problems and sent a link to the marketing director. He claimed it met industry standards. I claimed my Glock never has this problem.
I eventually was able to return it for a refund.

[FergusonTO35]

I have an LCP II in .22 and absolutely love it. I like the .380 but not a fan of a fully cocked hammer with no manual safety.

[smithnframe]

What is custom about it?