Primmer Strikes

[Half Dog]

I have a new S&A 1911 that recently produced many failure to fires. I used a new batch of Winchester WLP primers and Winchester's response was " that the indents from your firing pin were only .005" - .007", they need to be closer to .012”. "

Is this an indication that the firing pin spring is too strong? Firing pin too short?

Where is the best place to begin resolving the issue?

[Mk42gunner]

No such thing as a too short firing pin in a 1911. A standard GI replacement firing pin will protrude about 5/8" from the breech face with no spring installed when you push it with a punch.

Here's what I would check:
Take the firing pin, stop, and spring out of the slide and make sure the fp tunnel is clear. Run a Q-tip in there and make sure you can see it through the fp hole. It should not take very much pressure to push in the rear of the firing pin, we used to do it with Navy issue ink pens.

Make sure the fp fits through the hole, I have seen a few that were a bit portly and needed thinning. After that try putting the fp spring on and do it again, it should still protrude ¼" or so.

If all that checks out, about the only things left are the hammer, strut and mainspring.

The only other thing that comes to mind is I was told by the instructor when I went to Armorer's School not to run all titanium fire control parts, i.e. firing pin, hammer and strut. He said there was something about that combination that didn't transfer enough energy.

Robert

[Half Dog]

Thanks for your input Robert. That's an interesting fact about the firing control parts.

[Cap'n Morgan]

I once had a CZ 75 pistol which would misfire once in a while. Just for a test, I squeezed a hollowbase wadcutter on the hammer spur - Now the gun would misfire every time, indicating the hammer had become too heavy to build up enough speed to transfer to the floating firingpin. I then bobbed the (rather large) hammer spur and the misfires were gone for good.

The theory about the firing control parts sounds plausible. You got to strike the right combination - so to speak. A lighter hammer may create more speed (faster lock time) but a lighter firingpin will also need more speed to do its job.