Strange Occurance with EAA Witness

[oldhenry]

Background info:
1. NIB EAA Witness owned by friend (never fired). Info to those not familiar with the 1911P Witness: it has a polymer frame.
2. He didn't like the short trigger & it's creepy take-up & asked me to replace trigger with a long one & do a "trigger job".
3. Test fire after long trigger install & "trigger job" didn't go so well (230RN Lyman #452374 that have never failed to feed in my Ruger 1911) . 2nd. round from the magazine would FTF. This situation reoccurred & I figured the feed ramp needed some polish. I phoned my friend & announced that he had a single shot 1911.
4. Smoothed the feed ramp slightly (the Witness has a steel chassis made into the polymer frame that includes the rails + the feed ramp)

2nd. Test firing went well (at first). 49 consecutive shots w/o a hitch. I was impressed.....trigger was good & POA and POI just right. The 50th. shot FTF (didn't go completely into battery). The next 25-30 rounds was filled with 2nd. round FTF & in all of these failures the round would seem to partially chamber, but would not go fully into battery.

At this point I thought I'd disassemble & polish the extractor slightly & do the "plunk" test & this is where the plot thickens.

Photo#1 shows the firing pin protruding from the face of the bolt area of the slide. The slide has never been disassembled since it left the factory.

Photo #2 shows a rear view of the slide before firing pin was removed.

Photo #3 shows rear of slide after firing pin removed. To me the hole for the firing pin looks to be very slightly off center (slightly left).

Photo #4: shows the back side of the firing pin retainer. It's an investment casting & has a slight protrusion (rough spot) on the right lower side (looks like a bright speck). This small defect made normal retainer removal difficult.

The firing pin was chucked-up in my hand drill & rotated @ a slow speed & proved to be bent.

I'm only a hobby gunsmith & do not set myself out as an expert by any means & would appreciate any input from the forum members.
Would replacement of the firing pin, retainer & spring make a proper repair if I made sure that none of these components were in any bind when replaced?

Has any other forum member experienced anything like this?

I feel that I'm lucky that an out-of-battery firing did not occur due to the protruding firing pin.


Henry

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Well, sir, following along through your post, it seems like everything you've done is both logical and correct. Since you discovered that the firing pin is bent it is logical to replace it, then test fire it again and see what develops.

When I was gunsmithing I ran across a similar situation a couple of times. One was with a Llama 1911-type .45 pistol. After firing it I noticed pierced primers on some of the brass I picked up. When I opened the slide I found the firing pin sticking out exactly as shown in your photo.

The cure was to polish the pin, install a new firing pin spring, and then gently rotate a round needle file in the firing pin hole in the face of the slide. Thereafter the pistol worked like a clock. When the firing pin hole is drilled in the factory sometimes burrs are left on the inside of the firing pin channel where they are difficult to remove. Actually, I don't know if the manufacturers even try to do so. Then, with use, the burrs sometimes bend inward toward the firing pin and bind it up. Marks will appear on the pin from contact with the burrs, which seems to be the case in your photo.

So, you can remove the burrs with judicious use of the round needle file, but it just requires a few gentle turns. Don't get heavy with the file, and don't scrub it back and forth, because you'll enlarge and "out of round" the hole. Try just 5 or 6 revolutions, and that should be enough to do the job, if that is your problem, or part of your problem.

I possess an EAA .45 Witness pistol, but it's an older steel frame model, and I've never had a bit of trouble. Good luck with your repair project.

DG

[onelight]

I have no experience with EAA but some manufacturers will send small parts with a phone call. If they want it returned I would put all the stock parts back in.
I have a personal rule to not make any changes to a new gun before firing a few boxes of ammo to function test and it seems to help having wear marks to see what may need attention but I am no gunsmith either.

[oldhenry]

Well, sir, following along through your post, it seems like everything you've done is both logical and correct. Since you discovered that the firing pin is bent it is logical to replace it, then test fire it again and see what develops.

When I was gunsmithing I ran across a similar situation a couple of times. One was with a Llama 1911-type .45 pistol. After firing it I noticed pierced primers on some of the brass I picked up. When I opened the slide I found the firing pin sticking out exactly as shown in your photo.

The cure was to polish the pin, install a new firing pin spring, and then gently rotate a round needle file in the firing pin hole in the face of the slide. Thereafter the pistol worked like a clock. When the firing pin hole is drilled in the factory sometimes burrs are left on the inside of the firing pin channel where they are difficult to remove. Actually, I don't know if the manufacturers even try to do so. Then, with use, the burrs sometimes bend inward toward the firing pin and bind it up. Marks will appear on the pin from contact with the burrs, which seems to be the case in your photo.

So, you can remove the burrs with judicious use of the round needle file, but it just requires a few gentle turns. Don't get heavy with the file, and don't scrub it back and forth, because you'll enlarge and "out of round" the hole. Try just 5 or 6 revolutions, and that should be enough to do the job, if that is your problem, or part of your problem.

I possess an EAA .45 Witness pistol, but it's an older steel frame model, and I've never had a bit of trouble. Good luck with your repair project.

DG

DG,
Your response was like a ray of sunshine! It's so good to know that this strange happening has occurred before & there is a sensible remedy.

I'll use the DG method. Thanks for sharing your expertise.

Henry

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Hope it works for you! There aren't too many sure things in life, but if I was a betting man, I'd bet on this working for you.

[charlie b]

I would also replace the firing pin spring.

[oldhenry]

I would also replace the firing pin spring.

That's in the plan. I was thinking about the extra strength type from Brownells.

I've polished the small burr from the rear face of the FP stop/retainer & wondering if replacing it with an Ed Brown item would be an advantage.

Henry

[lar45]

That's crazy that the firing pin will protrude that far out of the frame!
Could you post a pic of the firing pin?
Maybe compare it to another 1911 firing pin?

[oldhenry]

That's crazy that the firing pin will protrude that far out of the frame!
Could you post a pic of the firing pin?
Maybe compare it to another 1911 firing pin?

I would not have believed it either had I not seen it with my own eyes & had I not removed the FP & FP spring myself.

The photos that you requested are attached. I didn't have an extra 1911 FP to photo alongside it & didn't feel like removing one from either of my 2 1911s. IMHO the slight bend was caused by the next round from the magazine exerting "up" pressure (however, I'm often wrong).

The gun owner contacted EAA & they're sending replacement FP, FP spring & FP stop/retainer direct to me......can't beat that for service.


Henry

[edp2k]

FP channel must have burrs and cause the FP to occasionally stick,
because if the FP was permanently stuck fwd then a new round would not feed out of the mag and
certainly would not fit under the extractor, and I don;t think it would fit into the chamber.

[onelight]

Maybe some one else could chime in this is a bad idea , but if you can get a piece of rubber hose on the hammer end of the old firing pin with a little lapping compound in the right place might make it a tool to debur the firing pin hole on the hammer side.

[oldhenry]

FP channel must have burrs and cause the FP to occasionally stick,
because if the FP was permanently stuck fwd then a new round would not feed out of the mag and
certainly would not fit under the extractor, and I don;t think it would fit into the chamber.

I agree that a burr or "not so smooth" bore for the FP spring to ride in is the culprit. However, I can't wrap my mind around the FP traveling out that far. The only explanation I can come up with is the FP spring seized on the walls of the bore that this stuff rides in...….& even this boggles my old brain.

I agree that this was probably an intermittent thing. When the 2nd. round FTF happened I wish I had looked closer...….I merely dropped the mag & applied "immediate action" to clear the problem. Possibly the IA caused every part to return to their proper position.


I appreciate your input.


Henry

[oldhenry]

Maybe some one else could chime in this is a bad idea , but if you can get a piece of rubber hose on the hammer end of the old firing pin with a little lapping compound in the right place might make it a tool to debur the firing pin hole on the hammer side.

I think it's an excellent idea if I had a extra FP to use in this way (I may get one). My plan now is to get a proper size hardwood dowel & slot it to hold a piece of worn out 1200 or 1600 emery paper & give that a few twists.....by hand & not with a drill. I'll follow it with a small piece of cleaning patch loaded with Autosol or Flitz. I'd give this cleaning patch more of a workout than the emery paper. This will give the straight cylinder part of the bore that the spring rides in a good surface. I'll polish the replacement FP on a cloth wheel on my buffer dressed with white rouge. I may polish the FP spring on that buffing wheel (I do this on the rebound springs on my S&W revolvers).


Thanks for the suggestion.


Henry

[onelight]

I have a used a round head brass wood screw screwed into the end of a dowel with lapping compound by hand to clean up the edge of a hole that is hard to reach.