Firing pin failure last weekend

[Snafu]

Firing pin failure last weekend

Rifle was NM built 1996 By Roland Beaver
Re bedded @ Perry by Gus Fisher 2009
Point being it was checked over at two times by knowledgeable M1 smiths
300 down the tube after 2nd bedding
I was having ignition issues that I was attributing to Wolf primers
I am thinking the pin was cracked

Information

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[Charlie59]

What does the tip look like? Sometimes carbon builds up inside the bolt, preventing the pin from seating at the correct depth. Or, a bit of primer residue, or a speck of brass could block the hole enough to cause a weak strike.This would create additional stress where the hammer hits, where yours' broke. I've had one break before-it's hard telling how much wear it had before you got it. Mine snapped with no advance warning, weak strike, etc. Take a bolt apart, and run a Q-tip inside. It's surprising how dirty the inside of the bolt can get.

Charlie

[browningautorifle]

I'd just get another firing pin and carry on.

[Bill Hollinger]

+ 1 what BAR said! DO give the bolt a royal cleaning and inspection and drop the hammer!

[Snafu]

What does the tip look like? Sometimes carbon builds up inside the bolt, preventing the pin from seating at the correct depth. Or, a bit of primer residue, or a speck of brass could block the hole enough to cause a weak strike.This would create additional stress where the hammer hits, where yours' broke. I've had one break before-it's hard telling how much wear it had before you got it. Mine snapped with no advance warning, weak strike, etc. Take a bolt apart, and run a Q-tip inside. It's surprising how dirty the inside of the bolt can get.

Charlie

Pin was free moving nothing amiss
It it back up and running

[Rick Cummelin]

It happens. A spare firing pin is one of the few "spare parts" M1 owners should keep arond.

[jmoore]

Nice fracture! Probably only visible before failure to most folk by using magnetic particle or dye check NDT. Note the greater portion of the fracture face is "shiny" (and a little oily, too, it appears) whilst the small area inside the "C" lines shows a "granular" surface- ( Dry area near the top portion of the break surface in the lower photo.) The pin failed fairly slowly as the crack grew allowing the mating surfaces to rub slightly, hence the shine. The grainy area let go more or less all at once. Classic "fatigue" failure. Been looking to photo something similar on the Lee Enfield forum, but nothing has turned up yet.

Gonna cross link this thread with the other, thanks again for the photos, Snafu!

Link here: Gallery of Dramas. Broken Enfield Parts!

[JohnF]

I will just echo what the others have said. My firing pin broke exactly how you show it in the pictures. I was having problems, took the bolt out, examined it and finally saw the fracture in firing pin tail with a magnifiying glass. Put another one in and moved on.

[AZPhil]

I had the same thing and in the same place ,happen to me 1 day before a CMP match at the Western Games. I'm glad it happened then and not while I was on the firing line!

I was wondering if the dry firing while snapping in might have been the problem?

[RCS]

When I was an armorer, one of our M60 m/g's had a firing pin failure which really jammed this weapon. Unable to do anything in the field, I brought it in to work on it. The weapon was new but had the feeding modification. I had saved the broken firing pin to remind me of how an M60 could fail Attachment 21368