What causes firing pin wear and tear

[fawksel]

Hi guys,

I know nothing lasts for ever but you know how you see some firing pin pictures and the pin is really rounded, or one side is squashed down or in the worst a bit of it cracked off.

In the worse cases does a flaw or misalignment or something like that lead to them really going? Or is it all just inevitable wear and tear and they'll all end up that way eventually?

[Chronos]

Would be most likely to happen on a rimfire rifle, where the firing pin strikes the back of the chamber when dry firing.

I can't say I've ever seen the kind of damage you're talking about. However I am sure it's possible.

Chronos

[bigfellascott]

I can't say I've seen it either - any pics or more info?

[deye243]

Would be most likely to happen on a rimfire rifle, where the firing pin strikes the back of the chamber when dry firing.

I can't say I've ever seen the kind of damage you're talking about. However I am sure it's possible.

Chronos

get an Anschutz and you won't see this

[Chronos]

Would be most likely to happen on a rimfire rifle, where the firing pin strikes the back of the chamber when dry firing.

I can't say I've ever seen the kind of damage you're talking about. However I am sure it's possible.

Chronos

get an Anschutz and you won't see this

Got one, well kind of. (Weatherby MkXXII .22LR)

Chronos

[Westy]

Would be most likely to happen on a rimfire rifle, where the firing pin strikes the back of the chamber when dry firing.

I can't say I've ever seen the kind of damage you're talking about. However I am sure it's possible.

Chronos

get an Anschutz and you won't see this

Got 2 a 54 and a 64 action greatest mass produced .22 on the planet IMHO !!!!

[fawksel]

I can't say I've seen it either - any pics or more info?

For the life of me I can't find the pictures now

They were just on a shooting forum and people posting their own stuff. Google images isn't bringing anything up for me at the moment.

Still looking....

[Tiiger]

At a guess, a cracked firing pin could be a hardened rimfire pin dry-fired too many times and broken.

[fawksel]

Well I'm stuck on this now.

I found the pictures on a forum on my phone and didn't bother bookmarking it as I thought it would be easy to find again later on Google.

I've searched a couple of times in google and in the shooting forums I read and can't find anything

Sorry, grrrrr.

[Bourt]

In any case you can make a few educated guesses at causes.

A pin can obviously just brake due to a manufacturing fault or miss-treatment. Improper reassembly or being dropped/damaged while out of the firearm.

One thing I suspect you might be thinking off is polishing the firing pin? Some feel a need to do this. At a close zoom there can be burs, scratched etc. in the pin and some will take some fine sand paper and smooth it out. Personally I think that's more cosmetic and OCD that useful but whatever you want...

Nothing lasts forever, who perhaps you were looking at pins of antique rifles that had corroded away?

All just guesses there but who knows...

[Korkt]

I know nothing lasts for ever but you know how you see some firing pin pictures and the pin is really rounded, or one side is squashed down

Like you said, nothing lasts... Depend on the pin but I get hose with a sharper corner around the circumference of the pin rather than a rounder end will wear noticeably. How many thousands rounds it would take though... Your guess is as good as mine.

And for all that wouldn't stop it shooting anyway so a little wear wouldn't matter.

As for cracked pins, guessing I'd think that would have to be a flaw or shooter error, whether that's dropping the removed pin, dry firing something you should or whatever. Regardless of anything else they're still steel and don't just break at the drop of a hat.