1911 firing pin

G

Gunslick

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Springfield mil spec stainless 1911. Was gonna replace firing pin with a steel ed brown pin and just got it I ordered #825 pin and it is .0745 and stock is .0715. Well i dropped in the ed brown pin and it drops right through the breech face no hangup at all. So could I use this pin? Or should I get a closer match which would be number 826 pin from ed brown?
Also test fired today so am not going to change anything until something goes wrong cuz it ran awesome. But do want a spare firing pin around..I did end up putting tension on the extractor so now it does not wobble in the slide and it ejected perfect at about 2:30/3:00 o'clock. Wutcha guys think?
 
I am not sure what you are trying for. Firing pin diameter is not that important to anything as long as the pin is not so small it allows the primer to extrude back into the f/p hole or so big it won't fit through the hole.

I am also not sure what your mean by "no hangup". The firing pin should move freely in the slide, subject to spring tension. Any firing pin block should be out of the way when the firing pin has to move.

The extractor tension is important but should have been right from the factory; the extractor should not have been "wobbling" and you should not have had to do anything to it, at least for many thousands of rounds.

Jim
 
I did end up putting tension on the extractor so now it does not wobble in the slide and it ejected perfect at about 2:30/3:00 o'clock. Wutcha guys think?
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I thought it was fine before:



http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=579298



It's your handgun, but I don't see the point in tweaking things that work fine from the factory. Is this a project gun where you just plan on replacing parts for the experience?
 
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Well no, I do like the experience for sure. But no after shooting a hundred rounds through it, it had a hard time passing the extractor test so I just put a little tension on it. As far as the firing pin goes, I just want a good spare around, the Ed Brown does fit and it is ACTUALLY A #825 firing pin, it is not the same size as stock, a little bigger but does fit through the breech face without out any gaps where the stock pin has a tiny gap around the firing pin hole when it comes through the breech face.

Anyway, not going to change the firing pin, but just want to know if it is usable.
 
Gunslick said:
Well no, I do like the experience for sure. But no after shooting a hundred rounds through it, it had a hard time passing the extractor test so I just put a little tension on it. As far as the firing pin goes, I just want a good spare around, the Ed Brown does fit and it is ACTUALLY A #825 firing pin, it is not the same size as stock, a little bigger but does fit through the breech face without out any gaps where the stock pin has a tiny gap around the firing pin hole when it comes through the breech face.



Anyway, not going to change the firing pin, but just want to know if it is usable.
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In your first thread it seemed fine. Even Brownells told you it was fine. What changed?


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Gunslick said:
..it is going to be my carry pistol and h/d pistol, so just want it to be 100%+.
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So here's my thing. I have seen people take perfectly functioning pistols and "tweak" them to the point where they stop functioning correctly. You know the old adage that the worst enemy of a good plan is the idea of a perfect plan? It applies here too.


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Okay you guys are right. I just didn't like the fact that the extractor in the slide was extremely loose and wiggled with no tension at all. Extractor test: place round up against breech face and extractor claw, use barrel to get round centered, shake lightly in all directions (rotate slide), it would not hold the shell after shooting a hundred rounds today, that is what changed, so I added some tension, I am now at about 20 oz. with my weigen extractor tension tool and trigger pull gauge, I thought I was doing the right thing by bringing the extractor tension up a bit, also near the end of the 100 round string, started getting erratic ejection. Am I on the right path here?
 
Anyways, the extractor seems a tiny bit loose inside the slide BUT extractor does hold a shell in place when I shake the slide and rotate the slide upside down and what not. Ejection was as consistent as my ar every shot I fired, even shot 3 rounds with round loaded and magazine removed after loading round, still the same ejection.
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I just didn't like the fact that the extractor in the slide was extremely loose and wiggled with no tension at all. I thought I was doing the right thing by bringing the extractor tension up a bit, also near the end of the 100 round string, started getting erratic ejection.
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So the description in the previous thread was a tiny bit loose and now it's extremely loose? All that changed in 100 rounds?

?Anyone
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I'm sorry no one got back to you in the span of 36 minutes. I get being eager but we aren't paid to be a help desk. It kind of comes in spurts.

Idk how to read this tbh. What was at first described as a minor "problem" that didn't seem to impact ejection at all became a serious problem where the extractor was wobbling with ease and ejection was erratic. Now you adjusted the tension to fix it. Were it me I'd have run some more ammo and if the ejection continued, not just at the end of a string of fire but throughout, I would have considered calling Springfield and having them look at it. But you have the tools and you're eager, so troubleshoot as you go.
 
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Not the ejector the extractor. And yes it had minor wiggle before shooting 100 rounds and it for worse enough to where it wouldn't pass the extractor tension test. So I made a judgement call and put a little tension on it. Shot a couple hundred more rounds after and it ejected much better.
 
Replace the extractor with a name-brand one (I like EGW) and fit a firing pin stop with a square bottom.

This'll give you the peace-of-mind and experience you're seeking and increase your dwell time as a bonus.

Start casting and handloading. You'll need lots of inexpensive ammo.

Josh
 
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I have some Ed Brown fire controls, but no experience with their firing pins. If you really want a replacement, just get one from Wilson for a Springfield diameter and be done with it. Fitting a new slide stop and tuning a new extractor is easy but shouldn't be necessary unless you really desire a tight fit.

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Firing pin: Once upon a time, Springfield had a unique diameter firing pin. The correct replacement was the Ed Brown 826 if you wanted to go to steel instead of titanium. But I have since read of SAs with standard .45 firing pins and standard .38 firing pins. I would say your 825 is a serviceable spare. You could spin it in a drill and sand it down to the same as factory if it seemed snug.

Extractor: I have two SAs. One's extractor is fine, the other would not hold adjustment and I replaced it with EGW. Sounds like you have the second type. Be advised that extractors are not drop-in replacements.
 
My extractor is holding adjustmetn, shot 400 rounds today and is still snug. I do think since I like spare parts am going to go with Wilson's Bullet Proof Extractor, have heard good things about these and my 1911A1.

The firing pin from Ed Brown is not snug really, it passes through the breech face hole without any dragging but it is definatly almost the same size as the breech face hole, if there was only .001 or .002 of space between the firing pin and the breech face hole, would that be acceptable. Only concern I would have is the Ed Brown pin knocking burrs in the breech face from being .003 larger in diameter. When I drop both firing pins in the slide without the spring one at a time, they both fall to the exact same point and both drop in smooth.

:Question: Do you think maybe if you took some material off of the Positioning Pad you could have gotten your second extractor to hold tension a little better?

Also how tough are the stock Springfield 1911 parts as far as the extractor and titanium firing pin go?
 
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