Loose firing pin - is that bad?

S

shanewomer

New member
I just inherited a S&W .38 special revolver from my grandpa. It has the old style firing pin that is on the hammer. It has a tube/rivet going through the hammer to hold the pin on, and it pivets slightly there at that point. It's completely loose, not tight, like my S&W 29-2 .44 mag. There's not room for it to move much though. The end of the pin can move about 1/8" up and down at most.

Is that bad? Can I fix it myself? Should I take it somewhere? How much will it cost to fix?

Thank you,
Shane
 
Up and down movement is normal and won't affect anything. If you ever get sideways movement that can be a problem. I had a Model 36 (J frame) that managed to shatter two firing pins. The first one I thought was just a fluke so I replaced it without investigating why it happened. The second time it happened I had a close look at the remains of the the pin. It had been striking against the frame before hitting the firing pin. The hammer alignment was faulty. I didn't bother fixing it - just sold it for parts.
 
Yet one more voice saying that is not a problem. Jerry Kuhnhausen's book "The S&W Revolver Shop Manual" says:
a. Centerfires: The firing pins are held in the hammer face by a hollow retaining rivet which allows the pin to pivot up and down and self align in the frame.

b. Rimfires: The firing pin and spring are retained in the main frame by a crosspin just below the rear sight.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB
 
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