Lube Firing Pin?

J

JJ45

New member
I shot my XDE 9 yesterday. I have had it for a few years and have never had a malfunction.

However, yesterday on the very first double action squeeze I had a a failure to fire. Repeated the squeeze, same thing.

I ejected the case and noticed what appeared to be a light primer strike. S&B 124FMJ so probably a bit harder primer than domestic ammo.

Subsequently, I fired 108 rounds without a problem. Also re-chambered the failed round and as usual, it fired. I haven't removed the FP since I got the pistol and decided to strip to check the FP and channel as well as the FP safety and related springs.

There was an enormous amount of crud on all parts and I believe this caused the early misfire and then it loosened up enough to fire the rest of the ammo problem free.

I am anal about lubing my guns and confess to probably using too much lube. I use Weapon Shield most of the time. I cleaned everything and reassembled dry as a bone.

My question is; do you ever lube the firing pin, spring and channel? If so, what particulars do you follow?...Thanks, JJ
 
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Absolutely lube and periodically clean the firing pin, channel and spring. Lite strikes and,God forbid, hang fires can result on some types of firearms otherwise.
 
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FWIW..here's what the XDE manual says;
besides mag cleaning, inspection, mag springs, ammo, etc.

to eliminate malfunctions; FIRST- clean fouling and residue from breech face, extractor, chamber and feed ramp with a bristle brush and solvent

Points of lubrication after cleaning; field strip pistol then
1 drop lube on each side of the rear slide rails, reassemble and cycle slide 5/10 times
1 drop lube on barrel hood, lock slide back
1 drop of lube on top of muzzle 1/4" from front top and inside wall of slide and cycle 5/10 times.

Thats it. No mention of lube anywhere else.
 
I personally would not lubricate the firing pin. The pin and the channel should be cleaned periodically (I do every 1000 rd), but I’ve actually seen more issues with people using too much lubricant on the firing pin than not enough. Lubrication can actually retard the movement of the firing pin if done to excess, and in my experience when it comes to lubrication and firearms people tend to go to excess. If you do anything I would put a drop of a free flowing lubricant and use my finger to spread it to make a light coat on the part.

Years ago I went shooting during the winter when the temperature was below freezing. The lubricant I was using at the time, Froglube, had actually gotten into the firing pin channel from the repeated light coats I would put on the underside of the slide where it rides over the cartridges. This essentially congealed and I had repeated light strikes. This was a secondary transfer that stopped the firing pin from moving, not even direct application to the part. I’ve also had light strikes like yourself, in my case from using steel ammunition that didn’t form a good seal in the chamber and the carbon blowback got into the firing pin channel and made a mess.

Lubrication can cause issues just like a lack of cleaning. To me the better option is to clean more regularly.


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I don't know about XD but lubing the striker in a Glock is verboten.

On the rare occasions when I pull the firing pin and extractor out of a 1911, I just kind of rub the parts with whatever oil I have gotten on my fingers in the process. I.E. not much.
 
It doesn't really need lube to function and you don't want to put anything in there that will retain the small bits of crud that are inevitably going to find their way into the firing pin channel.

If you can't get at the firing pin easily, I would periodically blow the area out with some kind of evaporating cleaner and either leave it dry or relube with a dry lube like Hornady One Shot or Hoppes Gun Doctor. In fact, if you use either of those cleaners, they will perform both the cleaning and dry lube functions in one shot.
 
JohnKSa said:
If you can't get at the firing pin easily, I would periodically blow the area out with some kind of evaporating cleaner and either leave it dry or relube with a dry lube like Hornady One Shot or Hoppes Gun Doctor. In fact, if you use either of those cleaners, they will perform both the cleaning and dry lube functions in one shot.
Click to expand...

John, can you comment as to the odor of either of those products? They sound interesting, but where I clean tends to have poor ventilation.


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Jim Watson said:
I don't know about XD but lubing the striker in a Glock is verboten.

On the rare occasions when I pull the firing pin and extractor out of a 1911, I just kind of rub the parts with whatever oil I have gotten on my fingers in the process. I.E. not much.
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Although the XDE is a hammer gun, not a striker like a Glock I would think a crud build up in the channel would probably have the same result but I don't know which is more susceptible.

The XDE requires pin removal (drift) and also has a FP safety that needs to be chivvied with....not like a series 70, etc. or my cz82 that requires only to remove the FP stop.
 
Ask Springfield. I know glock says never to lube as it will collect dust/debri faster. You might get by with a dry lube. But again i would call Springfield and ask
 
Yup, just clean and no lube is the trick. It’s not needed and eventually just attracts junk that causes a light strike due to the FP being slowed down. I had the same issue with my M&P until I found this out, never had that problem since.
 
I've thought about trying this stuff for cleaning a firing pin, but never have. It's a good product (made for something else), quick drying and "Leaves No Residue," says so right on the can.
 

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Carmady said:
I've thought about trying this stuff for cleaning a firing pin, but never have. It's a good product (made for something else), quick drying and "Leaves No Residue," says so right on the can.
Click to expand...
That’s good stuff, and it’s safe using it around plastic. Some cleaners of this type will damage plastics so you have to be careful what you use.
 
Shadow9mm said:
Ask Springfield. I know glock says never to lube as it will collect dust/debri faster. You might get by with a dry lube. But again i would call Springfield and ask
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For the heck of it I just called Springfield.

Springfield does not recommend or advise using any lube on the FP or channel citing the problems mentioned in the OP.

He asked me, when cleaning, if I wiped the inside of the slide with lube and I said yes. He said, over time, lube can enter the FP channel by way of the FP Safety recess ( similar series 80) as that button has to be able to move freely and therefore it is not a tight fit and the FP safety recess is connected to the FP channel. The key word is location and sparingly.

Also, if I clean the breech face and under the extractor as I should, do not spray anything directly at the FP hole as it will eventually find it's way into the channel.

Also said if you want to know where and how to lube the weapon, read the manual :) This I already mentioned in an above post...they are helpful people. Also, no delays or redirections when you call, straight to the point.
 
JJ45 said:
He asked me, when cleaning, if I wiped the inside of the slide with lube and I said yes. He said, over time, lube can enter the FP channel by way of the FP Safety recess ( similar series 80) as that button has to be able to move freely and therefore it is not a tight fit and the FP safety recess is connected to the FP channel. The key word is location and sparingly.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what happened to me in the example I gave in my earlier post.


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I was taught don't lube firing pins. Oils/grease will collect dirt and may hinder the function of the firing pin.
 
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