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Star BM centerpin decided to break today
1/28/2011 9:41:34 PM
so ive had this Star BM for a number of years, only really got into shooting about 1.5 years ago. I would estimate i have 2500-3000 rounds thru it in the last 1.5 years.
so this week i tried some training rounds (the orange plastic ones). i first messed with them in the house, chambered one and practiced trigger control a few days. no problem.
took it out today, and once in a while id mix the trainers in the 3 mags that i have, and shuffle them around and shoot with them to watch myself when one was chambered and see how i was doing with respect to flinching etc. id say i hit about 25-30 of them in the course of the day (all in all about 250 rounds till the breakage)
so here's my first question: check out the pictures below, could these trainers be indented too much and effectively causing me to dry fire. i have a floating firing pin, and when you drop the hammer easily, the pin would not stick out of the other end, but obviously when you fired the gun, the pin moved enough to strike primer. so i always assumed i had a floating firing pin. when you use an object to push the pin further into the hammer end of the hole, the pin would protrude about the same distance as the indentation on the trainer rounds. so i wonder if the training rounds allowed the pin to travel too far and hence the breakage. at least thats what i thouught i read or understood to be the problem w dry firing, you allow the pin to go too far too fast and crash inside there somewhere.
my dad said to never dry fire this gun and i never did. i think the training rounds caused this.
or the gun is ancient and since i have about 3k rnds thru it, perhaps it was coincidence.
question 2
found a pin online thru numrich and ordered it. hopefully they really do have it (im seriously in awe if they do). then ill have to fix it. looking at my pics im assuming i need to push out one of the two pins near the rear of the slide (the front most pin is for the extractor), so, which one, and if the rear most, will i need to drift out the rear sight (OH, MAN!!!)? and if i do punch out a pin, do i need to go back in with a new one? cant find the "firing pin retaining pin" anywhere.
any help is appreciated
now for the pics! (dont gimme no flak on the dirty parts, i did 200 rnds last weekend, and 250 today, i NEVER go more than 2 outings between cleanings, so there!)
TRAINER vs. 9mm ROUND
PUSHING THE PIN FURTHER THAN FLUSH
NO PIN ! ! !
MISC RETAINING PIN PICS
FRONT ONE FOR THE EXTRACTOR
MIDDLE ONE DOES NOT COME THRU THE TOP SIDE
REAR ONE, MAY HAVE TO REMOVE THE REAR SIGHT ON TOP??
so this week i tried some training rounds (the orange plastic ones). i first messed with them in the house, chambered one and practiced trigger control a few days. no problem.
took it out today, and once in a while id mix the trainers in the 3 mags that i have, and shuffle them around and shoot with them to watch myself when one was chambered and see how i was doing with respect to flinching etc. id say i hit about 25-30 of them in the course of the day (all in all about 250 rounds till the breakage)
so here's my first question: check out the pictures below, could these trainers be indented too much and effectively causing me to dry fire. i have a floating firing pin, and when you drop the hammer easily, the pin would not stick out of the other end, but obviously when you fired the gun, the pin moved enough to strike primer. so i always assumed i had a floating firing pin. when you use an object to push the pin further into the hammer end of the hole, the pin would protrude about the same distance as the indentation on the trainer rounds. so i wonder if the training rounds allowed the pin to travel too far and hence the breakage. at least thats what i thouught i read or understood to be the problem w dry firing, you allow the pin to go too far too fast and crash inside there somewhere.
my dad said to never dry fire this gun and i never did. i think the training rounds caused this.
or the gun is ancient and since i have about 3k rnds thru it, perhaps it was coincidence.
question 2
found a pin online thru numrich and ordered it. hopefully they really do have it (im seriously in awe if they do). then ill have to fix it. looking at my pics im assuming i need to push out one of the two pins near the rear of the slide (the front most pin is for the extractor), so, which one, and if the rear most, will i need to drift out the rear sight (OH, MAN!!!)? and if i do punch out a pin, do i need to go back in with a new one? cant find the "firing pin retaining pin" anywhere.
any help is appreciated
now for the pics! (dont gimme no flak on the dirty parts, i did 200 rnds last weekend, and 250 today, i NEVER go more than 2 outings between cleanings, so there!)
TRAINER vs. 9mm ROUND
PUSHING THE PIN FURTHER THAN FLUSH
NO PIN ! ! !
MISC RETAINING PIN PICS
FRONT ONE FOR THE EXTRACTOR
MIDDLE ONE DOES NOT COME THRU THE TOP SIDE
REAR ONE, MAY HAVE TO REMOVE THE REAR SIGHT ON TOP??
1/28/2011 10:59:21 PM
It is called an inertia firing pin, not floating. Some BM's have them and others do not.
I dry fire and use machined aluminum snap caps with a rubber primer area.
The firing pin retaining pin is underneath the rear sight.
Did you remove the magazine safety?
I dry fire and use machined aluminum snap caps with a rubber primer area.
The firing pin retaining pin is underneath the rear sight.
Did you remove the magazine safety?
1/29/2011 10:56:30 AM
Originally Posted By RedFalconBill:
Did you remove the magazine safety?
Did you remove the magazine safety?
I did, and it made the trigger way more crisp, but are you sayin that might have had something to do with it?
1/29/2011 11:26:17 AM
Originally Posted By JackAR15Bauer:
I did, and it made the trigger way more crisp, but are you sayin that might have had something to do with it?
Originally Posted By RedFalconBill:
Did you remove the magazine safety?
Did you remove the magazine safety?
I did, and it made the trigger way more crisp, but are you sayin that might have had something to do with it?
No, I was just wondering.
I use A-Zoom snap caps because if you do not use snap caps, you can break either the firing pin, or the firing pin retaining pin.
Take measurements to ensure that the replacement firing pin is an inertial firing pin. If not, take it to a gunsmith and have him dress the firing pin down and fit it.
2/7/2011 1:22:48 PM
so i went a week without my sidearm as i have no back up.
didnt really like that.
got a new pin in the mail, and had it all fixed up on saturday, now i need to try it out ASAP to make sure the guy put the rear sight back right, and make sure the pin is working right.
as for the replacement, it seems to be a little longer than the other one, but even so, when i hold the hammer end flush with the slide, it doesnt stick out the breech end. but it is certainly more visible in the hole.
do you think this will be an issue? i.e. too close to the chambered round (i carry cocked and locked, so no issue, but if the hammer were down, would that be ok?)
thanks
what do you all think about the recessed "primer" on those training rounds, should i NOT use them in this gun?
didnt really like that.
got a new pin in the mail, and had it all fixed up on saturday, now i need to try it out ASAP to make sure the guy put the rear sight back right, and make sure the pin is working right.
as for the replacement, it seems to be a little longer than the other one, but even so, when i hold the hammer end flush with the slide, it doesnt stick out the breech end. but it is certainly more visible in the hole.
do you think this will be an issue? i.e. too close to the chambered round (i carry cocked and locked, so no issue, but if the hammer were down, would that be ok?)
thanks
what do you all think about the recessed "primer" on those training rounds, should i NOT use them in this gun?
