PCR - Firing Pin Block is letting the Firing Pin slip out

[john seeley]

I have a stock 2016 PCR and went to change the FPRP for the first time- which had a U-shaped crack even though I don't dry fire. Anyway, when I removed the original FPRP, the firing pin came out about 1 1/2 inches.. I was expecting it to be captured by the firing pin block. When I try to reseat the firing pin, the firing pin block fails to hold it back but it does hold well on the FPRP notch. If I get it to stay, I just tap the slide and it comes loose.

What would cause this? Is it ok or normal? I've had no issues using the PCR as far as I could see. It tested fine...Only when the firing pin block is fully depressed, the pin enters the breech. It looks like there's no wear... photos to come. Thank you.

[john seeley]

It looks like there's no wear to my untrained eyes except for a TINY bit of peening where it hits the FPRP. The rest are machine marks. Defective? Not sure. Thx

[tdogg]

I'm not sure I follow you completely but the firing pin block plunger isn't really designed to prevent the firing pin from retracting back out of the slide.  It's designed to prevent it from moving into the slide until depressed. 

Yes sometimes you have to depress the block to extract the firing pin when disassembling. 

Do you have a reduced power plunger spring installed?  That might be helping enabling the auto extraction.  Does the plunger bind or operate smoothly in the slide?

Cheers,
Toby

Sent from my motorola edge (2022) using Tapatalk

[john seeley]

Toby,
Thanks for reminding me it's not designed to do that but it's that every instruction video I saw shows the firing pin block retaining the firing pin. But like you said, the main purpose is to prevent the pin from going the other way into the breech. I was just curious. Everything is back together (after doing a complete detail strip, cleaning and polishing) and it seems to work fine. No - all stock. The firing pin block has pretty smooth action. Even when I manually pry the plunger to assure it's at it's most protruded point (which it is anyway)  the firing pin still slips out. I think it's the way the firing pin is machined. No biggie. Thanks for the reply.

[tdogg]

Interesting.  I wonder if the block itself is "looser" than normal or the shelf that performs the block operation has less material?

It does infact prevent the firing pin from inserting until depressed (it does what it is designed to do)?

Cheers,
Toby

[john seeley]

Thanks. The block function works good. But at first, I thought there was an issue only because it wasn't capturing the pin from backing out. Like you said it. It's not the block's function to retain the pin from backing out of the slide. When I detail strip my P01, I'm going to compare the  firing pin machining to that of the PCR. I bet the machining is different. Plunger looks brand new.

EDIT: Plunger = Firing pin block.