broken firing pin

[crowbardog]

While shooting at the range yesterday I noticed that my firing pin in my 97B was broken.  I went to chamber a round and the bullet wouldn't feed.  I looked into the pistol and noticed that the firing pin was hanging out of the channel - and above the next round - about 3/4".  This is what kept the round from chambering fully.

I called CZ USA, and the gentleman I spoke with said that he would ship a new one out today (under warranty).  Thanks CS USA.

[dleong]

That is good service from CZ-USA.

Another somewhat unlikely possibility: the firing pin spring (#55) might have broken, preventing the firing pin from fully retracting.


DL

[crowbardog]

I thought that something like this might have been the case at first.  But once I got the fp out it was definitely broken.  

The fp arrived today.  I am going to take a quick trip out to Inkopah after class/work to make sure it is running properly.

[BRASMAN]

Would an extra streangth fiering pin spring help keep this from happening again?

[crowbardog]

My 97 was my second pistol, the first being a Beretta Tomcat 32 acp.

I dry-fired the living hell out of this gun for quite some time.  Almost always with a snap cap, but sometimes without one.  Also, I have gotten many of my friends into shooting over the past 3 years.  As anyone that has done this could probably attest, newbies like to dryfire guns.  I think it's half ignorance, and half that they don't care because it doesn't belong to them .

I strongly feel that if the gun hadn't suffered through the hands of quite a few newbies, including myself a few years back, then I doubt that the fp would have broke.

I also wanted to say that you shouldn't take peope shooting that you don't know are of good, honest character.  Almost every nick or scratch on any of my firearms have not been put there by me.  I BABY my guns.  It's always been someone else to mar my weapons and no one has ever fessed up to it.  I usually don't find out until I get home.  One time I got home and began to clean my guns, only to see that my 40B had been dropped in the dirt and dust... I didn't even shoot that one that day, but I let others do so.   I have a good idea who did it.  He'll never be invited out with me again...

[BRASMAN]

Thats why I usualy have one handgun or Rifle that I keep around just for that. That way if it gets sctratched or something it does not bother me to bad. I never invite more than one or two people to shoot my stuff any way and I never will ever even if a hundred other people are there invite a person who has never shot before unless they are willing to have some saftey training by me first before we ever leave the house. I almost got my chest blown out because someone spun around with a pistol in there hand because they had a question and yes their finger was on the trigger. If I do die in an accident I do not want it to be by Sigma anyway. LOL.
As far as dry fiering goes it does not bother me if a snap cap is in the pistol.

[crowbardog]

Sounds like you have a safe routine when you bring people shooting.  Good man.  I think I will adopt your "no more that two people" policy.  It's safer and you don't have to share as much ammunition!

[Lazarus]

Re: I'm not too worried.
Firing pin breakage is fairly common.  If you do a search you may find some specific posts by one of the forum members who modifies the firing pins to prevent them from slamming into the retaining pin.  Pictures were posted showing before and after.  This problem is one of about a dozen things that should have been addressed by CZ long ago.  But it seems they have forgotton about the 97b, since it is only the crazy Americans who buy this pistol.  Simply handing you a new firing pin of the exact same type is not great customer service in my opinion.   I recommend removing a little metal on the firing pin as per the original posts on this forum.

-Lazarus

p.s.  here is the link showing the before and after firing pin modification:  Firing Pin Link

"Are we there yet, Luke?"

[Walt-Sherrill]

Firing pins don't break all that often, but the firing pin retention roll pins do from time to time.  (I can't remember of EVER hearing about a broken firing pin.)  

And that problem has diminished to near zero when they started "doubling" the roll pins.

Which was it, with this gun?  Firing pin or retention pin?

From the description, it sounds as though the firing pin itself broke, and that's a first for the forum.

[crowbardog]

It was the fp.  
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