Author Topic: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin  (Read 2331 times)

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Offline Fred Friendly

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Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« on: January 04, 2020, 02:51:09 AM »
I went to holster my PCR before leaving my home the other day and noticed the back end of the firing pin was not protruding to a length that will permit the hammer to actually strike it. Upon driving out the 61100 CGW Retaining Pin I observed it was quite broken indeed, having separated into 2 pieces. I had it installed with the open end face up like a good boy. I'm really not all that concerned that it broke, I dry fire quite a bit almost everyday (Yes, with with snap caps) and it's been over half a year since I replaced the factory version with it. I don't expect any part of any firearm to last forever.

Obviously it is not even remotely expensive to replace it with another one. Or difficult to install the new one. It does have to be shipped though, which obviously takes time and can't be helped.

However this is my carry gun, and so have been compelled by circumstance to throw my .22lr Kadet slide on there and carry that for the time being. Which is, you know, not the ideal cartridge for self defense but is better than nothing at all. Also it doesn't have a firing pin block. Anyway, I just remembered an hour ago I still have the factory firing pin retaining pin which I replaced before it failed anyway since I knew it was a common break point. (Don't worry, the stock TRS already broke and got replaced) I can't say I really know much about the subtleties of roll pins, so I wanted to make sure it isn't going to get stuck or damage the pin hole if I reinstall the original as a temporary fix until a replacement arrives. Obviously further dry fire with that factory pin is ill-advised. If it is ok to do at all are there special things I need to consider, like what side of the pin to to drive in first, or what side of the slide to drive in from? I suppose I should just contact CGW directly, but I feel kind of silly asking them such a basic question about a $5 part.

I tried to get a photo of the CGW retaining pin that renders it obvious where the firing pin was contacting it relative to the position of the open side, but without the second piece (which fled my presence and is never coming back, just like that light lifter spring and that pet hamster I took outside to show my friends when I was 8) it's kind of hard to tell. Also it is tiny and my camera does not want to focus on it.

Offline Hemiscorpius lepturus

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Re: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2020, 03:13:16 AM »
Now I am curious how the snap cap primers look, if they are gone the retaining pin will get the full impact energy, and dry fire every day is a lot. I did end up buying 2 more of those pins and an extra TRS after I broke my trigger installing the pro-kit, having extra parts on hand seemed like a good idea

Offline Fred Friendly

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Re: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2020, 04:39:32 AM »
Now I am curious how the snap cap primers look, if they are gone the retaining pin will get the full impact energy, and dry fire every day is a lot. I did end up buying 2 more of those pins and an extra TRS after I broke my trigger installing the pro-kit, having extra parts on hand seemed like a good idea
Glad you brought that up, looking at those I now believe offhand that is the primary reason this happened, don't know why that never occured to me. Lesson learned.

Offline M1A4ME

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Re: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2020, 06:47:40 AM »
l haven't broken one yet but I've pulled some that were showing damage.

Not a bad idea, if you dry fire a lot, to check out some of the threads here on using a rubber o-ring at the back of the slide to protect that firing pin/firing pin retaining pin from damage during your dry fire practice.

And, buy several firing pin retaining pins.  Not expensive, easy to replace.  Find a drill bit that will easily slide through the center of the firing pin retaining pin.  Use that drill bit to test the integrity of the firing pin retaining pin.  If the drill bit won't easily push through anymore you know the firing pin retaining pin is starting to collapse on one side and replacement (soon) would be a good idea.
I just keep wasting time and money on other brands trying to find/make one shoot like my P07 and P09.  What is wrong with me?

Offline Tok36

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Re: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2020, 01:44:26 PM »
Here is a reference picture for the O ring that M1A4ME mentioned above.



Seeing as how this is a carry pistol i suggest using a colored O ring that is not easy to miss or put a flag on the O ring with some colored tape so that you do not leave it in place after dry fire practice.

I am curious what Hammer Spring weight you have installed. While i have seen a few of these pins get damaged over time it is relatively rare in my experience.

I would also suggest contacting CGW they seam to like to hear about occasions like this and may have some insight on the situation.
Will work for CZ pics! (including but not limited to all CZ clones)

Offline Fred Friendly

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Re: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2020, 04:02:06 PM »
I am curious what Hammer Spring weight you have installed. While i have seen a few of these pins get damaged over time it is relatively rare in my experience.

I would also suggest contacting CGW they seam to like to hear about occasions like this and may have some insight on the situation.

I use the 13# blue hammer spring with the reduced power firing pin spring.

By chance I found the second piece of the broken pin this morning. Which means I also need to go buy a lottery ticket today. Trying to hold it together so you can clearly see where the firing pin was hitting it is not working very well, but here's a somewhat grainy picture of an attempt that won't win any photography awards:


A clearer picture of just the larger of the two pieces:
« Last Edit: January 04, 2020, 04:08:11 PM by Fred Friendly »

Offline Here2learn

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Re: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2020, 04:58:48 PM »
That looks to be just a tension pin, yet on the diagram John Seely posted in this thread:
https://czfirearms.us/index.php?topic=102767.30

the image used, is of a spirol pin.
Makes me wonder if it is a Hyatt thing, where someone didn't follow the design specs?

Offline Hemiscorpius lepturus

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Re: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2020, 01:41:25 AM »
That looks to be just a tension pin, yet on the diagram John Seely posted in this thread:
https://czfirearms.us/index.php?topic=102767.30

the image used, is of a spirol pin.
Makes me wonder if it is a Hyatt thing, where someone didn't follow the design specs?

The stock pin is indeed a spirol pin, the CGW pin is not.


HOWEVER.. ops pic does NOT look like the same pin I have, it is way too thick, mine looks exactly like the pic on CGW, black with a taper on the ends, and about 0.5mm thick, perhaps the end mushroomed during installation from using a solid punch not a roll pin punch?

I can almost stick a toothpick through the side of my gun, the hole in the center of the pin is just a little too small when installed, i can stick a toothpick through an uninstalled pin (tight fit)

Offline Scarlett Pistol

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Re: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2020, 01:51:34 AM »
1) That doesn’t look anything like a normal CGW FPRP. Might have been an out of spec one that slipped through QA...? I’d call them about it. They’re super good guys and stand behind their products.

2) Do you have the stock firing pin or a CGW firing pin? The firing pin from the factory has a really sharp edge on the cut out that impacts the FPRP. If I leave stock firing pins in my CZ’s I bevel that edge does it doesn’t beat my FPRP to death.
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Offline Underwhere

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Re: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« Reply #9 on: January 05, 2020, 10:23:48 AM »
I don't find snap caps very effective.
I find that the primer portion dents, allowing the firing pin to sink deeper into the snap cap, causing the firing pin to impact the firing pin retaining pin.

I prefer o-rings when dry firing.

Offline Stellgar

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Re: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2020, 05:51:30 PM »
With my SP-01 l have been cutting a length of slingshot tubing (surgical) that fits horizontally just under the firing pin...much better than snap caps for dry firing.

Offline Fred Friendly

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Re: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2020, 08:25:26 PM »
Thank you all, I'm pretty sure this was a result of the snap cap primers being hit so much they no longer did anything except exist. What I'm doing instead now is putting a disposable foam ear plug in instead of an O-Ring. It's a bit easier to remove, passes the pencil down the barrel test in both DA and SA even when done repetitively, is visually impossible to not notice it's there even with the hammer decocked, and still doesn't occlude the sight picture or prevent the hammer from being reaching it's full up position.

Offline Underwhere

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Re: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2020, 08:30:07 PM »
Thank you all, I'm pretty sure this was a result of the snap cap primers being hit so much they no longer did anything except exist. What I'm doing instead now is putting a disposable foam ear plug in instead of an O-Ring. It's a bit easier to remove, passes the pencil down the barrel test in both DA and SA even when done repetitively, is visually impossible to not notice it's there even with the hammer decocked, and still doesn't occlude the sight picture or prevent the hammer from being reaching it's full up position.
The thicker it is the more it will deviate from what would be a normal double action pull.

The hammer isn't going all the way back down and thus is starting higher up.

So if you are doing this for dry fire practice in DA you may want to look for something thinner.

Offline Fred Friendly

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Re: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« Reply #13 on: January 06, 2020, 08:43:15 PM »
Thank you all, I'm pretty sure this was a result of the snap cap primers being hit so much they no longer did anything except exist. What I'm doing instead now is putting a disposable foam ear plug in instead of an O-Ring. It's a bit easier to remove, passes the pencil down the barrel test in both DA and SA even when done repetitively, is visually impossible to not notice it's there even with the hammer decocked, and still doesn't occlude the sight picture or prevent the hammer from being reaching it's full up position.
The thicker it is the more it will deviate from what would be a normal double action pull.

The hammer isn't going all the way back down and thus is starting higher up.

So if you are doing this for dry fire practice in DA you may want to look for something thinner.
The PCR decocker safely drops the hammer only to the half-cocked position, not to the fully decocked position, and is carried in same. They all do this. I am unconcerned.

Offline Underwhere

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Re: Question regarding the CGW & Factory Firing Pin Retaining Pin
« Reply #14 on: January 06, 2020, 08:44:20 PM »
Thank you all, I'm pretty sure this was a result of the snap cap primers being hit so much they no longer did anything except exist. What I'm doing instead now is putting a disposable foam ear plug in instead of an O-Ring. It's a bit easier to remove, passes the pencil down the barrel test in both DA and SA even when done repetitively, is visually impossible to not notice it's there even with the hammer decocked, and still doesn't occlude the sight picture or prevent the hammer from being reaching it's full up position.
The thicker it is the more it will deviate from what would be a normal double action pull.

The hammer isn't going all the way back down and thus is starting higher up.

So if you are doing this for dry fire practice in DA you may want to look for something thinner.
The PCR decocker safely drops the hammer only to the half-cocked position, not to the fully decocked position, and is carried in same. They all do this. I am unconcerned.
Ah I forgot PCR. OK glad you got it figured out.