Light Primer Strikes

[kittum]

I am having an annoying problem with light primer strikes lately and I need some Ideas on how to fix it. 

The gun was built in May 2013.  I bought it new in October 2013 and it has about 2000 rounds through it.   Up until recently it has been a solid shooter, but  the problem started about 3 matches ago (about 500 rounds ago) and has been getting more frequent. 

A few days ago I was preparing the gun for today's match and cleaned up the firing pin, pin block, and the hole.  Then I dry lubed everything with Smooth-Kote by Century Solutions.  All of it looked good and I thought problem solved.

Towards the end of the match the failure to fire due to light strikes was about 1 in 15 rounds with "soft" Winchester primers. 

I am not sure how I want to go about fixing this.

I could send it in under warranty and hope they could duplicate the problem and fix it.

Or could I get and extended firing pin for it and replace the main spring?  Will a CZ 75 extended pin fit in the 97?  What main spring would I need and where would I get it?

Or could there be another issue that is the cause of the problem?

I need some help.

[Grendel]

First: stop lubing your firing pin and channel with anything, dry or not. Second: Make sure the hole in the breech face hasn't got some crud in it. Third: Contact CGW and purchase their extended FP and extra power spring.

[Radom]

Are you using handloads or factory loads? 

[loic]

Are you using handloads or factory loads?

+1 if you reload, if the primer is not seated completely the firing pin will push the primer in and will show a light hit, it haopened to me on my progressive press, the screw got a little loose my primers were not set completely

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

[kittum]

I am using hand loads.   An old pet load used by quite a few folks - 4.5gr HP-38 under a 200gr LSWC.  For the most part it is the only load I have been using in this particular gun.

I am rather confidant that primer seating is ok and not much of a factor.  I'm using  a Hornady LNL AP that is quite prone to tell you about bad primer seating due to the narrow clearance between the shell plate and the "deck".

I will probably go with the Cajun extended firing pin and spring since they have it in a kit.

Thanks!

[1SOW]

If you still have rds left from your match,  I'd lay a metal rule across the base of twenty/thirty cartridges and confirm that the primers are visibly below the edge of the rule  (should be able to clearly see a light under the rule).

Widge +1 on 'don't lube the FP channel'.   Especially true with a light load Win 231/HP-38 that burns sooty at low pressures.
I clean mine maybe once or twice per year,  because I'm O.C. ,  but it's never really needed any cleaning that I've seen.

[M1A4ME]

I've never had this issue with a hammer fired gun, just with striker fired guns (and that is debatable still at this point as I may have figured out what my M&P problems are, still need to make a few more range trips to be sure).

If I did have it with a hammer fired gun I'd:

clean the firing pin/return spring/channel

buy a new hammer spring

buy a new firing pin.

I oil the snot out of every gun I own.  Never any issue from over lubing except for getting it on my hands/wrists/face while shooting.  I oil my striker fired handgun strikers/channels/liners.  Sorry, if it moves, I lube it.  I didn't buy anything to wear out on me when I need it.  It needs to work and if it moves, it gets lubed.  Then, when I come home from the range and sometimes when its been awhile between range trips, I field strip it and clean it/lube it.

I've seen guns (some of my own) that sit for 10 or 15 years without being shot, have the lube get gummy/gooey and they need to be torn down, the gooey stuff removed and then relubed.  I've never seen one gum up after only a few weeks (or even months) between cleaning/lubing and shooting.

One more thing, when I was having problems with the M&Ps and blaming it on the Tula small pistol primers I actually loaded up some rounds for my new P07 with Tula small rifle primers and all of them went bang.  At least when new, the hammer springs on the P0 guns are plenty stout.

[Grendel]

Lube what you want, it's your gun.

Notwithstanding that, all the armorers courses I've taken state not to lube the FP as it attracts dirt, but simply to keep it clean. I've never lubed the FP on any gun I've owned and never had a problem with light primer strikes, or a failure to fire that wasn't ammo related. Never worn out a FP either