ruger firing pin

rmdrake · February 20, 2005, 11:58 AM

i have a p97 45 caliber , the other day at the range it faield to fire 3 times out of the 150 + rounds i put throught . it seemd to happen about midway throgh my time at the range. what would cause this? i was using value pack ammo from wal-mart the winchester kind. no dimples on the primer, the gun was cleaned two or three days before i went to the range. today as i field stripped the gun to clean it i had the slide in my hand and with a small pencil i pushed on the back of the firing pin to see how for the pin would come out of the small hole, it did not come out at all just flush to the hole. is this normal? will it come out when in battery? or dooes the hammer throw the firing pin out, somthing i cant duplicate during field stripping and cleaning?thanks in advanced for your replys

cntryboy1289 · February 20, 2005, 07:29 PM

I would say that 3 out 150 shouldn't cause that much worry if it was indeed cheap ammo. Some ammo will have a bad primer or two. That being said, I would still double check the firing pin extrusion.

If you have the safety on, the firing pin cannot be pushed out. I would make sure the safety is off, and then retry the push test. It should extend outside of the hole. If it does, there probably isn't a problem and like you said, it was cheap ammo. If it doesn't, I would remove the firing pin to make sure it isn't being blocked by a sliver of brass.

Sometimes a pistol will shave brass from the round when it slides up over the firing pin hole. This brass will work it's way into the hole blocking the firing pin. I would visibly check this by removing the firing pin if you know how. Sometimes it will block the pin and then fall out when you cycle the slide and sometimes it will remain and damage the pin, or just block the pin from hitting the primer. The cure for this is to chamfer the firing pin hole. I use a knive edge to chamfer the hole just slightly and make sure it doesn't have a sharp edge. Good luck.

rmdrake · February 21, 2005, 02:25 AM

ther is no safety on my gun just the decocker, pull it down to decock and it springs back up. im not that familiar with firearms to pull the fireing pin out but i will have it looked at. thanks. oh did i mention on the primers there was no dimple so i can rule out bad primers right?

**4V50 Gary** · February 21, 2005, 02:56 AM

I think there's a firing pin block on the slide. Flip the slide over and see if you see a plunger in the vicinity of the feed rib. You'll know it's a plunger when you push it down and it springs up. Well, that's your firing pin block. Push on it first and simultaneously push on the firing pin. Your pin should protrude through the breechface.

Why your P97 doesn't shoot? Run some Hoppes down the firing pin channel to clear out any oil deposits that would gum it up. Second, make sure your breech face is clean. Third, make sure your chamber is clean. Try your gun again.

If that doesn't work, switch ammo and see if that other brand (or several brands) work. If they work, then it's the first batch of ammo you bought.

rmdrake · February 21, 2005, 01:28 PM

this is a great forum, thanks for the info. the firing pin does protrude the breechface. now back to square one.

gogetumnow · February 21, 2005, 08:05 PM

I'd check the firing pin channel for gunk/dirt etc. To disassemble:

1. Field strip the gun as listed in the manual, removing the barrel, spring, and camblock.

2. Remove the extractor by slightly lifting it outward while pulling it toward the muzzle end of the gun. Removing the extractor will allow one of the decocker levers to be removed.

3. On the underside of the slide you'll see a black leaf spring. Push down on this leaf spring while removing the pin out the side of the slide. (This is the only large pin you can really see on the side of the slide)

4. Remove the leaf spring. This will alow the other decocking lever to be removed along with the firing pin and spring. Watch out, that firing pin can shoot out and across the room. Note the orientation of the firing pin when removing so you can put it back correctly.

5. Check your firing pin channel. I couldn't belive all the crap that got built up in mine over time.

6. Reverse the above step to reassembly. To re-insert the firing pin you may need to push down on the firing pin block button mentioned earlier in this thread.

Go slow, take your time. The P95D/P97D slides are not the easiest to disassemble.

February 20, 2005, 11:58 AM	#1
rmdrake Member Join Date: January 26, 2005 Posts: 52	ruger firing pin i have a p97 45 caliber , the other day at the range it faield to fire 3 times out of the 150 + rounds i put throught . it seemd to happen about midway throgh my time at the range. what would cause this? i was using value pack ammo from wal-mart the winchester kind. no dimples on the primer, the gun was cleaned two or three days before i went to the range. today as i field stripped the gun to clean it i had the slide in my hand and with a small pencil i pushed on the back of the firing pin to see how for the pin would come out of the small hole, it did not come out at all just flush to the hole. is this normal? will it come out when in battery? or dooes the hammer throw the firing pin out, somthing i cant duplicate during field stripping and cleaning?thanks in advanced for your replys

February 20, 2005, 07:29 PM	#2
cntryboy1289 Senior Member Join Date: July 19, 2004 Location: Ms Posts: 1,160	depends I would say that 3 out 150 shouldn't cause that much worry if it was indeed cheap ammo. Some ammo will have a bad primer or two. That being said, I would still double check the firing pin extrusion. If you have the safety on, the firing pin cannot be pushed out. I would make sure the safety is off, and then retry the push test. It should extend outside of the hole. If it does, there probably isn't a problem and like you said, it was cheap ammo. If it doesn't, I would remove the firing pin to make sure it isn't being blocked by a sliver of brass. Sometimes a pistol will shave brass from the round when it slides up over the firing pin hole. This brass will work it's way into the hole blocking the firing pin. I would visibly check this by removing the firing pin if you know how. Sometimes it will block the pin and then fall out when you cycle the slide and sometimes it will remain and damage the pin, or just block the pin from hitting the primer. The cure for this is to chamfer the firing pin hole. I use a knive edge to chamfer the hole just slightly and make sure it doesn't have a sharp edge. Good luck.

February 21, 2005, 02:56 AM	#4
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 22,315	I think there's a firing pin block on the slide. Flip the slide over and see if you see a plunger in the vicinity of the feed rib. You'll know it's a plunger when you push it down and it springs up. Well, that's your firing pin block. Push on it first and simultaneously push on the firing pin. Your pin should protrude through the breechface. Why your P97 doesn't shoot? Run some Hoppes down the firing pin channel to clear out any oil deposits that would gum it up. Second, make sure your breech face is clean. Third, make sure your chamber is clean. Try your gun again. If that doesn't work, switch ammo and see if that other brand (or several brands) work. If they work, then it's the first batch of ammo you bought. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

February 21, 2005, 02:25 AM	#3
rmdrake Member Join Date: January 26, 2005 Posts: 52	ther is no safety on my gun just the decocker, pull it down to decock and it springs back up. im not that familiar with firearms to pull the fireing pin out but i will have it looked at. thanks. oh did i mention on the primers there was no dimple so i can rule out bad primers right?

February 21, 2005, 01:28 PM	#5
rmdrake Member Join Date: January 26, 2005 Posts: 52	this is a great forum, thanks for the info. the firing pin does protrude the breechface. now back to square one.

February 21, 2005, 08:05 PM	#6
gogetumnow Junior Member Join Date: November 16, 2001 Posts: 8	I'd check the firing pin channel for gunk/dirt etc. To disassemble: 1. Field strip the gun as listed in the manual, removing the barrel, spring, and camblock. 2. Remove the extractor by slightly lifting it outward while pulling it toward the muzzle end of the gun. Removing the extractor will allow one of the decocker levers to be removed. 3. On the underside of the slide you'll see a black leaf spring. Push down on this leaf spring while removing the pin out the side of the slide. (This is the only large pin you can really see on the side of the slide) 4. Remove the leaf spring. This will alow the other decocking lever to be removed along with the firing pin and spring. Watch out, that firing pin can shoot out and across the room. Note the orientation of the firing pin when removing so you can put it back correctly. 5. Check your firing pin channel. I couldn't belive all the crap that got built up in mine over time. 6. Reverse the above step to reassembly. To re-insert the firing pin you may need to push down on the firing pin block button mentioned earlier in this thread. Go slow, take your time. The P95D/P97D slides are not the easiest to disassemble.