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Ran across a post over on the S&W board talking about a firing pin issue causing an AD during a match. I debated dragging it back here but decided we can always just let the thread die and it just might result in a problem being avoided.
Anyway this was posted 11/14/03 at 6:52pm.
http://www.smith-wessonforum.com/ubb/Forum10/HTML/003497.html
Anyway this was posted 11/14/03 at 6:52pm.
http://www.smith-wessonforum.com/ubb/Forum10/HTML/003497.html
There was a recent post on another part of this forum talking about Dan Wesson M1911s and how good they are. They may be good, but a friend of mine who is an IDPA Expert class shooter had an AD with a Patriot that was at least partly related to the external extractor, and it could happen on other such pistols with external extractors and adjustable sights. Here's what happened...
Third stage of a local shoot. Friend charges his pistol, it doesn't feed properly, he takes out the mag, shakes the jammed round down into the chamber, and lets the slide go forward to chamber the round, knowing that the external extractor will snap over the rim. BANG! Gun goes off in a safe direction, thank God. Examines gun, nothing obviously wrong - friend swears his finger was off the trigger. I believe him - this guy is good and he doesn't make mistakes like that.
I take his gun home and try to replicate situation (empty gun, of course). Finally get the answer. The top of the firing pin stop has been milled off to accomodate the adjustable rear sight. No internal extractor to help keep it in place. It can't move down because of the frame, but it's loose enough to move up. At the end of the second stage, my friend pulls trigger on empty chamber, as required. Firing pin moves forward of the stop, firing pin stop wiggles up and traps firing pin forward - now there's a fixed firing pin protruding into the chamber. Third stage start - failure to chamber since pin is in way, jiggle cartridge into chamber, release slide, and gun goes off. After it cycles, firing pin goes back where it should be, and it looks like nothing's wrong. Dry, I made this happen twice.
Believe me, I then checked every 1911 I have. No other case of loose firing pin stop, but I don't have an external extractor gun. For the record, Dan Wesson seemed very interested in this when I called, but I don't know if they've done anything about it. Please check your 1911s if you dry fire or compete where you dry fire at the end of a stage.
Buck