Firing Pin Ejected From Bolt After Firing

[Bidwell]

Hi, have a Ruger American Standard in 308. I was shooting last weekend and after one shot my firing pin spring decompressed and the whole firing pin ejected, or unseated from the bolt. Not in a violent fashion, just kind of popped out. I was able to compress the spring again and it lasted a few rounds before the same thing happened again. After that, I took it to the gunsmith. Any ideas what might have caused this? The rifle did fire when the pin ejected, I should note.

For some back story, I did remove the firing pin a few weeks before to clean but didn't run into any issues. Fired about 30 shots without incident. I have to admit, this would be big coincidence if this didnt have to do with me fiddling with things.

Well, now it's a week a way for opening deer season in my area and the gunsmith said he'd have it done in one day, but now it's approaching 5 days without an update. I called my gun store and they said he's getting to it with no real information and told me they're 90% sure they'd be done by Mon. or Tues. Getting worried... Tempted to order a firing pin and spring and just do this myself. Anyway, really I'm just curious if anyone has heard of something like this happen before. Thanks!

 

[Riesel]

Hi, have a Ruger American Standard in 308. I was shooting last weekend and after one shot my firing pin spring decompressed and the whole firing pin ejected, or unseated from the bolt. Not in a violent fashion, just kind of popped out. I was able to compress the spring again and it lasted a few rounds before the same thing happened again. After that, I took it to the gunsmith. Any ideas what might have caused this? The rifle did fire when the pin ejected, I should note.

For some back story, I did remove the firing pin a few weeks before to clean but didn't run into any issues. Fired about 30 shots without incident. I have to admit, this would be big coincidence if this didnt have to do with me fiddling with things.

Well, now it's a week a way for opening deer season in my area and the gunsmith said he'd have it done in one day, but now it's approaching 5 days without an update. I called my gun store and they said he's getting to it with no real information and told me they're 90% sure they'd be done by Mon. or Tues. Getting worried... Tempted to order a firing pin and spring and just do this myself. Anyway, really I'm just curious if anyone has heard of something like this happen before. Thanks!

OOPS ! ! !

 

[Bidwell]

OOPS ! ! !

Yup!

 

[Fast14riot]

Its not the spring. RAR are known for this. The cocking piece (firing pin back on parts diagram) and firing pin stop get misaligned if taken out incorrectly. Did you use the flat head screwdriver method to disassemble your bolt?

 

[Bidwell]

Regrettably, I did. Nailed it. I have since ordered the firing pin removal tool.

This sounds promising, is there any danger of permanent damage from the misaligned cocking piece or is it just a matter of compressing the spring again and using the tool to ensure everything is aligned? The plus side is I've gotten pretty good at resetting the spring now...

Thanks for the input!

 

[Fast14riot]

Regrettably, I did. Nailed it. I have since ordered the firing pin removal tool.

This sounds promising, is there any danger of permanent damage from the misaligned cocking piece or is it just a matter of compressing the spring again and using the tool to ensure everything is aligned? The plus side is I've gotten pretty good at resetting the spring now...

Thanks for the input!

If you used the screwdriver in the top slot of the factory firing pin back (cocking piece) there is a chance of damage as its a MIM part and its not terribly strong there, but if you did it in the bottom slot, its much stronger and no chance of damage. Aftermarket billet cocking pieces are available if you choose to upgrade.

Just the decompression is a symptom of misalignment and not damage. It can be realigned simply, but not without some effort. I've seen a couple methods, using a loop of rope, crescent wrench, etm. Thankfully, there are tons of videos about this if you search for Ruger Firing Pin Decompression.

 

[Bidwell]

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If you used the screwdriver in the top slot of the factory firing pin back (cocking piece) there is a chance of damage as its a MIM part and its not terribly strong there, but if you did it in the bottom slot, its much stronger and no chance of damage. Aftermarket billet cocking pieces are available if you choose to upgrade.

Just the decompression is a symptom of misalignment and not damage. It can be realigned simply, but not without some effort. I've seen a couple methods, using a loop of rope, crescent wrench, etm. Thankfully, there are tons of videos about this if you search for Ruger Firing Pin Decompression.

OK great, yeah I did use the thicker bottom slot. The video I watched about the screwdriver method did mention the strength difference. I'll look around for some videos, thanks again! Worst case, I could live with some damage to the cocking piece but sounds like this wouldn't cause any damage to the bolt or rifle. I am tempted to pick up an aftermarket piece as I hear they are stronger and can even reduce the trigger pull weight a bit.

The gunsmith was very unfamiliar with the ruger firing pin, but said he has a guy who helps him who's a ruger fan and he should be able to get this sorted out. But, it's been 5 days over their estimated finish date so I'm sort of preparing for the chance I may have to fix this.