Browning Firing Pins

[Cookie]

Forgive me if this has been posted before, I have had a look through all the forums and can't seem to find any other topics on the same subject.

I have a Browning Supersport Prestige (based on a 525) that I have owned from new since December 2011 which has had around 5-6,000 rounds through it, mainly Gamebore Supersteel 28g 9 and I have noticed over the last month or so that the lower firing pin is quite pitted. Is this normal and should I be worried?

What worries me too is that my wife has had a Browning 525 Hunter Special for about the same time and has shot around 1500 rounds through it, same cartridges as me and I noticed this weekend that her firing pin has started going the same way.

I know I can get this done under warranty but this is my only gun and my wifes has been fitted to her so doesn't fit me. To take it in I would be without a gun for however long it takes to repair.

I am happy to do the work myself (I can get the pins from Midway) but would this break the warranty and would it just happen all over again?

I have looked at various other 525's of different ages and some seem to show the same signs and other don't.

 

[Westward]

It's been discussed before: http://www.shootclay...ng-firing-pins/

Ask away if you need more info.

 

[Berettaman]

Its common on all Browning/Miroku O/U guns, I believe myself they are over hardened which makes them splinter on the pin nose. interestingly this dosent happen with Beretta and many other O/Unders. It is a simple job to change them, there are specialist manafacturers who supply aftermarket ones that dont suffer from such frailties You dont say where you are based if you are local to Telford I could replace them for a nominal sum IE £20.00 per gun. while you wait.

 

[Cookie]

Thanks for pointing out the other topic Westward, couldn't find it for some reason.

Thanks for the offer Berettaman, really do appreciate the offer. I am in Rochester, Kent, but I am quite happy to do them myself. I think I will just order some and keep them just in case and the minute I start getting missfires, I will replace them.

 

[The_Crust]

That's what I decided to do with mine - get some new pins ready, and then enjoy the gun until I have to worry about it.

Incidentally, while my original selling dealer said the pins weren't warranty work, the nice folks in the gunshop at Kibworth when I went over there the other week said they thought it probably was - but that given the low cost of the pins, Browning would probably opt for a local gunsmith to replace them and invoice the work rather than have the gun sent back to Belgium or wherever they finish up for warranty work.

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Boys...................these are only pins! If they are 'lacking in performance'....put some new ones in.

 

[Salopian]

Browning firing pins are about £30 a pair to buy. Easily a diy job. If you are worried about bottom pin erosion (that's what it is) change them for God's sake.

I have a 26 year old Miroku bought it S/H with a chipped/eroded bottom pin. It's still the same today and has never been a problem. When it fails to fire I'll mend it.

 

[TobyM]

Just out of interest (slightly off topic), what controls how far the lower firing pin extends on a Miroku MK38?

I have a niggling thought that mine isn't extending as far as it should, although it may have been a duff shell. It fired in the top barrel when I swapped it

 

[Salopian]

The firing pins are shouldered, it is very common for dirt , unburnt powder, oil to form an amalgum and build up in the firing pin hole, this then restricts the distance that the pin can travel forward when struck by the hammer.

Remove stock, remove firing pin retaining pins, remove firing pins and clean out the bores (holes) with a cotton bud until scrupulously clean, clean firing pin, light oil and replace. Push firing pin fully forward and measure protrusion from breech face. This needs to be 0.055" - 0.060" thousands of an inch.

 

[JonSkeet2]

My Beretta doesn't exhibit any firing pin issues however I will be replacing it.

On my gun (AL391 Auto) it's very easy to do and I carry quite a few spare parts for it which do get replaced as the gun gets hammered to the tune of 20k + shells a year.

My background is Aerospace engineering followed by a few years in Medical engineering, in both there is a PPM strategy (Planned Preventative Maintenance) where certain things are replaced based on the number of cycles or periodically to prevent breakdowns.

The recoil spring gets changed about every 12k shells now I'm using J&P Customworks springs (the super steel killed the OEM on in 4k) firing pin, firing pin spring (J&P), hammer spring (J&P), rats tail and rats tail connecting pin will be replaced the next full strip down. I'd sooner fit €40 worth of parts when I choose to and have time to do it; rather than have a failure and have a day out shooting ruined.

Anal, maybe....

Jon.

 

[Will Hewland]

No Jon,

Im from a similar backround. Preventative maintenance.

CSC3

 

[Westward]

Just out of interest (slightly off topic), what controls how far the lower firing pin extends on a Miroku MK38?

I have a niggling thought that mine isn't extending as far as it should, although it may have been a duff shell. It fired in the top barrel when I swapped it

Crud does get into the action on these guns and can accumulate in the FP holes but there's also a long and sorry history of Browning & Miroku bottom FP issues causing the occasional fail to fire because they just can't seem to get the length right. The difficulty is that because the action is very tall, and the hinge is below the breech, the bottom pin will foul the shell head on opening the gun if it protrudes too far, but won't strike the primer properly if it doesn't protrude far enough. The difference between too long and too short isn't much and since Browning has got it wrong so many times, some gunsmiths make up new pins by hand for individual guns.

This also neatly overcomes the problem of pitting too - which is nice.

 

[TobyM]

Thanks for the replies chaps. Better understanding now

 

[Fuzrat]

Fired about 4000 shells through my mk38 since october, mostly Olympics but a few game shells and only had 1 FTF. Got a feeling that was a cap set low in the shell rather than the gun as its a 1 in 4000 occurrence. if I start getting a few more I will look at the pins.

 

[Cookie]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Seems to me like a common problem. I checked a few other peoples Browning/Miroku pins over the weekend and I would say that 80-90% of them are all suffering from the same "pitting" to one degree or another.

These are all relatively new guns (less than 3 years old with anything from 1,000 to 10,000 shells through them) and range from Ultra's, Hunter's, Sports, MK38 (Trap and Sporting) as well as a few others.

Most people weren't even aware that they were pitted until closer inspection, but it definately seems to be a problem. I checked some other makes of the same age with the same sort of useage such as Berettas and no problems at all, even my fathers 34 year old Browning B105 Skeet is not showing any signs and still look as good as the day he bought it.

 

[Mike]

Peter Dyson & Son Ltd sell replacement firing pins for all types of gun.

I tried to put a link in but I can't.

 

[TobyM]

http://www.peterdyson.co.uk/

 

[Will Hewland]

His website shows them at £6!!!!!!

 

[TobyM]

Just had a look on YouTube but no one has done a "how to replace firing pins in a Miroku/Browning shotgun"