Light strikes

[Tikka]

Went to the range yesterday to run another ladder test. About half way through I started having mis-fires due to light pin strikes. The primers show shallow dents and I did get one to fire after rechambering a second time. I took the BCG apart and got some heavy crusty residue from it. The fireing pin was well oiled and the temp was 36 degrees. After I reassembled the BCG I still had the problem. Any suggestions.

[Michael]

Tikka - in my experiences, there are usually 3 things that may cause this -

1) Mic your firing pin with calipers to ensure it is within specs (these sometimes get blunted)
2) Check primers on reloaded rounds to make sure they were not seated too deeply
3) Check hammer spring (may be week/assembled improperly)

Re the gunk - where was it located in BCG?

[Drifter]

I agree with post above. Check hammer spring regarding strength and proper assembly.

Also, excessive oil on the firing pin will likely slow it down.

[Tikka]

Thanks for the replies. I tried several rounds from different groups in the ladder so I don't think it's the primer depth. I did tweek the hammer spring early on to lighten the trigger pull just a bit and it worked fine afterwards. However, I'll try playing with that again. I don'k know where the crud came from. It fell out into my hands while I was taking the BCG apart but now I can't remember at what point I noticed it. The lube on the pin was a bit heavy but I did not think it was bad enough to make a difference. Maybe that and the temp was just enough. I'm gonna run it dry at the fireing pin next time to see if it makes the difference. This pin has about 1000 rounds on it.

[LRRPF52]

Light hammer spring + cold weather can equal light strikes all day long. You need either a full power hammer spring in a 2-stage trigger, or a lightened hammer in your current set-up, if the spring is the problem, which I would lean to in this case.

[Tikka]

Thanks again. Lots to look in to. I never considered lightening the hammer. Food for thought.

Tikka

[Whelenon]

Running the firing pin dry is a good idea. I use a graphite powder to lube the firing pin especially in cold weather.