I posted earlier about an extractor problem. KT sent me a new extractor, I installed it with no problems and went to the range today. It worked great. I went through 4 magazines without a hiccup. Then another problem began. There were a few "soft strikes" where there was a slight indention on the primer but it did not fire. This happened several times. Then the firing pin gets stuck and will not return. I inspected it and the spring. The spring appears to be good. The pin does not appear to be bent or have any abnormal appearance. When it is installed I can push it in and the pin returns to the normal position, but when it is fired it gets stuck and is extremely hard to push back out to the ready position. I am going to call KT tomorrow to see what possbly could be the problem but thought I would see if anyone here has had that problem. I installed the pin several times to make sure it was inserted properly so that the buttonhead screw was seating inside the grove of the FP properly. So that is not an issue. It seems that the tip of the pin that is struck by the hammer is wedging inside the opening of the slide causing it to become wedged. I do not know that for sure but it looks like that's what it could be. Anyway, has anyone else had any similiar problems? See Update Info on post 6
Re: Extractor repaired, now firing pin problem We sometimes see firing pins that are a little rough. You could remove it and polish it up with some 400 - 600 grit paper. You might also deburr and clean out the firing pin channel as seen here in reply #1: http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1287183163 I'm sure KT will send you a new firing pin and spring if you call them tomorrow. If the polishing works, and it should, you'll have spare parts.
Re: Extractor repaired, now firing pin problem Thanks for the information and the link. I have not seen that one before. I do not have the time to try that tonight but will get on it after getting home from work tomorrow. Do you think it possible that there may be a problem with the FP that cannot be seen to the naked eye? I know the spring is good, so I do not know of what else it could be except the channel junked up and/or the FP deformed or bent. Does that sound reasonable?
Re: Extractor repaired, now firing pin problem check both ends of the pin for mushrooming. a few light strokes with a needle file to correct check the end of the extractor screw for any thing funny, the first thread is not needed check the lenght of the screw. to do so, turn the notch AWAY from the screw and gently touch the FP. Turn the notch TOWARDS the screw and count the turns till it snugs up. I'm thinking 3 turns is touching, mine is only 1 1/2 turns you should be able to turn the firing pin about 1/8 turn and push it in and it springs out
Re: Extractor repaired, now firing pin problem Sorry to read that yet another problem has developed with your P3AT. Hang in there! My first P3AT was a real problem child but those problems brought me to this site and I now have two P3ATs that are running without issues. [smiley=thumbsup.gif] Bill K.
Re: Extractor repaired, now firing pin problem It is frustrating, especially for someone who is short on patience like me. However, the good side to this is that I could not have asked the folks at KT to have been any more helpful than what they have been. I called today and spoke with Mike, and he said that it sounded like it could be some debris in the firing pin chamber, and possibly the pin itself could have a flaw somewhere. He is sending me a new FP and spring for good measure. If it was't for the good people at KT I probably would have been ready to ditch it by now. Anyway, I feel confident that I will get it running up to speed here before long. I will keep you posted on the outcome. Thanks KT for great customer service!!!
SUCCESS!!! Finally got it running at 100%. After getting the extractor issue repaired, the firing pin work began. I used some #600 sandpaper to smoth and polish the firing pin, especially around the end that is struck by the hammer. It looked like it may have been slightly mushroomed but i'm not totally sure. I then throughly cleaned the firing pin chamber with solvent and swabbed it until dry. I put a very light coat of silicone on the FP spring and reassembled and off to the range. I went through 5 magazines and it ran flawless, no problems at all!! I now feel comfortable with using her as a CC piece. Kudos to Kel-Tec for A-1 customer service. The experiences I had with them were outstanding! :
