I was shooting my P3AT last Sunday when the trigger stopped working - it wasn't pulling the hammer back when I pulled the trigger. I later disassembled the gun and saw that the trigger bar wasn't engaging the hammer - it was just sliding by without catching the sear. I took it all apart and cleaned it well and it seems to be working nicely now - although I haven't had the chance to try it out at the range yet. I tried searching the forum and haven't come across any posts mentioning anything like this. I'm wondering if this is a common occurrence, and if my problem was likely just caused by a little crud build-up, or if there is any specific wear issues I should be looking for. I bought this gun used, so I don't know what kind of life it had or how many rounds have been through it. I have only shot about 200-300 rounds through it myself. Any insight is appreciated. Thanks!
The trigger bar is also the disconnecter, which insures you don't have a little machinegun in your hands. Well actually, on the P3AT, it only insures it cannot fire out of battery. A speed bump on the top of the trigger bar enters a notch on the bottom rear of the slide only when the slide is fully forward & in battery. At that point, the trigger bar can engage the hammer and pull it back. If it can't enter the notch, the trigger bar cannot engage the hammer. Perhaps there was a ball of belly button lint stuck in the slide notch which would hold the disconnecter/trigger bar down out of engagement with the hammer. Another possibility that has been known to happen is a injection mold flash broke off the grip molding and and bound up the trigger bar. I'd say if it is working correctly now after cleaning & lube, you fixed it. BTW: I always blow out my carry guns with a 100 PSI air compresser every time I clean them. You would be amazed at the dust bunny's & hair balls that can hide inside a carry gun. rc
I've never tried it but a gunsmith I know says to avoid canned air like it was the plague. He says you get a lot of condensation from those cans as the cooler air coming out of the can hits room temperature metal of your gun. Of course the problem would be rust if it was allowed to sit like that. However, if you're cleaning the gun anyway, it really couldn't be that big an issue since you're cleaning and relubing the gun. At least it doesn't seem like it would cause a problem as long as you relubed the gun properly but I don't know for sure.
I can't imagine canned air condensation being naarly as bad as the sweat condensation & belly button lint it blows out of a carry gun. If it worrys you, dry it out with a hair dryer when you get done. rc
The big thing I worry about is the chemicals they now put in that give it an intense bitter taste to stop . I know that stuff gets on surfaces and stays there.
It's not a very common problem from the lack of reports, other than yours, I've seen, or rather not seen on this forum. The most likely reason I can think of is that something was preventing the trigger from going all the way forward. With a snap cap or spent cartridge case in the chamber you can press the trigger, rack the slide and then very slowly let the trigger go forward. Just before it comes to a stop you should hear a "click". That is the trigger bar popping up into position to engage the hammer. If dirt or lint or something keeps the trigger from going all the way forward the trigger bar cannot reset to engage the hammer and will slide underneath it without drawing it back.
My PF9 had this same issue. They sent a new hammer assembly and trigger bar which resolved the issue.
