Post by jaypee on May 30, 2017 14:04:10 GMT -5
Lots of owners of the various Hi Power pistols, the Browning, FEG, and FM Hi Powers have run into the problem of the trigger pin walking out the side of the gun during firing. Once it starts doing this, tapping it back in only lasts for a few shots before it starts to walk again. So here is an explanation of how and why this happens and a few remedies I’ve used successfully to cure this problem in my Hi Power pistols. First, here is a photo of the pin we’re talking about.
This is the right side view. It's the small diameter pin directly above the trigger.
This is the left side view of the same pin.
The problem begins with a need to remove the trigger, and with a misunderstanding of what holds this pin in the gun. If you look down into the frame at the trigger with the gun field stripped, you’ll see that the trigger spring rides under the trigger pin in a groove put there just for that purpose. Seeing this, many owners conclude that the trigger pin is held in the gun by the spring riding in the groove made for it in the pin’s shaft. 'Fraid not. The trigger spring has nothing to do with holding the trigger pin in the frame. The slot is simply a place for the tail of the spring to get neatly tucked away and routed back towards the rear of the trigger body.
Hang on to your hats because Mr. Browning was smarter than all of us. The trigger pin is held in the frame by a tight squeeze fit of the pin into the slightly undersized right side hole in the frame. And this is where the mistake is made - The pin is driven out in the wrong direction. It must never be removed by driving it out from left to right, because that enlarges the hole and destroys the squeeze fit. The same applies to installing it from right to left. The pin must always be installed rounded-end-first from left to right, or from slide stop side to ejection port side, and it must always be driven out from right to left, or ejection port side to slide stop side. When the pin is driven in or out improperly, the damage is done to the hole in the frame, not to the pin, so it does no good to replace the pin. You have to fix the hole.....And how do you fix a hole, you ask?
The fix given by Browning enthusiast and technical advisor Bob Reed is to remove the trigger, degrease the right side hole, and paint a coat of modeling enamel into the circumference of the right hole, let it dry, and then reinstall the pin from left to right. Now, sometimes one coat isn't enough, and you may even have to go to a thicker substance to return the hole to its factory dimensions if the damage is bad enough. A friend of mine uses fingernail polish, and I once fixed a rather bad case with a coat of construction adhesive. But remember to let it dry....you aren't gluing the pin back in the hole, you are just restoring the tight squeeze fit between the pin and the hole with a dried liquid.
I haven’t had a lot of luck with the modeling enamel working well unless you use multiple coats, and I would prolly go directly to the construction adhesive if I was going to use this technique again. (I’ve found that the FEG Hi Power pistols tend to be worse in this regard than the BHP, and I was working on FEG’s, so one coat of modeling enamel may work on the Browning pistol just fine.) The one I repaired with construction adhesive has done a lot of shooting for five or so years and has never moved. But whatever substance you use, remember to let it dry at least 36 hours. You want it hard as a rock when you reinstall the trigger and drive the pin back in.
OK, now let’s talk about a non-factory authorized repair. There is another way first mentioned on another forum several years ago by a couple of very smart gents, and it works extremely well. In fact, it's my favorite. First the trigger and pin are removed and the frame is laid on its right side. Then a roll pin punch of an appropriate diameter is passed through the left side trigger pin hole so that the "ledge" of the roll pin punch is resting on the "ledge" of the inside lip of the right frame hole, with the "tit" of the punch projecting down into the hole. Once the punch is positioned, you simply tap it lightly in order to peen the inside lip of the hole. I usually do this three or four times around the circumference of the hole, or just enough to give the hole a good, solid, bite of the pin. Like I said, it's permanent and works very well. I've done it to three PJK-9HP's in the past few years and haven't seen any "walking" of the pins since. But remember, tap the punch LIGHTLY.
The one thing I can guarantee is that once the pin starts walking, it will continue to walk until you repair the cause. I've used both of these techniques and they work very well. I hope this helps with any walking trigger pins you may be dealing with.
Best wishes,
JayPee
This is the right side view. It's the small diameter pin directly above the trigger.
This is the left side view of the same pin.
The problem begins with a need to remove the trigger, and with a misunderstanding of what holds this pin in the gun. If you look down into the frame at the trigger with the gun field stripped, you’ll see that the trigger spring rides under the trigger pin in a groove put there just for that purpose. Seeing this, many owners conclude that the trigger pin is held in the gun by the spring riding in the groove made for it in the pin’s shaft. 'Fraid not. The trigger spring has nothing to do with holding the trigger pin in the frame. The slot is simply a place for the tail of the spring to get neatly tucked away and routed back towards the rear of the trigger body.
Hang on to your hats because Mr. Browning was smarter than all of us. The trigger pin is held in the frame by a tight squeeze fit of the pin into the slightly undersized right side hole in the frame. And this is where the mistake is made - The pin is driven out in the wrong direction. It must never be removed by driving it out from left to right, because that enlarges the hole and destroys the squeeze fit. The same applies to installing it from right to left. The pin must always be installed rounded-end-first from left to right, or from slide stop side to ejection port side, and it must always be driven out from right to left, or ejection port side to slide stop side. When the pin is driven in or out improperly, the damage is done to the hole in the frame, not to the pin, so it does no good to replace the pin. You have to fix the hole.....And how do you fix a hole, you ask?
The fix given by Browning enthusiast and technical advisor Bob Reed is to remove the trigger, degrease the right side hole, and paint a coat of modeling enamel into the circumference of the right hole, let it dry, and then reinstall the pin from left to right. Now, sometimes one coat isn't enough, and you may even have to go to a thicker substance to return the hole to its factory dimensions if the damage is bad enough. A friend of mine uses fingernail polish, and I once fixed a rather bad case with a coat of construction adhesive. But remember to let it dry....you aren't gluing the pin back in the hole, you are just restoring the tight squeeze fit between the pin and the hole with a dried liquid.
I haven’t had a lot of luck with the modeling enamel working well unless you use multiple coats, and I would prolly go directly to the construction adhesive if I was going to use this technique again. (I’ve found that the FEG Hi Power pistols tend to be worse in this regard than the BHP, and I was working on FEG’s, so one coat of modeling enamel may work on the Browning pistol just fine.) The one I repaired with construction adhesive has done a lot of shooting for five or so years and has never moved. But whatever substance you use, remember to let it dry at least 36 hours. You want it hard as a rock when you reinstall the trigger and drive the pin back in.
OK, now let’s talk about a non-factory authorized repair. There is another way first mentioned on another forum several years ago by a couple of very smart gents, and it works extremely well. In fact, it's my favorite. First the trigger and pin are removed and the frame is laid on its right side. Then a roll pin punch of an appropriate diameter is passed through the left side trigger pin hole so that the "ledge" of the roll pin punch is resting on the "ledge" of the inside lip of the right frame hole, with the "tit" of the punch projecting down into the hole. Once the punch is positioned, you simply tap it lightly in order to peen the inside lip of the hole. I usually do this three or four times around the circumference of the hole, or just enough to give the hole a good, solid, bite of the pin. Like I said, it's permanent and works very well. I've done it to three PJK-9HP's in the past few years and haven't seen any "walking" of the pins since. But remember, tap the punch LIGHTLY.
The one thing I can guarantee is that once the pin starts walking, it will continue to walk until you repair the cause. I've used both of these techniques and they work very well. I hope this helps with any walking trigger pins you may be dealing with.
Best wishes,
JayPee
