# Taurus PT111 G2 firing pin problems



## GunnSmokeer (Oct 4, 2019)

Back in 2015 I sent my first-generation Taurus PT111 Millennium for repairs-- it was throwing the ejected brass right into my face half the time.
Instead of fixing it, they kept it and said that model was subject to a recall.
In the spring of 2017, about 1.5 years later, I got the replacement gun from Taurus. A new PT-111 G2.  Okay, I like the type of semi-cocked safe action type trigger (but will DAO second-strike capacity) on the new gun better.  And I like that it has a fully adjustable rear.

So, in the last 2.5 years (from March 2017 to Fall 2019) I've shot this gun maybe 500 rounds total. Only maybe 20 rounds of +P defensive ammo, and the rest 115 gr. range ammo. Nearly all brass-cased, mostly American-made.  A few Wolf and Tula rounds thru it just for sheets and giggles. They worked fine.

LAST MONTH, for the first time ever, I got a misfire.  The gun went "click" instead of bang. 
Now, I didn't even try to use the "second strike" feature on this gun, where the trigger switches over to Double-Action mode and lets you try again, but with a longer and heavier pull.  I just waited for 20 seconds and ejected the misfired round. It was a Remington Golden Saber, 124 gr. HP, and it was a fairly new one, bought in 2014 or so.  I reloaded the gun and continued shooting, and had another misfire 5 minutes later.  Also a Golden Saber.

Both of the primers got a pretty light hit, but when I picked up the fired brass from all around me, they didn't look like they got much more of a hit, and yet they went off. 

I did notice that the firing pin indentations were NOT centered in the primer. They were off-center.

If the GON forum software will let me upload pics, I did take some photos. But nearly always this site says my pics are too big in file size to post here.

Today I tested the gun again, this time only with FMJ ammo. Winchester white box, and Rem-UMC. All new, fresh, brass-cased ammo. 
About 1 out of each 10 rounds had the same kind of misfire problem, and even the rounds that fired successfully had off-center striker dents in the primer.

I also noticed fir the first time that my gun's slide has had the firing pin hole (or striker hole?) chamfered rather deeply, much more than I'd think wise or necessary to make sure that the hole is round and flush with the breechface, with no burrs sticking up. 

Again, I'll try to post pics in a few minutes, but I want to get this text up here first in case I have computer trouble.

Has anybody else noticed this, with Taurus semi-auto pistols of recent manufacture?

I see a couple of threads about it in TaurusArmed dot net, and those people say that some guns have this problem, but others don't. And some guns have a very deeply chamfered or counter-bored firing pin hole (like a crown on the muzzle of a gun, per some of their photos), but this doesn't seem to affect their guns' reliability.  They report that their fired cases have bulged primers that have been forced back toward this divot in the breechface, as do mine. But only some of these TaurusArmed dotnet members report reliabiilty problems and misfires.

What do you guys think?

P.S. I know that my gun, being a G2 model but not the newer and cheaper "G2C" version, still has a lifetime warranty .   I could send it back. The problem is, Taurus takes FoREver to fix or replace defective guns, and this is a pistol I regularly carry. Even more so in the fall and winter, when I'm more likely to be wearing a cover garment (I assume the weather will get coool pretty soon-- this mid-July weather can't last from May through November, can it???)


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## GunnSmokeer (Oct 4, 2019)

I think I'll disassemble the firing pin / striker components, take them out of the slide, and clean the channel that they are in. Maybe that will help.  Be right back.


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## Buck70 (Oct 4, 2019)

If this was my everyday carry, I would get another pistol. Life is to precious for an unreliable pistol.


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## GunnSmokeer (Oct 5, 2019)

Well, my owner's manual doesn't give any information about taking the striker or firing pin out of the slide. The manual tells you how to field-strip it and get the barrel, slide, and frame into separate components, but nothing deeper than that.

Luckily a few YouTube videos showed how to take the striker, with it spring and collar, and red plastic sleeve, out of the modern Taurus pistols.

I found a metal shaving in there about 1 mm long. I think it was jammed in the firing pin's channel.  It was sharp, and metal, with a jagged edge. Maybe part of a case that got shaved off during feeding?  Or thrown back into the gun's action during extraction or ejection?

Anyhow, I got that metal shaving out of there, wiped down the striker channel with a Qtip sprayed with WD-40, and reassembled. Took a dozen test shots, and all went BANG.  The primer hits are still off-center, but not as badly, and they seem to be a little bit deeper.  

I'll do more testing later.  Soon.  Like you said, Buck, I don't want an unreliable pistol in the role of personal defense.  So I'll put 200 rounds through it on my next  trip to the range and see if the problem recurs.


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## dwhee87 (Oct 5, 2019)

I've got an older PT24/7 9mm that has been a great gun. I purchased a G2 PT111 to carry about 3 years ago, but my Keltec 32 is so dang comfortable, I've not switched over. I've shot thousands of rounds (IDPA competition) through the PT24/7, with only an occasional misfire or misfeed. The PT111, while I've not shot by maybe 1000 rounds since I've owned it, has been flawless.

Let us know if cleaning and removing that shaving did the trick.


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## bighonkinjeep (Oct 7, 2019)

Just a tip. Keep the WD40 away from your guns and use either a machine oil or CLP like break free. WD40 contains a low flashpoint (113 degrees) solvent ( less than 10% lubricant and less than 10% rust inhibitors and less than 25% base oils according to the MSDS) and 70% Aliphatic Hydrocarbon (basically mineral spirits) that will evaporate leaving behind gum and varnish.
 In other words it will burn off and evaporate quickly if left in the sun, in a car, or if the gun is fired, leaving behind crud and leaving your pistol un lubricated and un protected. It's great as a water displacer, which is the purpose it is designed for, but not as a long term machine lubricant. 
My dad was a firm believer in WD40 and when the day came that my brother and I inherited his firearms each one had to be meticulously cleaned of the gum varnish and residue from WD40 in order to be made operable again. Even the firing pins on the old double barrels were all crudded up and wouldn't fire and some of the varnish was so hard it required soaking in solvent.
Short term if you're caught in a downpour and need to displace water temporarily WD40 would work, If you need a firearm lube, go with something designed for it like Break free CLP in the gold and black can, or something else reputable like Hoppes gun oil. 
Good luck and I hope removing the metal shaving corrected your woes and that it didn't come from a place inside your TAURUS where it was needed and/or doesn't create another metal shaving. Especially if and when you need it.
Here's the info on WD40 if it helps  https://www.wd40company.com/files/pdf/wd-40-ae38549276.pdf


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## spurrs and racks (Oct 8, 2019)

Replace the firing pin spring.......

that's my call and I am sticking to it.


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## rosewood (Oct 8, 2019)

A shaving in there was probably your problem.  Anything in that channel that slows down the firing can cause misfires.

Rosewood


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## Steve762us (May 23, 2020)

If it's got a striker/firing pin safety plunger, pull that out, too. 
They're also prone to accumulating primer shavings, etc over
time, and impeding movement of striker/firing pin.


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## transfixer (May 23, 2020)

I'd clean it thoroughly , shoot it a few times and put it up for sale,  I would never trust it for a carry gun,  but then I won't trust any Taurus pistol for a carry gun,  maybe a revolver,  but never a pistol.    Taurus doesn't have any features that would make me want one instead of something else,  way too many dependable options out there to depend on something prone to problems and lousy customer service


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