Ruger P-89

[odie]

Hi,
I've got a Ruger P-89 semi auto bought just before the Clinton gun ban. It has stopped firing. What happens is that the firing pin will make a little dent in the primer of the cartridge, but appears that it doesn't hit with enough force to ignite it. I've tried different kinds of ammo with the same result. Is this something anyone else has experienced, and if so, is it an easy fix? The gun hasn't had more than 200-300 rounds fired through it. So I wouldn't think that it would be worn out. Thanks for taking time to read this. :-/

[hunter63]

Try contacting Ruger, there were a lot of upgrades for the early p series.
Every time I sent in my P 85 they returned it with another 15 rd mag.

Sounds like the spring that puts pressure on the firing pin is bad.

[OzarkMtnDaredevil]

Sounds like the spring that puts pressure on the firing pin is bad.

That would be my first check, too.
It sounds counter-intuative but, a broken firing-pin (return) spring will often 'bind up' the travel of the pin causing your problem.

Secondly...have you checked that the Ruger is actually in full lock when a new round is chambered? With the heel of your hand, push forward on the rear of the slide.
If it moves, clean and repeat (look closely at the extractor for dirt or abnormal wear). If clean, you need a gunsmith.

Third... Look at the tip of the pin itself. It's rare but tips do break.

Do this #3 to #1 and save some time. ;)

[remington]

Cleaning? A lot of the time it just needs a good field stripping and cleaning to get all the gunk out of there.

[kawalekm]

HI Odie
I recently bought a new mainspring from MidwayUSA (Wolf brand) and saw that a firing pin spring was also included. You gain access to the firing pin spring by first tapping out the rear sight. The retaining pin/screw is under the sight. I didn't bother replacing the FP spring because I didn't want to go through the trouble of hammering out the sight. But, that might be an easy fix for you if you have a vice to hold the gun and are comfortable with tapping out the sight. The spring set only cost 8$ so your cost would be insignificant. It could be though as Remington suggested that the firing pin area might be dirty and needs cleaning. However, the firing pin is in no way accessable during ordinary field stripping.
Michael