FEG PA 63 fails to cock

irishbob979 · Post by **irishbob979** » October 31st, 2009, 6:58 pm

My FEG will not cock every time the slide cycles. It ejects and loads fine but sometimes will not cock the trigger. I'm thinking recoil spring? Any ideas out there guys?

Thanks ???

Post by **normsutton** » November 1st, 2009, 12:32 pm

irishbob979
make sure both sear pins are there

NORM

anjdrifter · Post by **anjdrifter** » November 1st, 2009, 5:25 pm

trust us they are easy to lose.. becareful when removing grips and make sure the pin doesnt jump out and hide on floor for an hour or two guess how I found that out... dont forget norms tip of take down or some repairs use a big clear baggy...

irishbob979 · Post by **irishbob979** » November 1st, 2009, 5:51 pm

I disassembled the hammer and trigger spring assembly. Cleaned out the empty cavity. Reassembled - no missing parts

. I cycled it a few times and everything appeared to be working fine. Took it to the range and fired 7+1 (2 mags) and 7+0 (2 mags) in each case the gun would not fire continuous rounds or cock the hammer back. It would fire on SA.

The most rounds I got out without a hiccup were 4 consecutive. I got back from the range and broke it down again. I cycled the slide and EVERY time it cocked the hammer when it reached full travel. I'm at a loss - about the only thing I can think of is that the slide has excessive wear on the trigger contact surface and there isn't enough of it to push the hammer down all the way to a cocked and locked position for the next shot. Any thoughts?

mikeh1 · Post by **mikeh1** » November 1st, 2009, 6:50 pm

did you replace the original recoil spring? I have the 15# and this has happened to me only twice in the few years I've had it, but only after I replaced the stock spring.

Try putting back the old spring if you changed it

irishbob979 · Post by **irishbob979** » November 1st, 2009, 8:42 pm

Nope - the spring that's on there was in place when I bought the gun. I'm thinking that might be the issue.

irishbob979 · Post by **irishbob979** » November 15th, 2009, 12:46 am

Okay - I am at a total loss for ideas. I just got back from the range. I had a Wolff Calibration spring pack with me. Cycled through every spring weight (3) and the darn thing will not cock. It ejects and loads but will not cock. If I cycle the slide by hand the hammer will cock and lock. Any other ideas? Don't say paper weight. Is it possible that the "blow back" is not throwing the slide back far enough to cock the hammer?

>:(

fritzhund · Post by **fritzhund** » November 16th, 2009, 10:31 pm

Have you had any luck with the problem?

Fritzhund

irishbob979 · Post by **irishbob979** » November 17th, 2009, 10:23 pm

We are just getting back to normal after the Nor'easter came through. No damage to the house and I only lost power to my Pub for half a day.

Took the 63 apart again and inspected every piece. Nothing appeared to be worm, bent or broken. Reassembled and cycled the slide - worked everytime. I'll take it to the range later this week and try again.

irishbob979 · Post by **irishbob979** » June 4th, 2010, 6:48 pm

Took the 63 to the range yesterday - it's been sitting in my safe. Darn thing WILL NOT re-cock after the first round - is this now a parts gun?

chimera · Post by **chimera** » June 6th, 2010, 9:09 pm

I took my PA-63 out and after some experimentation I was able to have it fail to recock. This will not occur normally, the interrupter/disconnector (F) must fail to move the trigger bar out of the sear notch (C).

Take the grips off and try this someplace where you can find the sear pins if they fall out.

Pull the trigger, keep the trigger held to the rear. With your other hand cycle the slide.

When everything works it will look like (G, E, F). If the trigger bar hasn't been pushed out of the notch check to be sure that there is an interference at (A), (B).

If the trigger bar is out be sure the sear has moved from (D) to (G). If the sear didn't move take the slide off and pull the trigger and watch for piece 6 to move up and down with the trigger movement from the center of piece 8. If you don't see that take out pin 9 and find our why.

irishbob979 · Post by **irishbob979** » June 8th, 2010, 8:45 pm

I stripped that thing all the way down. Everything appears to be okay - it functions the way it's supposed to - I cycled it with snap caps and watched it eject, load and the hammer stayed cocked.

I'll take it back to the range when my SMC 918 arrives.

Thanks for your help.

gloob · Post by **gloob** » October 23rd, 2010, 12:04 am

I happened to find this thread after having my own issues with this phenomenon. I dunno if you and/or your PA-63 is still around, but I believe I have some of the answers.

The gun works 100% great when you hand cycle. But the hammer often follows when the gun is fired. This is because of the way the trigger bar and hammer interact.

There is a point on the bottom half of the hammer assembly that presses up on the bottom of the sear. This is what lifts the sear into place when the slide moves the hammer back. So when the hammer goes back, it lifts the sear.

The hammer can actually move too far back. After it has cocked, it can move back an additional fraction of an inch even beyond where there's enough clearance for the slide. (Well, it's not a problem in other guns, but it can be, here!) This lifts the sear a little higher than it needs to go. At the farthest end of travel, it comes dangerously close to allowing the trigger bar up, letting the hammer release. If you look at Chimera's excellent pictures, imagine E becoming C. This won't happen to a gun that is in spec. But when the sear pivot pin becomes worn, it can be just enough play to let this happen.

This can't be reproduced by hand-racking the slide, because it's not violent enough to hyperextend the hammer and sear.

"The test:"
Here's a little test you can try. Pull and hold trigger. Rack the slide. Now with the slide in battery, pull the hammer all the way back (hyperextension, as it were) and release a few times. Snap it back and release it smartly to really try to get some action on the sear. If the hammer didn't fall, try releasing the trigger just a hair, and repeat. If you're having this problem, then at some point, the hammer will probably fall.

So after looking at how all the parts interact, I believe there's 1 main reason this can occur at all on an older gun. The sear pins can wear out. This gives the sear too much play. If your sear pins are loosey goosey, examine them for wear. If there's a visible groove worn through the surface, it's likely toasted. Try swapping them. Put the better, tighter pin in the right side.

Anther factor that comes into play is the firing pin safety plunger spring. In fact, my gun started exhibiting the occasional hammer follow on the range trip immediately following my messing with this part. I lightened this spring to improve the trigger pull. The underside of the safety plunger is what exerts pressure on the sear to keep it engaged. It is also what pushes the sear back down after the hammer has moved forward from a state of hyperextension. So it plays an effect on how the sear and hammer are dampened during battery. When I replaced my cut down spring with a length of stronger Bic lighter spring, my hammer follow problems went away. But it still failed "the test."

The other thing this problem highlights is the fact that a worn out PA-63 might not be in a safe condition when your finger is still on the trigger after firing a shot. Well, it's not considered safe by the universal gun rules, anyway. But in addition to those rules, the gun may also be mechanically able to fire if the hammer were to be bumped, even though you have not yet released the trigger. This is why I went ahead and made a new sear pivot pin for mine, ground from an old hex bit. Now it passes "the test."

gunneyrabbit · Post by **gunneyrabbit** » October 24th, 2010, 1:29 am

Sure sorry to here that you are having problems with your pistol, hope your fix is easy and inexpensive, are you shooting reloads or factory ammunition?
G.R.

DK Font · Post by **DK Font** » December 21st, 2010, 12:03 pm

Excellent help!!
I have been having the exact problem and find myself several steps behind you in trouble shooting. I was around the recoil/hammer spring replacement. Now waiting to go to the range. You just saved me several steps/hours/days...
Thanks to juniustaylor for all of his help and pointing out your discussion.

Bic lighter spring, ground hex bit... ingenious!

Thanks again

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