P64 Trigger Guard Plunger Wear

[Randall_G]

Back in 2019, the trigger guard came loose while firing only the 60th round through the new-to-me 1970 P64. I did not recover the trigger guard pin, but presumed it snapped. Though, when I installed the new pin, I was surprised by how worn the plunger was. See image 4305. Fortunately, I purchased a new plunger and spring along with the pin.

While shooting my 1971 P64 this morning, the second round in the magazine failed to feed. First time the pistol ever malfunctioned. Cleared the malfunction and reloaded the magazine. Once again, the second round didn't feed.

Pulled the slide off and verified I hadn't installed the recoil spring backwards the last time I cleaned the pistol. Checked the magazine for obvious damage, too.

After putting the slide back on, I fired 17 malfunction-free rounds before noticing the trigger guard pin was half way out.

When I got home, I found the plunger was worn even worse than the 1970's plunger. See image 4277, next to a new plunger. In retrospect, it's a good thing my efforts to push the pin back in at the range wound up causing the pin to fall all the way out. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had an opportunity to inspect the plunger.

I ordered a second plunger and pin back in 2019, which are now installed in the 1971.

My hypothesis: plunger wear is what leads to the trigger guard pin falling out or becoming loose enough to shear.