PPS Classic owners: odd failure today

[Mnaylo3]

Had a pretty disconcerting moment with my PPS Classic today. I purchased the gun new about 5 years ago and it has been my daily carry most of the time since then.
After some dry fire practice this afternoon, I was attempting the reload the pistol. Slide was fully forward with the striker released, chamber empty. I inserted a partially loaded 7 round mag and racked the slide firmly. For some reason I happened to look down and immediately noticed that the red striker indicator was not visible and the trigger was still fully to the rear, as if the striker did not cock. I dropped the mag, racked the slide and ejected the round out of the chamber. I proceeded to reproduce the failure to cock multiple times by racking the slide hard on an empty gun with no magazine. If I racked the slide more gently, the striker cocked normally. I'm no gunsmith and don't have a great understanding of the intricacies of the striker assembly, but this got me wondering if maybe the striker was cocking/partially cocking and then releasing, rather than totally failing to cock. I retrieved the round that ejected from the chamber off the floor, and found a light indention in the primer. Scared the shit out of me. How close was I to an ND in my living room? Good reminder to be diligent with muzzle discipline. One of my dogs could have easily walked in front of me and I would have never given it a second thought.

Anyone ever have a similar failure? I'll be calling Walther tomorrow to send it in for service. Other than pretty consistent FTEs with cheap aluminum or steel cased ammo, this is the only issue I have had with the gun.

[ReverendMeat]

Could you take the slide off and get a picture of the trigger mechanism?

[WOLFIE]

I am no expert in this matter and i wonder if the parts need to be cleaned and oiled or just oiled. I used to have an HK USC rifle (why did i sell it?) and the trigger failed to reset one day at the range. It worked for five or so rounds and then consistently failed to reset. I did not oil the trigger parts for 10 years. Some oil (a tiny amount) was applied and problem was fixed.

[nalesq]

I experienced a similar problem with a Browning Hi Power, where the hammer would sometimes follow the slide. It went back to the factory for repair.

As for the ND risk, it is probably nonexistent - the AR has a floating firing pin which sometimes causes a very slight indentation similar to the one in your photo.

[nalesq]

I experienced a similar problem with a Browning Hi Power, where the hammer would sometimes follow the slide. It went back to the factory for repair.

As for the ND risk, it is probably very low to nonexistent - the AR-15 FOW has a floating firing pin which sometimes causes a very slight indentation similar to the one in your photo, particularly if the same round is repeatedly rechambered.

[Mnaylo3]

Could you take the slide off and get a picture of the trigger mechanism?

Sure, is there a specific detail or part you'd like to see?

[ReverendMeat]

Curious about the connector and height of the cruciform after pushing the connector inward

[olstyn]

As for the ND risk, it is probably nonexistent - the AR has a floating firing pin which sometimes causes a very slight indentation similar to the one in your photo.

Assuming that photo is the deepest indentation that any of the ejected rounds had, I agree; that's nowhere near deep enough to set off the primer. That said, the PPS is not supposed to behave that way at all, so if it was mine, I'd be on the phone to Walther, just like the OP. Thankfully, their customer service is WAY better than it used to be; I expect they'll have this problem resolved very quickly.

[Mnaylo3]

This was the best angle I could get that showed a relative height.

[ReverendMeat]

Dang, so much for whatever theory I might've had... See if you can replicate it and call Walther.