I purchased a used .22lr p229 (229R-22-BAS) I am guessing it is the version that's sold as a complete gun and can be converted to a 9mm. It is possible that it was a 9mm p229 that had the 22lr conversion slide added (it didn't come with a 9mm slide). I am not sure how you can tell which one you get when its used. The first trip to the range it was having issues with light primer strikes. It was taking 2 to 4 strikes to ignite. I had 5 different ammo brands and all had the same issue. Pushing on the rear of the firing pin it felt very mushy/crunchy and sometimes it would stick for a brief second and then release. When i punched out the locating pin this is what i saw


It explains the crunch and stick there was a fair bit of metal debris in the firing pin channel and this would explain the mush (the gun was absolutely disgusting)


The locating pin is heavily damaged I am guessing from the firing pin slamming into it. The cut out in the locating pin matches to the shape of the firing pin



The tip of the firing pin is also worn/damaged that would explain the light primer strikes



It also appears the firing pin has been striking the face of the barrel block and has put a nice divot in it. I would assume this is responsible for the wear on the firing pin head. One thing I don't like about the mags on this gun is no last round hold open which causes unintentional dry fires.



Questions:
1) Is it normal for the firing pin when struck by the hammer to make contact with the locating pin? Besides holding the firing in place does the locating pin also prevent the firing pin from traveling to far forward? If yes, is this normal wear and tear? Does this pin periodically need to be replaced? If its not supposed to make contact what would cause it to make contact with the firing pin?

2) When the gun is dried fired should the firing pin make contact with the barrel face? I am guessing the wear on the locating pin allowed the firing pin to travel farther forward than usual and it strikes the barrel face wearing down the firing pin tip.

3) Is it possible the hammer spring (being to heavy) could be the cause of the damage to the locating pin? I know its a fully functional p229 frame so I would guess it has a hammer spring for 9mm, I am not sure if 22lr/9mm would use the same hammer spring. Would it help to install a lighter hammer spring to prevent future damage to the pin? Did the version sold as a complete gun (can be converted to 9mm) have a lighter hammer spring for the .22 cartridge? Does Sig recommend that when converting to 9mm you add a heavier hammer spring?

4) Is the divot on the barrel face a safety issue?

5) I messaged Sig about parts as most of the .22 slide parts are discontinued and are impossible to find online. I did go to the hardware and found a steel roll pin that I was able to sand down to proper size and length. Would that be ok to use? My concern would be that if the firing pin does make contact with the locating pin a steel pin might damage the firing pin. The stock locating pin appears to be steel also.

If its possible to replace the damaged parts locating pin, firing pin, and maybe the barrel (if needed) I want to prevent the same thing from happening again because the parts are so hard to find. Judging by how filthy the internals of the gun are I would assume its been fired a lot and that's what responsible for the locating pin wear.

Thanks

It's obvious to me that the previous owner was dry firing the gun without using a snap cap or piece of spent brass-a definite no-no, especially with a .22. It also appears that he oiled or greased the firing pin channel, also a no-no.

Don't worry about the ding in the breech face. If any of the divot protrudes into the chamber, just clean it up with a small needle file.

Damage to the firing pin positioning pin is likely due to the improper dry firing. Either get a new pin or reposition it to present an undamaged face to the firing pin. We have seen damaged or broken FPPPs before, so not a big surprise.