howdy folks. i have a problem i hope somebody can help me with. i have a cz 550 varmint in 308. i have reason to suspect that i have a weak firing pin spring. first, has anyone else had this problem. second where do you guys suggest getting a replacment spring. yes, i know it may have been bad primers, but i want to eliminate the bad spring possibility anyway. thanks for any help.

How deep is the indentation in the primer?.

I have a Mannlicher Schoenauer 30-06 that only dented the primer when new and I was sure it was a weak spring. The real problem was grease inside the bolt. A good flushing and proper lubrication solved the problem and it has continued to work properly for many years. You might check this and see if it resolves the issue.

What is the reason for you to suspect the spring is weak? It may well be, but you did not give the whole story for trouble shooting

At first glance I say have the firing pin protrusion checked and be sure the inside of the bolt is clean. Marginial firing pin protursion has caused a lot of other work to be done on rifles other than adjusting the firing pin protrusion.

i honestly appreciate the help. the inside of the bolt is clean..just a light coat of rem oil. the dents in the primers of the unfired shells look almost as deep as on the fired ones, but that may be because the cartridge didn't go off and force the head back against the bolt face. the more i look at the situation and think about it, i think i just have some bad primers. but i'm going to eliminate the spring question anyway. i'll try some other primers and some factory loads. i called czusa and they are sending me a new spring for free.

about the firing pin protrusion...what should it be? i don't have a proper gauge but i took the cocked bolt out of the rifle, twisted the rear of the bolt to let the firing pin move forward, and measured, with a micrometer, the protrusion. i got .062. is this enough?

again, thanks