2000 round test of SD40 VE

[EBK]

Specs on the Gun which was detail stripped and cleaned thoroughly before the start of the test as well as being well oiled using Prolix Xtra T Dry lube formula.

S&W SD40 VE Aprox 1100 rounds through it before test begun
Apex SD Carry/Duty spring kit fresh springs installed for test
Apex Action Enhancement Trigger
Ameriglo Tritium Night sights.

2 SD factory magazines
1 Sigma factory magazine
1 Sigma factory magazine with apex +3 extension
1 15 round SW40F magazine


I begun my 2000 round test by firing 384 rounds today.
200 Winchester White box 165 grain
150 Blazer brass 165 grain
34 Remington golden sabre 180 grain

I wish I could say it went flawless but alas I cannot, I experienced 10 stoppages today.
The list of Stoppages is below. No malfunctions to report as of yet.

On the 16th shot I had premature slide lock (PSL) with a factory SD magazine.

124th shot PSL Sigma magazine

161st shot PSL SD magazine

280th shot had a nose down FTFeed Sigma magazine with Apex Extension

333th shot FTFeed nose up Sigma mag Apex extension

(Note: the following Stoppages wre experianced with Remington golden sabre 180 grain JHP)
357 FTFeed nose down Sigma mag Apex extension

360 FTFeed nose up Sigma mag Apex extension

363 nose up Sigma mag Apex extension

382 PSL SD factory mag

383 PSL SD mag

Here are some pics of the stoppages





At some point today I also lost the white ring around the tritium in the front sight.


And one showing how dirty the muzzle got


The gun will not be cleaned until I reach 2000 rounds. I will not oil again unless I encounter more frequent stoppages.


So far we have 10 stoppages out of 384 rounds. That is way more than I expected. I also need to replace the front sight.

I need to do more testing on the apex mag extension however I found it odd that the only failures to feed I had that could be attributed to the magazine was with the mag extension.

All other stoppages were PSL which may be due to a weak slide lock spring., the first one may have been my grip but all the others were after I made sure my thumb was not anywhere near the slide lock.

384 rounds fired 10 stoppages
Overall failure rate of 2.6%
97.4% reliable

I will update this thread ofter each range session.

 

[armallard]

Keep them coming doesn't sound bad so far

 

[OKFC05]

Not sure what your "test standards" are, but by mine you've already failed and need to fix the problems.

One major USPSA match will eat over 300 rounds, and 10 messups would be a disaster. I won my class in one state match because the next guy had 4 FTF in the match and I had none; I won by one second.

 

[EBK]

Not sure what your "test standards" are, but by mine you've already failed and need to fix the problems.

One major USPSA match will eat over 300 rounds, and 10 messups would be a disaster. I won my class in one state match because the next guy had 4 FTF in the match and I had none; I won by one second.

I agree.

Right now its a two fold test.
Testing the firearm along with the mag extension.

As far as repair of the firearm I will be contacting S&W to see if they will send out a new slide lock lever as I believe the spring on mine is weak. I see no other reason why it would lock open under recoil. I guess its possible I was limp writing

Its to early in the mag extension test to say but that was the only mag that gave me any FTfeed issues. OF course with the 1100 or so rounds put through it prior to the test that could also mean it needs a new recoil spring. I am not sure at this point.

My biggest surprise however was the Night sight failure, Ameriglo machines the sights and Trijicon puts the tritium in for them so I was very surprised and quite upset really to see that it had failed.

 

[brchambersjr]

OF course with the 1100 or so rounds put through it prior to the test that could also mean it needs a new recoil spring. I am not sure at this point.

I've put more than 3000 rounds through my sd9ve and have not seen any noticible change in the recoil spring so I would be surprised if yours needs to be changed.

Bill

 

[copterdrvr]

I'm curious-did you spend any time polishing the feed ramp or the breach face of the slide when you first acquired your pistol?

I'm not saying its something that should be required of a new owner to do but to me some of the pictures look like the kind of failures that can be corrected by a polished feed ramp and breach face.

Just curious.

 

[EBK]

I'm curious-did you spend any time polishing the feed ramp or the breach face of the slide when you first acquired your pistol?

I'm not saying its something that should be required of a new owner to do but to me some of the pictures look like the kind of failures that can be corrected by a polished feed ramp and breach face.

Just curious.

I did not polish the feed ramp or the breech face. Prior to the start of this test I did not experience any FTFeed issues just the slide lock issue.

Addressing the slide lock issue I called S&W to order a new slide stop assembly and recoil spring. The CS agent asked if it was not functioning properly and I explained the issue. He stated that the recoil spring should be good up to 5000 rounds so he would hold off on replacing that however he said he was sending me out a new slide stop assembly free of charge under warranty.

I also called Ameriglo to ask about the front sight issue, they stated they have had several calls recently about the M&P models losing the white dot around the tritium. He asked me to send it in and they would replace it free of charge as well.

So as a recap
We are 384 rounds in with 10 stoppages and I am replacing the slide stop assembly and front sight.

Not the greatest start to the test. We will see if the new slide stop helps.

 

[brchambersjr]

That's great that they are sending you the slide stop in stead of having you send the pistol in. I hope that they are willing to do that with other parts as well.

Bill

 

[EBK]

That's great that they are sending you the slide stop in stead of having you send the pistol in. I hope that they are willing to do that with other parts as well.

Bill

Yes I was a bit worried about that myself. He did mention it will take a few weeks as they are behind on shipping roughly by 2 weeks. But he made sure I knew the part would be covered under warranty and no charge.

 

[raymo2u]

i would like to inform everyone that after this past weekend and last night im at a "counted 6,300 rounds. i would guess with the rounds i didnt "count it would be over 7000. i havent purchase a new recoil spring yet and it still functions like new, although at 8,5k i will change it as i do on all my weapons

 

[EBK]

i would like to inform everyone that after this past weekend and last night im at a "counted 6,300 rounds. i would guess with the rounds i didnt "count it would be over 7000. i havent purchase a new recoil spring yet and it still functions like new, although at 8,5k i will change it as i do on all my weapons

Sweet. You should do a 2000 round test. Take as long as you want dont clean the gun between sessions and report any and all stoppages(even if user induced). It would make a great comparison to my test.

 

[raymo2u]

I will be sure to do so next time i shoot a good amount of ammo. This past weekend my friend and I purchased 2100rds of Hornady 124grn Critical Defense that was on a local classifieds listing for $375-which we thought was a steal.
We videotaped most of it and it took around 4 hours to shoot it all and we didnt have any "field supplies" and my gun was lightly lubed with REM oil. To tell you the truth we have never brought cleaning supplies or lube or parts with us when we've gone to "our" range. On the video, which I watch in my spare time and pretend im still out shooting I counted 32 jams, most of which seem to be from light strikes...possible apex striker spring issue mixed in with the grime and ****. The jamming doesnt seem to start until 3.2 hours into shooting, in my estimate I must of been around 1200 rounds. But in the video I would half-rack and pull and then it would fire so it may be ammo or striker spring related. the last 200rds is where the most jamming occured (FTFeed's lightstrikes, and stovepipes) but remained accurated and compared to my gsg-5pk, still reliable.

After cleaning it down With clp it looks like it was never brought out, god damn this thing is going to last forever!

Thanks EBK for showing me the error of my ways

 

[EBK]

This past weekend my friend and I purchased 2100rds of Federal 124grn Critical Defense

So was it Hornady or Federal.

 

[raymo2u]

Hornady, i dont understand why i mix those up constantly. I think its becuase i think Of F.B.I. Testing and the FEDs....

 

[EBK]

Right now I am working 12 hour shift until we find a replacement guard for 3rd shift also I am still waiting on the replacement slide stop assembly from S&W and the replacement Front sight from Ameriglo.

Test will be put off until these parts arrive.

 

[Jswiney9]

Keep them coming doesn't sound bad so far

10 stoppages in 384 rounds doesnt sound bad?



Glad Smith and wesson is taking care of your issues for you OP. Keep it up and keep us updated!

 

[EBK]

Still waiting on parts to show should be any day now then I can get back to the test

 

[EBK]

Been on hold for 40 minutes waiting for customer service, trying to find out if the part has shipped yet or not.

 

[raymo2u]

Jesus man Im surprised its taking this long, usually s&w are top notch and waiting isnt a problem

 

[EBK]

Okay just got off the phone with CS and the slide stop assy. has shipped I am hoping to have it by the end of the week or begining of next week.