frustrated.. light strikes

[playa0069u]

I was super confident that after I cleaned all of the metal shavings out of the firing pin channel. There was a ton. And a bunch of weird yellow grease that oozed out. Nope. Still got light strikes today at the range. This is my carry pistol and I'm pretty upset still. What do I do next? Will they send me springs and a fireing pin like high point or do I need to send the whole gun in. It seems to do it more after it's warmed up.

 

[playa0069u]

What is the firing pin length supposed to be so I can caliper it anyone know?

 

[playa0069u]

Also I bought it used so will they even honor the warrantee?

 

[GKC]

I assume you are talking about a SDVE or SW series pistol, is that right? If you are, technically speaking it doesn't have a firing pin, it has a striker.

Since you bought it used, it's probably not covered...S&W warrants the gun to the original owner only. They don't always ask, but it's better to be upfront about it, than send it in and then have them say they won't cover it.

Before you call S&W, though, a couple of questions:

1) Have you taken the striker out of the gun, and cleaned out the channel completely, and then dried it completely? Don't oil or lube the striker channel. (I know you said you had cleaned it, but I didn't know if you meant you just sprayed some cleaner in the channel, without removing the striker.)

2) Has the firing control group been modified? If so, the aftermarket springs may be the culprit. (If it has been modified, and you send it to S&W, they probably won't cover it anyway...since mods will cancel the warranty.)

3) When you say "light strikes", are you getting different primer indents? What kind of ammo are you using? Are the light strikes happening with different ammo, or just one kind?

 

[playa0069u]

Ok one other thing to consider. I reload my ammo myself. And I use CCI primers. I have read they tend to be "hard" primers. I don't carry them though I carry hornady critical defense. I suppose I should run a few boxes of other ammo or maybe buy different primers and see what happens

 

[federali]

Need More Info

What kind of ammo were you firing? If hand loads, try the gun with real ammunition. Some guns, particularly the M&P, are very sensitive to high primers. I don't have enough experience with Sigmas to know if they share the same habits. Failure to properly prepare the primer pocket often results in high primers.

 

[GKC]

Ok one other thing to consider. I reload my ammo myself. And I use CCI primers. I have read they tend to be "hard" primers. I don't carry them though I carry hornady critical defense. I suppose I should run a few boxes of other ammo or maybe buy different primers and see what happens

Definitely try some factory ammo...I've read that Remington has hard primers (although I've never had any problems with it), so maybe try some WWB or Federal, as well as the Critical Defense.

Please also tell us what gun you are talking about.

 

[rwsmith]

I'd send it back.....

This gun probably has serious issues and I wouldn't trust it for a defense gun until it's fixed RIGHT. The shavings sound like a real problem. It sounds like somebody tried to 'fix' it by squirting goo into it. At the very least a competent gunsmith, but this sounds like a factory repair candidate.

 

[playa0069u]

Sw9ve. The primers are set right but like I said they might be just hard CCI primers. And RW. I don't think it had ever been cleaned. The yellow stuff seemed like factory grease and the shavings are common after tons of rounds. Sorry "striker channel" not firing pin channel. I just got my new vz2008 to the range so my adrenaline is pumping and might not be thinking straight haha. Anyway I did not lube the channel . hoppes and let it dry and that's it. Like I said there was a lot of **** in it. Everything is stock except I pulled that pigtail spring and the inner spring (ghetto trigger job) but I don't see how that could possibly cause a light strike.

 

[leejack]

Has this gun been modified?

 

[playa0069u]

I don't recall ever having any light strikes when firing Remington umc. But I only bought 1 case before I started reloading. I'm thinking (hoping) its the CCI primers. Unfortunately I have 1500 left lol but light strikes at the range don't bother me if its 100% because of the rounds. Like I said I don't carry my reloads for self defense

 

[playa0069u]

Has this gun been modified?

Only mod was pulling the pigtail and inner trigger spring. I researched it a lot and read of problems with the trigger resetting which I have not had. But I don't think its possible for this to be causing light strikes

 

[leejack]

Only mod was pulling the pigtail and inner trigger spring. I researched it a lot and read of problems with the trigger resetting which I have not had. But I don't think its possible for this to be causing light strikes

I'm an advocate of leaving it stock and I would put the parts back in. Next, I agree with the others to try some factory ammo, just in case. Hope you get it running 100% soon.

Best of luck.

 

[OKFC05]

The yellow stuff seemed like factory grease

The SW/SDs did NOT come with grease in the striker channel. It has been messed with. The channel is supposed to be CLEAN and DRY. The sleeve (if there is still one in it) is supposed to be self lubricating. Brownells has replacements.
There is a very good chance somebody put an SD striker spring in the SW, and then sold the Bubba'ed mess to you. The stock SW striker assembly is very positive and NOT prone to misfires.
Some people also mess with the sear assembly to reduce pull length, and that can cause misfires, also.
Sorry, but I think you've got a challenge, to restore the gun.

 

[playa0069u]

The sleeve? What sleeve?

 

[playa0069u]

Idk what it was when I was cleaning pit the metal shavings there was something gross and yellow that ran out of the striker channel/ up in the ejector area.

 

[playa0069u]

It may have been in the ejector and not the actual channel. If you disassemble it u see that it gives u access to the foreword most part of the striker channel where the ejector is where that piece that moves up and down to hold the ejector in is.

 

[playa0069u]

The gun was practically brand new when I bought it it had barely any wear internally on the feed ramp or in the barrel . I think if someone bubbad it it would have been mossing the springs since that's the most common mod. I think the weird grease was in the fat pin that held the ejector in . it was filthey in there and I was really heavy with the hoppes

 

[playa0069u]

The sleeve? What sleeve?

The white plastic sleeve is still in there. And there was no grease on it it was like deep in the ejector.

 

[playa0069u]

What kind of ammo were you firing? If hand loads, try the gun with real ammunition. Some guns, particularly the M&P, are very sensitive to high primers. I don't have enough experience with Sigmas to know if they share the same habits. Failure to properly prepare the primer pocket often results in high primers.

I always run my finger across the primer to make sure its seated, buy my wife jumps on the machine sometimes. Since they always fire the second time I think maybe theyre may have been some high ones. Come to think of it, my friend was with me and shot two boxes without one light strike. I was getting my ammo from just some loose ziplocks of ammo. Definitely a different batch. This may be the cause. I'm going to buy some factory rounds and I'll get back to y'all.

 

[micocyco]

I'm an advocate of leaving it stock and I would put the parts back in. Next, I agree with the others to try some factory ammo, just in case. Hope you get it running 100% soon.

Best of luck.

I Agree, & would add buy it new & leave it stock. Or at least buy upgrade parts & save the original so if need be you can put them back.

 

[playa0069u]

I could put them back but I don't see how a spring that helps reset the trigger could possibly cause light strikes.

 

[playa0069u]

There are too many variables. My first step will be to shoot some factory ammo and see what happens. After I measure the firing pin at least

 

[GKC]

It may have been in the ejector and not the actual channel. If you disassemble it u see that it gives u access to the foreword most part of the striker channel where the ejector is where that piece that moves up and down to hold the ejector in is.

The gun was practically brand new when I bought it it had barely any wear internally on the feed ramp or in the barrel . I think if someone bubbad it it would have been mossing the springs since that's the most common mod. I think the weird grease was in the fat pin that held the ejector in . it was filthey in there and I was really heavy with the hoppes

The white plastic sleeve is still in there. And there was no grease on it it was like deep in the ejector.

Do you mean the extractor, or did you really mean the ejector? There shouldn't have been any yellow grease in/on either one...and I can't see how grease in/on either one would have caused a light strike. A failure to eject, maybe...but not a light strike.

As you said, the first thing you should do is try it with some good factory ammo. If you don't have light strikes with that, then I'd feel fairly certain that it's your reloads.

 

[playa0069u]

Idk where it came from lol when I was cleaning out the striker channel, at the deepest part of it there is a fat pin, about a quarter of an inch wide, that holds the I guess its the ejector, in. I was pressing it in with my finger, because doing so let me get my qtip deeper into the channel, and after I pressed it in a few times, it literally was like popping a mega gross zit or something, this yellowy brown crud came out. I don't think that caused any problems but in the channel was a lot of junk shavings and just crud which I thought may have cause them . I have been doing research for the past few hours and I'd put money on it's my primers not being seated all the way. I took 100 of my reloads and sat them all up straight and there were three that had an extremely slight wobble to them. It was very slight. But I marked them with a marker and will see if they cause issues. It may have been wishful thinking but like I said i d bet money on it. My wife loves reloading for some reason (I know i m blessed), I think she thinks she can do it faster than me and will take over whenever she catches me doing it. I noticed that I'll shoot 150 rounds without issue. And in the next boxx I might get 5 light strikes in 25 rounds. Not tryna Blame her lol but I think this may be the Case lmao. I'm gonna pick up some factory this week and will get back to the forum

 

[dajogejr]

When in doubt, pick up a box or two of wwb.
I was sure my feed issue was a new (used) gun I bought.
Nope.... 2 flawless boxes of wwb ammo later, switched reloaders and haven't looked back since.

 

[GranCazador]

Idk where it came from lol when I was cleaning out the striker channel, at the deepest part of it there is a fat pin, about a quarter of an inch wide, that holds the I guess its the ejector, in. I was pressing it in with my finger, because doing so let me get my qtip deeper into the channel, and after I pressed it in a few times, it literally was like popping a mega gross zit or something, this yellowy brown crud came out. I don't think that caused any problems but in the channel was a lot of junk shavings and just crud which I thought may have cause them . I have been doing research for the past few hours and I'd put money on it's my primers not being seated all the way. I took 100 of my reloads and sat them all up straight and there were three that had an extremely slight wobble to them. It was very slight. But I marked them with a marker and will see if they cause issues. It may have been wishful thinking but like I said i d bet money on it. My wife loves reloading for some reason (I know i m blessed), I think she thinks she can do it faster than me and will take over whenever she catches me doing it. I noticed that I'll shoot 150 rounds without issue. And in the next boxx I might get 5 light strikes in 25 rounds. Not tryna Blame her lol but I think this may be the Case lmao. I'm gonna pick up some factory this week and will get back to the forum

Not trying to be rude or anything but you really need to research what you are doing before continuing. Your knowledge is extremely lacking. One can tell this by your inability to properly identify specific parts by name.

How can you possibly fix anything if you cant identify it?

Watching a couple youtube videos and then digging into your weapon is foolishness (although many of us probably started that very way). For me - it was 30 years ago and a stack of assembly/dis-assembly manuals.

The first clue to your "lack of experience" should have been the whole blaming the gun thing when using your reloads. That should have been the first alarm going off for you.

BTW - if you want a gun with a better trigger - buy a gun with a better trigger or at least one that lends itself easier to modification.

 

[GranCazador]

FYI - "Reloading" and "FAST" should never be used in the same sentence.

"Stupid is as STUPID DOES!" Ever heard that?

Want to ruin a gun? Want to go blind or lose the use of your hands?
Keep going fast! Live and learn. Just do so intelligently.

 

[hmbiohazard]

Not trying to be rude or anything but you really need to research what you are doing before continuing. Your knowledge is extremely lacking. One can tell this by your inability to properly identify specific parts by name.

How can you possibly fix anything if you cant identify it?

Watching a couple youtube videos and then digging into your weapon is foolishness (although many of us, myself included, probably started that very way). For me - that was 30 years ago and a stack of assembly/dis-assembly manuals.

The first clue to your "lack of experience" should have been the whole blaming the gun thing when using your reloads. That should have been the first alarm going off for you.

BTW - if you want a gun with a better trigger - buy a gun with a better trigger or at least one that lends itself easier to modification.

wow.... keep in mind this isnt a 1911 with 200+ peices its a sigma with about a dozen..... not too hard to put the puzzle back together when you have all the peices.

i take pride in how the forums here have been so helpful and unjudging of users. well this post changed that out look at least for this instance. way to bash a guy trying to solve a problem instead of helping you slam him. good riddance

 

[dajogejr]

I agree the OP could do a better job of identifying parts, HOWEVER...there's a helpful way to do that, and a condescending way to do that. I'd bet 30 years ago there were no Internet forums and that stack of manuals didn't talk down to you.
And many of us watch Apex videos on youtube for help, they are simply outstanding.

I'm confused....you said many of us, including yourself, started this way, then you say 30 years ago it was a stack of manuals.

Youtube was founded in 2005...so, which was it?

Share some respect.