Model 659 - trigger not picking up hammer when returned to fire postion after de-cock

[W.E.G.]

Shipment Activity Location Date & Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delivered SPRINGFIELD MA 01102 02/01/11 5:14am
Notice Left SPRINGFIELD MA 01101 01/31/11 10:27am
Out for Delivery SPRINGFIELD MA 01101 01/31/11 8:06am
Sorting Complete SPRINGFIELD MA 01101 01/31/11 7:56am
Arrival at Post Office SPRINGFIELD MA 01101 01/31/11 4:12am
Processed through Sort SPRINGFIELD MA 01152 01/30/11 11:17pm
Facility
Electronic Shipping 01/28/11
Info
Received

 

[W.E.G.]

The 659 made it home last week.

Just got around to giving it a good looking-over.

The "skips double-action" issue seems to be resolved.

The factory technician polished the inside and outside of the
drawbar (left side only) and the interior frame area adjacent
to the drawbar. I really can't say if the drawbar was thinned,
or whether the interior area of the frame was reduced. All I
know for sure is, those areas are now much more shiny than
the adjacent areas.

I spoke with the technician on the phone. He informed me
that the drawbar was hanging on the MECGAR magazine
because the MECGAR magazine is too fat. I was incredulous
until I measured several MECGAR mags, and I sure as
shootin' discovered that they are all exactly 0.005" FATTER
than Smith and Wesson factory magazines.

I explained to the technician that I really wanted this gun to
work with the MECGAR's. He was pretty non-committal to this
idea on the phone. I suppose its something about not
wanting to modify the factory design to accommodate a
non-factory accessory. Bottom line though, is it appears that
the technician did exactly what I asked in the end.

I haven't had the gun to the range yet. Before it was sent for
repair, I could get it to demonstrate the "skips double action"
behavior by just dry-firing. I dry-fired it just now about 50
times, and with the gun at all angles. No problems.

It remains to be seen whether a stuffed-to-the-max mag
makes any difference. While I know I could try this in the
basement, so long as I don't chamber a round, the idea of
some sort of brainfart causing (another) hole in the basement
wall just doesn't sit well with me. I can wait until I go to the
range for the acid test.

Price of repair was reasonable (see invoice).
I got my FFL to send it out via USPS Priority Mail for $25.

I red-circled the area where the polishing is evident.

 

[W.E.G.]

BTW, I also just discovered that the FOBUS holster for the SIG series pistols fits the 659 pretty darn good.

I can invert the holster, with the gun in it, and shake the bejeezus out of the whole rig without the gun falling out. Its a little tight on the draw, but not so tight that the holster comes off my belt still attached to the gun when I grab the gun.

Note too, my gun has the ROUNDED trigger guard. The fit is decent even though this holster is molded for the SQUARED trigger guard.

FOBUS Model SG21

 

[Fastbolt]

While Mec-Gar is known for good quality products, personally, I wouldn't be using anybody's mags in a gun when the mag tolerances didn't fall within the normal specs of the factory parts.

I could see how the drawbar hanging up on the mag's too-wide body would cause the drawbar to fail to properly engage, though. While I've run into my fair share of factory mags that would stick in an occasional gun (and you don't want to know the 'repair' for this condition ), I've not had the pleasure of having a factory mag be so out of spec in width that it caused the drawbar to hang up on it.

If that "adjusted" drawbar ever has to be replaced, and if the replacement drawbar also doesn't work with the Mec-Gar mags, but worked with factory mags, I'd use factory mags. Simple. However, maybe a different production batch of the Mec-gar mags might exhibit a bit less width at that point. I've known a few of our folks who have used them as "supplemental" spare duty mags over the years when we had 59XX's inservice, and I don't recall any of them exhibiting that problem (or any problem, for that matter).