SD9VE FTE

[goldeyeslayer]

Anybody having extraction problems with the SD9VE? I bought one on Sat, took it out today and had 4 failure to extract in 110 rds. The extractor slipped off the rim and fed the next round right behind it. All factory ammo, all fed from mag, pistol was cleaned/lubed before shooting. I also noticed the ejection was somewhat weak. Not a good first impression.

 

[J Rich]

Look to make sure to Ejector is not broke. if you are unsure of wear it is or what it looks like. It is a metal tab that can be seen with the slide open left side at the back.


Here is a pic of what it looks like out of the gun.

 

[ADP3]

What brand of ammo were you using? 9mm ammo quality varies a lot. Diagnosing your problem requires a little more info. The weak ejection may be an indication of the quality of your ammo or it could be just stiffness in the new recoil spring/guide assembly. Did the FTE's come early in the 110rds. or were they spread throughout the session? Were they the first or last round in the mag?

Best Regards,
ADP3

 

[modraker]

Anybody having extraction problems with the SD9VE? I bought one on Sat, took it out today and had 4 failure to extract in 110 rds. The extractor slipped off the rim and fed the next round right behind it. All factory ammo, all fed from mag, pistol was cleaned/lubed before shooting. I also noticed the ejection was somewhat weak. Not a good first impression.

My immediate thought is that you have a weak extractor spring. Also, have you removed the extractor to check for cracks? It is a MIM part and may be getting ready to break.

The weak ejection could be just weak ammo. The SD9VE has a recoil spring that puts out 18 lbs of force. It is the same recoil spring used on the SD40VE. Since ammo ranges from 115gr 9mm to 180gr 40SW, S&W probably designed the spring to work best with the middle loads. If you're shooting 115gr, it is the weakest of the bunch as far as recoil goes. Try 124gr or 147gr ammo and see if that makes a difference.

 

[goldeyeslayer]

the ammo was Am. Eagle 115 mostly, along with just a few rds of wwb and umc. Not the best ammo for sure, but they didn't feel like squib loads either. Mag capacity didn't seem to matter and most of the malfs happened after 50 rds. Pistol was cleaned prior to shooting, no noticeable problems with the extractor and tension seems good. The cases fell out of the chamber when I tipped the pistol upright so the chamber wasn't sticky. Dunno, waiting on email response from Smith.

 

[modraker]

the ammo was Am. Eagle 115 mostly, along with just a few rds of wwb and umc. Not the best ammo for sure, but they didn't feel like squib loads either. Mag capacity didn't seem to matter and most of the malfs happened after 50 rds. Pistol was cleaned prior to shooting, no noticeable problems with the extractor and tension seems good. The cases fell out of the chamber when I tipped the pistol upright so the chamber wasn't sticky. Dunno, waiting on email response from Smith.

Squib loads are dangerous because you will suffer a damaged pistol on your next shot if there's a bullet lodged in the barrel. Let's hope that we never run into those.

S&W will simply ask you to ship your pistol to them for inspection. While they pay for shipment to and fro, I'd hate to be without my firearm for 2-3 weeks if the solution is quickly attainable.

 

[J Rich]

What about the ejector?

 

[modraker]

What about the ejector?

A broken ejector would certainly cause a failure-to-eject and likely an ejector port jam. I thought the main issue was failure-to-extract which to me meant that the fired brass stayed in the chamber or was pushed back into the chamber causing the dreaded double-feed jam. The picture below was copied from the North Carolina Sportsman website.



I've read that limp wristing can cause this type of failure but I'd suggest that to non-experienced shooters only.

 

[Rpg]

Sounds like an extractor problem. Shouldn't happen 'right out of the box'.

Send it back.

 

[J Rich]

I'll agree it could be limp wristing. I did miss the part of it feed into the next round. And we don't know if it was bought new or used.

 

[goldeyeslayer]

Ok, I missed a few parts I guess. First, not limp wristing. I am not new to shooting, semi autos or polymer framed pistols. Second, this pistol was brand new. Bought it, cleaned it and took it out. I also just looked at the ejector and it is fine. Smith sent me a shipping label, so I guess it goes back next week. Hopefully the turnaround will be faster than they stated in the email. 6-8wks. :/

 

[goldeyeslayer]

A broken ejector would certainly cause a failure-to-eject and likely an ejector port jam. I thought the main issue was failure-to-extract which to me meant that the fired brass stayed in the chamber or was pushed back into the chamber causing the dreaded double-feed jam. The picture below was copied from the North Carolina Sportsman website.



I've read that limp wristing can cause this type of failure but I'd suggest that to non-experienced shooters only.

yeah, this is exactly what it looked like

 

[J Rich]

Hopefully the turnaround will be faster than they stated in the email. 6-8wks. :/

According to info I got from 3Hounds S&W repair will be down till Aug 12 so don't expect to hear anything till after that. Then it be a couple more weeks to get fixed. That's just the way it is.