Sccy is acting up

M

mkiker2089

New member
I have a CPX2 Sccy that's been acting up. It's had about 300 rounds through it and is cleaned after every shot.

The last time I went to the range I was using Military Balistics reloaded ammo. I don't know much about the company but the reviews were good. The gun works well with almost all ammo but it did have 2 failures to feed. Both times I just had to cock the gun.

The real problem however is in how it ejects the casings. It tosses them at random anywhere from just next to me all the way up to about 15 feet away. Occasionally the bullets have hit me on the head, which is the last straw for me. I checked the pin in there that is supposed to direct the casing and it seems fine.

Anyway, Sccy is being very good about servicing it and they sent me an address label. I just wanted to know if this is normal and if anyone has seen it before.

And before anyone asks I bought a Sccy because it was recommended to me based on my budget. It's the first gun I've ever owned and the first handgun I've ever fired. As a kid I would shoot snakes with a 22 rifle and scope but that was a totally different world.
 
Honestly, before I sent the gun off, I would test it with another brand of ammo. Some guns are picky about what kind of ammo they like, so it wouldn't surprise me that a "budget" gun might have some issues with certain types.

Please note, I am not using the term "budget" as a perjorative. I have heard a lot of great things about the Sccy pistols, but they are made more cheaply than some others. Just an observation.
 
I can test it more. It has always tossed the shells everywhere and on the Sccy forum people sometimes act like its normal. As for being a budget gun, I agree that it falls in the budget range. That is why I bought it. I plan on renting a high dollar ported S&W 9mm to see how the other half live.
 
mkiker2089 said:
I can test it more. It has always tossed the shells everywhere and on the Sccy forum people sometimes act like its normal.
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Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were telling us that this was a new issue that developed. In that case, then I would have to agree with the folks at the Sccy forum, not from experience, but from my very basic understanding of physics.

When a case is ejected, there are a litany of forces in play- the force of the bullet out of the gun, the reaction force of the bullet from the gun, the resistance the gun encounters as it hits your hand, etc. In a lighter gun, the movement of the firearm is going to be more pronounced than in a heavier gun, so it makes sense that case ejection might be erratic.
 
If the "bullets" are bouncing off of your head then i would seek the cause asap, if they are empty cases not quite the same problem. As with others i would try ammo loaded by a reputable factory before deciding the pistol is flawed. Good luck and wear your helmet soldier.
 
It has always thrown then erratically but never back at me before. I won't keep a gun that beans me with its spent casings.
 
The error you are referring to is colloquially referred to as a "BTF" type failure (brass to face).

I agree that BTF is undesirable, however I doubt it's the pistol due to the fabulous design. Despite its budget designation the SCCY pistol is very well designed, borrowing from the innovative and effective Keltec p11. Could be a bad extractor but more likely it's a limp wristing failure. I've had BTF from high dollar guns if I teacupped the grip ("Support" hand acting as a rest for main hand rather than applying additonal purchase).

Is it possible your grip is infirm? If it's happening sporadically I bet your technique is slipping occassionally.
 
I could be holding it too loosly. I wasn't aware that was an issue. I've tried a few different ways to hold the gun as it's smallish in my hands. The standard grip where I want to wrap my thumbs won't fit because the slide is low and I don't want to catch my hand on it. the cup and saucer hold or tea cup, doesn't give me much grip.

I've never been good at the thumb forward grip either. It makes my left hand open up and seems to reduce how much I hold the gun.

Remember, I'm new at this. Would a light grip explain the way it tosses brass erratically to the side also?
 
I shoot a Sccy and have never had any problems. When I purchased it, the first thing I did was polish the feed ramp and clean/oil everything. I only shoot brass, no steel.
 
Hello Mkiker 2089,
I would never & never did use reloaded ammo in any gun. Yes try some different ammo.( 1-2 different type's) Like new stuff. I willing to bet its the ammo? Also did you read the manual that came with the gun? I am willing to bet also that the gun is not broke in yet? This happens to me sometimes with my hand guns every now & then.(BIF) Good luck.
 
I could be holding it too loosly. I wasn't aware that was an issue.
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With small, light pistols, it definitely is. Many will jam if not held firmly.

The standard grip where I want to wrap my thumbs won't fit because the slide is low and I don't want to catch my hand on it.
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Can you describe your grip in more detail? Where is your weak-hand thumb positioned?

Also, avoid MBI ammunition. I've seen it blow up two Glocks, and I've heard of several other such incidents.
 
I have a SCCY CPX2 and is working fine for me. At the range it throws the brass forward about six or eight feet, very seldom does it put any brass on the shooter side of the firing line. I would try a box of factory ammo first and if it still a problem then send it in to SCCY for their free warranty work.

Mine had a problem with the extractor and I sent it in and had it returned in just a week with a new extractor, recoil spring assembly and magazines adjusted all at no cost to me. They pay shipping both ways. 400 rounds downrange since them with no problems what-so-ever.

Are you using the finger grip extensions on the magazines? They help to give it a better grip on the gun compared to the flat floor plates. A new gun comes with both sets, on mine the finger grip extensions were installed when I received it.
 
I have one and its been great. No FTF or FTE. Spent rounds tend to end up to the side and slightly behind me after following a nice arch. A loose ejector could be an issue but given the dependability of the SCCY pistols probably not but anything is possible.

My recommendations are similar to the others:
* Try new factory load ammo
* Try to align the barrel in parallel with your fore arm
* Have a very firm grip with thumbs forward
* Don't expect the rounds to land close to each other. If the go in a similar direction that's fine.
* Don't make any judgments until you have 200-300 rounds through the pistol. It takes a while to break in.
 
If the problem is happening now, and all you've been shooting is the new ammo, I'd suspect the ammo, not the gun.

It could be ammo that isn't all that rigorously quality controlled -- and the loads aren't absolutely consistent. That can cause all sorts of problems...
 
I'll try and answer all the questions.

ammo - I've used all kinds. The MB isn't the best as some of it smokes more than others but I've had no real issues with it. All ammo from Hornady lights to +p go out erratic. The last time at the range I used cheap Monarch steel ammo just to see how it is with MB ammo and I see no difference at all regarding the way the ammo comes out.

gun design - I've heard a lot of conflicting stories on this. Some love it, others say the way the next bullet loads is a flawed system and that's what's causing the issues. The Sccy forum pretty much agrees that they all toss spent casings everywhere. I am using the extended grip magazine.

my grip- I'm amateur at best. I have put about 300 or so rounds through it though so I think the gun should be broken in. The thumb forward grip recommended to me by one of the rangemasters has my left thumb on a notch under the slide. My hands must be small because that stretches my left hand out too much and causes it to pretty much be useless. Now I keep my left hand around my right with my left thumb close the trigger. My niece who is an expert shoots with her left index finger forward instead of her thumb, but I haven't tried that. It just seems weird.

I plan to send it in anyway as Sccy has some new tricks with their 380 coming out. Maybe they have an improvement or two for the old one. Worst case scenario is they'll check it out and say it's fine. Then at least I'll know the problem is on my end.

edit--

I also tried some of the CCI buckshot and that actually worked very well in the gun. If it weren't so expensive I'd try putting 50 rounds of that through it to see how it ejects over time.
 
I just went to the homepage of MBI. I question the quality of manufacture obtainable by a bunch of people who are unable to distinguish the difference between the word "ordinance" and "ordnance"

Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.

I sympathize entirely with your "budget situation", hence the choice of the SCCY piece. I'm not dogging the brand, and I have never shot one. But it doesn't appear to be the most "shooter-friendly" piece ever made. It is my sincere hope that your finances allow you to obtain a larger, (slightly) heavier, more "shootable" firearm in the near future.

I think there's virtue in shooting ANY firearm, to learn how to shoot. But I suspect that you will learn shooting skills better, faster, more completely, with another firearm.

None of the above should be taken as criticism. It's just me, telling you what I would do, if I had the chance to do it all over again.
 
i am only making a very unlikely suggestion, I doubt this is the cause of your brass issue. I owned a sccy a few years back, my internal "ejector" broke a couple times. it did not render the pistol out-of-service though, it made the ejection of bullets rely solely on the extractor combined with the force of the slide to kick the brass out. worked fine when shooting, although erratic, but did not allow for ejection during hand cycling of the slide. you would obviously see a complete failure like that quickly, but I am wonder if it is possible that the ejector is only chipped or deformed in a slight way that would still allow the ejector to push the bullet out, but maybe not at the desired angle that it's supposed to. when you take off the slide, the ejector is the little hook poking out from right under and behind where the boltface is, if I remember correctly, it's the only part protruding above the frame of the pistol when stripped.

I had a really bad experience with my SCCY, and although I cannot recommend them to anyone, some people here speak well of them currently. Maybe their operation has changed over the last 3 years, maybe not, my co-worker has one that he wants to sell because of failures similar to mine, I didn't ask how new or old it is. I don't want to down talk them too much though, they have more experience now and hopefully they are producing reliable pistols.
 
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