Sig Misfire

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JasonAR

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I put 100 rnds through my new P229 today and was rather suprised when the hammer dropped on about 7 of those rnds and nothing hapened. The guy at the range said it might have been the ammo, Blazer 185 grn .40 S&W. His thought was that the pin had trouble hitting the primer hard enough to ignite the shell. Any thoughts? Anyone else heard of this type of problem with sigs?

[This message has been edited by JasonAR (edited July 05, 1999).]
 
Hi, JasonAR,

You ought to be able to tell by looking at the misfired cartridge primer if it is bein hit hard enough. You should also be able to try firing it again, and see if it goes the second time. Also, is that the only type of ammo you have had a problem with?

Light strikes consistently usually mean some kind of gun problem. But with only one type of ammo, it usually means hard primers or perhaps tight headspace not allowing full slide lockup. That can also be caused by a dirty chamber.

Try other brands of ammo. If you get the same results, have the gun checked out. If you have trouble with only one ammo brand, the answer is obvious.

Jim
 
Well the gun is brand spankin new. Like 1 day new and I stripped and cleaned it 1st thing. So the chamber is not dirty and the pin isn't dirty or obstructed at all. Also, although the round didn't fire at first when I re-cocked and fired the same round again it fired fine. So you can understand my concern. Nothing like getting a new toy only to ship it away for service! I'm going back to the range tommorow to try some different ammo, probably Ultra Max FMJ which is what they sell.

[This message has been edited by JasonAR (edited July 05, 1999).]
 
I've a Glock 21 which would misfire when it came to Remington 230 fmj. Those same misfires fired when fed in my Sig P220. Suggest trying the misfires in another gun - that'll tell you a lot about the ammo or your gun.

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Ok, more info. Those same Blazer rounds fired from my Beretta 96 w/o problem. But the firing systems on the guns are completely different, where the Beretta's hammer falls completely into the slide the Sig's does not as part of thier safety system which prevents misfires.
 
I agree with Jim. The best thing to do at this point is to try other brands and types of ammo.

How different did the pin strikes look between the cases that fired on the first pull and the misfired ones?

- Ron V.

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SIGS are duty guns. Designed to fire high quality Duty Ammo. Run some Cor Bons through it. If you still have probs... Take that gun in and have it worked on - or take it back.

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As a sidenote, the Sig firing pin block safety is very much the same as the Beretta (and the S&W, the Ruger, Series 80 Colt).

Could also be a grease buildup in the firing pin channel. It can be enough such that it slows down firing pin momentum. If you're not familar with detail stripping of the slide, then tilt it upwards (muzzle down) and use an acid brush and wipe the firing pin down with Hoppe's. That will disolve most grease buildup (an ultrasonic cleaner will do it even easier). Hit it lightly with a good oil and wipe off excess. Let it sit overnite with the muzzle down to allow drainage of excess oil. Then test fire it again with the same old ammo and new ammo.

Another source could be weak mainspring (or even bent mainspring rod which would cant the hammer off, slowing it down when it slides along the slide). Check for rubbing signs on the sides of the hammer.

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Make sure that the tight end of the recoil spring goes on first ( yes there is a tight
end and a loose end ) and that there is enough but not too much oil on it.
 
All of the above a good suggestions but I would bet the problem is the ammo. I experienced the same thing with my new Glock 30. Two misfires the first time out with factory ammo.

Since then the gun has performed flawlessly. I wish I could explain it, but I can't. Try different ammo and keep us posted on your results.
 
Update,
I went out and bought 2 boxes of Winchester BEB and fired em all. Out of 100 rnds fired only 1 didn't. I took that round to the owner of the range, who I also bought the gun from, and he was mystified as to why the pin was not striking hard enough. He ordered me a new spring(?) of some kind and hopes this will fix the prob. I'll let you know what happens. Thanks for all the replies and info.
 
I think 4V50 Gary has a point that bears repeating: Any firearm can have a dirt/grease/crud buildup in the firing pin channel which will prevent sufficient primer strikes to set off cartridges. In my experience, semiautomatic firearms are particularly prone to this. Pull the firing pin and clean out the channel occasionally, guys! My .45 Auto had this problem before.

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Yankee Doodle
 
I have had the same problem with my P228, which has had about 300 rounds put through it. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to go shooting in quite a while to test it out w/ different types of ammo.

It concerns me, as this was going to be my carry gun after my license arrived. The gun even "misfires" on dry-firing .

Anyone got any suggestions for me? Could it be the gun, or operator error? (The gun has been dropped once, onto concrete, but I seem to remember the problem happening before that...)
 
My 229 40 cal had same problems when new. It also would fail to feed ,and jam. After 3/4 box of Blazer's I changed to the range reloads. No more problems. Since then many other rounds and brands and not a burp.I'm very happy with the 229.
 
Let me just say through all this that I am very happy with my 229. Of all the rounds I've fired none have jammed and this mainspring I have coming, I am assured, will fix my problem. I like the feel of the gun as I no longer the feeling of top heaviness I felt earlier and the grips are a perfect fit for my hands. I will still reccomend the 229 to anyone interested in a reliable gun with interchangable calibers. The more options the better I say!

[This message has been edited by JasonAR (edited July 09, 1999).]
 
Oops, double! Damn back button!

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Bill,

I must confess, I didn't make that very clear, that's why I put "misfire" in quotes. When I am dry-firing, sometimes pulling the trigger doesn't drop the hammer.

I had my husband watch me dry-fire, and he thinks I'm sometimes not letting the trigger come all the way forward before I squeeze it again.

Again, all the "screw-ups" with me could be operator error, as I don't get to go to the range often to brush up on my technique. :(

[This message has been edited by Darthmaum (edited July 10, 1999).]
 
Darthmum,

Check out the old thread:

Training Topic #1: Function Check your Sig

There's a short discussion in the first posting about resetting the trigger (releasing the trigger after the gun has been discharged). You may find it amusing.

4V50 Gary

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