Trailside problem...

T

ToKnight

Inactive
Well, my New Trailside finally arrived Thursday. :D I love this pistol! The problem is...there's a problem. :( Everything seemed to be fine until I removed the Dry Fire Plug and popped in a loaded mag. Pulled the slide back, released it, and...the round didn't chamber. It went about half-way into the barel and stopped. Hmmm, maybe it's a fluke or just a bad round. Did it agian, same thing. So, I unload it, and without the mag pull the slide back and release it...leaving a little gap between the breech and the barrel. That can't be good! Sure enough, upon rechecking the manual, this is one of the main things to look for when checking the function of the pistol. Sometimes it closes tight, sometimes it doesn't. Regardless, the action is way too weak.
My question is, what should I do? :confused:
1)Return it to the place I bought it, eat the shipping, and say "Oh well, I'll go find another one" (YEAH RIGHT!)
2)Send it to SIG for correction
3)Take it to a local shop and have it fixed
4)Fix it myself (I can fix just about anything, but I've never even disassembeled a gun before so it would have to be something REALLY simple for me to feel comfortable about not screwing it up)

It seems like something simple, maybe just a problem with the recoil spring or something, but I'm no expert on guns so I can't say and I'd hate to have such a "precision performance" pistol that's not gonna live up to it's potential. What do you think I should do?
 
Take it back to the shop you bought it from. If it's a simple problem they should be able to fix it for you.
You may want to try a different mag in it. Safely of course (watch the whole live ammo thing in a shop, they don't groove on that). If they can't fix it or the mag change doesn't work, then it will probably need to go back to SIG. I'm sure they will make it right for you.

You deserve for it to be made right and I'm sure SIG will fix it for you.
 
I didn't buy it from a local shop (none of them had or could get a Trailside). I had to search the whole country to find one. When I finally found one, it was a dealer in NH (I live in MO). Needless to say, taking it to place I bought it is out of the question. If I'm gonna have to send it somewhere, I might as well send it to SIG.

Mags make no difference either. It's simply a matter of the slide not returning with enough force. Even without being loaded or even having a mag in it, it still doesn't always fully close against the barrel on it's own.
 
Unfortunately ...

the Trailside has developed a reputation for being a jamamatic. Do a search here on "Trailside" for more info. My advice is to get rid of it and get a Ruger.
 
First I'm assuming this is a new gun and not used.
Things to do do before you send the Trailside to Sig.
1- Call Sig and explain the problem. If it's a simple part, like a spring, they may just send you another.
2- Ask about shipping charges and who pays. Shipping firearms by UPS or Fed Ex gets expensive in a hurry. If you have an FFL that you do a lot of business with he may ship it for you at a substantial savings.
3- Bring the gun to a smith and ask for an evaluation and/or estimate. It may be cheaper to have him fix it than pay all the shipping and be without the use of the pistol.

#3 is the option I wish I had taken when my like new P228 started jamming every third or fourth round. Sent it to Sig as they said they would repair it at no charge, several months ago and it seems to have disappearred into a black hole. They have record of it but can not give me a date to repair. When I asked if they would return it to me so I could take it to the smith I use regularly, they said they would not send a known defective firearm out of their facility. From a legal standpoint that makes sense. In the meantime it sucks to be me.
Good Luck
Take Care
 
Reb,

Trailsides are NOT jamomatics. Individual Trailsides, like ALL .22's, will have some problems with SOME brands of ammo, but this is the exception not the rule. Plus, the questionable ammo is almost always the cheapo versions, which I use primarily as does everyone else. With most ammo, my Trailside hums along just fine.. I have never fired a .22 that that was 100% with the "$8/brick of 500 rds" ammo. I can fire Thunderbolts all day long in my Trailside, but my Marlin Model 60 will digest 5-10 before it jams. .22's are inherently prone to jamming. Do a search and you will find that out.

My advice, send it back to Sig, as in pronto.
 
Trailside

My Trailside works just fine, but it seems everyone else who bought one had problems with it:( the shop where I bought it has returned almost every other gun they sold. Most have problems with the slide not fully closing. Looks like I got lucky for once.

The mags are sucky. I understand that S & W mod 41 mags will work in the trailside. Haven't tried that yet.


Geoff Ross
 
The trailsides themselves function great.

The generation 1 magazines are a bit sticky.

Smooth the inside of the lips with a little bit of fine grain sandpaper, and you'll be all set. The newer mags with the slit lips break in much faster.

Once you've got the magazines broken in, you'll have no trouble.

Don't listen to the ruger toting trailside bashers, they're just jealous of those of us with pistols that don't weight 27349823649 pounds. :)
 
How can you love a gun that won't even fire once? I hate guns like that.

I traded my Trailside in after one month for half what I paid for it. Good riddance! Best gun deal I ever made! The mag was a piece of crap and the source of most the problems. I am handy with guns and I could not for the life of me stop the jams. S&W 41 mags did not work in my Trailside.
 
I've had two. The first one was so bad that Sig replaced it with a new gun. The second was so bad that I replace it with a Buckmark.
 
Just trying to imagine the way SIG guys were thinking:

1. Oh, holy cow, what a wonderful pistola we cooked...

2. Sh*t, it's too good...

3. Lets design some really bad magazine for our great gizmo,
we can't have such a beauty...

4. Good, it worked...it's not working any more...

???

I can't see SIG's point, sorry...piece of crap is a piece of crap,
even if it bears SIG's name.
 
The entire gun is a cast metal hunk o junk.
Two folks at my club had one and both got rid of them at a substantial loss within a couple of months, due to jamming problems. When I looked at one a year and a half ago, Iwas impressed by the hang tag that showed a .25" 25 yard 3 shot group. I was unimpressed by:

1 lack of adjustible sights (unless you pay another $150 for the target model)
2 plastic magazines (wtf was sig thinking?)
3 poor casting and machining on the slide, so bad you could tell it was a casting, and the cocking serrations were uneven, very uneven.
4. the barrel is not removable or replacable.
5. the almost $500 price tag, close to a model 41 in price.

Is SIG looking to destroy their reputation with their customers?
Is Hammerli nuts I thought?

Well Iguess so.
 
I have owned many Sigs. Great guns. When I first called Sig about my miserable Trailside I told them how surprised I was to be having such serious problems with a Sig. The lady "politely" reminded me that it was a Hammerli, not a Sig. Somehow that even made me more angry. Watch-Six
 
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