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Slide locked in the frame on a Lim Pro


V2plus25

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Brand new Limited Pro in .40 with appx 1000 trouble-free rounds downrange.  Everything is stock save for the PD guide rod and PD firing pin spring and a quick 2 hr polish job.

 

At the range today after approximately 250 rounds downrange I get this.  It's stuck about 1/2" out of battery and won't budge either forwards or backwards even after using a lot of persuasion (hammering).  The empty piece of brass you see moves freely between where it headspaces in the barrel and the breech face.  I was able to remove the extractor but that didn't help anything.  Looking up the magwell I can see everything still where it's supposed to be (ejector on the sear cage etc.)  I can take some pliers and pull the guide rod out a bit and can still feel recoil spring tension.  Unfortunately the slide is just a bit too far back to be able to hammer out the slide stop.  The safety moves normally and feels normal.

 

Any ideas what might be hanging it up?  Or hell even just how to get this thing apart?

Busted Tanfo 1.JPG

Busted Tanfo 2.JPG

Edited by V2plus25
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10 minutes ago, johnbu said:

See if you can wiggle the barrel.  I suspect there is something in the locking lugs or something like that.

The barrel doesn't budge at all.  Like not even a fraction of a mm

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15 minutes ago, MemphisMechanic said:

Perhaps... rest it muzzle-up on the beavertail and try to drive the slide rearward with a squib rod inserted into the barrel / empty case?

Just tried it.  Slide still won't budge any even with some pretty good whacks with the regular hammer on the punch I have down the barrel into the empty case.

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18 minutes ago, MemphisMechanic said:

Perhaps... rest it muzzle-up on the beavertail and try to drive the slide rearward with a squib rod inserted into the barrel / empty case?

 

 

Nothing ??    Yikes

 

The slide release won't come out (I assume it's too far back.

 

 

Hmmmmm.

 

Can you use a wood dowel and hammer to "tap" the barrel down -- out of lock?  Maybe rock it up from the bottom (magwell side) ?

 

 

 

Thinking of causes...  a piece of brass from a cracked case could have gotten in a bad place.  The deal is, hammering the "wrong" way will just lock it tighter.  But with it locked tight now, what way is the right way? 

 

 

 

 

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16 minutes ago, kneelingatlas said:

This looks weird, what's going on there?  If you're careful you can use a Dremel cutting wheel to cut the slide stop to separate the lever and pin, then push the pin out.

 

 

5928b4844f9c8_BustedTanfo1.JPG.7d47be70975bd291ee2d893515ba0134.JPG

 

The slide did fail to lock back on various magazines as soon as they ran empty 6 or 7 times in a row before this thing totally froze up (which isn't normal, the slide always locks back on an empty mag).  However everything worked normally and felt normal when I would insert a new mag and manually rack the slide.

 

Looking up the magwell I can definitely see the back part of the slide stop still firmly in place.  Attempting to hammer out the slide stop pin doesn't work which I figure is due to the slide being too far back and the grooves aren't aligned with the slide stop pin.

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9 minutes ago, johnbu said:

 

 

Thinking of causes...  a piece of brass from a cracked case could have gotten in a bad place.  The deal is, hammering the "wrong" way will just lock it tighter.  But with it locked tight now, what way is the right way? 

 

 

 

 

 Hah exactly.  I'll try hammering from the top and from the bottom.  Perhaps I can get some sort of barrel movement.  Stand by.....

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23 minutes ago, johnbu said:

 

Thinking of causes...  a piece of brass from a cracked case could have gotten in a bad place.  The deal is, hammering the "wrong" way will just lock it tighter.  But with it locked tight now, what way is the right way? 

 

 

 

 

 Hammering down on the barrel from the top didn't budge it.  Hammering from underneath didn't do much either although trying to get just the right angle is pretty hard.

 

The round threw sparks in the air as it went off, so maybe it was a ruptured case and a piece of brass got caught somewhere in the lugs?

Edited by V2plus25
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17 minutes ago, V2plus25 said:

 

The slide did fail to lock back on various magazines as soon as they ran empty 6 or 7 times in a row before this thing totally froze up (which isn't normal, the slide always locks back on an empty mag).  However everything worked normally and felt normal when I would insert a new mag and manually rack the slide.

 

Looking up the magwell I can definitely see the back part of the slide stop still firmly in place.  Attempting to hammer out the slide stop pin doesn't work which I figure is due to the slide being too far back and the grooves aren't aligned with the slide stop pin.

 

Use a cutting wheel like this:

 

index.jpg.acd0b30570639b112f0140eb99ff40aa.jpg

 

to cut a pattern like this on the slide stop:

 

5928b4844f9c8_BustedTanfo1.JPG.7d47be70975bd291ee2d893515ba0134.JPG.c13f96c38e3fdddcc4f96c6972f2e571.JPG

 

Then you should be able to pry the lever part of the slide stop off and push the pin out.

It will be more difficult that just cutting the lever in half, but if you do that I think the chances are better you touch the wheel to the side of the frame and cut a groove in it.

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I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. That sounds very much like you had a squib and bulged the barrel at/ near the muzzle. 

 

Think about it...how can a piece of brass get to the locking lugs if the slide won't move backwards? 

I don't know too much about Tanfo's, but you might try taking the barrel bushing loose (if it's like a CZ, drive the pin holding the front site out) then try driving the slide backwards. 

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11 minutes ago, kneelingatlas said:

 

Use a cutting wheel like this:

 

index.jpg.acd0b30570639b112f0140eb99ff40aa.jpg

 

to cut a pattern like this on the slide stop:

 

5928b4844f9c8_BustedTanfo1.JPG.7d47be70975bd291ee2d893515ba0134.JPG.c13f96c38e3fdddcc4f96c6972f2e571.JPG

 

Then you should be able to pry the lever part of the slide stop off and push the pin out.

It will be more difficult that just cutting the lever in half, but if you do that I think the chances are better you touch the wheel to the side of the frame and cut a groove in it.

Ok sounds good I'll give it a shot.  At the very least hopefully that'll let me take it apart and figure out the cause.  Thanks for the pictures :)

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4 minutes ago, GrumpyOne said:

Try the bushing first....if it comes out, it'll save you the slide stop and possibly a cut to the frame.

 

I'd love to, but unless I missed something my Tanfo doesn't have a barrel bushing.  

 

I really hate to cut on the slide stop, but it's looking more and more like that's probably the way to go in order to try and get the slide stop pin out.

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1 hour ago, GrumpyOne said:

I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. That sounds very much like you had a squib and bulged the barrel at/ near the muzzle. 

 

Think about it...how can a piece of brass get to the locking lugs if the slide won't move backwards? 

I don't know too much about Tanfo's, but you might try taking the barrel bushing loose (if it's like a CZ, drive the pin holding the front site out) then try driving the slide backwards. 

 

Yeah, that bit of info does sound like a squib and a following round.  "bad".

 

My hope for him is that the brass just ruptured and tossed bits into the the gun causing the lock.

 

Otherwise $$$$

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1 hour ago, GrumpyOne said:

I don't know too much about Tanfo's, but you might try taking the barrel bushing loose (if it's like a CZ, drive the pin holding the front site out) then try driving the slide backwards. 

 

 

This is one of the difference between Tanfos and CZs, no bushing.

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Actually,  if cutting the slide stop lever doesn't free it, i would send it to Joe at Patriot Defense. At some point, a real gunsmith needs to work on it. Our suggestions are at best educated guesses and without hands on, could be totally the wrong thing to do.

 

Plus, if the gun itself failed (not caused by a squib or over charged round etc), a real smith talking to EAA will be needed to ease warranty.

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43 minutes ago, johnbu said:

Actually,  if cutting the slide stop lever doesn't free it, i would send it to Joe at Patriot Defense. At some point, a real gunsmith needs to work on it. Our suggestions are at best educated guesses and without hands on, could be totally the wrong thing to do.

 

Plus, if the gun itself failed (not caused by a squib or over charged round etc), a real smith talking to EAA will be needed to ease warranty.

 

I totally agree.  Funny enough Joe has my other Limited Pro at his shop right now trying to diagnose my elusive light strike problems.  But if cutting the slide stop doesn't fix anything then it totally is headed down to Houston for professional attention.

 

I am fairly certain I didn't hear a squib, but at a gun range where others are shooting close by I cannot be 100% sure I heard everything going on with my gun.

Edited by V2plus25
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I have seen a very similar situation happen twice. Both times were from squibs, with a second round fired after them (by the same guy, 1 week apart, on different Caspian 45's). On the first one, it bulged the barrel while the slide was back, and the slide wouldn't go forward. One the second one, it bulged the barrel behind the bushing, and the slide wouldn't open.

 

On the first, he ended up cutting the barrel off behind the bulge so the slide would close. One the second one, I have no idea...as he never came back to the range.

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