rich636

A quick update. My buddy had an 11lb Wolff spring that I swapped in before a range trip today. I put 100rds through the STI with no issue of any kind and the slide did feel less sluggish between shots. I didn't change my grip at all. About 200 more uneventful rounds and I think I can assume this issue is behind me. Thanks - Rich

Hi Chuck, that same thought occurred to me on my drive home today. I think my thumb has a reputation problem, it's not thaaaat draggy The gun appears to throw the empty out in a brisk fashion and it hasn't failed to lock back on the last shot. Also I've never had this issue with my RIA 9mm 1911 which I hold the same way, or my 1911s in .45. I'm eager to test some springs and get back to you all. Thanks again for the comments.

Thanks everyone! I will name my next born son "Postal Bob"! That info is so valuable. My recoil spring is super mushy and in retrospect this problem started when I went from a softer loading to a more potent one which would exacerbate the problem. I will order the 12lber and report back to hopefully close this thing out!

Thanks, isolating to one hand is a good idea. I'm still curious about the physics of slide resistance causing 2 live rounds to feed. I can see it impeding ejection or feeding of 1 round from the mag.

Hi Andrew, I don't recall if they've all happened while posting up like that but I will certainly test that next time I'm at the range. The grip tape on the frame for a tactile reference point is a great idea. I don't think it's IDPA legal but I can definitely practice with it on until I get in the habit.

Hi all, I recently started using my STI Trojan 9mm CRP purchased from Dawson Precision in some IDPA matches and have an issue where the has two live rounds trying to enter the barrel causing a jam. It appears as the slide returns, stripping a new round from the magazine, there is already a live round waiting part way in the barrel. So the stripped round push up under the round sitting partly in the chamber and becomes stuck. The gun is equipped with the Dawson ICE magwell and I use Dawson Supreme Tactical magazines. Ammuntion is reloads with 3.7gr of Win 231 behind a 147 RN Berry's bullet, OAL is 1.115. I contacted Dawson thinking it was a magazine issue. They responded asking for measurements of the magazine body and feed lips and they were within spec. So their guess was that my thumb is likely dragging on the slide causing this issue. I sent them a video (below) showing my grip and a jam, conceding that I do ride the slide closely and asked two questions they did not answer in the reply, and so I'm hoping you all be able to with your collective expertise: 1) How does the friction of my offhand thumb facilitate the feeding of two live rounds towards the chamber? 2) Where should my offhand thumb be? I used to hold it lower but I had issues of it interfering with slide lock. Edited to add frequency: this jam happened once to twice a match (approx 100 rounds) for the three matches I've competed with it. Thanks in advance for any insight, Rich

Hi Frank, My 686 just lost its cylinder on a reload at a match as well, screw was new and seated.. I've done the #8 shot trick after reading this and will run it like this next weekend. I'll post back here after a couple of matches or if anything notable happens, hopefully this will do the trick. Rich

Hi guys, Just an update on this crown issue. S&W sent me a label, I shipped it out on a Friday and got it back 8 business days later with a much improved crown.

Thanks everyone, I've submitted the form to S&W for a shipping label. Hopefully the rest will go smoothly. Rich

Hi all, I recently got this S&W 686 to use in IDPA. Last night I was cleaning the gun and noticed the crown looked lopsided. My other S&W's crowns are concentric by comparison. This picture is not perfectly in straight on but it does represent the issue I see. One side of the muzzle has almost no bevel, while the other side does. I assume this could bias the bullet as it leaves. Is the best course of action to send it back to S&W and ask for a re-cut? Thanks Rich

Hi Forrest, I got the pointy competition pin, although it's not in the gun at the moment. I just got back from an IDPA match, with the Wolf Type 2 spring and factory Federal "Champion" 158gr ammo. I had 3 failures to ignite out of 100rnds. I'm going to stay with the factory pin for now and put a shim between the strain screw and spring and see if it goes 100%. Thanks Rich

I just switched out my front sight using a 1/16" brass punch. It was very soft and sheared itself to fit as I tapped it in and drove the pin partially out. Then to finish pushing it out I used a thumbtack, luckily they are a perfect fit for that hole.

Update Tested the same set up, 686 with Wolff Type 2 spring on Federal primers this time. 6 primed cases, all ignited, all impacts look identical (pic below). I'm not sure why the CCI's indented more or less among themselves but I'll just save those for my stock pistols. My Apex Tactical competition pin arrived but I think I'll set it aside for now and see how things work at the range. Thanks again all

Thanks for the input. I will check all of the above. Tomorrow I can test some federal primers. I know a competent gunsmith would be the easy fix but I enjoy troubleshooting mechanical things as much as I enjoy shooting.

I can't say I noticed any strikes feel different than others. No moon clips involved. I don't believe it's the chambers because all strikes are identical with the factory spring. I'm curious if those CCI primers were lightly cratered because the pin struck the anvil dead center vs hitting a bit off the anvil on some allowing for less resistance and a bigger crater. Whereas the stock spring just smashes the crap out of the cup wherever it strikes. I've got some federal primer on the way and I'll post when I test them. One other thing is that I didn't clean the crud out of the primer pockets before seating the primers on the cases in the picture. It's possible some pockets were cleaner than others. Thanks for the input. Rich