Leftoutside Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 EAA Witness, comped long slide, is showing off center primer strikes that seem to vary in depth. The accuracy is very poor. 6" groups from a rest at 25 yds. Vertical stringing. Occasional failure to ignite primers, poor ejection, stovepipes. Loads used: 4.8 231, 4.2 Titegroup, 4.0 Titegroup, Berry's 124 RNDS. It looks like it is locking up properly. Thanks for any suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pivoproseem Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Are you running it though a 9x21 barrel? EAA Witness, comped long slide, is showing off center primer strikes that seem to vary in depth. The accuracy is very poor. 6" groups from a rest at 25 yds. Vertical stringing. Occasional failure to ignite primers, poor ejection, stovepipes. Loads used: 4.8 231, 4.2 Titegroup, 4.0 Titegroup, Berry's 124 RNDS. It looks like it is locking up properly. Thanks for any suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 First, that brass looks pretty beat up, as in loaded quite a few times. Second, as far as the off center strikes go, check the FP hole in the breech face. Does the FP wobble in it, as is to big for the FP? For the failure to set them off, could be the primers not seated fully. Accuracy could be the barrel, bullet or primer. Change one at a time until it gets fixed. Start with the powder, then the bullet, and lastly the barrel. The ejection issues could be the ejector not tuned right, too strong recoil spring for the load you are using, or even the old brass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leftoutside Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 I am using the 9x19 barrel. When I look down the barrel the fp hole looks off center, but it does not appear to be larger than normal. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 (edited) I am using the 9x19 barrel. When I look down the barrel the fp hole looks off center, but it does not appear to be larger than normal. Thanks. Take it apart and remove the FP and see.... Looking at those strikes, it seems that some of them hit harder than others...Maybe the FP is dragging on the sides of the FP hole in the breech face? Edited February 13, 2011 by GrumpyOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nealio Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Is this a stock gun or something you had built? My primer strikes are off center, but not that bad. Maybe there is something in the firing pin channel causing it to bind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pivoproseem Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 How about a photo of the gun? EAA Witness, comped long slide, is showing off center primer strikes that seem to vary in depth. The accuracy is very poor. 6" groups from a rest at 25 yds. Vertical stringing. Occasional failure to ignite primers, poor ejection, stovepipes. Loads used: 4.8 231, 4.2 Titegroup, 4.0 Titegroup, Berry's 124 RNDS. It looks like it is locking up properly. Thanks for any suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSteel Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 By the looks of the cresent shaped gouge in the first and last primer in the Pic I would say you had some primer seating issues to start with but probably not a large cause for the offset strikes but you should adjust your loading process. My Limited also strikes a bit off center but not to that extent. It's possible that the FP hole is not center or that it's diameter is to large. It looks like the dimple from the FP in the primer is distorted which I think indicates some lateral movement of the FP when being forced by the hammer into the primer. This could indicate a high primer but it would probably be more random. Have you seen the same with a factory load? If so and it looks the same I would tend to go towards the FP hole being off centered with the bore when locked up.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skydiver Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Check out this thread started by LeftOutside: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=118133&view=findpost&p=1337672 I suspect that this is the gun that he is having problems with and asking about in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leftoutside Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 Per Skydivers link, that is the pistol I am talking about. Supposedly custom built by a very good smith in the 90's?. I thought the crescent shaped marks on the primers may have been caused by a piece of trash on my primer seating ram. I have attached a pic of a factory new case that I fired in it tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritinUSA Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 What fps are you getting from this load. I think Berrys Bullets are plated. If you push plated bullets too fast then the plating starts to fail which can affect accuracy. First thing to try is some factory 9mm. See if that is more accurate. If its the same then its something on the gun, check for excessive wear on the barrel, how old is the barrel? Check the compensator for markings that would indicate that the bullets are hitting the comp. Check the barrel lockup. If the slide-stop pin is bent or loose then the lockup will be bad and that could also cause the primer hits to be off center. You could try one of Hennings tite-fit pins in there and see if that makes a difference or order a factory replacement. Henning stocks both types. Just work your way through the gun, changing one thing at a time (starting with the cheapest, which is about 50 rounds of factory 9mm to see if it has the same problem as your reloads). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skydiver Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Per Skydivers link, that is the pistol I am talking about. Supposedly custom built by a very good smith in the 90's?. I thought the crescent shaped marks on the primers may have been caused by a piece of trash on my primer seating ram. I have attached a pic of a factory new case that I fired in it tonight. After seeing that pic of the brass, and then looking back at the old brass at the beginning of the post, I think I'm seeing a pattern. Imagine the firing pin strike being at 12 o'clock 7 or 8 ring, there seems to be marks at 3 o'clock where the extractor was. If I'm not seeing more than there is in those pics, and if looking down the barrel doesn't show the firing pin hole to be offset that far up, then is it possible that the barrel isn't getting fully locked up before the shot is fired? (Either I'm seeing a pattern, or I've just been on up for close to 28 hours, been on two long plane flights and desperately need sleep.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nealio Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 (edited) Can you post a pic of the slide and barrel? Also can you drop a case in the chamber and take a pic of that? If you drop a fired case in the chamber, let the slide close, does it pull the case out? Edited February 14, 2011 by Nealio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leftoutside Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 The extractor will 99% of the time extract the case. The only time it didn't was in firing. Always if the slide is pulled back. Pics of: slide and barrel, cases in chamber (brass is reload, nickle is factory, showing lockup with round in chamber. Problems uploading photos. Will try another reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leftoutside Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 Reload in chamber pic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leftoutside Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 Factory load in chamber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leftoutside Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 barrel lock-up with load in chamber. How old is the barrel?? Probably 15 to 20 years, and belonged to a competitive shooter, with untold rounds down it. Next thing I will try is factory loads, although some of the testing I did with this included FMJ bullets, not plated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Looks like it's not quite locking up right. Check your slide stop for being bent or cracked. BTW, I have a Springfield P9 that could almost be that ones twin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leftoutside Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 GrumpyOne, The sale that I bought this at also sold a Springfield that looked like it, amongst many other nice pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 My Springer has run without a hitch (except for a broke slide stop pin and extractor) for as long as I've had it (6 years and probably 50,000+ rounds) and I bought it well used! It's my go to gun for bowling pins.... BTW, GunBroker has one for sale right now set up like mine, if you are interested.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leftoutside Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 GrumpyOne, I just got a better looks at your pic. Were those Springfields made by EAA, or Tanfo? I have a suspicion that I may have a Springfield lower and EAA uppers. Not that it matters to me. I did pick up an EAA original box when I got this pistol but it was not verified to be the original. Just curious. I love the feel of this gun. I may try to take it back to the smith who built it to see what he thinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 They are marked Springfield, all the way around. From what I've heard and learned, Springfield obtained a license to import these (they were made to Springfield specs) from Tanfo. In other words, Tanfo made them (as in the slide and frame), but they were nothing more than crude hunks of metal when they arrived, and Springfield finished and fit them. The slides are so tight, that it takes some time to get everything lined up to get them back on when you take them off. They are vintage 1992. One has been modified to SA only, flat trigger, 1 1/4lb pull, very short reset. The other is complete factory. They are both marked Springfield Armory Factory Comp Geneseo, IL, USA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nealio Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Yeah, your slide isn't in full battery. You can see its not flush on that first pic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sal1950 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Yeah, your slide isn't in full battery. You can see its not flush on that first pic. Yep, something sure don't look right to me either. Back of slide should be at least close to flush with the back of frame when locked up. Can you remove the comp from the barrel and see how it locks up then?? Sal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skydiver Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Looks like it wasn't flush when he first got the gun. Again see pics here: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=118133&st=0&p=1337672entry1337672 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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