Tanfoglio EAA Witness Gold Team 38 Super Chambering Problem

[sig2009]

What I am seeing is that when the round is stripped from the mag it noses up into the chamber but the base of the case is only being slightly grabbed by the extractor. I have not removed the extractor but it is clean. Sometimes when I give the slide a nudge it will chamber. I was thinking the recoil spring was weak. I tried to contact Henning but have been unable to get in touch with him for some advice. I bought this gun a couple weeks ago and have no idea of the round count or when any of the springs were changed last. Internals look new so I assume that it has not been fired that much.

Edited July 20, 2012 by sig2009

[sinnsyk]

Is this regular 38 super or 38 super rimless ?

It can be a question of adjusting the extractor to allow the rim the slip under the extractor hook. It may also be that the chamber / feedramp could use some polishing / chamfering to make sure the round feeds in properly. Of course, the magazine feedlips is another, but the question here is what kind of mags you have. I recommend the new Mec-Gar magazines which are of a much higher quality than the old magazines. If you have the glossy black magazines I would say that you should get some of the new matte black Mec-Gar 38 super magazines.

It's also been an accepted reality in our sport that 38 super rimless works better than regular 38 super. They stack better and since the rim is similar to 9mm the rounds don't snag onto each other. You may experience higher capacity in your magazines as well.

So please look at these things and give them a try. If you have other questions, please post pictures and ask the forum here. There are many shooters who can share their knowledge and willing to assist a fellow Tanfoglio shooter ;-)

Have a great weekend,

;-)

Henning

[sig2009]

This is 38 super. I polished the feed ramp and chamber today and the issue still remains. As for the mags they are the original glossy EAA Witness mags. I live in NJ and it looks like they have been dimpled by the factory to only accept 10 rounds. We can have up to 15 round mags. So getting MecGar is not a solution. I may order some Wolf mag springs and change those out and see what happends. Looks like I will have to send it back to EAA or find a gunsmith that is experienced working on these and have them work on the extractor. Is there anything I can do with the extractor myself like remove and polish it? I had an idea that was the issue anyway. I figured you might know what the problem was.

Edited July 20, 2012 by sig2009

[Got Juice?]

Just a wild guess, but I would try shortening your round. load up a few rounds at .05" shorter than the ones you are currently trying to use, then load up some that are .05" longer.

From the look of the picture you are not seeing proper engagement of the extractor to the rim of the case, the round should be clear of the rear mag lips and then 'snap' into the extractor as the slide is moving into battery.

What I am seeing is a round that has not snapped into the extractor which leads me to a couple of opinions.

#1 Recoil Spring Weak.

#2 Extractor is incorrect for the caliber

#3 Rounds are either too short or too long

#4 Magazine lips are too close together which is holding the round in the mag for too long, and by the time the round is ready to make the jump, the slide is too far ahead to get the long round chambered.

2 3 4 are east to DIY and verify.

#1 will just take a minute to try new springs.

Hope it helps.

[sig2009]

Just a wild guess, but I would try shortening your round. load up a few rounds at .05" shorter than the ones you are currently trying to use, then load up some that are .05" longer.

From the look of the picture you are not seeing proper engagement of the extractor to the rim of the case, the round should be clear of the rear mag lips and then 'snap' into the extractor as the slide is moving into battery.

What I am seeing is a round that has not snapped into the extractor which leads me to a couple of opinions.

#1 Recoil Spring Weak.

#2 Extractor is incorrect for the caliber

#3 Rounds are either too short or too long

#4 Magazine lips are too close together which is holding the round in the mag for too long, and by the time the round is ready to make the jump, the slide is too far ahead to get the long round chambered.

2 3 4 are east to DIY and verify.

#1 will just take a minute to try new springs.

Hope it helps.

Something I noticed today. I put 2 dummy rounds in the mag and it doesn't happen. The first chambers with no problem but when it gets down to the last round is when I have the issue. I did put in an order with Wolf for a couple new different weight recoil springs and some +5 mag springs. I have no idea how many rounds through the gun so I might as well change the springs anyway. I loaded up 3 at 1.270/1.260 and 1.250 and nothing changed. Same issue.

Edited July 22, 2012 by sig2009

[Skydiver]

Call EAA. I thought that they have a way to get you legal magazines for NJ. Consider all the Tanfoglio shooters up in Canada who have 10 round limits, granted they go through a different distributor.

Anyway, the other thing that changed between the MecGar mags and the old Tanfo mags is how the last few bullets are presented for feeding. MecGar got it right. I don't know if it is their follower design, or their feedlip shape, or what. But bullets are presented for easy strip off by the slide as it comes along and proper feeding into the chamber.

Edited July 23, 2012 by Skydiver

[sig2009]

Call EAA. I thought that they have a way to get you legal magazines for NJ. Consider all the Tanfoglio shooters up in Canada who have 10 round limits, granted they go through a different distributor.

Anyway, the other thing that changed between the MecGar mags and the old Tanfo mags is how the last few bullets are presented for feeding. MecGar got it right. I don't know if it is their follower design, or their feedlip shape, or what. But bullets are presented for easy strip off by the slide as it comes along and proper feeding into the chamber.

Thanks. I will call them. The glossy ones I have now look to be 17 round dimpled to 10 round. In the meantime I will swap out springs.

[sig2009]

Well. Good news to report. I just got and installed the Wolf +5 mag spring and the problem went away. I also replaced the recoil spring with the 10lb Wolf and the firing pin spring. Looks like the stock EAA mag springs are very weak! The recoil spring that I replaced may have been an 8lb because I notice the added strength racking the slide. Will take to the range tomorrow and see what happends.

[Nealio]

Looks like the stock EAA mag springs are very weak!

It just takes a LOT more spring pressure to make those glossy mags work. Even the stiff Wolff springs don't last long. I had to replace mine several times a year to keep them working.

[kneelingatlas]

I actually has a similar issue with my CZ TS when it was new, I polished the breech face/extractor with an infant nail file and a friend suggested I chamfer the firing pin hole. The rim of the round slides up behind the extractor much easier now.

What I am seeing is that when the round is stripped from the mag it noses up into the chamber but the base of the case is only being slightly grabbed by the extractor. I have not removed the extractor but it is clean. Sometimes when I give the slide a nudge it will chamber. I was thinking the recoil spring was weak. I tried to contact Henning but have been unable to get in touch with him for some advice. I bought this gun a couple weeks ago and have no idea of the round count or when any of the springs were changed last. Internals look new so I assume that it has not been fired that much.