disappointment steel master POS

[goose2125]

I have to admit this is the worst gun i have ever owned ! Fte ftf stovepipe sent back to sti 4 weeks later recieved it back fte ftf stovepipe. What a piece of shit !! Any suggestions other than selling it ???? Sorry but had to get that off my chest.

[DRobson]

90 degree C-more mount.

[caspian guy]

aftec extractor brazos tuned ejector.

[dfwmiket]

Have you tried various ammo and loads? Not that you want to spend more money, but a good gunsmith could probably fix all your woes as well......... keep us posted, wishing you success getting it worked out!

-Mike

[goose2125]

Tried factory federal. Winchester white box. Tried 231.autocomp.700x.titegroup.hp38.wst.ramshot trublue. All different recipes still no luck !!!!

[EkuJustice]

I agree aftec can make a big difference. Also either a 90 degree mount or if you like the verticle and offset mount

[yoshidaex]

OAL of ammo?

and magazine setup?

[goose2125]

Anywhere from 1.040 - 1.125 tried everything in between. dawson tuned mags !!

[goose2125]

Between the gun mags belt hoster and mag pouches around 4k biggest waste of $ in my lifetime !!!!!!!!!!!!

[yoshidaex]

STI mags or SVI mags?

If STI, do they have some sort of spacer (steel or plastic) running the length of the magazine?

[goose2125]

Sti mags full lenth steel spacers.

[CocoBolo]

I recently got reminded what a new gun is like, I had a slide replaced. I had to hold the gun in the left hand and whack it with the right to open it up. I loaded 3 big sticks but had to manually feed in the first round with the mag out, once the pump was primed I commenced break in firing one shot after the next counting to 28 then reload and 28 again, then another 28. I grabbed the back of the slide and yeah I could open it. I turned to my friend and asked did you see where it hit, he said you were shooting the top target right? No the bottom it was 14" high. Point is all new guns need break in, and it takes about 500 rounds before you know what you are dealing with.

I left out the fun part about having to nudge the back of the slide every few shots to make it go into battery, sometimes just click no bang, but nudge slide cock and fire, it wasn't fun.

So about 200 rounds in it started working is it match ready nope but read for a good 200 or 300 round practice break in.

Get it good and wet with CLP after about 500 rounds its broke in. Be sure to lube up the barrel lugs heavy. Give it a fighting chance to unlock and lock.

A good load is 5.2gr of AutoComp behind a 124, if it RN 1.140, JHP see what fits in the chamber. If it is real tight you can go all the way to 7.0gr (aka major).

If the back of the bullet is getting hung under the ejector its a sign the slide is not moving fast enough. With a light recoil master it is hard for a tight gun to run. Stuff a recoil rod in it with a 11 or 12# spring when it get lose you can go down to a 9 or back to the recoil master.

Lots of steel masters at local matches the little guns run and run but they suked some in the beginning, had to be tweaked here and there.

Zakley why I like a good proven used gun. I had a new one built went thru hells break in, since then it has run 100% for 20k rounds, changed noting.

[EkuJustice]

that OAL seems way on the short side. My 9mm ammo is loaded out to 1.17 OAL with a 124 grain bullet.

How many rounds have you had through the gun? Mine had problems when I first got it feeding and

extracting when i first got it. I placed an aftec in it and it runs perfect ever since

[cecil]

what lb spring is in your Steel Master ? try the light STI spring.. both my STI Steel Masters have the light spring set up.. neither of them has ever had one hiccup ... keep your gun well oiled.. especially the bushing.. hope you get the bugs ironed out of your pistol.. STI Steel Masters are a good gun.. a bit fussy sometimes but a good gun wrench can make it run 100% ..

I bought my first Steel Master from Dawson.. it NEVER had one problem.. my second one .. had a few FTF.. but brought it to a gun wrench for a little tweaking.... now it runs 100%

might recommend to read this:

http://www.brazoscus...magart/0907.htm

Edited May 12, 2013 by cecil

[yoshidaex]

try a OAL of 1.160 for a JHP

along with the suggestion of a spring change.

[goose2125]

Well when i first got it i struggled to get 250 rnds through it and had enough. So i contacted dawson where i purchased it and they told me i had to give sti 1st crack at fixing it. So sent to richard at sti. He worked on ejector and extractor and replaced recoilmaster with solid guide rod said put 70 rnds through it no hiccups. Got it back and i have been screwin with it since thurs i have put another 380 rnds through it mostly as a single shot. Still no better if im not mistaken i think its gettin worse !!!!!!. If i had hair i would pull it out.

[DRichardson]

Maybe try calling STI and see what their test load is and try duplicating that. That would give you some insight on if it is the ammo or gun.

[818-DVC]

I'm guessing the ejector probablyneeds to be shaped a little too, on top of an AFTEC. If you can't get the gun to run WWB (what it's intended for) by changing the extractor to a real one, send the gun to a custom gunsmith who knows 9's..

I wouldn't be getting upset at the gun. You chose to buy a factory open gun! Did you have it "dawsonized" or had brazos reliability package done? If not, I would recommend it. Everyone who buys their factory STI's through those vendors and get the enhancement package, get a gun that runs like a scalded dog..

[goose2125]

I ordered dawsons crp package and then had them hard chrome it and also upgraded the grip. I ordered this gun dec 3rd and am still screwing around with this thing. Heck as a matter of fact i am still waiting on the 3 more mags i ordered at the same time. Ya i am getting @:'*#*#;'#,

[RocketCity1911]

Lots of good suggestions in this thread:

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=163530&view=getnewpost

In my experience, extractor tension is key for fixing FTE. Not enough and the rounds will fall out of the gun vs flinging out several feet. Too much tension and the slide won't go into battery at all. For FTF, you might need to round off the bottom edge of the extractor so that the new round will have an easier time sliding up the breech face as the gun goes into battery. Don't recommend filing the hook itself, just the area behind the hook where the rim touches. Might want to round off the top edge as well to help the ejector push the the spent case off the extractor. Basically, you're going to have to understand what the rounds are doing to figure out what to tune. Your problem is not uncommon for new guns/parts.

[sandrooney]

I had the same problem with my SM. I sent it back and STI could not fix it. I installed a Brazos tuned ejector, Aftec extractor and Brazos offset vertical mount and never had another problem, it would eat and spit out anything. You already have $4,000 invested go ahead and spend another couple hundred, call it the STI tax. Same as buying a brand new Harley you have to pay the Harley tax to make it right.

Just my experience,

SR

[CocoBolo]

If you are only shooting with one mag, that mag could be the problem, if that is the case try to borrow another one. Sounds like you have enough rounds thru it that it should cycle on its own. If it is an sti mag it needs the spacer in it for shorter OALs, long bening 1.17 and beyond.

The bad mag or extractor can make it not feed, but for those kind of diagnosis we need either detailed description on picutures.

Other little stuff the cause grief, finger or thumb rideing against slide, noodling (less that firm grip), these are exarcebated when the gun is new.

I run all AFTEC in my open guns one of those has over a 100k rounds on it, once right they just run and run a good investment. It isn't a drop in part, needs to be fit properly. You also need to clean the extrator tunnel ever 1000 rounds to keep it working. Rounding the bottom edege is key to a smooth running gun. Little bit of rigg grease on end of barrel, on the lugs and underside of slide where it contacts the plunger, CLP everywhere else. I found that CLP is the best, by trying all different lubes on my CasePro roll sizer, it last longer and does a better job than any other lubricant, that is rolling thousand of rounds at a time.

I run all sidemore mounts but not due to ejection problems, only because I couldn't master the upright, too lazy to practice. However there is a preponderance of evidence that poorly tuned ejectors throw brass into the regular mount, which bounce back into the gun. The easy test for this is to take the mount off and test the gun. (it is probably or should be red loctited on and will need to be heated to get the screews out).

Everone I know with one runs factory ammo, 115gr just about anything, although bob has had trouble with one brand I can't recall which. They run 9 or 10# springs.

While the best know load for this gun is 5.2gr of AutoComp with a 124 and 5.6gr of AutoCom with a 115gr (135pf) about anything should run thru it.

Are you able to hand cylce rounds thru the gun both fast a slow? If so then it becomes it could be a timing issue.

[goose2125]

I have the 126 mag it came with with spacer and dawson also sent me my big stick also with spacer in it both mags do the samething. I am gonna call dawson in the morning since they had me send it to sti first and see what they recommend next. I understand what u guys r saying about changing this and changing that. But to me its like buying a

New race ready bike and getting it home and having to put a new top end in it for u ever get to go to the track !!! I just think that thats bullshit.

[ramairbrc]

My new Trubor purchase in February was a fiasco! I wanted STI to buy it back! I was at the Florida Open, which was why I bought the gun. What a ....

Anyway, fortunately I lived in that area y ears ago and looked up a friend, Paul Whitacre, not only was he a GM but a gunsmith too. Point is, I spent $3,000 on a new gun to shoot the match and it had HAMMER FOLLOW! So, Paul was kind enough to take 3 hours over two nights, for a total of 6 hours to tweak a gun that was advertised as RACE READY. I learned the meaning of "tolerance stacking".

I went on to place third in the shoot off, which was a testament to Paul, not STI. And, that was with 125 gr LEAD bullets, at 177 pf to work the comp.

I know it sounds like good money after bad, but I suggest spending another $500 to $1000 on parts and gunsmith service, and enjoy that gun for the next 5 years!

[Sarge]

But to me its like buying a

New race ready bike and getting it home and having to put a new top end in it for u ever get to go to the track !!! I just think that thats bullshit.

I see you only have 90 posts or so. Maybe you have not been on the forums long enough to have read that this is exactly why guys spend the extra money and have guns built instead of buying stock STI's. Yes, there are going to be a few that have had good luck with stock guns. But the vast majority have problems with them right off the shelf. Send the gun off to a gunsmith such as Cheely, Dawson, Brazos, etc. Then you won't have any more headaches. It's what everybody else ends up doing.

Edited May 13, 2013 by Flexmoney
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