Seriously considering open. Reliability concerns!

[CHA-LEE]

For cleaner I like to use CRC QD Electronic Cleaner. This stuff cleans burnt powder, oil, and grease really well while also being plastic safe. You can find it at pretty much any Walmart or Auto Parts store. Brushing and wiping the mag tubes is absolutely not enough cleaning effort as the burnt powder will coat the inside of the tube making it have much more friction than it should. Spray out the mag tubes with the QD Electronic Cleaner then brush it hard with a mag brush. After that spray the inside of the tube with a Teflon based dry lube. I personally like to use the Liquid Wrench Dry Lube but there are many others on the market that will work as well. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/CRC-05103-Electronic-Cleaner-11/dp/B000BXOGNI

 

The swipe on the feed ramp looks like its hitting the correct place but the vertical height of the swipe looks larger than it should be meaning that there may be some slow registration of the next round. It could also be due to your mags all having different feed lip widths as that will cause the tip of the bullet to hit the feed ramp at different heights. The other thing to consider is the "Sharpness" of the leading edge on the chamber. the leading edge of the inner diameter of the chamber should be slightly rounded  to help minimize the chance of the tip of the bullet catching on it. Your picture looks like the leading edge of the chamber is pretty sharp.

[B_RAD]

Thank you @CHA-LEE. I really appreciate your input. 

 

I will try all that and update.  

 

 

[theWacoKid]

While you're doing all this, take the top end off and insert those loaded mags in your grip.  How it sits in the system is most important.

[Posvar]

1 minute ago, theWacoKid said:

While you're doing all this, take the top end off and insert those loaded mags in your grip.  How it sits in the system is most important.

Ben, what should we be looking for good or bad when doing this?

 

[theWacoKid]

1 minute ago, Posvar said:

Ben, what should we be looking for good or bad when doing this?

 

Height, angles, and twist.  Ideally you want a mag that runs for a baseline.  Feed lips that are the right dimension are great, but if they're not true to the centerline of the gun you'll have inconsistent, uncontrolled feeding.

[Bravo_Victor]

I know its not a 2011 but the Czechmate is as reliable as it gets out of the box with no tinkering around. It just straight works

[Silverscooby27]

Everything is reliable.......until it is not reliable.  

[B_RAD]

6 hours ago, Bravo_Victor said:

I know its not a 2011 but the Czechmate is as reliable as it gets out of the box with no tinkering around. It just straight works

A friend of mine would disagree.  His never ran well. 

 

Though, I would agree that usually they seem to be good to go. 

[Bravo_Victor]

19 minutes ago, B_RAD said:

A friend of mine would disagree.  His never ran well. 

 

Though, I would agree that usually they seem to be good to go. 

The main issue is the tight chamber. As long as you dont load them too long they are good to go. I ran major, minor, sub minor (115pf), factory ammo and it seemed to cycle and function just fine as long as you used the appropriate spring weight. But for the majority, they are known to work pretty well straight from the box. 

[B_RAD]

1 hour ago, Bravo_Victor said:

The main issue is the tight chamber. As long as you dont load them too long they are good to go. I ran major, minor, sub minor (115pf), factory ammo and it seemed to cycle and function just fine as long as you used the appropriate spring weight. But for the majority, they are known to work pretty well straight from the box. 

It may have been his ammo, IDK?

 

His is the only one I've seen not run. 

Edited April 10, 2019 by B_RAD

[Unregistered]

I have yet to see a Czechmate or a Tanfog open gun run without a jam in a match.

[CHA-LEE]

The root cause to poor gun functionality is rarely 1 single thing, such as "Its the GUN". It could be the gun, but it also could be the ammo, mags, or self inflicted by the shooter. If you want to shoot Open guns with reliable functionality you MUST understand what is required to make every sub component work properly with one another. Then maintain a sufficient level of proactive maintenance and tuning to keep it running reliably. 

 

If that is too much for you then don't shoot Open and expect it to work reliably.

[zzt]

 

1 hour ago, Unregistered said:

I have yet to see a Czechmate or a Tanfog open gun run without a jam in a match.

 

Well, I shoot with three guys who run Czechmates, and they have no problems.  One of them, a Rudy Project shooter, is always on my squad.  The other two often are.

[zzt]

To Cha-Lee's earlier point about cleaning mags.  I do and have noticed the new Gen 2 STI mags pick up more powder debris than MBX mags.

[B_RAD]

3 hours ago, CHA-LEE said:

The root cause to poor gun functionality is rarely 1 single thing, such as "Its the GUN". It could be the gun, but it also could be the ammo, mags, or self inflicted by the shooter. If you want to shoot Open guns with reliable functionality you MUST understand what is required to make every sub component work properly with one another. Then maintain a sufficient level of proactive maintenance and tuning to keep it running reliably. 

 

If that is too much for you then don't shoot Open and expect it to work reliably.

Trying to figure out how much this will be. 

 

I'm not really that interested in constantly tweaking/tuning stuff. 

 

 

 

 

[zzt]

B, you are not constantly tweaking or tuning stuff.  You are just paying attention.  A lot of times you get a tip that something is going south, and can fix it before you have a problem at a match.  I clean and inspect my guns before every match.  You can see if there is any unusual wear, do safety checks, etc.  I don't clean my mags quite as often as Cha-Lee.  Every couple matches is fine for me.  I shoot clean powder, so they don't get soiled as much.  Once a month completely disassemble the slide and clean all the gunk out of the firing pin and extractor channels.

 

The main thing is to keep everything clean and lubed.  If it is a dry dusty day, or raining, I put a gun cover over my gun.  If I drop a mag in dust, it gets disassembled and all parts cleaned and brushed, including ammo, before it goes into the gun again.  If I drop one in mud, It doesn't get used again that match. 

 

Some things just break all at once.  I carry an extra tuned extractor and ejector with me.  Same with springs and a firing pin.

[B_RAD]

Shot 500 rnds problem free. 

 

Seems mags had weak springs and feedlips were off center just a little. 

 

Here's a pic of feed ramp after 100 rnds using a friend's tuned mag. 

 

 

Edited April 15, 2019 by B_RAD

[zzt]

perfect.

[B_RAD]

Now I think I'm just going to shoot CO. 

Edited April 15, 2019 by B_RAD

[zzt]

Why give up now?  You've got a head start on sorting things out.

[B_RAD]

27 minutes ago, zzt said:

Why give up now?  You've got a head start on sorting things out.

Yeah..  I think open is more work than I want to do at the moment. 

[MemphisMechanic]

On 9/23/2018 at 9:14 PM, B_RAD said:

 I've always wanted to shoot open just been nervous because of cost and it seems that nobodys open gun runs 100%.

 

You should have listened to yourself.

[B_RAD]

5 minutes ago, MemphisMechanic said:

 

You should have listened to yourself.

Dude, you know me!

[Furrly]

Come on Brother it is not that Bad!!

[MemphisMechanic]

3 minutes ago, B_RAD said:

Dude, you know me!

 

Yes. Any excuse to switch divisions, you will jump on.  

 

EDIT: especially if it means switching guns too!

 

Edited April 15, 2019 by MemphisMechanic