jwhittin Posted November 29, 2022 Share Posted November 29, 2022 All, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break! I have an open gun with only about 3K rounds on it. I checked the accuracy and did an inspection and would like to get some feedback. I did bench testing with 6 different loads at 20 yards and shot multiple groups with each load. I’m getting random outliers from 2” to as much as 5” from the main group. I’m certain they are not due to me. I also see varying group sizes using the same ammo (e.g., 1.5”, 1.6”, then 3” or more). And this happened 4 out of 6 times. I did an inspection and found uneven barrel wear patterns on the lower lugs (see photo). The top lugs look fine but the lower lugs have uneven wear (nitride is worn off one lug but not the other lug). There are also a couple small dings on the outer edge of one of the lugs and I also found the barrel link is elongated by about 0.002”. The manufacturer no longer makes open guns but will repair at cost and do warranty if they deem it’s covered. I am planning to send it back, but the initial feedback from the manufacturer was that it looks like normal wear. This doesn’t seem like normal barrel wear to me. I would appreciate your observations and thoughts. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schaet Posted November 29, 2022 Share Posted November 29, 2022 That is not normal wear by any stretch on the imagination. The wear should be even across both lugs. Also on the non-wear side (as you mentioned) there looks to be an impact of some sort on the lower lug (it looks like a divot), wearing on the link an on the bottom of the ramp. This is concerning. As for the "elongation" if it is on the hole where the slide stop goes through; this is ok. Overall I'd venture to say (without seeing the whole gun) that the barrel is not fit correctly. (disclaimer: I am not pooping on someone else's work, just pointing out what I see as issues and remedy) I'd say start there. There are many other attributes that will affect accuracy (extractor, barrel fit to the slide, breech face ... ), but to start there are issues here to be addressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted November 29, 2022 Share Posted November 29, 2022 That is not normal barrel wear. An improperly fit hood can case that, and the dinging on the unworn side. Alternately, the barrel was not perfectly centered in the slide or the jig when the bottom lugs were cut. Maybe both are problems. I would send the gun back and see what they say. Warranty repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schaet Posted November 29, 2022 Share Posted November 29, 2022 Looking at this even more analytically .. the wear/damage on the one side (non wear lug) is most likely caused from the barrel lug being too high on the wear (top) side causing the barrel to roll/twist to the opposite side; hence causing the wear marks on that side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwhittin Posted November 29, 2022 Author Share Posted November 29, 2022 Thanks for the input. Based on what I see, I also concluded the barrel was not installed properly. I will continue working with the manufacturer and hopefully they will come around after they physically inspect the gun. I don't know why they would say it was normal wear. Maybe trying to lower my expectations... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilrb Posted November 29, 2022 Share Posted November 29, 2022 1 hour ago, jwhittin said: Thanks for the input. Based on what I see, I also concluded the barrel was not installed properly. I will continue working with the manufacturer and hopefully they will come around after they physically inspect the gun. I don't know why they would say it was normal wear. Maybe trying to lower my expectations... Looks like this is why they aren't building Open Guns any longer. Don't think I would want them to touch this if they think this is normal. I would want full reimbursement or pay for repairs from a reputable shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yigal Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 8 hours ago, jwhittin said: Thanks for the input. Based on what I see, I also concluded the barrel was not installed properly. I will continue working with the manufacturer and hopefully they will come around after they physically inspect the gun. I don't know why they would say it was normal wear. Maybe trying to lower my expectations... Probably this is normal for their professional level. Reminds me of similar things from the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeBurgess Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 As above the barrel is not fit very well, also the ding on the non worn side is likely from someone trying to insert the slide stop pin with the barrel not aligned properly. That said, a likely cause for flyers in an open gun is comp strikes, these are much harder to see in the comp than most people think, take a super close look at the comp and if you can see any differences in the look of the holes through the baffles its likely brushing the edge of a bullet every once in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schaet Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 Yes, the comp, forgot it was an open gun. The comp should of been bored aligned to prevent this. Judging by the other issues I'm going with what Mike suggested as an additional potential issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 3 hours ago, schaet said: The comp should of been bored aligned to prevent this. That doesn't help if the comp threads are loose. If they are the odds on getting it clocked and aligned the same way are long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwhittin Posted November 30, 2022 Author Share Posted November 30, 2022 It’s an integrated comp but I’ll check. I sent them new pics and I asked them to re-evaluate there initial assessment. They sent me an RMA no questions asked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konkapot Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 Nobody ever comes BACK once it's been resolved. Please let us know how the story ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 Send it back to STI They've been very good to me on warranty issues Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davsco Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 10 minutes ago, zombywoof said: Send it back to STI They've been very good to me on warranty issues ditto here (assuming the OP's gun is STI). my dvc open was having hammer follow issues. the first time, whatever they did (i think played with sear spring), didn't work for long. but the 2nd time they changed out all the fcg and it's been working fine in the handful of matches since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwhittin Posted December 1, 2022 Author Share Posted December 1, 2022 I'm packing it up now to send it back. I'll post updates. I don't have a backup so will be running COs in the meanwhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwhittin Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 (edited) Hi All, Here is an update as promised! I spoke to the manufacturer today (yes STI). They had to order more 9 major ammo before the Holidays to test my gun and apologized for the delay. The Smith did acknowledge the uneven lower lug wear pattern as a concern. He checked the lockup and said it was still in factory spec. He mentioned the wear pattern favoring a side can be more pronounced due to rotational forces (from barrel twist). I’ve never heard that but yes, there will be rotational forces. I will have to think about that some more. As far as the elongated barrel link, he explained that sometimes they intentionally elongate a link hole a small amount to fine tune the lockup. It has a #4.5 link and I measured a 0.002” elongation in the slide stop hole. He also noted that the slide stop has some unusual wear that could explain the degraded accuracy. The stop had some areas that were flattened so he replaced the side stop with their new more durable part. I suspect it might have a slightly larger diameter too. Bottom Line: He said what he found doesn’t meet their threshold for a complete barrel replacement. WORK COMPLETED Replaced the slide stop with new, more durable slide stop Inspected pistol and checked barrel lockup - Was still within factory spec. Test Fired 4 groups of 3 shots each at 20 yards. All groups measured less than 0.5" center to center and there were no fliers. It’s already on the way back. I will check the accuracy and see what I find. I know they have their process to follow. I’m really glad they stand behind their products! Edited January 24 by jwhittin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superkaratemonkeyfighter Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.jpeg.02cfa736039d7c2422a836985c273500.jpeg)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.