Hunting Washington Forum

Equipment & Gear => Guns and Ammo => Topic started by: scottcrb on May 14, 2014, 02:54:23 PM

Title: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: scottcrb on May 14, 2014, 02:54:23 PM: i have a sig p229 in 9mm. bought it from buddy years ago and always has been a good shooting gun. the question is is there any noticeable difference having a gun smith "tune " it up? action ,slide ,trigger etc. i have noticed that shells wont feed correctly, occasionally jamming in the ejection port instead of loading into chamber from the magazine. also what would a tune up job run and any good gunsmiths in the Seattle area for this kind of work?
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: scottcrb on May 19, 2014, 01:06:21 PM: surprised not one reply yet. i know there are some 9mm guys on here. or even just semi auto pistol guys. competition guys? is any gunsmithing worth it on a factory 9mm sig229?
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: pianoman9701 on May 19, 2014, 01:43:27 PM: Scott,

I'm not great when it comes to knowledge about customizing guns. I know that some guns take longer than others to break-in and that might be a reason for frequent jamming. But it sounds like you've had it for a while. 500 rounds should be enough from new for most semis. You may be over-oiling the slide, as well. Next time you go shooting try a little drier slide. Is your magazine cleaned regularly? How about the ammo? Are you buying it cheap or running good quality loads through it? That's about all I can come up with. for you. We have a good gunsmith down here, but i know you've got some up there. Good luck.
PMan
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: scottcrb on May 19, 2014, 01:47:17 PM: the slide operates fine and isnt over oiled at all if any. i mainly shoot the blazer brass 124gr so i think that should be a descent ammo and the gun has well over 1000 rounds through it. i mainly use my bore snake for cleaning and the occasional through clean and lube. the magazines i have not done any cleaning too and may be an issue i guess but seems to feed OK most of the time.
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: pianoman9701 on May 19, 2014, 01:53:13 PM: If the magazine is dirty, it may feed too slowly or unevenly, and that could cause a jam. Try cleaning and oiling them.
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: scottcrb on May 19, 2014, 01:55:29 PM: yeah ill give that a shot
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: TwoSixFourWins on June 27, 2014, 07:19:28 AM: I would start with a new mag, feed ramp polish (easy DIY). Take it apart and clean the carbon from the slide rails and guide rod. It is possible a new recoil spring would help too but with only 1000 rounds through it I wouldn't imagine it needs it. Basically the top two, new factory mag and a good cleaning inside and out.
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: BirdHunter on June 27, 2014, 08:05:51 AM: Try C.a.R. Firearms in Tukwila - Fred Hastings - does good work - prices are fair.
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: scottcrb on June 27, 2014, 08:20:50 AM: thanks guys i did a real good clean and re-lube and ill let ya know. i do think one of the problems is one mag is not a factory mag and may be a cheaper mag and not have a great spring in it. im gonna try and get a couple more factory mags and try that feed ramp polishing. still wouldn't mind a trigger and sight job on it.
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: cwuwildcat on June 27, 2014, 08:36:32 AM: When you get issues with feeding/ejecting, the issues can be;

1) magazine. Problem with spring, bent lip, dirt/sand inside causing an issue with the follower advancing smoothly, etc...
2) ammo. Just because its 'good ammo' doesn't mean its good for your gun. Try a different brand, round nose vs hollow point, different grain bullet, etc... I've got a .22 that will only feed reliably on one particular brand of formerly inexpensive ammo in one grain.
3) Recoil spring. Did your buddy swap out the original, or did Sig make a change in later years to correct the issue?
4) limp wristing
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: scottcrb on June 27, 2014, 08:47:58 AM: Quote from: cwuwildcat on June 27, 2014, 08:36:32 AM
When you get issues with feeding/ejecting, the issues can be;

1) magazine. Problem with spring, bent lip, dirt/sand inside causing an issue with the follower advancing smoothly, etc...
2) ammo. Just because its 'good ammo' doesn't mean its good for your gun. Try a different brand, round nose vs hollow point, different grain bullet, etc... I've got a .22 that will only feed reliably on one particular brand of formerly inexpensive ammo in one grain.
3) Recoil spring. Did your buddy swap out the original, or did Sig make a change in later years to correct the issue?
4) limp wristing
i have tried a few different ammos in both round and hollow point . the recoil spring i have no idea about, and i know my form isnt great but i dont think limp wristing is the problem. it may very well be the magazine.
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: magnanimous_j on June 27, 2014, 08:58:59 AM: I'd guess the mag. If not that, the recoil spring. I bought an old POS Lama from a buddy for 25 bucks because it would jam every other round. Put a new spring in there and it ran like a top.
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: thinkingman on June 27, 2014, 04:27:08 PM: Quote from: BirdHunter on June 27, 2014, 08:05:51 AM
Try C.a.R. Firearms in Tukwila - Fred Hastings - does good work - prices are fair.
Second...Good guy, seems to know his craft, and very fair pricing.
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: 300rum on June 28, 2014, 03:46:39 PM: Yes, there is a huge difference when you have a good gunsmith "tune" up a pistol.

I wouldn't take it to just any 'ol gunsmith, there aren't any good "general" gunsmith's. There are people who specialize in certain "platforms" and then there are people who tinker and know a little about everything but not much of anything.

I don't know anyone who specializes working with Sigs, that's who you want to find.

As was said earlier, try a new mag and/or new mag springs. You said that it was older so I would change mag springs, I change mine every year as they are really cheap. Pull apart a new mag and compare the spring to your old spring, you will see a pretty big difference. You can also tell by how much easier it is to load to capacity. You can also buy a new mag and compare measurements and see if yours are off.

I personally don't buy "cheap" mags when it comes to pistols. Factory pistol mags are generally the best available. If you continue having mag problems with the same mag, toss the mag, they are just a consumable part.

Recoils springs are consumable too. Replace them every couple of years (at least) and 5000 rounds.

If you have feed problems that aren't mag related and you think you have an actual mechanical problem with the pistol, try calling Sig first and possibly send it back to them to look at.
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: JJB11B on June 28, 2014, 03:50:10 PM: also replacing the springs in the magazine and weapon and making sure the feed lips on the magazines arent damaged make all the difference in the world

EDIT__should have read the previous post. :tup:
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: HawkCreek on June 28, 2014, 04:14:10 PM: If it's an aftermarket magazine I'd say it's suspect. Older Sigs are usually quite well made, accurate and reliable (at least that's been my experience). But Sig's in general do like to be run wet. When I carried a P220 I greased the slide as well as kept the rails oiled, the thing ran like a well oiled German machine...
Title: Re: 9mm pistol gunsmithing
Post by: Bofire on June 28, 2014, 08:00:26 PM: :) everyone has a story, I bought two .40 sigs, used, Neither one ever worked well nor were they accurate. I sold em, the guy I sold them to, sold them.
good luck!
Carl