Lots of failures to fire with Sig p220 yesterday.

[threeheadeddog]

I have a P220 Combat TB that I shot about 1500rds+/- twords the middle of last year. I havent shot it much since except to remove some pests from the back yard every now and then. I pretty much got it filthy then just let it sit for the last 4-5 months. Also a large portion of the 1500rds was shot suppressed.

So fast forward to last week when I found a set of older sig p220 grips(it seem most 220's these days ship with thin grips which I dont like) and decided to take it out. Around the end of the shooting it had a click instead of boom, but I just pulled the trigger again and it went off. So fearing that it was having issues I took it with me to the range yesterday and had somewhere in the realm of 6 FTFire. This is very displeasing. I checked the primers and they had much more shallow hits on them.

I did completly take it apart, and while it was filthy I didnt find the mounds of crap in the firing pin channel I was expecting/hoping. I did clean it up, but still worry that something might be wrong. I checked the firing pin and firing pin safty thingy for wear or drag marks but didnt see any. The springs seamed fine. The gun seemed uneventfully good. I was hoping to find a smoking gun as to where the problem was.

So I guess basically I am asking what could have happened? Could it be that the firing pin channel had never be cleaned in 1500rds with most of the rds being shot with a crud enhancer on(suppressor) then left for months? Could it have something to do with the grips being replaced(dont think so but it is the only change I can think that happened to the gun)?

I will take it out tomarrow and shoot 100rds or so after my IDPA match to see if the cleaning worked but I worry that it didnt.

Also forgive my rambling I think and talk much clearer than I type:confused:

[lethal dose]

This could very well be ammo related and no fault of the weapon's. What kind of ammo were you putting through it?

[threeheadeddog]

I was shooting wally world 100rd value pack. However, the first FTF was last week out of a partial box left over from last year. The 6 or so yesterda y was from a freshly bought box I picked up just last thursday. My personal feeling is that it is a gun problem as the primer hits looked shallow.

[lethal dose]

I would make sure the firing pin channel is clean. Also, clean and lube all firing mechanism related springs. Does your hammer drop seem weak?

[threeheadeddog]

I just cleaned it. I checked the hammer and using my very precise sense of guesstimation I would say it seemed slightly weaker than my P229 but it still seems as stiff as it has ever been.

[lethal dose]

Strange. Do you happen to have any replacement springs? If not, for what they cost... it might be worth trying. The whole 1500 round thing is what baffled me. How was it stored? Climate? Condition (locked and loaded?)? Even still, that shouldn't matter much.

[threeheadeddog]

Ok just as a test I did the old pencil test and it was going about 20inches in the air(this after the cleaning I didnt think to do it before, though the FTF was periodic not every time).

[lethal dose]

Shoot it and get back to me. The cleaning may have helped. I'll contact my smith in the meantime for further advise.

[xray 99]

Could the grip change be responsible? I ask because my old 220 will not accept new 220 Nill wood grips. The mainspring housing is slightly different.

[threeheadeddog]

Well I just put another 100rds through it without problems. I think/hope that it was just a cleaning issue. The firing pin lifter block thing was pretty dirty.

[lethal dose]

Well I just put another 100rds through it without problems. I think/hope that it was just a cleaning issue. The firing pin lifter block thing was pretty dirty.
Keep us posted!

[warpigM-4]

I had a 9mm P220 Back in 87-88 and was not really up on cleaning my weapons and had the same problem.the Firing pin got all gummed up and I started cleaning on a regular bases after that

[Surf]

It this is not related to a dirty weapon read on.

Is this a DA/SA model with decocker? One of the biggest non-mechanical reasons for light primer strikes are a persons grip. Since you changed your grips this could be a problem. I know that the Hogue grips have given some guys issues. If you have a decocker version and you slightly ride the decocker with your hand, giving slight downward pressure when pulling the trigger, you will get different depths of light primer strikes on a failure to fire.

If the grips or your grip isn't the issue, besides a possible dirty weapon or similar, mechanical problems that may cause light primer strikes are commonly a trigger bar spring, hammer strut, mainspring or decocker spring. Might be possible something didn't go well when you swapped grips.

If the problem recurs, make sure you isolate your grip away from the decocker to eliminate that, then you might look into swapping back the old grip. Then look into mechanical issues starting with what I mentioned.

[Rinspeed]

I agree with Surf that it's the grips, I can't really remember but at some point they changed slightly and one of the springs will rub on it slowly the hammer down.

[skyugo]

perhaps the grime was making it hard for the slide to go fully into battery. that could give you light strikes.

[SkiDevil]

It this is not related to a dirty weapon read on.

Is this a DA/SA model with decocker? One of the biggest non-mechanical reasons for light primer strikes are a persons grip. Since you changed your grips this could be a problem.

Might be possible something didn't go well when you swapped grips.

[T]hen you might look into swapping back the old grip.

WHAT HE SAID.

I completely agree with Surf and Rinspeed about the GRIPS.

I have owned three SIG 220 .45s and can attest to the fact that finding aftermarket grips or different style grips can be difficult. I have been told by SIG that there have been changes made to the grip/ frame of the 220 over the years (Dimensions/ size, etc.).

Case in point, I ordered a pair of "Thin-Grips" from SIG and though they fit my standard 220 American .45 ACP, the grips would not fit a friends 220 ST .45 ACP pistol. The grips had to be heavily modified for the grips to work.

I would also strongly suggest simply putting the original grips back onto the pistol and TEST FIRE it again to see if that was the problem.

If the gun functions properly, then you know what the problem and save yourself time and money.

SkiDevil

P.S. FWIW, a close friend and associate who works in a fairly large agency where the Standard SIG 220 is issued informed me that one of the largest reasons for malfunctions with the 220 .45 during re-qualifications was simply a lack of lubrication. Aside from that, when other problems have occurred, simply replacing all of the springs/ pins typically solved the problem. This should be down with any SIG pistol every 5K rounds.

Also, as long as the gun is kept lubed and the chambered brushed occasionally, a SIG Classic P-series pistol can run quite a while before it won't function. I have a 226 9mm that is my range gun only and have let it go more than 1500 rounds without a thorough cleaning and it functioned properly. But, perhaps shooting the gun with a suppressor is a different matter.

[threeheadeddog]

Looking at it again it is very possible that I was riding the decocker. I did look for rub marks on the inside of the grips and didnt see any however I will keep this in mind.

[markm]

Both 220s I've shot had light primer strikes that DID NOT fire upon a second or third pull of the trigger. Neither did it chronically, but enough to make me wonder.

In both cases I took the round out of the Sig and put it in my old Norinco 1911 and fired it without a problem.

[rojocorsa]

Both 220s I've shot had light primer strikes that DID NOT fire upon a second or third pull of the trigger. Neither did it chronically, but enough to make me wonder.

In both cases I took the round out of the Sig and put it in my old Norinco 1911 and fired it without a problem.



I used the "search" to come across this thread.

I borrowed a P220 in .45 Auto over the weekend and I got a shit load of light primer strikes. (And when they did go off, the primer dents weren't that big either).

Now, this gun does have nice grippy Houges. However, I am left hand and I shoot with a left handed grip so there is no way in hell I could ride the decocker.


It's strange. The .45 shot fine out of the 1911 I had, so I know it's not my ammo.

As an aside, the gun was shooting lower than it should be. I know it wasn't me because I was shooting OK with some of the other guns I brought including a snub-nosed revolver.

But this gun was shooting way lower than I was with the 1911s or Snub. Weird.

[maw1777]

It's not the ammo. Any quality handgun will shoot any amo without any failures.

Send it back to Sig for warranty repair.

[Vendetta]

It's not the ammo. Any quality handgun will shoot any amo without any failures.

Send it back to Sig for warranty repair.

No. We have had quite a few issues that have been ammo related with our Sigs. Manufacturers can still put out bad lots of ammo, especially with how they've been pushing it out lately.

[dash1]

I have a P226 that came with a set of Pachmayr grips that caused the pistol to misfire. It was as if the trigger was dead. I put the original grips back on and sold the Pachmayr grips and have had no issues since.

[Surf]

Remove the Hogue grips and move forward.