Gunsmith question

Gene L

Shot the Star BM9 today, me and a buddy with two different magazines.  I had to drift the sight to the right, acceptable accuracy, but on two occasions the slide locked back when it shouldn't have.  Just with me, not my buddy, and I'm not sure we were using the same magazine so I can't discount a bad magazine (if that's possible.)  I could have been limp wristinig, but I don't think so.  Very 1911-ish.  Any suggestions except more research.

mitdr774

Is it possible that you were somehow putting any upward pressure on the slide release lever?

Gene L

I don't think so.  Pretty strong lever.

Accipiter

mitdr774 said:

Is it possible that you were somehow putting any upward pressure on the slide release lever?

my first thoughts also.

mitdr774

Gene L said:

I don't think so.  Pretty strong lever.

It was just a thought.  I have not had that happen to me before, but I did watch a guy with bigger hands have it happen to him several times in one magazine.

Gene L

My thumb is at least 1" from the slide release and I can barely touch it with my thumb if I try when the slide is back.  It's a very tight recoil spring, too...have to use two thumbs to release the slide release.   So I have to eliminate that possibility.  For now at least.

On another board, I read of the same problem from a guy.  Same thoughts; he swore he didn't thumb it up either. No consensus there, either.

Gene L

Advice is to clean the thing, which probably hasn't been done since 1978. I'll do that tomorrow.  It's a simple design, after all and pretty well known for reliability.  I was shooting FMJ.

Could have been my left thumb pushing up on the slide release....hadn't thought about that.

Bigslug

Shoot it with the same mag left handed.  Then you'll know if it's you or the gun.

Gene L

I shot it with my right hand only.  It did fine, but that was just a function test.  I need to put a lot of rounds down range, both to check out the reliability and improve my pisspoor shooting.