SA35 HI-Power clone. (Page 2 of 2)
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Originally Posted By metalmelter: I know a guy that can make perfection better.  https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/472009/IMG_6857-3368544.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/472009/IMG_6953-3368542.jpg So, tell us more on the frame work and finish, etc. |
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Finally took mine out to shoot for the first time, and subsequently filed and polished the trigger parts after finding the gritty creep a bit too much for my liking. Succeeded in removing 90% of the creep, but the weight remains a bit too much. Anyone know what weight hammer spring these ship with? Recommendations for a lighter one? FWIW, shooting in gale-force winds isn't conducive to good accuracy. I'm not showing my groups, lol. ETA> as this was the first time I have taken apart a Hi Power ever, it wasn't until now that I saw why the safety is so mushy- the plunger spring is way under-powered. It was nice to not have to fight it when putting it back together again four times yesterday, but sheesh. Looked for a replacement on Midway, but nada. ETAx2> Oh, and I had one failure to extract. The very last of 73 total rounds fired. Thought they fixed that problem..... |
And then, he arrives at the last item on his bucket list...
| The spring for the safety detent for the new FN High Power abomination is a good replacement for the SA-35 spring. The tunnel is too long for a regular Hi Power spring. Really helped the mushy safety. |
I don't know how this works, but I nominate Joker and Fluffy for arfcom sainthood.
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Originally Posted By metalmelter: I know a guy that can make perfection better. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/472009/IMG_6857-3368544.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/472009/IMG_6953-3368542.jpg Over exaggerated beaver tails on Hi Powers are just gross! 
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Originally Posted By hollowhandle: The spring for the safety detent for the new FN High Power abomination is a good replacement for the SA-35 spring. The tunnel is too long for a regular Hi Power spring. Really helped the mushy safety. I just now snipped off the very tip of a WD-40 straw, and poked it into the hole. Worked like a champ. |
And then, he arrives at the last item on his bucket list...
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Originally Posted By GySgt_D: I just now snipped off the very tip of a WD-40 straw, and poked it into the hole. Worked like a champ. Originally Posted By GySgt_D: Originally Posted By hollowhandle: The spring for the safety detent for the new FN High Power abomination is a good replacement for the SA-35 spring. The tunnel is too long for a regular Hi Power spring. Really helped the mushy safety. I just now snipped off the very tip of a WD-40 straw, and poked it into the hole. Worked like a champ.  You're relying on a plastic straw for the operation of your safety? |
I sell firearms produced by the finest child labor in the world, be it Filipino, Muslim, Mormon, Arizonan, or Texan.
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It was for troubleshooting. Since the issue appeared to be that the hole was drilled too deep, I fabricated a spacer out of a revolutionary material that resists degradation from contact with petroleum products, while being corrosion resistant. |
And then, he arrives at the last item on his bucket list...
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90 rds of assorted 115gr fmj today. One failure to eject. All of the brass is pretty much dribbling out at my feet, with much of it hitting me in the forehead. Maybe this is common with weak-ish target ammo? 10 meters. 19 rounds. Attached File Trigger is much better now after I butchered it with a file and Dremel. Safety works good now as well. Finally was able to unholster it with it still being engaged, which is nice. Attached File |
And then, he arrives at the last item on his bucket list...
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Added VZ grips and skater tape to the front strap, amazingly good in the hand, Ive owned belgium HP's before. The SA-35 in my opinion is the best iteration of it available today. Attached File |
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l took my SA-35 to the range and it shot very nice. Pistol was flawless, trigger was very good. It's a keeper. I plan to leave it just as it is. I ordered two consecutive serial numbered pistols and gave one to my son. Now we're are both happy. |
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Originally Posted By mark5pt56: So, tell us more on the frame work and finish, etc. Finish is parkerized to duplicate the original finish. The framework consisted of stippling and adding the beaver tail. Other than that, it was trigger, sear, hammer, and sights. That's what I remember off the top of my head. |
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Just picked up a barely used SA-35 for $400. I like it a lot, the trigger does suck though. It’s a good shooter. Attached File |
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Originally Posted By GySgt_D: Finally took mine out to shoot for the first time, and subsequently filed and polished the trigger parts after finding the gritty creep a bit too much for my liking. Succeeded in removing 90% of the creep, but the weight remains a bit too much. Anyone know what weight hammer spring these ship with? Recommendations for a lighter one? FWIW, shooting in gale-force winds isn't conducive to good accuracy. I'm not showing my groups, lol. ETA> as this was the first time I have taken apart a Hi Power ever, it wasn't until now that I saw why the safety is so mushy- the plunger spring is way under-powered. It was nice to not have to fight it when putting it back together again four times yesterday, but sheesh. Looked for a replacement  on Midway, but nada.ETAx2> Oh, and I had one failure to extract. The very last of 73 total rounds fired. Thought they fixed that problem..... My SA 35 started with failures to extract. Got worse and I smoothed the profile on the extractor hook. That seemed to help until the hook broke off. A new extractor should deliver from Cylinder and Slide in 2 days. Extraction reliability doesn't seem to be a priority at Springfield. I had to replace the extractor, spring and "doughnut" on my Springer Saint Victor AR pistol last week after only a few hundred rounds. Love both of the above, however. Both are well made, fitted and finished and very, very accurate. Just need to get them running reliably. |
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Originally Posted By elmanotejas: My SA 35 started with failures to extract. Got worse and I smoothed the profile on the extractor hook. That seemed to help until the hook broke off. A new extractor should deliver from Cylinder and Slide in 2 days. Extraction reliability doesn't seem to be a priority at Springfield. I had to replace the extractor, spring and "doughnut" on my Springer Saint Victor AR pistol last week after only a few hundred rounds. Love both of the above, however. Both are well made, fitted and finished and very, very accurate. Just need to get them running reliably. UPDATE: Installed the Cylinder and Slide extractor and extractor spring, tested at the range and SA-35 ejected smoothly. Forgot to mention that I opened the extractor channel slightly with a tiny file because the edges of the side serrations were dragging on the original extractor. |
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I took mine out again 2 days ago. The first 25-30 rounds ran smoothly. Then, a failure to extract .... about ten more run smooth then about 8 consecutive fail to extract, then several more rounds - o.k. I've never had a firearm do this. Same mag, same ammo. They either work or don't. Never o.k for a spell, then not, then o.k. again. At this point I'm pretty disgusted. I highly suspect a heavier mainspring might make the difference. Some research seems to support this. The SA35 supposedly comes with a 17 lb. mainspring but they often test out at 15-16 lbs due to manufacturing discrepancies. Research suggests an 18lb or possibly a 20lb which would slow the slide enough to allow the extractor hook a little more time to engage the cartridge rim. Cylinder & Slide has a 17lb spring and Wolff has various wts 18lb and up. Also,feed ramp and face of chamber were scorched. Not enough spring force to lock up completely? |
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That's crazy! I've had mine two and a half years now and it's been 100% with the original mag and half a doze Mec-gars. It's been so good it's still bone stock like the day l bought it. It's a mid-26000 serial number. |
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Originally Posted By elmanotejas: My apologies. I keep saying "mainspring" when I mean "recoil spring" Originally Posted By elmanotejas: Originally Posted By GySgt_D: I would be very interested in seeing if the new mainspring helps. Mine is definitely relegated to range-toy status until this ejection issue is resolved. My apologies. I keep saying "mainspring" when I mean "recoil spring" In the Hi Power, both the recoil spring and hammer main spring have an effect on cycle speed and recoil impulse of the gun. |
I don't know how this works, but I nominate Joker and Fluffy for arfcom sainthood.
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Originally Posted By elmanotejas: I took mine out again 2 days ago. The first 25-30 rounds ran smoothly. Then, a failure to extract .... about ten more run smooth then about 8 consecutive fail to extract, then several more rounds - o.k. I've never had a firearm do this. Same mag, same ammo. They either work or don't. Never o.k for a spell, then not, then o.k. again. At this point I'm pretty disgusted. I highly suspect a heavier mainspring might make the difference. Some research seems to support this. The SA35 supposedly comes with a 17 lb. mainspring but they often test out at 15-16 lbs due to manufacturing discrepancies. Research suggests an 18lb or possibly a 20lb which would slow the slide enough to allow the extractor hook a little more time to engage the cartridge rim. Cylinder & Slide has a 17lb spring and Wolff has various wts 18lb and up. Also,feed ramp and face of chamber were scorched. Not enough spring force to lock up completely? So, basically the slide is opening before the pressure has adequately dropped (ie a mis-timed recoil cycle)? Yikes, if true... Even though you replaced the extractor and extractor spring, I'd still try to send that back to Springfield for a warranty service if I were you. |
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Originally Posted By NN300BLK: So, basically the slide is opening before the pressure has adequately dropped (ie a mis-timed recoil cycle)? Yikes, if true... Even though you replaced the extractor and extractor spring, I'd still try to send that back to Springfield for a warranty service if I were you. This seems logical. There is usually a powder scorch mark on the feeding ramp and breech face. This may be a clue to what you said. I still want to try it out with the stronger slide spring, hoping it will be the solution. I'm not sure Springfield would honor the warranty after my mods. |
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Originally Posted By elmanotejas: This seems logical. There is usually a powder scorch mark on the feeding ramp and breech face. This may be a clue to what you said. I still want to try it out with the stronger slide spring, hoping it will be the solution. I'm not sure Springfield would honor the warranty after my mods. Originally Posted By elmanotejas: Originally Posted By NN300BLK: So, basically the slide is opening before the pressure has adequately dropped (ie a mis-timed recoil cycle)? Yikes, if true... Even though you replaced the extractor and extractor spring, I'd still try to send that back to Springfield for a warranty service if I were you. This seems logical. There is usually a powder scorch mark on the feeding ramp and breech face. This may be a clue to what you said. I still want to try it out with the stronger slide spring, hoping it will be the solution. I'm not sure Springfield would honor the warranty after my mods. Could this be ammo related? I had the same issues with my SA-35 failing to extract. Originally, I shot about 200 rounds of Magtech 115 FMJ and it performed flawlessly. I then took it back to the range and shot the cheap Remington UMC 115 grain that comes in the white plastic 350 round bucket. It then started to FTE. I then ordered the new extractor and spring from Cylinder & Slide. I carefully inspected the channel in the slide where the extractor sits to make sure it was clean and true of any metal from milling, it was clean and no burs. I just got back from the range and shot the suspect Remington UMC bulk ammo and after about 1 or 2 mags it started again, 1 round every mag. I then substituted a better quality Remington ammo and it went away. I am going to try some other brands and see if it comes back. That’s been my experience. |
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Originally Posted By rebel_rifle: Could this be ammo related? I had the same issues with my SA-35 failing to extract. Originally, I shot about 200 rounds of Magtech 115 FMJ and it performed flawlessly. I then took it back to the range and shot the cheap Remington UMC 115 grain that comes in the white plastic 350 round bucket. It then started to FTE. I then ordered the new extractor and spring from Cylinder & Slide. I carefully inspected the channel in the slide where the extractor sits to make sure it was clean and true of any metal from milling, it was clean and no burs. I just got back from the range and shot the suspect Remington UMC bulk ammo and after about 1 or 2 mags it started again, 1 round every mag. I then substituted a better quality Remington ammo and it went away. I am going to try some other brands and see if it comes back. That’s been my experience. I've tried 115gr FMJ Win. white box, 129 gr Blazer Brass and 129 gr Monarch Brass NATO + diff. mags, with the same results., but sometimes several FTE's in a row. I'm about fed up with this thing. |
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Attached File This is my Charles Daly. I have read these were assembled by Don Wesson/CZ. Dont know much about it other than i gave $300 for it. Shoots ok. |
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Originally Posted By rebel_rifle: Could this be ammo related? I had the same issues with my SA-35 failing to extract. Originally, I shot about 200 rounds of Magtech 115 FMJ and it performed flawlessly. I then took it back to the range and shot the cheap Remington UMC 115 grain that comes in the white plastic 350 round bucket. It then started to FTE. I then ordered the new extractor and spring from Cylinder & Slide. I carefully inspected the channel in the slide where the extractor sits to make sure it was clean and true of any metal from milling, it was clean and no burs. I just got back from the range and shot the suspect Remington UMC bulk ammo and after about 1 or 2 mags it started again, 1 round every mag. I then substituted a better quality Remington ammo and it went away. I am going to try some other brands and see if it comes back. That’s been my experience. I've had that happen with some Blazer Brass .380. Every 3rd or 4th magazine would fail to extract. I'd try taking apart the gun and clean it (just removing the fouling with a cloth and reapplying the oil) after each failure and it didn't seem to help. It would even happen in another .380. But if I changed to a higher quality ammo, everything would cycle no problem. That being said, I don't recall seeing scorch marks on the breach faces or feed ramps. |
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Originally Posted By NN300BLK: I've had that happen with some Blazer Brass .380. Every 3rd or 4th magazine would fail to extract. I'd try taking apart the gun and clean it (just removing the fouling with a cloth and reapplying the oil) after each failure and it didn't seem to help. It would even happen in another .380. But if I changed to a higher quality ammo, everything would cycle no problem. That being said, I don't recall seeing scorch marks on the breach faces or feed ramps. Originally Posted By NN300BLK: Originally Posted By rebel_rifle: Could this be ammo related? I had the same issues with my SA-35 failing to extract. Originally, I shot about 200 rounds of Magtech 115 FMJ and it performed flawlessly. I then took it back to the range and shot the cheap Remington UMC 115 grain that comes in the white plastic 350 round bucket. It then started to FTE. I then ordered the new extractor and spring from Cylinder & Slide. I carefully inspected the channel in the slide where the extractor sits to make sure it was clean and true of any metal from milling, it was clean and no burs. I just got back from the range and shot the suspect Remington UMC bulk ammo and after about 1 or 2 mags it started again, 1 round every mag. I then substituted a better quality Remington ammo and it went away. I am going to try some other brands and see if it comes back. That’s been my experience. I've had that happen with some Blazer Brass .380. Every 3rd or 4th magazine would fail to extract. I'd try taking apart the gun and clean it (just removing the fouling with a cloth and reapplying the oil) after each failure and it didn't seem to help. It would even happen in another .380. But if I changed to a higher quality ammo, everything would cycle no problem. That being said, I don't recall seeing scorch marks on the breach faces or feed ramps. I took it out again this morning and tried it first with the three brands of ammo I memtioned above including Fed. 124 gr. HST + P. I started with the rediculously heavy 18.5 lb. C&S recoil spring.... nope. Took off a coil ... nope. Took off another ... nope, switched back to springfield spring ... nope added a 0.050 thick ring washer ...nope. No matter what I try, it won't run a full mag of anything. Stangely, it seems to get progressively worse with every mag. It choked on the first HST. I'm through wasting ammo on this piece of shit. It doesn't even weight enough to serve as a boat anchor. |
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I love the Browning Hi Power and have owned about a half dozen of them since the '60's. The last one I owned was a 2010 Centennial that I gave to my son because I was worried that I might become bored with it and trade it off. My son never acquired the bad habit of selling or trading his guns. I paid $799.00 for it new at a North Dallas gun/pawn shop. They had a stack of them in their stock room. I saw one NIB on Gun Broker yesterday for $3000.00! I've been retired for 20 yrs and can't justify the cost of a decent used. That leaves the clones. I tried a Girsan first. It functioned perfectly and reliably but printed shotgun sized groups at short range and had a goofy front sight I couldn't live with. Many like the Inglis but I I see some reports of issues with them, as well. I guess it's time to give up on Hi Powers and look at other options. |
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Originally Posted By elmanotejas: I took it out again this morning and tried it first with the three brands of ammo I memtioned above including Fed. 124 gr. HST + P. I started with the rediculously heavy 18.5 lb. C&S recoil spring.... nope. Took off a coil ... nope. Took off another ... nope, switched back to springfield spring ... nope added a 0.050 thick ring washer ...nope. No matter what I try, it won't run a full mag of anything. Stangely, it seems to get progressively worse with every mag. It choked on the first HST. I'm through wasting ammo on this piece of shit. It doesn't even weight enough to serve as a boat anchor. It sounds like there's probably an issue that should be fixed. If it's going to be a safe queen or you'll be taking a wash on selling it, it is probably worth the time to call up Springfield and talk to them about it, no? I've had them fix a defective sight on a gun that was used-- when I called them up just to ask where to buy a replacement sight (I explained the entire situation) they had me send it in and fixed it for no charge even after I offered to pay. I don't know what they will tell you and your mileage may vary. Nonetheless, SA's customer service has been exceptional in my experience. |
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Originally Posted By NN300BLK: It sounds like there's probably an issue that should be fixed. If it's going to be a safe queen or you'll be taking a wash on selling it, it is probably worth the time to call up Springfield and talk to them about it, no? I've had them fix a defective sight on a gun that was used-- when I called them up just to ask where to buy a replacement sight (I explained the entire situation) they had me send it in and fixed it for no charge even after I offered to pay. I don't know what they will tell you and your mileage may vary. Nonetheless, SA's customer service has been exceptional in my experience. Originally Posted By NN300BLK: Originally Posted By elmanotejas: I took it out again this morning and tried it first with the three brands of ammo I memtioned above including Fed. 124 gr. HST + P. I started with the rediculously heavy 18.5 lb. C&S recoil spring.... nope. Took off a coil ... nope. Took off another ... nope, switched back to springfield spring ... nope added a 0.050 thick ring washer ...nope. No matter what I try, it won't run a full mag of anything. Stangely, it seems to get progressively worse with every mag. It choked on the first HST. I'm through wasting ammo on this piece of shit. It doesn't even weight enough to serve as a boat anchor. It sounds like there's probably an issue that should be fixed. If it's going to be a safe queen or you'll be taking a wash on selling it, it is probably worth the time to call up Springfield and talk to them about it, no? I've had them fix a defective sight on a gun that was used-- when I called them up just to ask where to buy a replacement sight (I explained the entire situation) they had me send it in and fixed it for no charge even after I offered to pay. I don't know what they will tell you and your mileage may vary. Nonetheless, SA's customer service has been exceptional in my experience. You're right, it's probably worth a try. |
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Originally Posted By NN300BLK: It sounds like there's probably an issue that should be fixed. If it's going to be a safe queen or you'll be taking a wash on selling it, it is probably worth the time to call up Springfield and talk to them about it, no? I've had them fix a defective sight on a gun that was used-- when I called them up just to ask where to buy a replacement sight (I explained the entire situation) they had me send it in and fixed it for no charge even after I offered to pay. I don't know what they will tell you and your mileage may vary. Nonetheless, SA's customer service has been exceptional in my experience. Originally Posted By NN300BLK: Originally Posted By elmanotejas: I took it out again this morning and tried it first with the three brands of ammo I memtioned above including Fed. 124 gr. HST + P. I started with the rediculously heavy 18.5 lb. C&S recoil spring.... nope. Took off a coil ... nope. Took off another ... nope, switched back to springfield spring ... nope added a 0.050 thick ring washer ...nope. No matter what I try, it won't run a full mag of anything. Stangely, it seems to get progressively worse with every mag. It choked on the first HST. I'm through wasting ammo on this piece of shit. It doesn't even weight enough to serve as a boat anchor. It sounds like there's probably an issue that should be fixed. If it's going to be a safe queen or you'll be taking a wash on selling it, it is probably worth the time to call up Springfield and talk to them about it, no? I've had them fix a defective sight on a gun that was used-- when I called them up just to ask where to buy a replacement sight (I explained the entire situation) they had me send it in and fixed it for no charge even after I offered to pay. I don't know what they will tell you and your mileage may vary. Nonetheless, SA's customer service has been exceptional in my experience. I'll see what they say. |
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Originally Posted By elmanotejas: You're right, it's probably worth a try. Originally Posted By elmanotejas: Originally Posted By NN300BLK: Originally Posted By elmanotejas: I took it out again this morning and tried it first with the three brands of ammo I memtioned above including Fed. 124 gr. HST + P. I started with the rediculously heavy 18.5 lb. C&S recoil spring.... nope. Took off a coil ... nope. Took off another ... nope, switched back to springfield spring ... nope added a 0.050 thick ring washer ...nope. No matter what I try, it won't run a full mag of anything. Stangely, it seems to get progressively worse with every mag. It choked on the first HST. I'm through wasting ammo on this piece of shit. It doesn't even weight enough to serve as a boat anchor. It sounds like there's probably an issue that should be fixed. If it's going to be a safe queen or you'll be taking a wash on selling it, it is probably worth the time to call up Springfield and talk to them about it, no? I've had them fix a defective sight on a gun that was used-- when I called them up just to ask where to buy a replacement sight (I explained the entire situation) they had me send it in and fixed it for no charge even after I offered to pay. I don't know what they will tell you and your mileage may vary. Nonetheless, SA's customer service has been exceptional in my experience. You're right, it's probably worth a try. I took mine back to the range this weekend and even with different ammo, it still had FTE’s, even more often. This is with the new extractor and spring. I am going to contact SA and see about having them fix it. |
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I contacted SA CS and got a prompt response. I’m getting a return authorization in order to ship it to them. In the meantime, I did some online research and found through AI that not only could it be a mismachined extractor channel but also the OEM extractor has been noted to not be able to grip the case correctly and extract it. I replaced mine with the C&S extractor but that didn’t fix it. I then learned that the SA prefers 124 grains or heavier. The 147’s I shot did seem to do fine, but being as 115’s are more the norm, it should still be able to function with them IMHO. We shall see |
| Well, I guess I just have to pick one up and experience the joy! 😉 |
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"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Ephesians 6:10 KJV
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Anecdotal evidence I've heard from a couple different sources suggest that these issues do not happen when using 147gr ammo. I don't shoot this much, so the troubleshooting process is going to move at the speed of a glacier. |
And then, he arrives at the last item on his bucket list...
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Originally Posted By GySgt_D: Anecdotal evidence I've heard from a couple different sources suggest that these issues do not happen when using 147gr ammo. I don't shoot this much, so the troubleshooting process is going to move at the speed of a glacier. After using Google/AI, they said that using 124 grains and heavier did not have the issue. My limited use of the heavier rounds seemed to prove this, however, when I bought this pistol nothing was stated from SA that I had to shoot the heavier rounds to ensure proper functioning. This is what leads me to wonder if this is an issue with the factory OEM recoil spring, but that’s a guess on my part. I have since received back my SA-35 from SA but have not had a chance to shoot it to verify that it’s truly “fixed”. I hope to this coming weekend. |