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P320 X5 Legion Slide Failure Login/Join 
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I have a P320 X5 Legion with between 10K and 15K rounds through it. It is bone stock except for an Armory Craft trigger.

Saturday, at a major match I had a catastrophic slide failure. The slide cracked where the front of the barrel locks to the slide. There is a crack in the slide about 2 inches down the left side with the right side of the slide with a 1 inch crack. Where the cracks are the slide has lifted a bit.

Anyone else have this kind of failure? Anyone have any idea why this may have happened? I'll be calling Sig to see how they will handle this.
 
Posts: 17 | Registered: October 11, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Freethinker
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Can you post photos? That would be interesting to see.

And welcome to the forum, BTW.




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Posts: 47955 | Location: 10,150 Feet Above Sea Level in Colorado | Registered: April 04, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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WOW, that's bad news especially on a "flagship" gun. That round count doesn't seem at all excessive. Were you shooting commercial ammo only?
 
Posts: 17342 | Location: Northern Vermont | Registered: September 20, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Indeed, welcome to the forum. That's rather unnerving, both in experience and information. No damage to the barrel?

Pics would be helpful to aid in assessment. But you'll have to use a hosting website like imgur and then post the direct link of the image here on the forum in order to get pics to show up.


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Posts: 2278 | Location: The commie, rainy side of WA | Registered: April 19, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I use reloads. I am an IDPA shooter and use 147 grain hi-tek coated bullets with 3.0 grains of titegroup powder. I also have a romeo1 pro dot.
 
Posts: 17 | Registered: October 11, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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You used the term catastrophic slide failure, did the gun blow up while shooting it, or did you just notice long cracks when you were done?


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Posts: 21501 | Location: 18th & Fairfax  | Registered: May 17, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Wait, what?
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3 grains is under the max charge limit for that bullet weight, but Titegroup is easy to miss an overcharge. Also Sig technically considers reloads to void warranties. I'd also like to see pics.




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Posts: 15985 | Location: Martinsburg WV | Registered: April 02, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Sooo, the cracks in the Slide originate at the Muzzle End, or at the front of the Barrel Hood/Ejection Port? Do the cracks propagate horizontally, or towards the Lightning Cuts in the top of the Slide?

Pics would be REALLY helpful... Wink


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Posts: 9646 | Location: New Hampshire | Registered: October 29, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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3.0 grains of titegroup under a 147 grain coated bullet will just make power factor. It's a soft-shooting competition load.

A lot of competition shooters run 10-12 lb springs in their Legions when doing reduced loads.

Pictures would be helpful, but my first thought, as the cracking is described as originating at the interface with the front of the barrel hood and down one side, is too light a recoil spring.

What weight recoil spring is in use? The original poster did say that the pistol is stock, with just a trigger change; so one of the two springs supplied with the pistol (12 and 14 lb, I think)?

I run tight group under a 147 gn bullet, typically running 2.2 or 2.3 grains of powder. I keep hearing about how easy it is to overfill or double charge with tightgroup. That's entirely untrue. In fact, though I visually check every case for powder level before placing a bullet in the case mouth and seating, I also frequently purposely double charge a case as a visual reference...and there's NO mistaking a double charge of tightgroup in a 9mm case.

Too weak or an undercharge, however, would potentially create a squib load. A second round sent downrange might dislodge the first, but would almost certainly do damage to the pistol, especially to the barrel. Any damage to the barrel?

Any frame damage?
 
Posts: 6650 | Registered: September 13, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by cas:
You used the term catastrophic slide failure, did the gun blow up while shooting it, or did you just notice long cracks when you were done?

Gun didn't blow up. I had shot a target then it stovepiped, did the tap and rack and shot again, same result. did it two additional times and stopped. Looked at slide and saw the damage.
 
Posts: 17 | Registered: October 11, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by nhracecraft:
Sooo, the cracks in the Slide originate at the Muzzle End, or at the front of the Barrel Hood/Ejection Port? Do the cracks propagate horizontally, or towards the Lightning Cuts in the top of the Slide?

Pics would be REALLY helpful... Wink


I'll try to get a picture uploaded.
 
Posts: 17 | Registered: October 11, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by sns3guppy:
3.0 grains of titegroup under a 147 grain coated bullet will just make power factor. It's a soft-shooting competition load.

A lot of competition shooters run 10-12 lb springs in their Legions when doing reduced loads.

Pictures would be helpful, but my first thought, as the cracking is described as originating at the interface with the front of the barrel hood and down one side, is too light a recoil spring.

What weight recoil spring is in use? The original poster did say that the pistol is stock, with just a trigger change; so one of the two springs supplied with the pistol (12 and 14 lb, I think)?

I run tight group under a 147 gn bullet, typically running 2.2 or 2.3 grains of powder. I keep hearing about how easy it is to overfill or double charge with tightgroup. That's entirely untrue. In fact, though I visually check every case for powder level before placing a bullet in the case mouth and seating, I also frequently purposely double charge a case as a visual reference...and there's NO mistaking a double charge of tightgroup in a 9mm case.

Too weak or an undercharge, however, would potentially create a squib load. A second round sent downrange might dislodge the first, but would almost certainly do damage to the pistol, especially to the barrel. Any damage to the barrel?

Any frame damage?


There wasn't a squib. I was shooting a Major Match and the SO would have stopped me if I hadn't stopped at a squib. There is no barrel damage.
Sig already raised the reload issue. That's a BS excuse. Nothing should have caused the slide to self destruct. I'll send it in and see what they say..
 
Posts: 17 | Registered: October 11, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by nhracecraft:
Sooo, the cracks in the Slide originate at the Muzzle End, or at the front of the Barrel Hood/Ejection Port? Do the cracks propagate horizontally, or towards the Lightning Cuts in the top of the Slide?

Pics would be REALLY helpful... Wink

Barrel Hood/Ejection Port.
 
Posts: 17 | Registered: October 11, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Posts: 17 | Registered: October 11, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Posts: 17 | Registered: October 11, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Kinda hard to blame the ammo, if there isn't any damage to the barrel. My guess is the lightning hole weakened the slide.
 
Posts: 496 | Location: Michigan | Registered: November 22, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Appears to have originated at the stress riser created by machining the inside surface of the slide at the corner of the hood cut-out. Could have had a small material defect or a little pitting in that machined radius, which served as the stress riser & initiation site. Under low magnification you should be able to see "beachmarks" along the crack surface where the crack initiated and grew. If no beachmarks, it was a brittle fracture/tear and most likely a material defect.

A burr on the barrel hood could have also created a stress riser in that corner.

A couple of pictures from the inside of the slide and down into the crack might show enough details.
 
Posts: 2034 | Location: Virginia | Registered: April 08, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Issues with the barrel lug?

As noted above, clearly the failure is concentrated at lines originating at stress risers.

Major match? Minor load.

You said there was no barrel damage; you've had it out and separated from the slide for an inspection? How were the lugs? What other marks are visible on the barrel, and chamber exterior?

The stovepipe is normally an underpowered round.

The stovepipe could also have been caused by the problem that was developing (most likely was).
 
Posts: 6650 | Registered: September 13, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Wow, that really should not have happened. Either too hot of loads or a defective slide. It looks like there may be some peening on the locking edge of the barrel.
 
Posts: 926 | Location: Ohio | Registered: May 11, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Loads were not hot. I'm a competitive IDPA shooter and only need 125 power factor. I like soft loads so I run loads no higher than 130.
 
Posts: 17 | Registered: October 11, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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