At the range yesterday with my 16 year old P239/.40 and shooting 180gr and 165gr. The problem came with the 165gr when I would get very slow slide movement and failure to chamber rounds.in 165 I was using American Eagle. Is it a recoil spring problem? Please advise with thoughts, comments or ideas.

Apparently the AE 165gr does not have enough oomph to fully cycle the slide. Try another brand of 165gr or stay with 180gr. Recoil springs get weaker with age/use, not stronger.

Need more info to properly respond:

1) Did problem occur with BOTH you and your son?

2) When was the gun last cleaned? How many rounds since? I always clean my guns after each range session. This eliminates dirty gun syndrome if I have any malfunctions. My routine is to clean and INSPECT. Again, I then know there is nothing bad going on with any mechanics.

3) Have you removed the slide and checked all the contact surfaces for burrs? Not just rails, but everything that makes contact and/or moves. Slide, barrel, frame surfaces, guide rod, RS, etc.

4) Remove the grip panels and check the RS. Make sure it, the strut and the seat looks normal.

5) Have you used this type(s) of ammo before with no problems. My 2005 P239 .40 eats anything. Factory SD, factory cheapo and low power reloads. I suppose it's possible you got a bad batch of out-of spec 165gr.

6) Do you have any other .40 cal guns? Try the 165gr in it. If you have a chrono, see what velocity you are producing.

I agree with Gary re RS. They weaken with use/age. While unusual, a part of the RS can crystallize and break off. However, if you have a spare RS, install it and shoot the gun again. Just eliminates the RS as one cause of problem.

If he's having problems chambering/going into battery, absolutely it may be the recoil spring.

The recoil spring should generally be changed every 5000 rounds. I'd also make sure it's clean and lubed.

ETA: OP, maybe you can clarify whether the slide is slow going rearwards, forwards, or both.

Nipper and Buddy, thank you and Gary for your helpful input.
My son is 35, my P239 is 16.
At the range yesterday, I also took my P230/.40 w/no problems with the 165gr amp.
It had been several years since I had shot the P239. It was well lubed, and clean. The slide would unusually recoil slowly and return. On some occasions it would fail to feed such that I would have to lock the slide open and remove the magazine to solve the issue.
Nipper tonight I will go through your suggested inspections. And, in .40, I always use 180gr. When I ran out I bought from the range the only type of .40 the had.
Fortunately I have a small supply of P239 recoil springs.

It sounds like it was retracting slowly as well. Follow Nippers advice. It's possible for lube to congeal after several years if you didn't lube just prior to taking it out. If the 165 stuff cycled another firearm fine (not sure which cuz you typed P230, which isn't .40), and presumably a heavier slide, I doubt it's the ammo. If you've never had problems before, I doubt a burr suddenly appeared, but check.

Unload and make sure ammo is nowhere near your work area. After triple checking, I'd start by manually cocking the hammer. Does it move smoothly? The slide cocks the hammer as it recoils, so if the hammer is difficult to move, it will slow down the slide. If it cocks fine, leave it cocked and rack the slide slowly. Is there any point that catches? If not, rack faster and let go at the rear so it closes on its own...does it?

If none of this identifies a problem, then it's magazine (feed lips get bent and holding onto the round too much?), or shooter (something with the grip contacting the slide, retarding its motion or limp wrist img).

Sorry P320/.40

Did this problem occur with a full magazine? How about a half-filled magazine? New magazine with a new spring?

The mags are original to the P239 from purchase, but now that you mention it, the problems never occuted with the first few shots. They occurred towards the middle of the magazine. This only occurred with the 165gr amo, not the 180gr.
However, I don’t think it’s the magazines since it is related to the recoiling slide.

If you send the pistol to Sig for the Sig Service Plan and ask for the new X-Ray sights, with U-notch rear, all these things will be fixed right up. Might cost three bills, but the 16 year old sights will be replaced with some really nice X-Rays, and you will get all new springs.

quote:

Originally posted by fquico:
The mags are original to the P239 from purchase, but now that you mention it, the problems never occuted with the first few shots. They occurred towards the middle of the magazine. This only occurred with the 165gr amo, not the 180gr.
However, I don’t think it’s the magazines since it is related to the recoiling slide.

When it occurs with the first few rounds out of a magazine with a tight spring, but not for the rest of the magazine, and it's related to slowing the slide, look to excess spring tension. Load the mags and leave them loaded for a period of time, and meanwhile shoot with fewer rounds in the magazine while the springs adjust.

In this case, if the problems aren't occurring early in the magazine, then spring tension doesn't appear to be the problem.

There are certain lubricants that I've used on slides and rails, in particular a slide reel grease, which cause excess friction after a period of time of inactivity. I don't use them any more, after returning to my safe following a period of time downrange, to find the slides so gummed that they could be scarcely moved by hand.

If the slide friction has decreased slightly, but not that much, combined with drag off a round in the mag, combined with a weak cartridge loading, it may contribute.

If you're sending it to Sig, then it doesn't matter, as it will be addressed and taken care of.

Sig is one of the few companies where I've ever had to use customer service to handle firearm issues, but the only one in which the firearms have returned 100%.

At the range today with my p239/.40, a 50rnd box of American Eagle 165grain and an 100rnd box of Remington 180grain. With regard to the problem with which I initiated the post, it is the shape of the 165gr AE bullet that sticks to the follower and and does not go into the barrel ramp almost 1/4 the time. The R 180 grain shot flawlessly for all 100 rnds. My conclusion is not the recoil spring but the shape of the AE bullet and the P239 .40 magazine vs the shape of the R 180gr bullet. The slow slide is the result of a sucssesful clambering of an otherwise stuck round in the magazine.

quote:

Originally posted by fquico:
At the range today with my p239/.40, a 50rnd box of American Eagle 165grain and an 100rnd box of Remington 180grain. With regard to the problem with which I initiated the post, it is the shape of the 165gr AE bullet that sticks to the follower and and does not go into the barrel ramp almost 1/4 the time. The R 180 grain shot flawlessly for all 100 rnds. My conclusion is not the recoil spring but the shape of the AE bullet and the P239 .40 magazine vs the shape of the R 180gr bullet. The slow slide is the result of a sucssesful clambering of an otherwise stuck round in the magazine.

I'm kinda confused. I don't know of many (any?) magazines that have followers that make contact with the bullet, even then it would only apply to the last round in the mag. Magazine feed lips won't either. Do you only have 1 mag for it? Perhaps you can post a picture of what you think is happening?

If you think it's relating to feeding, the only thing I'm thinking of right now is you dropped the mag at some point and bent the feed lips a bit, but that should cause problems for any cartridge, not just a particular one.

What are the chances you know someone with another P239 in .40? You can swap one part at a time, starting with the magazines, then the barrel, then the recoil spring until you determine what parts are not working for you.

I would be surprised the 165 AE load didn't have enough power to cycle your 239. Those loads are decently hot and are supposed to be loaded to the same power as the 165 HST. They may be cycling it a little to fast to match up with the mag springs. I don't normally recognize a difference in the power of factory loads of the same caliber, but when I shoot 165 gr. HST and then 180 gr. Winchester bonded I notice it. 165 HST at 1130 fps vs 180 gr. Win. Bonded at 985 fps (I think). You may want to get some new recoil springs if you want to shoot the 165 load, as you will probably be able to locate them before you will new .40 mags or the springs.