The slide on one of my P220's locks back fine on a empty magazine, but I can not get the slide catch to function manually with no magazine inserted. I've never experienced this on any P series pistol before, and I'd appreciate any input on what the issue is. Thanks in advance.

Does the slide stay locked back (after it locks back with an empty magazine) if you remove the magazine?

Are you able to HOLD the slide lock up manually and then when you release your hand pressure it falls?

The slide does stay back when the mag is removed. The slide will not stay back with no magazine inserted. The slide lock will not engage.

If you take the slide off, can you watch the slide catch lever move up and down freely in the frame? Does it spring back into place like it should?

quote:

Originally posted by sodacan:
The slide does stay back when the mag is removed. The slide will not stay back with no magazine inserted. The slide lock will not engage.

Maybe I'm not understanding you, but from this description, the gun functions exactly as designed.

When there is no mag in, when you rack the slide back, you have to manually push the slide catch up to lock the slide back.

When there is an empty mag in, when you rack the slide back, the mag follower automatically acts to push up the slide catch and lock the slide back. And, when the slide is already locked back, even when you remove the mag, it continues to stay back, until you release it.

I know that the slide catch has to be manually manipulated to hold the slide back with no mag inserted. That's the issue. The gun otherwise functions perfectly.

Let me try this again.

If the slide catch lever stays up and holds the slide to the rear only with a magazine inserted into the magwell, then I can only think that there is a defect with the intercept notch of the slide and/or the slide engagement tab of the SCL. Without the pressure of the magazine follower to hold the SCL tab in place, it slips out of the notch when the magazine is removed. That would also happen as soon as you release manual upward pressure on the SCL.

I suspect that the slide intercept notch is worn, as I believe can happen if the slide is always released by pressing down on the SCL or perhaps due to a manufacturing defect. The engagement tab of the SCL could also be worn, but I believe that part is harder and less subject to wear than the slide itself.

I would carefully inspect the slide intercept notch and the tab of the SCL for signs of wear and how they compare with other guns' parts.

^^^What sigfreund said...Any chance you typically 'Drop the Slide' by pressing down on the Slide Catch Lever? Do that enough, repurposing the SCL as a 'Slide Release', and you'll eventually wear the intercept notch on the slide, especially if it's a folded carbon steel slide!

So, if the intercept notch is so worn that the SCL tab cannot engage on its own, then the slide should have slammed forward when the mag was removed. But it didn't. According to his 2nd post,

quote:

The slide does stay back when the mag is removed.

The second part of his 2nd post

quote:

The slide will not stay back with no magazine inserted. The slide lock will not engage.

implies to me that, w/o the mag in, he cannot get the slide to lock and stay back by manual manipulation of the SCL tab, for whatever reasons.

So, everything still doesn't make sense.

^^^Perhaps not completely worn, but just worn enough that only the maintained spring pressure from the magazine spring/follower will force the SCL up the highest (and potentially less worn) part of the intercept notch and keep it from releasing.

^^^ Perhaps, but why can't the thumb similarly push the SCL all the way up? It ain't that hard.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
It ain't that hard.

It was not hard for me 20 or more years ago. It is significantly harder with some guns today. And not pushing up the SCL by itself, but the combination of holding the slide fully retracted.

But a clearer description of everything that affects the problem might be useful.

Thinking maybe just out of spec and just hard enough for the user to get it pushed into place manually. There are times when I don’t get classic SIG’s pushed up just right the first time. A new slide lock and spring might be more forgiving in this regard.

That said it is strange that the mag activates it fine and it holds but the human doesn’t hence why I think it’s a combination of the human and it being slightly worn/out of spec.

No disrespect meant to Sodacan or your skillset etc. Just trying to suss out your issue.

The only thing I can think of is you’re either not retracting the slide enough or not releasing the slide before releasing the catch.
1) with the pistol empty, pull the slide back and hold it back all the way.
2) push the slide catch up into the notch in the slide and hold it up.
3) gently let the slide forward, while continuing to press up on the catch.
4) once the slide is pushing against the catch, you can release the upwards pressure on the catch. The friction from the slide trying to move forward under spring tension will hold it.

If this doesn’t work and the catch slides out of the notch, then you’ve worn and rounded the catch and/or notch. I’ve never heard of this happening. And if this was the case, after dropping the mag from slide lock, it would not hold. You’ve already said it stays.

Mechanically there sounds like there’s nothing wrong with the pistol. Which means there’s some end user error here.

Can you photograph:

1. The slide catch notch on the slide (with it off the frame, obviously)

2. The slide catch while installed in the frame (from the top, with the slide off, obviously)

I appreciate all of the responses and suggestions.I took the pistol to the range yesterday and fired it with eight different magazines. It functioned without issue, locking back on every empty mag. In comparing the notch to my other 220's, under magnification, there is no discernable wear. This is a real mystery to me. I've decided to replace the slide latch, and see if that resolves the issue. Thanks again for your help.

sodacan, can you clarify one thing for us? So, without a mag in, you rack the slide fully to the back, then push the SCL tab fully up and hold it up, and then let the slide go, the SCL just won't engage the intercept notch on the slide and just drops off?