Im beside myself- and both of us are befuddled. I purchased a brand new Seecamp yesterday. $800 after all was said and done. Bought the suggested ammo. Put a tiny( and I mean very little) amount of oil on just the “ rail” cause it was bone dry. Off to the range. Put the target close enough that I could see where it was going to keyhole. Pulled the trigger- bang. All was well. It fired, I could see a hole in the target, recoil was snappy but no big deal and it seemed to have chambered the next .380 Hydro-shok. I pulled the trigger again- bang. I could see the second hole near the first one. Thats cool, except the slide launched farther down range than the target. Is this a perk? You shoot twice and then the slide hits them too? Needless to say, after a VERY embarrassing conversation with the range guy about ceasefire and can retrieving my slide and springs, I fired off a phone call and then email to Seecamp. And this came today.

I am sorry this happened to you. We recommend only using a very light gun oil like eezox and very lightly lubricating the slide. Over lubricating the slide can cause the slide to come off. Please send me your name, address and phone number and I will get you a label, rma number and all the information to send the firearm in for the gunsmith to look over.

Over lubing the slide causes it to come off? Seriously? How much. I put barely enough to see on the various parts collected from the floor. Less? Can you reverse lube? Sand maybe, baby powder, British humor? The little sucker doesn’t look broken. All the stuff seems in working order.
I understand guns. I have built many. I have even broken a few. Timing causes jams. Too fast, too slow- jams or failure to feed. Theres a spring loaded takedown button inside. Its quite springy, and not globbed up (technical term) with oil or baby powder. The only way the slide comes off is by depressing the springy thing. And its east/west on the gun. I could even understand if it was up/down- it could depress from recoil. But its not- its side mounted.
Can anyone tell me, or at least help me understand how lubricants can cause a slide to launch down range? I want to like this gun. I rarely submerge a firearm in a vat of petroleum jelly overnight before a range session.

quote:

Originally posted by jack32586:
British humor?

What in the freaking hell is this nonsense, overlubricating can cause the slide to fly off? I don't think even the Lorcin does that. Lol.

"....I was down to my last shot. But there were 2 of them. I didn't know what to do, but I had some TW-25 with me. I quickly lubed down the slide knowing it was my only chance. I pulled the trigger. Sure enough, the bullet caught the first perp in the heart. The slide blasted past the first guy and got the second guy right between the eyes. I knew the fight was over. If it wasn't for Seecamp, I wouldn't be here today......"

quote:

Originally posted by cas:

quote:

Originally posted by jack32586:
British humor?

Yes, Sir I apparently bought the wrong one. I am inquiring, as we speak, about the doesn’t fall off one.

Part of the problem is that, in my opinion, .380 is an over-pressure load - virtually a proof load - in that tiny little gun, barely a fraction of an inch bigger than the .32. But still, launching the slide off is a bit much. At least it didn't blow back at you.

quote:

Over lubricating the slide can cause the slide to come off.

Say again? Lol...I can't believe they actually said that. Those little Seecamps aren't cheap, either. I have a Jennings J-22 that will do that, but it's absolutely a POS, and somebody gave me one and a half of them for free. I've always thought the Seecamps was a nicely made little gun, although I've never shot the .380.

Jesus I use a food grade super lubricant on a lot of guns. Would that be like a +P+ slide?

In all honesty that is one of the stupidest firearms related things I’ve ever heard.

I looked over their website and landed on the ammo recommendation page, in hopes of reading something about the OPs experience.
They were talking about "air pressure" and a "jet stream" when discussing hollow point bullet performance.
Cant say I ever heard that said in print before.
And not one word about slide launching.

No way would I ever trust that gun after being told that over lubrication can cause the slide to fly off. Especially after the first two shots.

I’m probably being unreasonable but I’d be after Seecamp or the selling dealer to refund me. And if refused by either of them that would be my last dealings with them, period.

Seecamps have been around a long time and it to me would seem that if this was a known problem it would have surfaced before now.

If it were mine doing this you would be calling me an EX seecamp owner.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
I looked over their website and landed on the ammo recommendation page, in hopes of reading something about the OPs experience.
They were talking about "air pressure" and a "jet stream" when discussing hollow point bullet performance.
Cant say I ever heard that said in print before.
And not one word about slide launching.

Strange comments indeed. Along with Seecamp advising the OP to use minimal lube to prevent slide launches. Sounds like defensive verbiage to me. The Seecamp .32 was decently reliable with the recommended ammo. I’m wondering how long the Seecamp .380 has been around.

Wow, somehow that would require the detent to be depressed to allow the slide to lift up to come off the frame. I believe it happened, but can’t for the life of me figure out how over lubing can cause it. How stiff is the detent spring?

I have a 25, 32, and 380 Seecamps and bought a 32 for my adult son. All are Milford pistols from long before Larry sold the company. I’m not sure I would buy the newer guns, and the 380 was unpleasant enough to keep me from carrying it over the 32. I wouldn’t ever trust that gun, something is wrong with it.

The OP’s issue has been discussed here before:

“Seecamp 380 FAIL”
https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...0601935/m/4930085064

At some fairly recent gun shows, a vendor had Seecamps in .32 and .380. The .32, IIRC, was priced around half a grand, the .380 a C-note more. Almost no one even picked one up, I'm guessing because of the price tag, double that of an LCP. The tiny size and total lack of sights are probably another factor, but one has to realize what this gun's intended use is. The machining, fit and finish is almost jewel-like. I could see myself having the .32 if A, I had a good source of proper ammunition for it; B, the trigger is so far forward in the guard that I doubt my ability to get my finger through it; C, I can't spare half a grand for what is essentially a frivolous purchase right now.

I've got a Milford (Larry's) .380 and it's worked fine for me using the recommended ammunition (Federal Hydra Shok and Winchester Silvertip). Send it back and at least give them the opportunity to make things right. Good luck with yours.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
What in the freaking hell is this nonsense, overlubricating can cause the slide to fly off?

I don't think I can even comprehend the assertion that lube will cause a slide to fly off?

I have a Milford (Larry's) .32ACP and it's worked fine for me using the recommended ammunition. Speer Gold Dot, in my case for the .32ACP.
Back in the day, I was a Member of the Seecamp Forum (it's done/gone now with the Seecamp ownership change) and that statement about excessive lubrication is true.
Being reasonably close to the Seecamp Factory, and being a Seecamp Forum Member at the time, I toured the Milford, CT Seecamp Factory, Larry Seecamp was the tour guide.

Here's a funny from a long time ago. An acquaintance of mine (long dead and gone now) was the Town Justice in a small town nearby. He carried a Seecamp .32 for everyday carry. Also in Court.
One day at the local coffee shop, he confided that he wanted to change out the ammunition in his Seecamp and load it up with some fresh ammo. His problem? The slide would not retract.
We tried retracting the slide in the coffee shop and the little Seecamp was loaded up with pocket lint in every nook and cranny.
My friend decided to shoot the existing ammo out of the Seecamp so he could unload/clean the gun/replace ammo.

The next time I saw my friend in the coffee shop I asked him how his Seecamp had worked. He told me the first two shots had blown out clouds of pocket lint, but the Seecamp had worked just fine.
He then decided to perform routine maintenance and ammo replacement somewhat more frequently.

On my Seecamp, I place one very small drop of oil on each side slide/frame rail. I've never launched my slide downrange.

The spring loaded plunger that retains the slide on a Seecamp is on the left rear on the frame of the pistol.
That plunger has a protruding male rectangular section the physically rides in the female interior groove in the slide.
Excessive lubrication in the left side slide/frame rail groove is scraped off the groove as the slide reciprocates during operation.
Since fluids are non compressible, the resultant hydraulic pressure from the excessive lubrication depresses the plunger like a piston in a hydraulic cylinder.
Then your Seecamp slide launches downrange.
That's why Eezox is the recommended lubricant. Apply, let it dry, wipe off the excess.
Seecamp pistols work exactly as advertised when run virtually dry.

I've NEVER heard of such a thing and the older thread from 2019 must have either escaped my notice or gotten lost in the vast volume of garbage that lives in my brain.

I've wanted a Seacamp forever, but years ago, it would have been an extravagance I just couldn't justify. Lately I've seen a couple for sale and have been seriously considering one, but now...not a chance.

I've got the LCP Max in 380 and I put larger night sights on it (those small front sights are, for an old guy, hard to see) and I'll make do with it. It works every time and that's all I need.

Bob