Christmas came early LOL

[Chokushin]

Hello gang

Thought I'd share news of my early Christmas gift. My family never knows what to get me or if so, how to obtain it. So they often take up a fund, so I may expand my ..uhh hmmm ..collection. So this year I decided I was going to replace my Browing Hi Power that I sold last year so that I could aquire a 9mm M-4. After looking around I could not find a reasonably priced Hi Power that was not of the WWII area. So I thought ..hmmm perhaps John Brownings other outstanding creation(aka the 1911A1) in 9mm may fill the bill.

So after looking around I found a great deal on ....a STI Spartan 9mm! It is a sweet piece of craftsmanship ..fit feel function are all top notch. It came with a fibre optic front site and an adjustable rear site, a match grade barrel and bushing and Pachmyr rubber grip panels.

I intend to get some Wilson Combat 10rd Mags for it and once they arrive I will take it out and put it through the paces and provide a range report on its accuracy and function. The previous owner who put about 150rds through it said it was a tac driver.

( For Tony and the other .45 avocados I got this in 9mm instead of the big guy .45 because its cheaper to shoot/reload and the lighter recoil helps give me better control and faster shot placement when shooting IDPA. That said..Tony will be pleased..I am looking at trading in my Para CCW in .45acp for a Kimber Pro CarryII also in .45acp..so I will have a mans gun too ;) )

[Chokushin]

Range report:

Ive had the Spartan out to the range twice now and I am consistently able to place an entire box ( 50 rounds ) in the 10 and X ring at 15m approx. 18yds on a B-27 Silhouette target. I had only one malfunction which was a misfire which, when I dropped the hammer on it a second time it fired. Looking at the spent brass it appears the firing pin is only just barely making contact with the primer as the divot in the primers appears to be no more than a scratch. I'm not sure if the pin may be to short or the firing pin spring is too weak. At any rate one malfunction in 250rds is hardly a major issue. However I'd like to try and alleviate this issue if at all possible. I welcome any input from my fellow shooters, especially if any of you have ever encountered a similar problem. Any way that's my range report on the STI Spartan 9mm.

Up next will be my Kimber Pro Carry II .45acp that I will be picking up later in the week.

Must say firearms related posters have been awful quiet lately..wa's up wit dat ?? LOL

Anyway wishing you all the best for 2011 :)

[jjaje]

Range report:

... I had only one malfunction which was a misfire which, when I dropped the hammer on it a second time it fired. Looking at the spent brass it appears the firing pin is only just barely making contact with the primer as the divot in the primers appears to be no more than a scratch. I'm not sure if the pin may be to short or the firing pin spring is too weak.... I welcome any input from my fellow shooters, especially if any of you have ever encountered a similar problem.

Sounds like a lot of fun.

Regarding the firing pin, the first thing to do would be to measure the length of the firing pin (fortunately on 1911 style guns it is pretty easy to remove), and compare it to what the length is suppose to be. The manufacturer may be able to provide an OAL for the part.

Also, did the previous owner replace any of the stock springs with aftermarket ones?
The spring around the firing pin would not be too weak, but rather too strong/stiff if it was not allowing the firing pin to travel as far as necessary. I don't know if this particular 1911 has the firing pin block (ala Colt series 80), I suspect it does not. Most gunsmiths would not recommend getting a lighter firing pin spring, as that's basically what keeps the gun from firing should you drop it, and inertia moves the firing pin.

If the length of the firing pin is good, than what you are likely looking at is needing a stronger mainspring (the hammer spring). Many people change mainsprings in their efforts to customize their firearm, especially if they compete, which is why I was wondering if the previous owner had ever changed the stock springs.

[Chokushin]

Well I believe Ive solved the firing pin issue..I hope LOL. It appears the firing pin housing was quite dirty..I cleaned it out with some compressed air and then wiped down the firing pin spring. I then took a piece of brass put it through the first stage of my press and replaced it with a new primer. I then inserted it into the pistol ( after checking the bore for any obstructions ) pointed in a safe direction ( concrete basement floor ) and dropped the hammer on the EMPTY primed casing. The mark left in the primer was twice as deep as the previous 250rds I had fired from the gun since purchasing it. I think the original owner missed cleaning out the factory packing grease in this area, at any rate it seems to be working better. I'll know for sure when I take it back out to the range later in the week.

Thank you Jeff for your reply and if the issue continues I will definitely be following up on your suggestions!