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Wazzup Sig?!! X5 slide not locking after last round

10K views 35 replies 23 participants last post by  sowle2 
#1 ·
First of all let me be very clear, I am not a Sig kinda girl. CZ is my poison and I drink the Koolaid with a vengeance. Each and every CZ I own has worked flawlessly right out of the box, never a single issue with “breaking in” the gun. Take it out to the range, load the mags with ammo, shoot, reload, repeat and go home. Each and every CZ without fail. This is the first time I bought a Sig, I bought a 9mm P320 X5 and decided right off the bat that I was going to shoot IDPA Carry Optics with it and Carry Optics only as I have a CZ P-09 for SSP. I have a CZ Shadow 2 for Production IPSC and have another OR CZ Shadow 2 coming for Production Optics, but sadly they are too heavy for IDPA, alas otherwise I’d just be shooting Shadow 2s. I was initially going to get a CZ P-10C Optic Ready but I like the bigger full size pistols and was talked into buying the X5 instead. I’m not a huge fan of striker fired pistols either, but I figured o.k. I’ll break from the norm and buy a Sig and a striker fired pistol. So, I got the Sig. When it arrived, it got stripped down, I cleaned the shipping grease off the guts, cleaned and lubed the barrel and lightly regreased everything that needed lubing. Took off the rear sight plate in preparation for the optic and reassembled the gun. Spent the last couple days dry firing and getting used to the very different slide assembly from a CZ, with the Sig slide riding on the outside and being careful to keep my shorter than average thumbs away from the slide release, I have a hard time reaching the slide release at the best of times and usually have to do it by removing my non dominant hand off the grip. Today the Romeo Optic arrived and I put it on the Sig this afternoon. Everything seemed to be working fine with dry firing, etc. Took it to the range and started working on zeroing the optic, right away decided the front sight needs to go and it’s coming off today, but I noticed that each time I emptied the mag, the slide does not lock open after the last round. I’m shooting 124gr Campro Bullets with 4.0gr Vihtavuori N320 for a power factor of 131, velocity of 1056 approx. My initial thought was that the recoil spring needs to be heavier, but I’m not sure. The gun was never fired without the Optic in place because my registration certificate for the gun didn’t arrive until today as well. So I’m not sure if the Optic is throwing off the gun’s Chi. Or it just needs to be fed a pile more ammo and broken in. I’m also going to try some of my heavier 147gn match ammo. Anyways, the trigger is really nice and I love shooting the Optic, so either way I’m going to make it work. Just wondering if anyone else has any recommendations for the problem. Will be disassembling and greasing up the mags too as someone had suggested on another thread.
 
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#2 ·
If the slide is not locking back, it is usually due to a really strong recoil spring not allowing the slide to go all the way back, weaker than needed ammo(ie low slide velocity) or weak magazine spring not pushing the slide stop into place. If you can easily rack the slide all the way back and it locks, it is not likely the magazine spring. Try using a few rounds of full power ammo(a box of +P would work). If that works, it probably just needs breaking in. Most of my Sigs worked with my moderate reloads out of the box, but my 320 FS 45 ACP needed about 400 rds before it settled down. Now it works fine. Sorry your first Sig experience wasn’t as pleasurable as most of us.
 
#5 ·
Welcome from northeast Tennessee! I wasn't aware you could get optics ready CZ's. What's your source?
 
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#8 ·
I think you misunderstood what JBnTx was telling you.
I had the same thought reading your post. You never separated any of the long, long paragraph into shorter ones. It just makes it difficult to track and read.

Just try to hit the "enter" key to do that. It doesn't create nonsense like you imply.
Comments like that on your first post really doesn't encourage assistance from the folks on this site.
 
#21 ·
Bonding




LOL, bond....me and Siggy have spent a fair deal of time together walking around the house “shooting” at the light switches and electrical outlets.:lol:
 
#16 ·
Welcome to sig talk Sonja. I hope you find a resolution to your issue and sorry to hear you're having issues. Each firearm is unique and some require more patient attention than others, much like humans. Hope you eventually enjoy your new acquisition.
 
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#17 ·
I just had an X-Five replaced by Sig recently. Yes, the whole gun. I also have the Romeo 1 on it. My first one had the same issues of not wanting to lock open w/o some fairly heavy loads. I bought some lighter springs and a guide rod and found around 13lbs worked for me.

I was expecting to have the same issue with the replacement gun, but have not. I've been shooting it with the stock spring and it's been locking open every time with 124gr with 4.1gr of 231. I've been trying some lower power 115's lately, and it seems to like those, too.

Seems to me, Sig has softened the recoil spring on these guns. But it's pretty easy to adjust the springs with the aftermarket parts.

Best of luck getting it dialed in. It's an extremely accurate gun that I just never tire of shooting.
 
#19 ·
The X5 can be finicky for the first couple hundred rounds. Both of mine were. Now they are flawless.

I am willing to bet that things will smooth out.

It is a very different feeling gun from a steel DA/SA. No doubt about it.

Welcome. Let us know how things are working out.

PS: Most people find that the recoil spring is too strong if anything. Especially it you are shooting minor PF competition loads.
 
#34 ·
That was precisely the case. It just needed some more range time, not a single hiccup the last few times I’ve taken it out, about 600 rounds through it now. I am finding the brass is flying every which way which is funny. Sometimes it flies forward, sometimes it flies to the right, sometimes it flies straight up and lands in the fold of my jacket sleeve. I’ve seen worse though and as long as they’re clearing the gun, that’s all that matters, lol.
 
#20 ·
Thank to all of you for your welcome and responses

Thanks to all of you for the suggestions and for the generous welcome, letting a CZealot amongst your midst. Yes, my post heading is a little tongue in cheek. I know Sig makes high quality firearms, they are German engineered after all.

Canada is first on list apparently for CZ Shadow 2 OR. I was told sometime this month (October) back in April. I have one on pre-order from Bullseye London in Canada. I already know from shooting the X5 with the optic I am going to love the S2 with the optic. Damn optics are really fun to shoot!

Addressing everyone else’s comments and suggestions. I am meticulous with my firearms, everything was properly degreased and cleaned and relubed with Lucas grease prior to it’s first trip to the range. I went back the following day with the heavier ammo and to be on the safe side I kept an eye on my thumb placement and trust me on this, my thumb is no where near that slide release, think chipmunk thumbs here, I literally have to break my grip off the gun to get at it and that IS NOT happening. The 147’s initially did the trick and the slide would stay racked back after the last round. Threw in some 124’s and they too were keeping the slide racked back for about 6 magazines (total of 60 rounds or so) and then started getting the click on an empty chamber again. I used the same two magazines I did during the initial range visit. So it works fine for about 6 mags and then goes back to clicking on an empty chamber.

I have an IDPA match coming up on Sunday and I am shooting the gun whether it works 100% or not and am going to give it the benefit of a break in period before I tamper with it any further. All it really needs to do is hold it together for 130 rounds, literally get me through the IDPA matches. If I ever do use it in IPSC it won’t be an issue because it doesn’t need to go to slide lock.

Seriously I know I need to watch my P’s and Q’s and be careful of what I say being a CZ shooter on a Sig site, lol, come on now cut me a little slack, but I first picked up a fellow shooter’s P320 at an IPSC match, dry fired it a couple times and two days later I put an order in for the X5. So no regrets, just a bit puzzled by it’s current state of affairs, but I’m pretty sure the bugs will work themselves out. Especially since I stuck an optic on it before it had a chance to really show off to me. I have to admit, that the striker fire still whigs me out a bit, I like having control over the hammer, I don’t even like a decocker and exchanged that for a safety on my P-09.

Thanks again for the suggestions, if it keeps doing it with same frequency I’ll take some remedial action.:eek:
 
#29 ·
Thanks to all of you for the suggestions and for the generous welcome, letting a CZealot amongst your midst. Yes, my post heading is a little tongue in cheek. I know Sig makes high quality firearms, they are German engineered after all.

Canada is first on list apparently for CZ Shadow 2 OR. I was told sometime this month (October) back in April. I have one on pre-order from Bullseye London in Canada. I already know from shooting the X5 with the optic I am going to love the S2 with the optic. Damn optics are really fun to shoot!

Addressing everyone else’s comments and suggestions. I am meticulous with my firearms, everything was properly degreased and cleaned and relubed with Lucas grease prior to it’s first trip to the range. I went back the following day with the heavier ammo and to be on the safe side I kept an eye on my thumb placement and trust me on this, my thumb is no where near that slide release, think chipmunk thumbs here, I literally have to break my grip off the gun to get at it and that IS NOT happening. The 147’s initially did the trick and the slide would stay racked back after the last round. Threw in some 124’s and they too were keeping the slide racked back for about 6 magazines (total of 60 rounds or so) and then started getting the click on an empty chamber again. I used the same two magazines I did during the initial range visit. So it works fine for about 6 mags and then goes back to clicking on an empty chamber.

I have an IDPA match coming up on Sunday and I am shooting the gun whether it works 100% or not and am going to give it the benefit of a break in period before I tamper with it any further. All it really needs to do is hold it together for 130 rounds, literally get me through the IDPA matches. If I ever do use it in IPSC it won’t be an issue because it doesn’t need to go to slide lock.

Seriously I know I need to watch my P’s and Q’s and be careful of what I say being a CZ shooter on a Sig site, lol, come on now cut me a little slack, but I first picked up a fellow shooter’s P320 at an IPSC match, dry fired it a couple times and two days later I put an order in for the X5. So no regrets, just a bit puzzled by it’s current state of affairs, but I’m pretty sure the bugs will work themselves out. Especially since I stuck an optic on it before it had a chance to really show off to me. I have to admit, that the striker fire still whigs me out a bit, I like having control over the hammer, I don’t even like a decocker and exchanged that for a safety on my P-09.

Thanks again for the suggestions, if it keeps doing it with same frequency I’ll take some remedial action.:eek:
One other thing, which you may already be doing. Leave the slide locked open when you are not shooting it, at least until it starts locking open as you expect it to while shooting it. That can help reduce the spring break in time.
 
#32 ·
First I'll just say it, if you are used to CZ's like the Shadow 2 and TSO etc. nothing Sig makes today short of german imported models is likely to knock your socks off. I own both and I'd trade my X5 for another Shadow 2 in a heartbeat, I wouldn't even take the Deltapoint off it. If I had it to do over again I'd have taken a chance on the Q5 match.

As far as the X5 goes, IMO Sig screwed the spring rate up. It's too weak at rest and many have reported problems with guns not going into battery, and too strong at the end of it's stroke that people have problems due to that. With standard factory loads my X5 trickled rounds out the side of it, it took Nato powered loads to eject more than 12" out of the gun, yet it struggled to go back into battery. Anytime you have a gun that exhibits both too weak and too strong of a recoil spring symptoms the spring rate is usually wrong. I'd go a step further and say the flat wound spring/rod design isn't the best, it induces a lot of friction. I replaced mine with a 1911 rod and spring and what do you know slide cycling was much smoother and no problems locking open or going into battery. People can claim it's break in, but there are tons of guns out there that run just fine with standard factory 9mm rounds.

You can try leaving the slide locked back for a couple days as others have mentioned, that used to be a trick with the FNX tacticals to run when new with weaker .45 ammo.

I'd say if when you manually cycle the gun the slide lock is catching solidly (ruling out any slide lock or mag follower issues), check your ejection, if it looks really weak you probably are not getting the slide fully rearward. Though I'd imagine if you are a competitive shooter you would have noticed really weak ejection already. If the heavier loads don't fix it out I'd recommend going to a 1911 rod and spring and tuning it from there.
 
#33 ·
@Toddm - thank you for the information. So I ended up doing two things with the Sig and that is I’m shooting nothing but 147gn bullets in all my guns now and I ran over 600 rounds through the Sig this last while, which explains my protracted absence from the site. The X5 has “sorted” itself out with the ammunition and is running as well as my S2. Getting really comfortable with the optic as well. I’m dropping strings of 5 B zones on the move which is kind of mind bending for me, because I’m typically a stop-aim-fire kind of shooter.

Anyways, thanks again all of you for the warm welcome and for your helpful suggestions. If I ever find myself in the position of asking myself “Where am I going and why am I in this handbasket?” as it pertains to my Sig, it’s nice to know you all are a really helpful bunch!
 
#35 ·
No worries about being a CZealot, Sonja. Lots of us here like CZs, as well (I only have 3). If I, the guy who traded 3 desirable SIGS (German P226, a P229 legion, and a P225A1) for a 1911 (Springfield Professional w/a rail) on this board can survive here, you can. Bullseye London are great guys to deal with, too.
 
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