Walther P1 Issue

[cogcon]

Went to the range today and had my Walther P1 do two things that I found odd.

Facts: 100 rounds fired, used 2 mags, no misfires or FTE.

Issue #1: Sometimes the slide did not lock back after the last round was fired. Slide was in battery and the hammer was cocked back in SA. This happened about 20% of the time.

Issue #2: More perplexing was when the slide was locked back and I inserted a fresh magazine, the slide unlocked and moved forward on its own. This happened once or twice when changing mags. My fingers were nowhere close to the release.

I did not have a chance to track which magazine I used during these incidents. I may go back and pay more attention.

Thoughts/comments?

 

[todbiker]

Don't have one, but was in the market for one....
Where did your purchase it from and no disrespect, did you clean it before firing it?

 

[CasualObserver]

Went to the range today and had my Walther P1 do two things that I found odd.

Facts: 100 rounds fired, used 2 mags, no misfires or FTE.

Issue #1: Sometimes the slide did not lock back after the last round was fired. Slide was in battery and the hammer was cocked back in SA. This happened about 20% of the time.

Issue #2: More perplexing was when the slide was locked back and I inserted a fresh magazine, the slide unlocked and moved forward on its own. This happened once or twice when changing mags. My finders were nowhere close to the release.

I did not have a chance to track which magazine I used during these incidents. I may go back and pay more attention.

Thoughts/comments?

I would definately look for a particular mag first. I have a P1 and a pair of P38s and I have one mag that causes #1 in all 3 but it is more like 90% of the time (guess the follower is just a little too short to engage the slide lock on the guns with that mag). Trying to wrap my brain around how that could cause #2 as well, but that is sort of the opposite problem.... maybe the real problem is a sticky slide lock?

 

[cogcon]

Don't have one, but was in the market for one....
Where did your purchase it from and no disrespect, did you clean it before firing it?

Bought from AIM awhile back. Very good condition and accurate.

It was clean as a whistle and properly lubed.

I fired it many times and this is the first time this happened.

 

[Threeband]

First , mark your mags with a bit of masking tape or something, so you can tell if the slide is failing to lock with only one of them.

If the slide sometimes closes when you drop the mag, that points to the slide stop itself. It could be worn, or it could just be gummed up. Since you have two things going on, not locking back, and not staying locked back, that makes it sound like the stop is just gummed up.

Lock the slide back, rotate the takedown lever forward, then ease the slide off the frame. Now you can see both the corner of the slide lock and the recess in the slide into which it locks. You should be able to tell if either is worn. I doubt that's the problem, though.

Inspect the slide lock for freedom of movement. I suspect that crud and filth are discouraging it from rising all the way up under the force of the magazine follower. You may be able to engage it with your mighty muscles, but the magazine spring (perhaps only one of them) might not be quite strong enough to push the stop all the way up to lock the slide securely every time. Perhaps you just need to clean and lubricate the slide stop and it's recess in the frame.

Edit to add- If it's as clean and well lubed as you say (we're talking about the slide stop, not the rest of the gun), then it could just be a weak magazine spring, I guess. Mark your magazines!

 

[crowleycr]

So slamming home a magazine and having the slide free itself and load a round is a bad thing? I thought that a feature for my new pistol.

 

[Threeband]

Reading comprehension FAIL.

 

[crowleycr]

Really? Its a brand new pistol and had only the MD casing fired before I got it. seems exceptionally clean to me.

I kind of suspect that the slide should remain locked no matter how much force I use to seat the magazine. However, it cuts my reload time SIGnficantly.