Para 16.40 won't return to battery

[General Disarray]

My Para 16.40 LDA often (not every time) has an occasional failure of the slide to return to battery when loading the last round into the chamber. A little push on the back of the slide with a thumb gets it to battery quite easily, but I would like to understand why it happens in the first place. Any guesses? Could it be a weak spring in the magazine?

 

[BURN]

catching on the follower...or a link problem

 

[Sam1911]

By far the easiest answer is to replace the mainspring. It almost certainly wouldn't be a weak mag spring. The magspring should be changed every ?,xxx rounds anyway, so it can't hurt, and it won't cost you $10 to try.

-Sam

 

[rcmodel]

It's possible a weak magazine spring is causing it.

Or, the flat follower is not pushing the last round up the breech-face the same as a round, which is round.

rc

 

[Sam1911]

It's possible a weak magazine spring is causing it.

Or, the flat follower is not pushing the last round up the breech-face the same as a round, which is round.

But it isn't a failure to feed, from the sounds of it, just a failure to return the last fraction of an inch into battery. Unless I've misunderstood.

I've had weak mainsprings do that. I've also shot 1911s until they were so dirty that this started to happen.

G.D., do I understand you right? Is the gun hanging up most of the way open, of is it just not quite closing all the way. Does the slide velocity seem off to you?

Did this just start to happen in a gun that's worked well before? Or is it a problem you've had since the gun was new?

-Sam

 

[General Disarray]

It's not quite closing all the way, not a failure to feed. I just got it used, so I don't know how long it's been happening.

 

[Magnumite]

Is the hold open notch on the slide peened a good bit? Are you using PO factory mags?

If it is and the mag is factory the slide stop ledge on the magazine follower may be hitting the slide stop a little high. This would cause the slide to slow down, inducing the failure you mention.

I am not saying this is, but it is a place to look.