Brass Shavings in S&W Sigma SW40VE

[nixdorf]

Hello all. Long time lurker, new member here making his first post. I've got a little experience with firearms, but I'm far from an expert.

I have a relatively new Sigma .40 caliber. Since purchasing it in July of this year, I've fired roughly 750-1000 rounds of FMJ through it at the range. All loads have been from recognized manufacturers (Blazer, Winchester, Remington, etc). I've thoroughly cleaned the gun each time after use, and have never seen anything other than the expected gunk on the slide or elsewhere.

I recently went to the range and ran ~200 rounds of CCI Blazer Brass 40 S&W 180 gr FMJ through it. After I got home, I went to clean the gun and noticed brass shavings on the slide and inside the frame. Here are a few pics:

Slide
Slide - Close Up
Frame

In the first image, you can clearly see brass specks and shavings along the slide. I couldn't get a close up to focus properly, but the second image gives you an idea of the size of some of the shavings. The third image shows the frame--most specks in this picture are brass flakes.

Since I noticed the brass everywhere, I've cycled a few rounds through the gun (without firing) to see if the rounds are ejected with scratches. Some of them do have very minor surface scratches, but no chunks missing.

So, aside from the obvious (regretting buying the Sigma and not buying the M&P instead), any ideas? My first inclination is to clean it out completely and go hit the range with a couple boxes of different ammo. If they reappear, call Smith. Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[nixdorf]

Is this normal?

 

[rcmodel]

Seems pretty normal.
Brass flecks are always found in my guns when I clean them.

Some brands of ammo do it worse then others.

Where does it come from?
Beats me.

Could be shavings off the primers as the slide unlocks and the barrel drops down.
Could be shavings from the mag feed lips rubbing on the cases.
Or it could be the magic fairy dust that makes the gun work?

I wouldn't worry about it if you can't find the source by looking at the empty cases or loaded rounds after they have been chambered. If there are no large scratches or gouges on the cases or bullets, it's not hurting anything.

rc

 

[GLOOB]

Some of my centerfire pistols shave brass. The brass gets shaved by the edge of the FP/striker hole while the cartridge is feeding. But the shavings mostly stay inside the FP hole and/or fall out the FP "drain hole" in my Glocks.

 

[Shurshot]

I used to own a Sigma SW40VE and it is the only handgun I have ever purchased and then "got rid of". What I discovered about this gun was that after a couple hundred rounds I could bearly pull the trigger. If I tore it down and cleaned it it was fine, but after another 200 or less rounds, I couldn't pull the trigger again. This was my first carry gun and although I seriously doubt I would ever be in a situation where I needed to fire that many rounds at one time, but you just never know... Now I carry an XD with zero problems.

 

[nixdorf]

Thanks for the feedback on my question.

I think I may have found my problem. I talked with a gunsmith/rangemaster here in town. It seems the shavings are entirely normal for this type of firearm, but I used too much oil after the previous cleaning. Long story short, instead of the shavings falling out of the firearm, they got stuck in the oil instead.

Needless to say, I learned my lesson. Thanks again for the help!