SIG GSR Info Thread

[ugaarguy]

I've had my GSR Revolution Carry for a few weeks now and thought I'd share some experiences with it.

Slide Stop - The inner lug on the slide stop extended a bit too far into the pistol and had some rather sharp edges that began to cause feeding problems after a couple hundred rounds. I could have sent the pistol back to SIG, or asked to have a new slidestop sent to me. Instead I very carefully smoothed the edges, rounded, and slightly reduced the lug with a diamond hone. Using a black sharpie to color the lug then feeding a single round with no powder charge (assembled using my reloading press) allowed me to see where to stone the lug. The round would scrape the marker off the lug showing where the two were contacting causing the feed problems.

Magazines - After correcting the slide stop problem I found that my particular GSR does not care for McCormick Power Mags. These are oversprung for the gun, and will push the slide stop into the takedown notch with enough force to lock the pistol. The factory SIG mags work fine.

Holsters - The GSR line has a blockier slide than most 1911s. The GSR is more squared at the top compared the more rounded profile of the original design. This excess material in the profile can cause an excessively tight fit in many holsters. I've found that Galco's Stow-N-Go IWB holster works quite well. This holster is a basic open bottom suede pouch which has a wire stay sewn into the top to hold it open. This wire stay is bent in a squared fashion which fits the GSR's slide profile quite well. Even better this a basic holster design that I picked up locally for under $30. The part number for commander length holster is STO266.

Please free to post & share your links, experiences, tips, and tricks; and any gear and accesories you've found that work particularly well with the GSR line. Hopefully we can get a nice one stop shop for all things GSR built up here.

 

[ugaarguy]

Pics

Squared profile of GSR slide


Squared profile on top opening of Galco Stow-N-Go holster


GSR partially inserted in holster


GSR slide locked at takedown notch by McCormick Power Mag

 

[hankdatank1362]

First, thanks for a terribly informative post. I appreciate it, as I have been very interested in picking up a 5" railed GSR in stainless.

but,

The inner lug on the slide stop extended a bit too far into the pistol and had some rather sharp edges that began to cause feeding problems after a couple hundred rounds.

I must not be understanding correctly. When does the cartridge actually come into contact with the slide stop lug? Doesn't it some straight out of the magazine, hit the feed ramp, and glide directly into the chamber?

 

[ugaarguy]

When does the cartridge actually come into contact with the slide stop lug? Doesn't it some straight out of the magazine, hit the feed ramp, and glide directly into the chamber?

Remember, when the mag is empty, the lower front left of the mag follower will contact the bottom of the slide stop pushing the stop up so the outer lug locks into slide's stop notch. The inner lug can be too wide and extend too far into the mag well.





The slide stop's inner lug is still a bit rough, but the pistol functions well now. I'll getaround to polishing it up sooner or later.

 

[StrikeFire83]

Okay, and this is not meant with any disrespect because I value your input on this forum, but does it anger you that a $1000+ 1911 pistol did not work 100% out of the box?

A dealer I talked to this weekend, while acquiring my new, as yet unfired CZ-75B, said that they "didn't carry GSRs right now because the first batch was so problematic." That's a direct quote.

I ask for the simple question that the most expensive gun I ever bought ($700+tax), a Kimber Custom II 1911, was the ONLY one not to be 100% reliable.

It really pissed me off, too, because that is the gun I've always been the MOST accurate with. I'm great with my Glock 17, good with my Kahr K9 & Ruger SP-101, but I was "silver dollar size groups at 7 yards without trying" good with the Kimber, but the damn thing WAS NOT RELIABLE. Fifty rounds would go without a hitch, then I'd get 5-6 failures with another fifty OF THE SAME AMMO lot. This was almost all BALL ammo, too. I tried Chip Power Mags, I tried Wilson Combat mags. Nuthin. In a fit of rage, I sold the weapon (at a loss) to a pawn shop and never looked back.

I'll return to the 1911 platform someday when I'm richer and can afford .45 ACP, but Kimber won't be on that list. It's frustrating to be so happy with a weapon on the one hand and so unhappy with it on the other. Put a bad taste in my mouth. ALL my other, CHEAPER, guns are 100%.

QUESTIONS: How much have you shot the GSR? What has its reliability been? The Sig website says "can be used with standard 1911 mags" but apparently not, how do you feel about that.

 

[ugaarguy]

Okay, and this is not meant with any disrespect because I value your input on this forum, but does it anger you that a $1000+ 1911 pistol did not work 100% out of the box?

First of all no disrespect taken. The GSR was under $1K, but just. Does it anger me? No, but it is a little disappointing. The reason I'm not angered is that I knew things like this could happen going in. I've taken the time to read what the likes of 1911Tuner and Old Fuff, amongst others, have posted. I've taken into account that no company makes a 1911 to the actual GI specs. (Colt's WWI & WWII repros are the closest things available, but I'd not modify one of those with such things as a beavertail grip safety, aftermarket sights, etc. First I'd not want to ruin such a collectable; and for the cost of the base gun, parts, and smithing I could buy a Wilson, Baer, Nighthawk, etc.) Once you depart from GI specs problems can, and do, happen. The slide stop was out of spec. It was a problem that was easily identified and fixed. Yes I could have sent it back or requested that SIG send a replacement. Let me be clear that I chose to work on the slide stop. This was partly a pride of ownership thing like working on your own car, and partly that it only took a few minutes of my time with no waiting on a part or waiting to get the entire pistol back if I returned it. I've got a 1911 with all machined internals that is now running well. I consider the few minutes putting stone to slide stop to be a minor teething problem.

The pistol has a great trigger, the slide to frame fit is tight with little play, the barrel is turned to mate tightly with the bushing, and the bushing is tightly fitted to the slide. The gunsmith at a local shop, who asked to look at my GSR while I was looking for a holster, commented on the fit of the slide, frame, bbl, and bushing. He was very impressed with the trigger pull, and then shocked when I told him the GSRs use a Shwarz type firing pin block safety. I'm pretty happy with it.

How much have you shot the GSR?

I'd have to go count empty brass, but I'll try to make a guesstimate. I'd say about 200 rounds before the the slide stop friction problem started. After that probably 50 more rounds of mixed reliability before I narrowed it down to the slide stop. After that I stoned the slide stop, ran somewhere over 50 more rounds thru it and the McCormick power mag problem became evident because it was then isolated. After that range trip there was a bit of copper fouling on the on the slide stop so I touched it up a bit with the stone. After that last bit of work I've run about 100 more rounds thru it, now trouble free. So, I'm now at close to 400 rounds.

What has its reliability been?

The reliability is mixed. After the slide stop problem appeared it would fail to fully feed once or twice per mag. After the slide stop work, when sticking to the supplied SIG mags or a Colt mag I have, it's been flawless.

The Sig website says "can be used with standard 1911 mags" but apparently not, how do you feel about that.

To be fair it works with the supplied mags and my Colt mag. You can feel that the McCormick mags have a significantly heavier spring as they're advertised to have. I don't consider the McCormick mag to be a standard 1911 mag; it is very heavily sprung.

 

[Polish_Pounder]

I picked up a brand new GSR Revolution Stainless 5" for $850 and I love it. It has been perfectly reliable after a few hundred rounds, including with Golden Sabers, TAP +P, and Hydrashock. I have a flush fitting McCormick mag (with Rocket Wire) that I use for carry, and it has worked 100%. I have never seen the slide stop problem you are having before. The gun is very tight, but completely reliable. The only malfunctions it had were obviously due to limp-wristing by my petite and timid fiancee.

-Polish

 

[ugaarguy]

Polish, thanks for dropping by the GSR info thread. Glad to hear yours is running strong. Any holster preferences thus far?

 

[Polish_Pounder]

I have a Wilson Featherweight right now, but it isn't very stable. I think that has more to due with my skinny frame than the holster. Either way, I wouldn't recommend the featherweight because of the J hook. They slide right off the belt and pull your pants down. I am waiting for a Com 3 from HBE Gunleather, and I am expecting that to really work well.

Even in the featherweight the full size GSR is pretty easy to carry. I would recommend a holster with 2 offset loops for such a heavy gun. Also, try to keep it as thin as possible to utilize the inherent flatness of the 1911 platform. I'll let you know when I get my new holster and include some pics.

-Polish

 

[OBXMIKE]

Hey, guys. Just chiming in with my limited experience so far with my GSR "carry". First Sig gun, first 1911 platform for me. I have about 300 rnds downrange through mine, all ball ammo, no HP yet, and haven't experienced a hiccup of any kind. I was somewhat hesitant to buy one with all the bad press on the first run, but I have friends that own a lot of Sigs and they all had good things to say about warranty/cust svc, so I took the chance. I think it is a beautifully fitted and finished firearm, I like the "nitron" finish with the rosewood grips and the night sights. I'm pretty much tickled. The holster issue has presented a problem with the wider slide on it. I lucked up and found an OWB from Wild Bill's Concealment (Garner, NC) that I was able to stretch some by using a siliconed rag wrapped around the pistol and kept in the holster for a couple of days. It now fits perfectly, and looks so dang NICE!!! I would like to get a Sparks VMII, but have been sitting on my laurels on ordering one. Hopefully some more makers will start producing some options for this gun.

Best,
Mike

 

[ugaarguy]

OBX, sorry it took me so long to get back to this. Welcome to the world of GSRs and 1911s. Good to hear yours is running well too, and thanks for the excellent holster fitting tip.

 

[waynedm]

Slide Stop - The inner lug on the slide stop extended a bit too far into the pistol and had some rather sharp edges that began to cause feeding problems after a couple hundred rounds. I could have sent the pistol back to SIG, or asked to have a new slidestop sent to me. Instead I very carefully smoothed the edges, rounded, and slightly reduced the lug with a diamond hone. Using a black sharpie to color the lug then feeding a single round with no powder charge (assembled using my reloading press) allowed me to see where to stone the lug. The round would scrape the marker off the lug showing where the two were contacting causing the feed problems.

Wow! Somebody else finally figured it out. This is the main problem with Kimber's poor reliability. I know I know this is about Sigs, but it applies to all 1911s. Your method of figuring out where it was hitting was also interesting.

Stop blaming extractors and poor feed ramp polishing for your 1911 feeding issues!

Sig makes a nice 1911. I wonder if HK will ever make one, or better yet CZ!

 

[ugaarguy]

Wayne thanks for the compliment. Sometimes a good pistol just needs a little love to sweeten it up.

Sig makes a nice 1911. I wonder if HK will ever make one, or better yet CZ!

CZ kinda does make a 1911. They bought Dan Wesson so they're selling DW 1911s under that name. I kinda doubt they'd sell them in the US under the CZ brand. Of course wouldn't it be something to see DW 1911s sold under the CZ name in Eastern Europe.

 

[silversport]

enjoying my SiGARMS GSR Revolution STX...very accurate and nicely made...
Bill

 

[philbo]

Picked up my first GSR a couple of weeks ago. So far it has been reliable with no problems. Will update after I've tried some hollow points thru it.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I got a Revolution Carry stainless in Feb. 2007. It has been nothing but trouble. First it had failures to feed, starting with the second shot ever fired from it. The rounds would either steeply nose-dive into the feed ramp (even with Wilson 47D mags) or angle up into the barrel hood (what is apparently called a "three-point jam"). While there was some improvement after 500 rounds, it continued to have these stoppages. I sent it back on my dime to Sigarms, who polished the feed ramp. Then it started having failures to extract. I looked at the extractor and found its claw broken off. Back it went, but this time they e-mailed me a shipping label. Then the "manhole cover" (a circular threaded plug with two holes in it for a spanner wrench that accesses/retains the firing pin block parts) came out of the slide and was lost, the rear sight (held in the dovetail by a set screw) shifted, and upon closer examination I found the firing pin safety plunger and spring also missing. Back a third time (also on their dime). They have now just told me they are going to replace the entire gun. At least if you do have problems with it they will stand behind it, but for over $900 there should not have been any problems like this.

 

[jpmulli]

Being a Sig man (226, 228 & 229) I really wanted to try one of the GSR's. Like others I read about the problems with the first run and decided to wait. In early June '07 I picked up a new stainless, Revolution Carry. The pistol came with two mags. One works flawlessly regardless of ammo type. The other will occasionally give me a FTF on the last round in the mag only. I plan to try my Wilson mags next outing. So far I have run about 300 rounds through it. I am extremely pleased with the weapon. Very accurate, easy to field strip, tight, well made. I recently sold a Les Baer TRS that was so tight I had to use a vise w/ non-marring pads and an aluminum bushing wrench to strip and reassemble it. The Sig is not quite the gun the Baer was but close. I highly recommend the new GSR Revolution Carry. I am curious why the slide stop problem described by several posters seems to occur several hundred rounds into use rather than not being evident right out of the box.

 

[Jayb]

I bought my GSR in early June, 2007. I took it to the range and shot 500 rounds through it without any sort of cleaning, and had not one mis-step of any sort. I fed FMJ, and JHP of several makers through it without any feed issues.

I noticed no problems with the slide stop, but I wasn't happy with the force required to insert the magazine past the catch on the right side of the pistol. I too, applied some dykem to the bottom of the catch and inserted a mag a few times. When I looked at the bottom of the mag catch, it was very rough, and extended farther than required to lock the mag in. After a bit of judicious polishing, all was well. I've had no problems with the original Sig mags, Kimber, original 1911 mags, or Wilson mags feeding properly. Accuracy was there from the beginning, and I have no concerns in that regard. The pistol now has just over 1000 rounds through it and I'm very pleased with it.

I'm looking now at purchasing another Sig 1911 with a 4" barrel.

 

[Lonestar49]

Hats off to ya

...

My hats off to ya "U"

An honest, very informative post with excellent pics, along with all the others post, of both good, and bad.

I'll keep watching for reports like this, as my last handgun is gonna be either a 4" or 4 1/4" 1911.

Thanks again, such a pleasure to read and see post like this, and I agree with the, "just a little loving" takes care of many things..


LS

 

[Noxx]

Thanks for the info.

I'm a Sig nut as well, and not having a 1911 I've been itching to get a GSR but like others here have held off due to reported problems.

I may give it another year to get squared away before I commit that kind of cash, I still remember the stabbing sensation in my wallet after buying my 220.

 

[The Annoyed Man]

About a month ago, I bought a Sig Revolution Carry Stainless 1911. It is a CPO gun. I wasn't even aware that Sig made 1911s at the time. I was looking for a carry gun, preferably in a 1911 pattern, at my local gun shop when the owner showed me this pistol. I have owned an old Ithica 1911-A1 built in 1943 for years. It was my dad's side arm in WW2, and I inherited it when he died. I've probably shot a thousand rounds or more though it.

Anyway, compared to my old loose .45, the Sig seemed built like a bank vault, and the stainless construction seemed to make it ideal for concealed carry (I'm in possession of an overlarge food blister, and I sweat like a pig), and I knew that Sig has an excellent and well earned reputation for building quality pistols. The price was $699.00, which seemed a good savings off of the MSRP of $1,049.95 for a new one, so I went ahead and bought it.

A few days later, I trundle off to the range with a box of 100 Remington 230 gr ball ammo, and a few rounds of Corbon 185 gr +P "flying ashcans." The gun was very accurate, although the sites needed readjusting for my left handed grip. In any case, it shot consistently into roughly the same point of impact. Out of the 100 FMJs, I experienced perhaps a couple of feeding jams, which appeared to be caused by the magazine and not the ramp, and which were both easily cleared simply by pulling back and releasing the slide, which got the recalcitrant rounds to go into battery.

In go the Corbons, and that's where everything went to hell. It failed to feed every single round. Sometimes it was the magazine, some times it was the ramp. Once I could get the round to chamber, it shot accurately. In any case, this is not acceptable to me for a carry weapon, so I trundled off to my local gunsmith, where the pistol still resides as he is swamped with getting customer shotguns ready for the impending bird season. I am having him install an ambidextrous thumb safety and polish the ramp to help eliminate failures to feed. I have also tried switching to Federal 230 gr Hydroshoks as they have a rounder ogive than the Corbons are are less likely to hang up on the ramp.

What I would like to know is if any of you have other suggestions toward increasing reliability. I can't afford to get another pistol right now, but I can afford a few simple mods if they don't cost too much.

 

[ugaarguy]

Since it feed the 230gr FMJ somewhat reliably I think the CorBons may be their own problem. If the polish & light throating get it feeding the 230gr ball with complete reliability then try ammo like the 230gr Hydra Shocks & 230gr Gold Dots. If the gun still doesn't like the CorBons quite buying them.

Coronach's M&P refuses to feed truncated cone ammo but eats everything else.

After fixing the slide stop issue my GSR feeds everything I've given it except Hornady XTPs. Interestingly the XTPs are kinda truncated cone shaped.

Some guns just refuse to feed certain ammo.

 

[Polish_Pounder]

That's funny, I feed my 5" GSR 230g XTP +P without a hitch. The flying ashtray bullet types gum up a lot of good guns, so I wouldn't blame the GSR outright. My Sig likes everything I have given it (although I only feed it 230g loads), and I even have a hard time when trying to get it to jam. The only way I can make it miss a step is by limp-wristing with +p loads.

On a different note, I posted in this thread about ordering an HBE Com3 nearly six months ago, and after waiting over twice the time I was quoted, it shipped today. I will take some pics with it next week and post them. There is nothing quite as sexy as a 1911 in a sleek black holster .

-Polish