New Sig, possible problem but not sure

[9mmepiphany]

I guess P220 has a design different from other SIG in that case.

yes they do. from the owners manual, the 220 has a combo (part#18), while the 226 has a separate ejector (part #32)

[nan]

so i played with my p220 some more, and i can almost replicate your issue. when i press the slide catch down, without the slide on the frame. the entire assembly will sit towards the middle rather than rest along the frame. but on my gun it won't go in far enough to really catch, it will rub the breech block a bit then pop back into the groove.

but really the entire assembly is connected to the frame from one pivot attached to the trigger pin so there is nothing to stop it from moving to far in except for the locking insert.

here is a pic of the slide catch lever in the correct position

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr8/nan_kho/p220ejector.jpg

here is a pic of the slide catch without the locking insert

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr8/nan_kho/p220_SC_no.jpg

as you can see the slide catch lever should be flat against the frame.

-nan

[civilsnake]

Mine does the same thing. When reassembling just make sure you push the slide catch to the outside of the frame. It's a bit annoying, but it hasn't affect performance at all. It's still running 100%.

[ChrisToad]

Mine does the same thing. When reassembling just make sure you push the slide catch to the outside of the frame. It's a bit annoying, but it hasn't affect performance at all. It's still running 100%.

Thanks for pointing that out... I thought maybe I was the only one in this boat.

so i played with my p220 some more, and i can almost replicate your issue. when i press the slide catch down, without the slide on the frame. the entire assembly will sit towards the middle rather than rest along the frame. but on my gun it won't go in far enough to really catch, it will rub the breech block a bit then pop back into the groove.
but really the entire assembly is connected to the frame from one pivot attached to the trigger pin so there is nothing to stop it from moving to far in except for the locking insert.

Appreciate your input, the pics, and the YT video. I'll definitely check that out. Maybe, now that I have that video I posted, I can show it to the Sig tech and see if they still agree this is 'normal'.

One question, you mentioned the 'locking insert'. Is your slide lock assembly coming in contact with the locking insert to where it limits the slide lock lateral movement (my issue)?

[GKO]

Your slide catch lever seems to have more play than normal from what I could see in the video. The whole piece should be flush to the inside left part of the frame except for the top part that curves inwards.

The grips should have nothing to do with it. While there should be a slight amount of play, it should snap back if you push it towards the center of the gun as it's under pressure from the slide catch lever spring. However, it's possible it's bent if it's been pushed too hard inward.

If you push the lever up, does it snap back down? The only things I can think of that would allow for more play would be a missing or broken slide catch lever spring, the lever itself is bent inward or rotated inward, or there's too much space between the left side of the locking insert and the inside left side of the frame.

It's pretty simple to take out the locking insert, slide catch lever spring and slide catch lever if you really wanted to look into it further. Does the gun run?

[ChrisToad]

Does the gun run?

When assembled... yes, like a horny thoroughbred.

The only things I can think of that would allow for more play would be [snip] or there's too much space between the left side of the locking insert and the inside left side of the frame.

Bingo.

I disassembled everything necessary to remove the locking insert, trigger pin, and slide catch. Much easier than I had thought it might be, thanks Nan for the YT link.

The spring, slide catch, and locking insert appear to be in good working order. Nothing is bent, or looks out of place. The spring acts on all the pieces parts it is supposed to.

When re-assembling, I should note that before I even re-insert the locking insert, the slide catch fits pretty loosely on the trigger pin. Upon replacing the locking insert, the spring presses down on the slide catch as it should... but the fit isn't tight enough between the inside edge of the receiver and the locking insert. With everything in place, it still has enough room to wiggle left and right. Upon shining a flashlight down in there... we're talking thousands of an inch... but enough to let it wiggle.

The only appropriate / feasible solutions to me would be a new slide catch that is made out of a thicker piece of metal. That or a locking insert with a wider base. Either would yield a tighter fit.

My guess is that they might have gotten a batch of these slide catch parts that are a little loose on the specified thickness.

[ChrisToad]

Talked with Sig Sauer on Wed... they agreed to send me a new slide catch. I'll update with results.

[ChrisToad]

SOLVED (sorta)

Got the new slide catch in from SIG today...

I wish could say installing it solved my problem, it didn't. The new slide catch matched the original one exactly, and the same lateral play was present. SO:

Now that I have an extra catch, I reached for the toolbox. I used 2 pairs of pliers and applied about 1/10" of twist (catch/ejector outward) at the point where the catch just starts to protrude from the Locking Insert. That little amount of twist was enough to hold the slide catch tight between the frame and the locking insert. The twist also helped press the slide catch against the inside of the frame. So NOW, the slide catch doesn't move laterally whatsoever. I'll consider this solved, but with some self help.

Thanks to everyone here for your suggestions, troubleshooting, and input. I REALLY appreciate it. Lets get out to the range!

[GKO]

Should be fine as long as the ejector part of the slide catch slides okay in the channel to the left of the underside slide area that contains the firing pin.

[ChrisToad]

Should be fine as long as the ejector part of the slide catch slides okay in the channel to the left of the underside slide area that contains the firing pin.

Put 100 rounds through it today without any hiccups. I field stripped to check that channel / ejector and there doesn't appear to be any trouble.