Barrel/slide bind on Para P16

[rman]

hey guys, i have an older para p16 40cal (19+1 baby!)

anyways, its unfired, but has a bind

when racking the slide, and slowly releasing it, the breach side of the barrel very slightly catches the rear of the ejection port on the slide. pushing the barrel in lets the slide move forward fully.

in normal cycling, this isn't an issue since there is enough force for the slide to travel back to the front.
i would say the lateral movement is about 1/8" or less.

should i...

a) try to contact Para on this 15 year old (yet unfired) pistol
b) bring it to a Smith
c) ignore it and let it wear itself normal

thanks guys

-Armand
Sent from my Apple Galaxy Note 5

[ojisan]

You are talking about the barrel hood area?
Having the hood nice and snug against the breech face is a good thing.
There is some drag here as the barrel is moving up and forward along with the slide moving forward.
I would check the rear face of the hood and the breech face for burrs or raised edges that may cause binding and friction.
If you find any, giving a gentle polish with some fine crocus cloth or possibly even steel wool will smooth things up.
Shooting a gun to break it in is normal, but I do prefer to take a look at any problem areas and clean them up early instead of letting the gun beat the parts into submission.
You can also make sure the barrels feet, link and pin are all fitted together properly and lubed.
The ends of the pin should be flush or just below the surface of the feet lug....the pin should not stick out at all.

[rman]

yup, the hood catches on the outside edge. ill take another look at it this weekend..

perhaps a slight bevel?

-Armand
Sent from my Apple Galaxy Note 5

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

What you're doing isn't how the pistol is designed to operate and is not an absolute test of operational reliability. Try this test and report back:

With a snap cap loaded in the magazine, withdraw the slide and release it smartly, not lowering it slowly. If it chambers the snap cap, it's not an issue. If it doesn't, or doesn't do so reliably, you may have an issue needing attention.

It wouldn't be the first 1911 I'd seen bind when the slide was slowly followed down that functioned perfectly when fired or manipulated correctly (that is, withdrawing and releasing the slide, not lowering it slowly).

[rman]

will have to give that a try. like i mentioned, racking it and letting it close on the recoil spring operates just fine

-Armand
Sent from my Apple Galaxy Note 5

[Capt.Dunsel]

P14 here ( 14 + 1 45 ACP) , let that baby just go forward , don't baby it.

You'll find out with the Paras that a limp wrist ( same as easing it forward)will do it till she's broke in with a few rounds.

[rman]

P14 here ( 14 + 1 45 ACP) , let that baby just go forward , don't baby it.

You'll find out with the Paras that a limp wrist ( same as easing it forward)will do it till she's broke in with a few rounds.

got a p12 and p14 also... correction... the p14 is a best guess. It's a para frame from before they made guns, it was a kit gun. Thing weighs about 78.9 lbs and requires steroids to rack the slide. Trigger is a smooth .00001 lbs. It's a freaking beast but a joy to shoot. Until the last outing the front sight flew off

p14, p12, p229


p14 on the right

[limitdown]

With your AR, you would never slowly ease the charging handle forward to chamber a round. You would let the charging handle "fly" forward.
It's the same thing with handguns.