i went out shooting my s40 today and the plastic frame broke on the inside. one of the plastic tabs broke where the metal subframe meets the plastic grip in the front. i saw the same thing happened to someone on the old steyr forum a long time ago. i tried to post pics put i couldnt figure out how to. its an early 33,xxx serial with somewere around 1600 rounds through it. it still functions fine, shot a clip through it afterwards, no problems at all. has anybody have same thing occur and get it fixed? what did you do?
Steyr customer service is very good - they will spin the pistol right back to you. Definitely send it in.
there are no more s frames. so you won't be getting a new frame for it. the same thing happened to my s40. having no options, i decided not to worry about it until it begat more problems. hey, i don't think that it's a GOOD idea, but it's not like s40s grow on trees and i can't seem to find anything else even close to this gun. here's the thing... the takedown lever is really what holds the sub-frame in the pistol, those little plastic tabs aren't doing TOO much structurally. WHEN (not if) you keep shooting it, the recoil spring bangs around and the slide slams into those little plastic tabs. if you've got an m series and you compare the two slides you can see where steyr took off about (and i'm guessing here, my mic is downstairs) .020 off. you can also see that these plastic tabs are much larger on the m series. anyway, you'll likely break off even more of those tabs. if you want to experiment in futility you can try epoxying the pieces back into place, but... here's the thing, once you get all that plastic basically whacked outta there, there's nothing for the slide to slam against. problem solved. let it run its course and all the stuff that's gonna break will break, but the pistol will still function fine. (mine still has enough plastic that the sub-frame is solidly located, , no wiggling or anything, but the part that solidly locates the sub-frame isn't as solid a new.) the plastic will basically break around the spring. i'm guessing (i really should keep better track) that i've fired 4000 rounds since it broke initally. no problems. the thing to watch for is if the frame starts to crack around the takedown lever. that will spell iminent disaster. another thing to check, pull the slide all the way back and look at the takedown lever. is it still locked in position, or is it hanging down? it needs to remain locked in position. this will help keep the slide from slamming into the plastic. if it's hanging down, get a new key lock. it's cheap insurance against future disaster. now, i like to shoot... a lot. so i bought an m9 for range/competition duty. the money i've saved on ammo has allready paid for the gun. seriously. that gun is free when comparing 9mm ammo prices to .40. and it saves me from unnecessarily beating up on my .40, which i still shoot now and then but it's a hip gun and needs to stay that way until we all go buy s40 a1s in a few months. plus, i use all the same stuff, holster, mag pouches etc... and all the operations are the same:trigger pull, mag release, sights etc... don't even think about it until it starts cracking around the takedown lever.you've got the best ccw gun out there, be careful about letting it go!!!
Try emailing Jack Riddle at Steyr: jriddle@steyrarms.com He should be able to answer your questions.......
even w/ no more S frames for replacements if you keep it untill the new SA1's come out then you will probably (guessing here) get a new SA1 for a replacement. If you look at the rails on the inside of the magwell that seperate the hollow space from where the mag goes I have about the bottom 1/2" broken on one side. I just noticed it the other day, no idea how long it has been that way, but since it obviously doesn't affect anything I'm gonna ignore it.
Yup, Either you can send it in and see what they can do now (very little) or you can wait until the SA1s come out, but that could be another three to four months easy. Best to give them call or drop them an email first to see what your options really are. I know I'd hate having to wait a while before I could shoot again with it.
I've never considered the S model, since I like the size of the M's and never even seen an S model......You all who have them seem to think they are pretty awesome (per bigtaco as example).......has anyone seen the new S models ??? Are they planning a light mound or would that make it a bit to big?? Any other changes ???
I"d have to see it in person. Probably a 9mm would work for me.........Rather not have the rail and make is sleeker.........nice pic thanks Sound25
