[hud]

I am brand new to this forum, and also new to auto pistols. I purchased an S40 last summer, and have put ca. 600 rnds through it. today the flage on the sring guide rod broke. Is this a normal occurance for only 600 rounds? This doesn't seem to reliable to me. I have only shot winchester target loads in the gun. It also does not seem to shoot to accurate. From a bench I can only get about 8 - 10 inch groups at 15 - 20 yds. I realize it isn't like my 7 1/2" barreled revolver, but I expected better than this. Any suggestions?

 

[bigtaco]

definitely not common occurence as i have an s40 with countless thousands of rounds through it.

is it broken and not functioning, or is it broken but still running fine? steyr is just gearing up for parts, but s parts are unlikely to be had for a while yet as they haven't released the new s series gun. jack ash may be able to help you with a new guide rod. this is very unusual.

i have torn one ragged hole at 15 and 20 yards with my s40. 25 yards opens up to a couple of inches. to tell you the truth, i'm pretty impressed with the s40 at 50 yards. my s40 is much more accurate than my m9.

 

[Guest]

if possible can you post pics of the damaged area.

I've heard of guiderods getting dinged up from being reinstalled off-center after cleaning. But never a steel S rod actually breaking (though one M series plastic one that I know of has).

 

[Ripped]

if he cant post pix i can... i think the same thing happend to mine after like 2-3k rounds.. was replaced by the store i bought it from.. this occured after slamming a full magazine into the s40 with the slide locked back,

an alternative to the Factory guide rod. would be to speak with JACK ASH they make custom guide rods and are vendors here on our site.

since we all love eye candy

 

[MrApathy]

..

 

[hud]

Thank you for the replies, they have been helpful. It would take me a long time to figure out how to post a picture, but I will work on it. It looks basically like the picture that Ripped posted, with the flange broke off on one side, but a bit worse than his picture shows. I did notice that his pin shows no wear on the end of it, and mine does. This could be an indication of something wrong also, especially if his pin has had 2-3K shots through it!
As far as groups goes, I will try some better ammo when I am back shooting again. What grain bullet seems to shoot best in the .40? I will also try to find someone local who shoots cometition and can tell me if there is something wrong as far as accuracy goes or if I'm just lousy with this pistol.
Thanks again, and I'll post results later.

 

[bigtaco]

mine prefers 165 grain. cci blaser brass is it's preferred brand.

it sprays hydroshocks like a shotgun, but will write your name with ranger sxt.

lots of people swear by 155 grain, but i've never tried any. my s40 doesn't like any kind of 180 grain anything.

 

[hud]

Thanks again. I have tried some blazer 180 gr. bullets that did shoot better than the cheap winchester, but if I'm going to shoot much at all, I will have to reload. Autos are a lot trickier to reload for from what I understand, and it is nice to have suggestions for a starting point. I'll try some 165 gr. bullets.

 

[bigtaco]

i hate to say it but you may find that reloading isn't worth the trouble. the steyr imho is very very accurate for a defense oriented auto pistol. you can get more accurate guns, but they often start at $1000 before the gun smith starts working.

i have seen steyrs shoot the same bullet hole out to 15 yards and tear one ragged hole at 20. for me that's plenty of accuracy. if the guy is farther than 25 yards away i can probably run for it and reassess if he closes the distance.

i would say try different 165 grain ammo. something will shoot well. we do have one member who is all about reloading and makes a valid point that he always shoots the same round he carries, and his carry rounds cost less than cheapy target rounds. well done, but i can't justify it for my needs.

 

[hud]

Bigtaco, it more about cost than accuracy. I figure I can load for about 8-10 cents per round. Even the cheapy stuff is 16+ cents per round. I'll have to shoot a lot to get any good with this pistol, so cost will be a big issue. as I see it, it will be fun practicing, and close up, if I ever had to defend myself, accuracy wouldn't be that big of a problem, and being quick and familiar with the gun would be. I wouldn't need a 1 inch group.
Has anyone had experience loading and shooting the copper plated bullets? They are cheap, but I wonder what kind of accuracy they will give. I have heard both ways on this, and would like to hear from as many people as I can.
On another note, I took my pistol to the place I purchased it today, and he told me he would cover it. He said I could pick it up next monday, and I will have a new part or a new gun. In case anyone wants to know, it is Sam's gunshop in Pocatello, Id. I bought the pistol about a year ago, and paid about $340.00 new. He is great to work with. He is basically a retired guy that just likes guns, so he opened a shop.

 

[bigtaco]

i see what your saying about the cost.

i practice a lot with a spring airsoft pistol, (don't laugh, it actually groups nice to ten yards). then i do some with a green gas air soft pistol, then i dry fire the steyr.

even though the recoil is obviously much more pronounced, i can see a difference in my shooting when i do it.

plus i can practice at home whenever i want.

 

[hud]

Great idea! I'll check the airsoft guns out. That could help out with the flinch I notice occasionally.

 

[Guest]

lots of dry fire is the cure for the flinch.
also pick up some snap-caps and mix one or two into your mags, see if you still flinch when you pull th trigger expecting a bang and don't get one.

 

[hiramabiff]

amen!

 

[ministerofdeath]

I'll just add my advice here....I've never had a single issue with CCI Blazer Brass FMJ .165 and I've put ALOT of CCI Blazer through my M40.