[Guest]

i've put 200 rounds through my new m40-a1 and had a few fte's, and a ftf and a failure to go into battery. also, the trigger sometimes fails to reset, this is most evident without a magazine in the gun. should i send this gun back to steyr for repair or is there something i can do to fix these problems? thanks.

 

[Shooter]

Slow down, you will have a break in period. Clean it really well and lube. Give it a few hundred rounds and everything should smooth out......

 

[bigtaco]

most issues go away around 500 rounds. those that have held out until 1000 rounds have seen problems just fix themselves.

these things are built to pretty tight tolerances and need some time for the parts to wear in. the parts are built to last, so it takes them a while to wear at all.

 

[ministerofdeath]

A few things every new Steyr Pistol owner should know:

1) The Steyr has to be well cleaned and requires slightly more lubrication than a Glock (if thats what you're used to). There is an excellent cleaning tutorial on this website with nice color photos and step-by-step directions. Follow it and you'll be in business

2) The Steyr likes decent quality ammunition. We all favor WWB or CCI Blazer Brass. Stay away from reloads until you're firearm has been broken in (500 rounds) and you really know what to look for in a reload. Mr. Apathy is the best source on what the Steyr likes for reloads on the Planet and we're very lucky we have him so if you're into reloading talk to him. Stay away from WOLF ammo at all costs as in my opinion it is just too dirty and the quality control isn't up to par with WWB or CCI. Now, some folks put WOLF through their Steyrs all day long and don't have a problem, but I've seen TONS of reports about FTE or FTFs that were the result of using WOLF.

3) You need to have a proper grip you can't limp wrist the Steyr and expect it to keep firing time and time again. Proper grip is discussed in the shooting tutorials posted by IDPASteyr who is a competition shooter in IDPA with thousands of rounds and plenty of victories with the Steyr.

4) If after cleaning it, using proper lubrication in the right areas (ie. don't lub up the striker pin or channel), giving it proper ammunition, using proper grip, and sending about 500 rounds down range it slips up and give you problems then send that puppy back. Mass production means that some things are going to come off the line not as they were intended. Steyr has awesome customer service, they've really gone above and beyond for folks. Mention you're a member of Steyrclub.com they know us.

GOOD LUCK, I'm sorry to hear that you're having problems, but don't let it get you down or scare you about this new pistol as I'm sure you can work things out and end up very happy with it.

 

[ministerofdeath]

P.S. Tap your mags to seat the rounds properly I was reading another thread and remembered that I do this a lot and I haven't had any malfunctions (knock on wood).

 

[Guest]

i appreciate all of the replies to my inquiries. i cleaned the pistol thoroughly again using the tutorial on this site and have eliminated all of the ftes and other feed issues. i put another 100 rounds through it without any issues, the pistol shoots great and i really like it. i am still concerned about the trigger reset, one tutorial which i read indicates that if i can see the trigger release sear move when the slide is off i may have a problem, the trigger always resets if i rack the slide vigorously, but not if i slowly pull the slide back and release it. this happens maybe 1 out 10 with a magazine in it, and almost everytime if the magazine is removed. thanks again for the info!

 

[bigtaco]

"if it aint broke," rules would apply in this case.

if it runs, don't worry about it.

the click/sear movement is usually caused by the 90 degree bend in the trigger bar being something other than 90 degrees. very easy to diagnose and fix. but don't worry about that unless it gives you malfunctions.

it CAN make our trigger feel gritty though. when the trigger bar is bent incorrectly, the bar pushes on one side of the sear more than the other. this causes it to twist, making it rub the sub-frame, which isn't much of a bearing surface.

if THAT bugs you, easy to diagnose and fix. but make sure you're running clean first... 500 malf. free rounds.

 

[ScottW]

the click/sear movement is usually caused by the 90 degree bend in the trigger bar being something other than 90 degrees. very easy to diagnose and fix.

That was the cause of my reset malfunctions. I gently pursuaded the bar back to something closer to 90*, and the excess click & sear motion went away and my reset failures were cured.

 

[Guest]

I learned recently that the Steyr doesn't reset like a Glock. On a Glock you can pull the slide back 1/4" and release it forward and it will always reset. The Steyr I have would fail to reset 1 out of 3 tries. If I pull it all the way back and let it fly(like you're supposed to) it works perfect. Took it to the range and it was perfect. Had a FTE on the first ever shot, but that was without a magazine. Probably needs another shell or the follower to help eject the spent case. After re-installing the magazine it went 150 rounds of CCI Aluminum 100% perfect.

 

[bigtaco]

it should reset with a short stroke of the slide. you'll feel a little click as you pull back. all you're doing is getting the firing pin tang to go over the sear. maybe it's more than 1/4 inch, but it needn't be a full rack to reset the trigger.

 

[Guest]

I rack mine about 1/3 of the way back when doing dry fire exercises. never had a problem w/ either one.