[wb3jma]

New SA-35

Took posession at lunch this afternoon and went straight to the range to put out 100 rounds without issue. Accuracy? I kinda felt I shot my CZ 75B better first time out but we will see. Trigger is crisp with only a small amount of takeup. Trigger breaks just under 5lbs with a Wheeler Digital...

www.springfieldforum.com

13th post

 

[MikeMyers]

Found it - thanks! Not sure why I didn't notice it before.
I guess I'll take the gun with me tomorrow also, along with an S&W Model 14 with 8" barrel.

 

[MikeMyers]

Went to the range yesterday with the SA-35 and an S&W Model 14. Other people found the SA-35 to have no real grouping, and according to one fellow who used to own one, the trigger pull was the main problem, but he never got is gun to shoot well. He shot my gun, and got the same results I've been getting. After swapping 9mm guns for a few minutes with a friend, I got disgusted, and left to see my gunsmith, Frank, at "Only The Best" gunshop. He has worked on the SA-35, and thinks he can correct whatever is wrong with my gun.

I don't think I will ever be accurate with a 7 or 8 pound trigger pull, because the gun always seems to move in my hand as I fire, no matter how tightly I grip the gun. I guess I'll find out. I still suspect the only way I will get a 9mm that I like is to find on based on a 1911..... but I'm willing to wait for Frank to work his magic.

 

[wb3jma]

invoke the warranty and send it back to the factory what is the Ser # BTW? HP???

 

[MikeMyers]

invoke the warranty and send it back to the factory what is the Ser # BTW? HP???

Serial Number: HP 9646

Send it back? I have zero confidence in the ability of Springfield's service technicians. First, they sold me a defective gun, that not only didn't they fix it, they never tried what I told them to do, to replicate the problem. If they had any ability, my replacement gun would have a 5 pound trigger pull, like everyone else's.

I've wasted too much time and money on this gun already - if my gunsmith can't get it to shoot the way I want, I'll sell it and buy a 9mm 1911.

If this gun gets repaired and shoots well, I'll enjoy using it, but I will never again buy a Springfield.

(On the previous gun, it went back to Springfield twice, with a specific thing they could test to see the problem for themselves, and a list of what was wrong with my gun - which I am pretty sure had a cracked slide, as that's the only plausible explanation for what it was doing. By the time I had shot 25 rounds, the gun was too hot to touch, the barrel wobbled around in the slide, and the holes at 15 yards were mostly no longer even hitting the backing board, let alone the target. No complaints about the service technicians who answer the phone when I call - they were good to talk to, and they understood what I thought the problem was, but the guys who do the work, in my words, were incompetent. The fact that it is an inexpensive gun is irrelevant. After almost a year now, the gun is still useless. Grrr.... OK, off soapbox, not sure why I am stubbornly trying to get this gun to work properly, when I have guns from S&W, Colt, and others that work properly. I should have simply bought a PM9 from Dan Wesson. )

 

[Voltaire]

Just change out the recoil and hammer/main spring and reduce the rating by 3,4 or 5lbs. It makes a massive difference and reduces muzzle flip. Springs are easy to obtain and change out, no problems. Rear sights i find if adjustable fix most shot placement issues.

 

[MikeMyers]

Thanks, but the gun is already with my gunsmith. Maybe that's what he will do.

Perhaps I should have bought a Springfield 9mm Range Officer when they were available.

 

[Voltaire]

Gunsmiths will never, ever change out a recoil;l or hammer spring without the owners expressed say so. They fix issues with worn parts or factory parts which can be polished to make certain the parts in the pistol function as they should or replace them when worn. Most firearms by ALL manufacturers under say $700-$900 are made to a price. Most pistol in that price range and even above have parts internally which instead of being smooth have rough edges or are just not the right fit. My XD had a trigger that was just wrong, 8-9lb and so i replaced it with an after market 4-5lb trigger pull, now it's fantastic. All the best and lets hear what you gunsmith found. PS, Glock may be the only exception to what i rote, but even they improve with a recoil spring reduction.

 

[MikeMyers]

Thanks; the gunsmith is supposed to call me later this week with his suggestions.

I already have a Springfield 45 made into a "wad gun". Perhaps I should have just bought a "Range Officer" in 9mm.
It's just for fun shooting, not competition, but I would rather I be the limit of how well I shoot, not the gun.

 

[Voltaire]

As i have written often it is NEVER ever the Firearm once it is sighted in that shows how accurately a person shoot.
IT is always and will remain so that it is the person pulling the trigger, period. In top ranked shooting most competitors use much the same firearm, like a CZ, or other well known brand and there are few pistols that we know perform well and are not to expensive. They are used because the person using that particular pistol can shoot faster, more accurately and consistently than a less experiences person.

 

[MikeMyers]

I got my SA-35 back from the gunsmith. He cleaned and lubed it, but is still 7 to 8 pounds trigger pull. He told me the springs in my gun are too stiff. He strongly suggested a trigger job. For a bit over $200 I can buy the BH Spring Solutions kit, and about $100 more for him to install it. I think that would be insane. After all the trips back to Springfield, the first gun was defective, and I think since they were in a hurry to send me a gun, the assembler used the wrong parts. Nobody test fired it.

Anyway, I went to the range, and borrowed a gun rest from one of my friends. I took one shot at center hold, then decided I could be more precise if I used 6-o'clock hold. The results are shown below. There is no "group". I shot better with my 1911 45, hand-held, than this gun on a "v-rest". Nobody at the range can shoot it any better, and the gunsmith tells me it has the wrong parts in it.

I must really be an idiot, as I bought a nice Springfield 1911 9" SS gun today from GunBroker. My buddy who is an expert thought that would be a perfect gun for me, and the auction ended today. Bullseye shooters consider the old Range Officer guns to be excellent for bullseye - my 45 Wad Gun started off as a Range Officer. Technically, my new gun is a "Springfield Armory Range Officer Target".

I don't know what to do about the SA-35, other than to ask Springfield to send me a shipping label, and not send the gun back to me until it has no more than a 5 pound trigger, and comes with a test target so I can see for myself it shoots acceptably.


For Voltaire - the fellow who won a recent bullseye match at my club tried my gun, and gave up. He has lots of guns, is up near the top of every match, and I believe he knows what he is doing. I agree with what you meant, but I would hesitate to use the word "NEVER". On the other hand, my gun never got to be sighted in, and even the elevation is off. I can center my "pseudo-group" by moving the sight to the right, but I might as well be shooting with my eyes closed!